The Cincinnati Reds made an unlikely climb to No. 15 in the latest MLB Power Rankings following a sweep of the Houston Astros. That's an increase of seven spots from last week for a Reds team that's now won eight straight. The Reds leap in the rankings was the highest of any team this week.

Cincinnati is absolutely on fire right now, helped by the emergence of rookies Elly De La Cruz and Andrew Abbott. De La Cruz helped extend the win streak with an RBI in a 3-run 10th inning to close out the defending champion Astros on Sunday.

This weekend, The Atlanta Braves will aim to slow the Reds down in a must-watch series. The Braves have the best record in the National League and are in the midst of a six-game win streak of their own.

With Sunday's win against the Astros, Cincinnati is now 37-35, just half a game back in the NL Central race. They're also in second place above the Pittsburgh Pirates, who are trending in the wrong direction, with six straight losses.

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To make things better, Reds legend Joey Votto is back from the IL, making his season debut Monday. Votto, a former MVP, is the epitome of consistency and is one of baseball's purest hitters. Last year was one of his only down seasons, when he hit .205 in just 91 games.

2022 was just Votto's second season hitting under .250, with other being the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

The Reds will be happy to have Votto's veteran presence back in the lineup, as their young guns continue to rapidly develop.