CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds have a shot at making the MLB playoffs, something that didn't seem likely a few weeks ago.
After winning five straight and six of its last seven games, if the season ended today, the Reds would fill the last wild card spot.
But the season doesn't end today... there are six games left for the Reds to make or break a possible postseason berth.
This article will detail the playoff scenarios, updated every day until the Reds either clinch or are eliminated.
How the Reds get into the playoffs
As of Monday, Sept. 22, the Cincinnati Reds are currently in the sixth and final seed, otherwise known as the last wild card spot, to get into the National League side of the MLB playoffs.
Six teams make the National League playoffs, with the first round consisting of the lowest four seeds playing against one another. The two best division winners get a bye in round 1, while the third division winner plays the lowest-seeded wild card team. Right now, that means the Reds would travel to Los Angeles to play the Dodgers in a best-of-three series. All three games in the wild card round happen at the higher seed's home stadium, unlike the rest of the playoffs where they alternate home and away games.
The two other teams in the wild card race are the Chicago Cubs (who have already clinched) and the San Diego Padres (who only need one more win to clinch).
It's unlikely the Reds catch the Padres for a higher seed because the team is five games back from them with only six games to play, so instead the Redlegs are going to have to hold off five teams to secure that last spot (we'll break down the remaining schedules below):
Cincinnati Reds — 80-76
New York Mets — 80-76 (Reds hold tiebreaker)
Arizona Diamondbacks — 79-77
San Francisco Giants — 77-79
Miami Marlins — 76-80
St. Louis Cardinals — 76-80
Watch a video breakdown of the latest standings:
Remaining Schedules
Reds
The Reds have two 3-game series left to close out the year: Home starting Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and then away at the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Cincinnati is 6-4 against the Pirates this year, but they will have to go against NL Cy Young favorite Paul Skenes, who shut the team out back in August. The good news is that on that same day, the Reds have ace Hunter Greene on the mound.
The Pirates have not had a good year overall at just 67-89 and no shot at the playoffs, but these divisional games are always about more than the trends.
The Brewers, on the other hand, have been the best team in all of Major League Baseball this year, but with the team having already clinched a bye in the first round of the playoffs, it's unclear whether or not they'll throw all their weapons at the Reds in the last three games of the season. The Brewers are likely to rest its bullpen, and perhaps even some position players, depending on how their next series against the San Diego Padres goes.
It's win and they're in - if the Reds win all six games, they're in the playoffs. The team's best-case scenario is to take at least two out of three from Pittsburgh, and hopefully go up against a resting Brewers team that they can roll over with either a series win or sweep.
Mets
Even though the Mets have the same record as the Reds, it's really more like being down a game because the Reds hold the head-to-head tiebreaker, having won their season series.
The Mets play on the road against the Cubs and then the Marlins, two teams that are still jockeying for playoff position. The Cubs have dropped four in a row since clinching a playoff spot, but they do still have something to play for: home-field advantage in the wild card round. They are three games ahead of the Padres in the top wild card spot, and if they remain there, they get to host, instead of having to travel to the West Coast.
The Marlins are on the edge of elimination, but they have rattled off six straight wins and 9 of their last 10 to stay in contention. The best-case scenario for the Reds is the Marlins remain hot and beat up on the Mets in the closing days to give them more control of their own destiny.
Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are one game behind the Reds, but like the Mets, Cincinnati owns the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to a series sweep early in the season, so really the Diamondbacks are two games behind the Reds, meaning they have to win two more games of the last six than the Reds.
The D-Backs could have the hardest road to the playoffs with a series hosting the Dodgers and then at the Padres. The Dodgers are still playing for as high of a seed as possible in the playoffs, so they aren't likely to pull any punches for Arizona. And while San Diego may have clinched by the time Arizona comes to town, they will still be potentially vying for home-field advantage in the wild card round, if not the division title, depending on how the results of the first series go.
Arizona has split its season series with LA and San Diego so far this year.
Giants
The Giants just might have the easiest road of all of the teams the Reds have to hold off, but have to win more games than Arizona or New York to catch the Reds, at three games back. The Reds also hold the tiebreaker over the Giants because even though the teams split their season series, the Reds have a better intradivisional record than the Giants do, which is tiebreaker number two.
The Giants will play three games at home against the Cardinals and the Colorado Rockies, the worst team in baseball this year.
The Cards will come to play, vying for a wild card spot themselves, but the Rockies could be easy wins for the Giants if they are still in the mix for the last playoff spot.
Cardinals
Speaking of the Cardinals - they are an additional game behind the Giants (four games back of the Reds), so they essentially need to win every single one of their games to make the playoffs. After their series in San Francisco, they go to Chicago to play the Cubs, whose fate could be determined by that time, possibly leading to the rest of some of its players. Worth noting if the Cards end up tied with the Reds, the Cardinals hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Reds.
Marlins
The last contender for the final wild card spot is the Miami Marlins, who have been on an all-time run to even be in this conversation, but they remain four games back of the Reds and also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over Cincinnati.
Their first series to close out the season is against the Philadelphia Phillies, a team that has already clinched a bye in round 1 of the playoffs. The Phillies are still playing for home-field advantage throughout, so they are likely to still roll out some of their stars (like Middletown-native Kyle Schwarber) to try and get the job done.
The Marlins finish against the aforementioned Mets, which would be one of the more intriguing final series, but only if the Reds and/or Mets don't sweep their respective next series. If they do, the Marlins would be mathematically eliminated.
Who to root for today
The Cardinals to beat the Giants
No other games until Tuesday
Reds Magic Number (number of games Reds need to win to clinch a playoff spot)
6
Either way, it's going to be a wild week to watch. Here's a hype video the Reds made to really amp you up for the next 6 ballgames:
