Just like everyone expected before the season began, the final National League wild card spot is occupied by the Cincinnati Reds headed into the final week of the season.
That’s sarcasm, of course, as the Reds on Sunday completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs to overtake the collapsing New York Mets for that final postseason spot in the NL. Due to holding the season tiebreaker over both the Mets and the surging Arizona Diamondbacks, Cincinnati controls its own destiny and path to the postseason.
After the sweep of the Cubs, the Reds have won five straight games and soared into the playoff picture. Cincinnati entered September just one game above .500 and it now enters the final week of the season four games above the .500 mark.
The Reds pitching staff sparked the five-game winning streak and it was highlighted by the complete game shutout from ace Hunter Greene on Thursday against Chicago. It’s been a total staff effort, though, as Reds pitchers have allowed just nine runs during the winning streak.
Some of the Reds players, including Gavin Lux and Andrew Abbott, have realized the importance of the final week of the season and have encouraged fans to get out to the ballpark this week with “#packGABP” going around social media after Sunday’s sweep.
Cincinnati has an off-day Monday before welcoming in the Pittsburgh Pirates for a three-game series. It will then travel to Milwaukee to wrap up the season against the division rival Milwaukee Brewers.
There is a chance that the Reds will be playing a Brewers team that has already clinched everything it possibly can and decides to rest players before the playoffs. If that is the case, the path to the postseason is crystal clear. Winning four of the final six regular season games should be enough to get Cincinnati into the postseason.
It would be the first playoff appearance for the Reds since being swept in the wild card round in 2020. With a dominant pitching staff and lineup full of speed and electricity, Cincinnati could be a dangerous team to meet in a best-of-three series.
