Cincinnati Reds keeping pace with other wild card contenders in September

The Cincinnati Reds have been a .500 team for the last month — and that has been enough to keep them in contention for a wild card.

The Reds beat the Seattle Mariners 6-3 on Monday in the opener of a three-game series at Great American Ball Park. The victory kept the Reds (72-68) tied for the last wild card with the Arizona Diamondbacks (71-67). They are a half game ahead of the Miami Marlins (70-67) and a game ahead of the San Francisco Giants (70-68).

The Reds have won three of their last four games despite losing four pitchers to the COVID-19 injured list. They used seven relief pitchers, including Tejay Antone, who started and pitched two scoreless innings, to get through the game Monday.

“The big goals remain the same, and that’s just winning ballgames however we can,” Reds rookie Spencer Steer said. “Shoutout to the pitching staff. They’ve done an unbelievable job these last couple days with how many guys who have gone down. Guys keep stepping up for us and pitching like they’ve been here all year. There’s been a lot of new guys coming in.”

With just under four weeks left in the regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies have a 5½-game lead in the wild card race and have a 97.5% of winning a wild card, according to FanGraphs.com.

The Chicago Cubs (74-64) trail the Phillies by 2½ games and face the same deficit in the National League Central Division, which the Milwaukee Brewers (76-61) have led since Aug. 3. The Cubs have a 22.7% chance of winning the division and a 60.6% chance of winning a wild card.

With 22 games left in the regular season, the Reds are one of four teams fighting for the last wild card. They’re all within a game of each other. Here’s a glance at those teams.

Arizona

Remaining schedule summary: The Diamondbacks play the Cubs seven times in September. They also have two games remaining against the Giants, another wild-card contender. Their last three games are on the road against the Houston Astros (78-61).

Record against winning teams: 32-46.

Last playoff appearance: The Diamondbacks were swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Divisional Series in 2017.

Wild card odds: 37.3.

Reds

Remaining schedule summary: After the series against the Mariners, the Reds play nine straight games against teams with losing records: the St. Louis Cardinals (59-68); Detroit Tigers (63-74); and New York Mets (63-74). They then play the top team in the AL Central, the Minnesota Twins (72-66) at home before closing the season with series against the Pittsburgh Pirates (64-74), Cleveland Guardians (66-72) and Cardinals. The Reds play their last five games on the road.

Record against winning teams: 41-43.

Wild card odds: 20.9.

Last playoff appearance: The Reds were swept 2-0 by the Atlanta Braves in a wild-card series in 2020.

Miami

Remaining schedule summary: The Marlins have the toughest schedule of any contender in the weeks ahead. Starting Tuesday, they play 13 straight games against the top four teams in the National League: the Dodgers (84-52); Phillies; Brewers; and Atlanta Braves (90-46). They play the Brewers seven times in September.

Record against winning teams: 30-42.

Wild card odds: 25.5

Last playoff appearance: The Marlins were swept 3-0 by the Braves in the NLDS in 2020.

San Francisco

Remaining schedule summary: The Giants play the Dodgers seven times in September. They also have seven games against the Colorado Rockies (50-87), the NL’s worst team.

Record against winning teams: 40-37.

Wild card odds: 35.5.

Last playoff appearance: The Giants lost 3-2 to the Dodgers in the NLDS in 2021.

WEDNESDAY’S GAME

Mariners at Reds, 6:40 p.m., Bally Sports Ohio, 700, 1410