Last game: The Reds (26-27) lost 5-0 to the Chicago White Sox on Saturday at Great American Ball Park. A six-game winning streak, the longest of the season, ended.
Division race: The Cardinals (25-24) beat the Pirates 5-4 to move past the Reds and into second place in the National League Central Division. The Cardinals lead the Reds by one game. The Reds are tied with the Milwaukee Brewers (25-26) for third place but have a percentage point lead.
The top two teams in each division make the playoffs. The Reds trail the first-place Chicago Cubs (31-21) by 5½ games.
Wild-card race: The top two teams in each league with the next best records, outside the top two teams in each division, also make the expanded 16-team playoffs. The Reds have a percentage point lead (.491-.490) over the Brewers and San Francisco Giants (25-26).
If the season ended today: According to MLB.com’s postseason standings, the Reds would be the No. 8 seed. The Reds would match up with the No. 1 seed Los Angeles Dodgers (37-15), who would host the best-of-three wild-card series starting Sept. 30.
» ONE-TWO PUNCH: Bauer, Castillo would give Reds shot in playoffs
The odds: According to FanGraphs.com, the Reds have a 44.7 percent chance of making the playoffs. They have 12.8 percent chance of finishing second and a 31.8 percent chance of winning a wild card.
Road ahead: The Reds finish three-game series at home against the Chicago White Sox (34-18) at 1:10 p.m. Sunday. They start a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers (24-26) on Monday in Cincinnati. They are off Thursday. They close the regular season with three games on the road against the Minnesota Twins (32-22), starting Friday.
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