Reds: Where they stand in playoff race with six games left

Last game: The Reds (27-27) beat the Chicago White Sox 7-3 on Sunday at Great American Ball Park, winning the series 2-1.

» BIG WIN: Reds pass test against one of AL’s best teams

Division race: The Cardinals (26-24) beat the Pirates 2-1 on Sunday, winning the last four games in the five-game series, and stayed in second place in the National League Central Division. The Cardinals lead the Reds and Milwaukee Brewers (26-26) by one game.

The top two teams in each division make the playoffs. The Chicago Cubs (31-21) lead the division by four 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 Phillies (27-26) are in position to get the first wild card right now, while the Reds, Brewers and San Francisco Giants (26-26) are tied for the second wild card.

» PHOTOS: Reds vs. White Sox

If the season ended today: According to MLB.com’s postseason standings, the Reds would be the No. 8 seed because they would win a three-way tiebreaker against the Brewers and Giants by having the best intradivision record. The Reds are 19-18 against the Central Division. The Brewers are 16-16 in the Central. The Giants are 15-17 against the West Division.

The Reds would match up with the No. 1 seed Los Angeles Dodgers (38-16), who would host the best-of-three wild-card series starting Sept. 30.

» NOTES: Lorenzen impressive again

The odds: According to FanGraphs.com, the Reds have a 52.4 percent chance of making the playoffs. They have 12.8 percent chance of finishing second and a 39.5 percent chance of winning a wild card.

Road ahead: The Reds start a three-game series against the Milwaukee Brewers at 6:40 p.m. 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.