The Final 44: Down the Cincinnati Reds Stretch

As hard as it may be to believe, the Cincinnati Reds have already played 118 of the 162 games on their schedule. By simple mathematical calculations, only 44 games remain in the 2014 regular season.

 
Considering the rash of injuries that has absolutely debilitated the Reds roster, sitting above .500 with a month and a half remaining is a minor victory in its own right.

 
Having only gotten 62 games out of Joey Votto, 36.1 innings out of Aroldis Chapman, and Brandon Phillips out for an indefinite period of time, had this information been gathered ahead of time and told to Reds fans in the winter, they would have feared the worst. While the current situation is not exactly full of hope and promise, the Redlegs are a week and a half of hot baseball away from jumping into a Wild Card spot.

 
Through the upcoming weekend, the Reds are finishing a chunk of their schedule in which they needed desperately to pick up ground. Below is your cheat sheet for the remainder of the season for the Reds:

 
Aug. 12-13: vs. Boston
Aug. 14-17: @ Colorado
Aug. 18-20: @ St. Louis
Aug. 21-24: vs. Atlanta
Aug. 26-28: vs. Chicago (NL)
Aug. 29-31: @ Pittsburgh
Sep. 2-4: @ Baltimore
Sep. 5-7: vs. New York (NL)
Sep. 8-11: vs. St. Louis
Sep. 12-14: @ Milwaukee
Sep. 15-17: @ Chicago (NL)
Sep. 19-21: @ St. Louis
Sep. 23-25: vs. Milwaukee
Sep. 26-28: vs. Pittsburgh

The most glaring elements of the schedule come in the forms of the final six games of the season. (Really the final nine) At home, the Redlegs will get a chance to either make a desperate final push for the division race against Milwaukee, or a Wild Card push against Pittsburgh. Certainly, where teams are located in the standings can change almost on a daily basis at this point in the season, but as far as having the opportunity to play the teams in front of them, the Reds have been given a golden opportunity.

 
The last non-division games come all the way as early as September 7 when the New York Mets stroll into town. Believe it or not, there are only two non-division road series remaining—one of which takes place this upcoming weekend in Colorado.

 
Some may see having to play the Cardinals, Brewers and Pirates as a disservice to a club that is scratching and clawing for every win, but if the teams ahead of the Reds do not slip; there is no catching them anyhow. Plus, if the club cannot beat the teams ahead of them, they are not as deserving as they may believe to be.

 
Exactly 22 games are on the road, and exactly 22 at the friendly confines of Great American Ball Park.

 
Last season, this very same club earned the second Wild Card spot with a total of 90 wins. In order to accomplish that number this season, they will need a 30-14 finish that would be one part players returning from injury, and another part dumb ol’ baseball luck.