Reds within striking distance of NL Wild Card spot with critical week of games ahead

The Cincinnati Reds are off on Monday, but by the time that Joey Votto, Jonathan India, and the rest of the Reds roster take the field on Tuesday, the standings may have already shifted in their favor.

After getting three key players back on Sunday, the Reds finally got a game back against their division rival. Both Votto and India went yard in Sunday's series finale against the hated St. Louis Cardinals in what was almost a must-win game.

The Redlegs now sit 1.5 games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final NL Wild Card spot with 17 games remaining in the 2023 season. Don't count out the Rally Reds just yet.

Reds within striking distance of NL Wild Card spot with critical week of games ahead.

The Cincinnati Reds have three games against the hapless Detroit Tigers this week followed by a three-game trip to Queens to battle the New York Mets. The Tigers and Mets are a combined 131-154 (.457) on the season. If the Reds can win four out of their next six games, they'll be sitting pretty heading back to Cincinnati next week.

The Arizona Diamondbacks, who hold the slimmest of leads in the NL Wild Card hunt, will play four straight games on the road against the Mets before returning back to the desert to face the Chicago Cubs for three games over the weekend.

The Miami Marlins, who've been surging of late, squeaked out a win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday. The Fish get four games on the road against the Milwaukee Brewers beginning on Monday and close out the week with a three-game series at home against the Atlanta Braves.

It's easy to dismiss the San Francisco Giants, but Gabe Kapler's crew just keeps hanging around. The Reds are in a virtual tie with Giants, as both teams sit 1.5 games back of the D-backs. San Fran gets a visit from the Cleveland Guardians before heading to Denver on Thursday for four games agains the Colorado Rockies.

The Cincinnati Reds need to keep winning if they have any hopes of staying in the NL Wild Card race. And whlie no one seems to want to talk about it, it's not as if the Chicago Cubs are home free. David Ross' squad is only up on the D-backs by two games and visit Arizona later this week.