Reds fans might be locked on the wrong playoff rival right now

The Cincinnati Reds made some additions to their roster last week, but the San Diego Padres stole the show at this year's trade deadline. Padres' GM A.J. Preller, as he's known to do, put it all on the line and made some rather aggressive trades ahead of the July 31 deadline in order to give San Diego a boost for the final two months of the season.

The Padres beefed up their bullpen with the addition of Athletics' right-handed reliever Mason Miller and bolstered their lineup in a deadline blockbuster for two of the Baltimore Orioles best bats. San Diego may well be on their way to competing for the NL West Division crown and were only three games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers heading into play on Monday.

To make matters even easier for the Padres, they're strength of schedule ranks 29th out of the 30 with the combined winning percentage of the remaining teams on their schedule sitting at just .478. The Friars have seven games against the Colorado Rockies and six against the suddenly rebuilding Arizona Diamondbacks. That should be a walk in the park.

Reds fans locked on wrong playoff rival — Cincy may need to focus on passing the Mets in the NL Wild Card race

After to Monday's win against the Chicago Cubs, the Reds trail the Padres by three games in the chase for the final spot in the NL Wild Card. Seeing as how Cincinnati has the most difficult schedule remaining among all MLB teams, catching the Padres may not be a feasible option. The New York Mets, however, could be within striking distance.

The Reds trail the Mets by four games, but New York's schedule is much more in line with Cincinnati's. The Reds have six more games against the Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, but the Mets have seven more games against the Philadelphia Phillies. New York also has an upcoming three-game series against the Brew Crew and the North Siders, not to mention an early-September trip to Great American Ball Park.

The Reds have 49 games remaining, and can't afford to get caught up in scoreboard-watching at this stage of the season. If Terry Francona crew can find a way to just rack up wins, the standings will take care of themselves. As for the Reds fans, however, they'll be hanging on to every pitch in hopes that their favorite team can catch fire over the final two months of the season.

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