Reds magic number leaves fans speechless as improbable playoff chase continues

The Cincinnati Reds picked up a crucial victory over their NL Central nemesis, the Milwaukee Brewers, on Friday night and inched one step closer to a postseason berth. The New York Mets lost to the Miami Marlins, and the Reds now control their own destiny with two games remaining in the regular season.

The Reds magic number is sitting at two (2). If you're unfamiliar with the concept — which is understandable given the Reds' lack of postseason appearances — the magic number is the combination of Reds' wins and Mets' losses that it would take to secure a spot in the playoffs.

In other words, the Reds could clinch a playoff berth on Saturday night with a win over the Brewers and a Mets' loss to the Marlins. New York tangles with Miami at 4:10 p.m. ET on Saturday, meaning that Cincinnati could know before the first pitch is thrown (7:15 p.m. ET) against Milwaukee whether or not they can punch their ticket to the postseason.

Reds magic number leaves fans speechless as improbable playoff chase continues

The Reds will send Andrew Abbott to the hill on Saturday evening against the Brewers. Milwaukee will counter with left-hander Robert Gasser. That will test Terry Francona's lineup construction, and likely take one of his more productive bats — Gavin Lux — out of the starting lineup. Lux went 2-for-4 on Friday night with two runs scored while playing left field.

Abbott's numbers on the season have been terrific (9-7 2.80 ERA), but he's been up and down of late. The lefty went eight strong against the San Diego Padres on September 10, but he has failed to get out of the fifth inning during his last two starts.

Cincinnati is going to need to strong effort from their All-Star to help neutralize a potent Brewers lineup. Milwaukee hasn't clinched the No. 1 seed in the NL playoff bracket, so they still have something to play for.

If the can't get it done on Saturday, they'll still be in playoff contention on Sunday afternoon with Brady Singer slated to start. The season finale, however, could be an all-hands-on-deck situation, meaning that Hunter Greene and Nick Lodolo could be available out of the Reds bullpen.

Get excited, Reds Country. Your team is on the cusp of an improbable run back to the playoffs.

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