Reds playoff odds crumble while Mets deal with unexpected threat

The Cincinnati Reds haven't been eliminated from the MLB Postseason just yet, but with only 11 games remaining on the schedule and a three-game deficit in the NL Wild Card chase, they're chances of playing baseball into October are hanging by a thread.

The Reds have been in a funk for what seems like a month. Cincinnati's bats have been hot and cold, and the pitching has been inconsistent. That's never been more evident than Tuesday's performance against the St. Louis Cardinals in which the Reds failed to score after putting 11 runs on the board the night before.

According to FanGraphs, the Reds playoff odds sit at a depressing 2.9%. Cincinnati's chief NL Central rivals — the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs — have all but locked up a spot in the MLB Postseason. The Mets lead the NL Wild Card race at the moment, but have some interesting competition making a charge with less than two months to go.

Reds playoff odds crumble while Mets deal with the surging Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are surging out west and have increased their playoff odds to 9.5% with just under two weeks left in the regular season. Arizona was left for dead after selling off numerous assets at the MLB trade deadline, but Torey Lovullo's team trails the Mets by just 1½ games entering play on Wednesday.

The San Francisco Giants, who've been in the battle for the final Wild Card spot as well, have seen their playoff odds shrink to just 1.6%. The Giants have another series against the Los Angeles Dodgers on tap, and that four-game set could decide San Fran's playoff fate.

The D-backs don't have an easy path either. Arizona has the toughest schedule of any team remaining with upcoming series against the Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Philadelphia Phillies on deck. The Mets have an 86.4% chance of making back to the postseason, but as they've demonstrated over the past month, nothing is certain.

Terry Francona's club has vowed to battle until they've been eliminated. But unless the Reds are able to rattle off six or seven straight, their chances of making some noise in October are likely to expire.

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