Reds Tragic Number: September gauntlet makes postseason return almost impossible

Many baseball fans know the meaning of the phrase magic number. It's the combined total of wins by a team and losses by its closest rival needed to qualify for the postseason.

Unfortunately, the Cincinnati Reds' struggles this season have them staring at a tragic number — also known as an elimination number — that's the combined total of losses by a team and wins by its closest rival that ultimately result in elimination from postseason play.

The Reds have won back-to-back series against would-be playoff contenders. Cincinnati took 2-of-3 from the Chicago Cubs on the road at Wrigley Field last weekend, and just dispensed of the San Diego Padres this week after taking 2-of-3 from the Friars.

What's the Reds tragic number with upcoming series against the Brewers and Dodgers?

Entering play on Friday, Cincinnati's record stands at 67-73, they're 6½ games back in the NL Wild Card standings, and have less than a 1% chance to return to the playoffs. Making things even worse is the Reds' strength of schedule which is the toughest in all of baseball. The lone team with a losing record on their schedule is the Toronto Blue Jays, who are somehow clinging to life in the watered-down American League.

The Reds tragic number is 16. Any combination of Reds' losses and rival wins that add up to 16 would eliminate Cincinnati from the MLB Postseason, and when you take a look at who's on deck, you can understand why their playoff odds are almost zero.

On Friday, the Reds begin a three-game series against the National League's best team, the Milwaukee Brewers. After that, they'll take a flight out to southern California and play three games against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. On their way back to Cincinnati, the Reds will stop off in Milwaukee for three more against the Brewers.

The ole Redlegs will then kickoff their final homestand of the season with a four-game visit from the defending World Series Champion Dodgers before wrapping up their final home series against the Cubs. Terry Francona's club will then make one more road trip with three-game stops in Atlanta and Toronto.

If you're curious what the Reds' magic number is heading into play on Friday evening, it's 23. Cincinnati would need to rip off a number of series sweeps against the very best the NL has to offer and also hope for an implosion from the likes of the Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Miami Marlins — all of whom are in front of the Reds in the standings.

That's a tall task, Reds fans. But I'll say this; if Cincinnati is somehow able to find their way back to the postseason, nobody will be able to say they didn't earn it.

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