Can the Cincinnati Reds really conjure up a miracle run to finish the regular season a la the 2021 St. Louis Cardinals and their 17-game September dash?

Look at me, mentioning the goddam St. Louis Cardinals. I can’t believe I let myself do that.

The Reds are in their own playoffs at the moment, sitting 72-71 and 4 games back of the New York Mets for the final Wild Card spot in the National League with just 19 games remaining in the 2025 season. They also sit 6 games back of the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card chase, as the Friars hold spot #2 there while they reside a lone game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers for the lead in the National League West.

So, there will be plenty on the line when Cincinnati waltzes into Petco this evening in the Gaslamp. The Reds, as things stand, pretty much have to win everything they do going forward, from games to series to weeks to road trips. And as recent history has taught us, trying to do anything akin to that on West Coast Road Trips™ has been just about impossible.

Cincinnati looked desperate in their series victory over the Mets on Sunday, though it helped that they had ace Hunter Greene on the mound doing almost all of the heavy lifting. That won’t be something on which they’ll be able to lean against San Diego, however, though they will have Nick Lodolo back on the mound this evening after he missed a start with an illness. Following him in the series will be Zack Littell and the somewhat gassed version of Andrew Abbott, with the hope being the Reds can find enough charge to blast past their opponents and keep chasing that elusive spot in the postseason.

These are late games, folks, so get your coffee pots ready. Monday’s series opener (with Yu Darvish starting for the Padres) will commence at 9:40 PM ET, as will Tuesday’s clash – that one will be carried on MLB Network, too. Wednesday will see first pitch bumped up an hour to 8:40 PM (the Reds have Thursday off).

It’s not the playoffs, but we’re in every-game-is-life-or-death mode with the Reds. Around these parts, that’s a lot to ask for most Septembers, so cherish it – that’s often the best you’ll get under this ownership group.