I don't even know what to say at this point. I guess I could reference what I wrote previous to this road trip:
The west coast is looming, and the Reds rarely fare well out there, so enjoy things now. Who knows where we'll be sitting in a week?
That was written a week ago yesterday, and we now know where the Reds ended up sitting: a game and a half behind the Padres in the Wild Card race, and 4.5 games behind the Cardinals in the Central.
It's painful at this point to even pull up the standings. We can't even take comfort in being second to the Padres for the Wild Card. The Reds are now also looking up at the Phillies.
I have no idea if this is The End or not. I suppose it's possible that the Reds could wake up and sweep the Padres this weekend. But things feel bad right now, and it's tough to muster any optimism about anything.
Six games left with the Padres, three with the Giants, and three with the Marlins. I think those 12 games are the key to the season. If the Reds can somehow tear through those games then they might have a shot. If the muddle through then I think it'll be time to roll the credits. We should have a pretty good idea by September 15th; all of the Giants and Padres games will be completed at that point. The rest of the schedule is filled with the Cubs and Pirates, and we have to assume the Reds will do well there (if they don't then we truly have no hope), so it really comes down to these next two weeks.
I can't decide if the off day today is a blessing or a curse, but it's really aggravating to have to deal with the last six losses for another day.