What the Wild Card Contenders have left:
Cincinnati:
Home: 3 vs. SF, 3 vs. Pit, 3 vs. SD, 4 vs. Chi
Road: 3 vs. SD, 3 vs. Chi, 3 vs. Hou, 3 vs. Florida, 3 vs. Pit
Analysis: If I weren't a Reds fan I'd say that the schedule for Cincinnati is pretty favorable. Lots of games against the Cubs and Pirates, a three game set against the Astros who the Reds have dominated, and chances to make up ground on the Padres, Giants, and Marlins. But I'm a Reds fan and I know that things are never as easy as they look.
San Diego:
Home: 3 vs. Cin, 3 vs. Col, 3 vs. Ari, 3 vs. Pit
Road: 3 vs. SF, 3 vs. Cin, 4 vs. LA, 3 vs. StL, 4 vs. Ari
Analysis: You would think that 17 road games and just 12 home games would make for a tough month for the Padres, but you'd be wrong. San Diego has actually played quite a bit better on the road (35-29) than they have at home (33-36). But there's still quite a few tough games in September with tons of division games. The Padres are just 28-30 against the West so far this season.
Philadelphia:
Home: 4 vs. Atl, 3 vs. Hou, 3 vs. Chi, 3 vs. Florida
Road: 7 vs. Florida, 3 vs. Atl, 3 vs. Hou, 3 vs. Was
Analysis: Ten games against the Florida Marlins. We can only hope that they'll split those games, keeping both the Phillies and Marlins from moving up the ladder. The Phillies schedule is actually pretty favorable outside of playing the Marlins so much. Playing a few more games on the road than at home should help them. Like San Diego, the Phillies actually play better on the road (34-30) than at home (33-35).
Obviously there are something like five other teams in contention for the Wild Card, but I'm going to go ahead and stop here with the top three. After looking at this I feel a little better about the Reds chances with regards to the Padres, but I think the Phillies have it pretty good in September and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them in the playoffs.