Examining the aftermath of Reds' series win over Padres

SAN DIEGO — A three-game series in San Diego between the Cincinnati Reds and San Diego Padres in September had all of the feels of a postseason matchup. And the results of it could have a direct impact on how October shapes up for the National League.

On Wednesday night, Cincinnati once again rallied late, scoring a pair of eighth-inning runs to post a 2-1 win over the Padres. The victory clinched the series for Cincinnati and moved the Reds within 2.0 games of the final NL wild-card spot.

It was the second straight night that the Reds had scored late to take the game, following a 4-2 win on Tuesday night that turned on a ninth-inning home run that had questions being raised about the Padres' late-inning bullpen options.

In all, the three games in the series were decided by a total of four runs, including an extra-inning one-run win for the Padres in the opener.

Were San Diego Padres or Cincinnati Reds affected more by outcome of series?

This was a series that the Padres needed, chasing the Los Angeles Dodgers, who feasted on the Colorado Rockies at Chavez Ravine for three games and increased their NL West lead over San Diego to 3.0 games.

The good news for the Padres? Colorado, the team with the worst record in all of baseball, comes to Petco Park for four games beginning on Thursday. Those games now become even more critical for the Padres, who have just 16 games left in the regular season as time ticks away to catch the Dodgers.

For the Reds, dropping this series could have been a death knell for their postseason hopes. Cincinnati entered Wednesday with a 7.2 percent chance to make the postseason per FanGraphs. That percentage will now go up as the Reds are tied with the San Francisco Giants in the chase for the third wild-card spot, just 2.0 games behind the New York Mets.

Back-to-back rallies for wins keep Cincinnati's season going and give them momentum heading into an off day before opening a three-game road set against the Athletics on Friday. It also gives the franchise just its second season series win over the Padres (also in 2019), going 4-2 this year versus San Diego.

The Reds are now 37-31 since June 2 when in a late and close situation (game in the seventh inning or later with the batting team tied, ahead by 1, or with the tying run on base, at bat or on deck). That run has kept Cincinnati in the playoff chase.

In this series, San Diego played like it was under pressure. Cincinnati didn't.

"Today dictates our ability to be in the playoffs and to put ourselves in the best position for the playoffs," Padres manager Mike Shildt said before Wednesday's game. "It's a trap if you're starting to set up things now for something that's going to happen in October when October is not guaranteed."

With a 98.9 percent chance to play October baseball, San Diego doesn't have to worry too much about whether it gets in or not. However, not being able to catch the Dodgers and once again entering as a wild-card team is certainly not what the franchise planned for a team that was once again aggressive at the trade deadline.

In the end, Cincinnati may have gained more than San Diego lost in this series, but it's clear the Padres still have some questions to address if they're to make a deep postseason run.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.