How American League will decide playoff fates of Cincinnati Reds, NL playoff hopefuls

DETROIT — Is the American League about to determine half the National League playoff field in the next three weeks?

That wasn’t part of the plan when Major League Baseball decided go this year to a more balanced schedule in which every team plays every team in the other league at least three games.

But for anyone who doesn’t believe AL teams are about to play kingmakers and executioners in the National League playoff races, check out the final nine games of the Arizona Diamondbacks season – against the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox on the road, then finishing at home against the Houston Astros.

Or just check out the Cincinnati Reds schedule – with three of the final six series against American League opponents.

Or just look at the impact of one 10-inning game Tuesday night in Detroit on the Reds.

In the span of one 6-5 victory over an American League team on Tuesday night, the Reds went from trailing three teams for the final NL wild-card position to leap-frogging two of those teams and landing just one game behind Arizona for that spot, with 16 to play.

In the process, the tightly packed group of six in the scrum for three NL wild-card spots is now separated by just five games.

Tyler Stephenson drove home the go-ahead run with a rope single to right in the top of Tuesday's 10th, and second baseman Jonathan India threw out a runner at the plate for the second out of the bottom of the 10th to seal the win.

Bottom line: The Reds pulled out a tense, must-win AL victory to gain ground in the NL playoff race.

“It’s almost like Playstation or something, fake like that,” reliever Derek Law said, “that an AL team could just help or hurt an NL team. Just weird.”

By the time the season’s over, every team will have played roughly equal interleague schedules.

“So it’s going to be more even than it’s ever been,” Reds catcher Luke Maile said. “But the way it’s shaken out for us, it is interesting.

“Ultimately, like anything else, it’s going to come down to how well you play, mostly likely,” he said, “But there’s going to be some teams that we’re not quite as familiar with that we’re playing some of our most meaningful baseball against.”

That’s the Playstation part. Not that any of it is unfair. But that it’s so conspicuous because of the unusually bunched-up six-pack for three spots in one league along with so many decisive games still in play in September against the other.

Law pointed out that the one time he was in the playoffs, his San Francisco Giants needed a sweep against the Dodgers on the final weekend to get in, and got it.

“I can’t fathom playing an AL team and it being super meaningful baseball, like the Diamondbacks playing Houston to try to get in,” Law said. “That’s kind of just wild.”

Any more wild than the Reds needing to win big games against the Tigers this week, the Minnesota Twins next week and potentially the Cleveland Guardians during the final week of the season?

“And I know it’s only two against Cleveland, but those are huge games – for the state and the [playoff race]. That’s kind of crazy to think about.”

With Tuesday's win, the Reds have the best record against AL teams (25-14) among the six-pack in the wild-card picture, with seven interleague games to play.

The Philadelphia Phillies, who leads the bunch with the inside track for the top wild-card spot, have done it with a substantial boost from their 28-18 record against AL teams.

The Chicago Cubs (25-21 vs. AL) are in the second wild-card position with no interleague games left. The Marlins (26-20 vs. AL) also are done with interleague play.

But the Giants, Reds and DBacks all faced their part of the wild-card free-for-all with AL teams in position to crush their National League hopes – or help grease the skids toward October.

“I just hope the other teams are playing the good American League teams,” Reds manager David Bell deadpanned.

Part of the reason for the conspicuous interleague endings – Arizona’s the most dramatic – is that the rough drafts of MLB schedules were already done for 2023 and 2024 (allowing for such local scheduling needs as ballpark concerts and other big local events) when the decision to change the interleague format was approved.

That meant adjusting the current schedules – removing eight intra-division series from each team's schedule and manipulating the openings to shoehorn interleague games.

The conspicuous byproduct: NL playoff berths on the line in American League games in the mid- and late-September heat of pennant races.

“It’s going to be interesting. We’re in a good spot moving forward,” said outfielder Hunter Renfroe, who was acquired off waivers from the AL’s Los Angeles Angels Aug. 31. “I think some of my history will come into play as we play some of these teams, and I know some of these pitchers and what their tendencies are.

“We’re getting some pitchers back; some guys are coming off the COVID IL,” he added, “and we’re playing pretty good baseball. We’ve just gotta keep going, keep grinding and keep focused on what we look forward to, and that’s a postseason run.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: MLB playoff race interleague late season schedule for Cincinnati Reds