With the Mets in freefall, this is the team the SF Giants need to worry about

This team could give the Giants trouble down the stretch.
Cincinnati Reds v San Francisco Giants
Cincinnati Reds v San Francisco Giants | Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages

The SF Giants are right in the playoff race with just a few weeks left in the regular season. While they have been trying to chase down the New York Mets in the NL Wild Card, the team that could really give them trouble is the Cincinnati Reds.

The Giants are currently a half game back of the Mets in the Wild Card race as New York has lost eight games in a row. The Mets are not completely cooked, but with the bad momentum they have going the Reds may be the team the Giants should be more concerned with.

SF Giants should be more concerned with the Reds than the Mets

New York's pitching staff has been really struggling as of late and there does not seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel right now. We know things can turn around fast, but the Mets are running out of time to stop the bleeding.

Meanwhile, the Reds are just 1.5 games back in the NL Wild Card race and they have been playing decent as of late. They are 4-6 in their last ten games and they have had some big wins as of late although they also just dropped a series to the A's.

The Diamondbacks are another team that should not be slept on. They are just two games behind the Giants and they will face the Giants three more times so they have a chance to make up ground in those head-to-head contests.

Still, Cincinnati has a more talented roster overall with star shortstop Elly De La Cruz and starting pitcher Hunter Greene so they may have a better chance to close well coming down the stretch.

The Giants are still in a good position to get that last Wild Card spot, though. They have been playing good baseball as of late and definitely have the most momentum of any of the teams in the running for that third Wild Card spot. They are also getting some help from a former manager.

Today's rubber match against the Los Angeles Dodgers will be pivotal as they try to stock up as many wins as possible before the end of the season. While fans have been looking at the score of Mets games for a while, they may do well to check the score of the Reds game first.

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