Reds' struggles aren't hindering their odds of making the playoffs

Reds' struggles aren't hindering their odds of making the playoffs originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The Cincinnati Reds have hit a major rough patch this season, as they have lost seven straight games.

To make matters worse for the Reds, they have lost two arms on their pitching staff to injury, with right-handers Emilio Pagan and Rhett Lowder leaving their outings early. Pagan left with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain while pitching against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday, while Lowder left his start on Thursday after three innings with a shoulder injury. Despite their struggles as of late and the injuries mounting, the Reds still are over .

500 (20-18) and still have a great chance to make the postseason. The Cincinnati Reds have a great chance to make the playoffs despite their recent struggles The Reds snuck into the playoffs last season after the New York Mets collapsed down the stretch (28-37) post All-Star break, but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Wild Card round (2-0). According to MLB.

com's Thomas Harrigan , the Reds ranked fifth as one of the biggest surprise teams that have a chance to make the postseason. "The Reds actually made the playoffs last season, so it's hard calling them a surprise contender," wrote Harrigan. "But still, this is a team that has reached the postseason in consecutive years just once (2012-13) since they won back-to-back World Series titles in 1975-76.