MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds have put themselves in position to earn their first playoff berth since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season while keeping the free-spending New York Mets out of the postseason.

Cincinnati’s 3-1 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and New York’s 6-2 loss to the Miami Marlins on Friday enabled the Reds to tie the Mets for the National League’s third and final wild-card playoff berth. The Reds own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Mets, whose $322.6 million payroll at the start of the season led all MLB teams.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were eliminated from contention for that final wild-card berth with their 7-4 loss to the San Diego Padres.

“Obviously I think we can start to feel it a little bit, but at the same time, we’ve got to take care of

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