The Cincinnati Reds 2-1 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night kept them one game behind the Mets for the last NL playoff position.

Yusei Kikuchi threw seven strong innings, Luis Rengifo hit a tiebreaking RBI single in the eighth and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-1 on Wednesday night. Bryce Teodosio doubled off reliever Graham Ashcraft (7-5) to open the eighth and took third on a wild pitch.

Reid Detmers (4-3) struck out two in a scoreless eighth for the victory. With Angels closer Kenley Jansen unavailable because of a left rib-cage injury, Luis Garcia retired the side in order in the ninth for his first save.

The Reds right-hander quickly ran into trouble in the bottom of the eighth, when Angels center fielder Bryce Teodosio doubled to lead off the inning. A wild pitch moved him to third, and one batter later, second baseman Luis Rengifo's RBI single gave the Angels a 2-1 lead.

With a decade-long playoff drought on track to be extended to eleven seasons, the Angels have some long-term pieces in place to break the drought—including shortstop Zach Neto. Neto debuted for the Angels just one year after the organization selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

The Cincinnati Reds earned their 10th consecutive victory over the Los Angeles Angels, going back to 2019, with a 6-4 victory.

Can the Cincinnati Reds make the playoffs in the NL this season? Cincy is just one game back of the New York Mets for the final wild card spot in the NL, and it

The Los Angeles Angels are proof that having talented players is only one part of team success. The roster is highlighted by future Hall of Famer Mike Trout, 2025 All-Star pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, and power-hitting outfielder Taylor Ward (29 homers, 92 RBI), but they’re still 7.5 games out of an AL Wild Card spot with five-and-a-half weeks left.