Collapse complete; Reds miss playoffs

CHICAGO – Any last hopes the Cincinnati Reds had of making the playoffs ended at 10:40 p.m. Tuesday when the St. Louis Cardinals won their franchise-record 17th consecutive game.

Twenty-one minutes later, the Reds went down with a 7-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.

"From day one of spring training, we had one goal: That's first to get to the postseason and win a championship," Reds manager David Bell said. "All along we believed it was going to happen. Of course, it is a tough night."

The Reds entered Tuesday with an elimination number of 1, meaning they needed to win their final five regularseason games and they needed the Cardinals to lose their final six games to force a Game 163 tiebreaker.

"You've got to play good baseball like they did," Eugenio Suárez said of the Cardinals. "Winning 17 in a row is amazing. Good for them and congratulations

to them, because they did it."

It was a September collapse for the Reds, who dropped eight consecutive series and went nearly three weeks without winning back-to-back games.

"We did struggle for a few weeks, there is no question," Bell said, "and it came at a time that was really important. I think there are multiple reasons, but I'm not there yet. The season is not over for us. I haven't taken the time to completely reflect on what we could've done better, but I will absolutely do that because we're going to be in that position again and we're going to get through it and come out on top the next time."

The Reds haven't made the postseason in a full season since 2013 and haven't won a playoff series since 1995. The Reds earned a playoff spot after last year's 60-game season, which included an expanded playoff field, but they were swept in the Wild Card Series by the Atlanta Braves without scoring a run for 22 innings.

"You have to tip your cap to the Cardinals right now," Bell said. "It's pretty amazing what they're doing right now. That's just out of respect for what they've done. It's incredible. That's the situation we're in right now and I can't wait until we have another opportunity to get to the postseason."

PAUL BEATY/AP Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Riley O’brien reacts after giving up a solo home run to Chicago White Sox’s Luis Robert (88) on Tuesday.