Heading into the final week and a half, where do the Philadelphia Phillies sit in the playoff race?
After dropping a tough game to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Phillies have some work to do.
Philadelphia has now lost four of its last five games overall, seeing its lead in the National League wild-card race drop. The Phillies no longer hold the top spot, giving some concern for how the rest of the year will go.
Since September started, the Phillies have gone 5-8, dropping multiple series. This includes a series to the rival Atlanta Braves, the Houston Astros, and a split of a four-game series with Atlanta.
Due to the lackluster performance this month, Philadelphia now sits 5.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East division. In all likelihood, the division may be out of reach for this team, but there is still some chance, even if small.
But a spot in the wild-card remains a solid bet for the Phillies, barring a major collapse. Entering the games on Wednesday, the Phillies are currently up one game on the San Diego Padres for the second wild-card spot.
Philadelphia is just a half game back of the Chicago Cubs for the top wild-card spot. And the Phillies are 3.5 games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks in what would see them miss the playoffs entirely.
As the final stretch of games gets going, there is real pressure on the Phillies to start picking up some wins. The last thing that this team wants to do is position themselves poorly for the postsason, or miss the bracket altogether.
Here is how the final schedules look for each team in the wild-card race:
Phillies remaining schedule: one game at Nationals, four games at Mets, three games vs Brewers, and three games vs Rays
Cubs remaining schedule: one game vs Braves, three games at Reds, three games vs Marlins, three games at Red Sox
Padres' remaining schedule: two games @ Rockies, three games vs Marlins, three games vs Dodgers, and three games vs Diamondbacks
Diamondbacks' remaining schedule: one game vs Marlins, three games vs Yankees, three games @ Rockies, and three games @ Padres
The last two series for the Phillies will be tough, making it crucial for the team to get wins against the Nationals and Mets. But all Philadelphia can do is put their best foot forward, hoping for the best over the final week and a half.
It's go time for the Phillies, and if this team isn't careful, they could see another early playoff exit, assuming they clinch a spot.
