The Philadelphia Phillies can clinch a playoff spot today, but the tie-breaking scenarios in the NL could impact everything.
The Philadelphia Phillies dropped a tough game on Wednesday to the Milwaukee Brewers, halting their chance to get into the playoffs for at least another day.
Philadelphia will have another opportunity on Thursday when they conclude the three-game series with the Brewers. The Phillies are fighting for playoff positioning in the National League wild-card race, looking to grab the top spot for home-field advantage.
Currently, the Phillies sit in the final wild-card spot in the NL, which would put them on the road against the Atlanta Braves in postseason. But there are still four games left to go for all teams, giving Philadelphia a chance to change their fate for the regular season.
The San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs are the two teams ahead of Philadelphia, with the Arizona Diamondbacks lagging behind in the playoff picture. The Padres are the top wild-card team right now, holding a 1.0-game lead over both the Phillies and Cubs.
Philadelphia can clinch an NL wild-card spot with a win against the Brewers today, combined with either a loss from the Padres or the Diamondbacks. The Phillies know what is at stake, but finishing the year on a high note could be easier said than done.
The easiest thing for the Phillies to do is take the series against the Brewers, helping to put them in a good spot. But Milwaukee is the best team in baseball, and this could give Philadelphia some challenges.
Right-hander Andrew Painter will be on the mound for the Phillies in the finale against the Brewers, with the team looking for him to put together a strong outing. Painter owns a 5.59 ERA over 24 appearances (22 starts) this season.
Tie-Breaking Scenarios for NL Wild-Card Race
But given how close this wild-card race has been, tie-breaking scenarios may come into play over the final few games. And for the Phillies, that could both be a good and bad thing.
Philadelphia owns the tiebreaker over the Padres, but not the Cubs. So, Philadelphia will want to make sure that they can take care of business to get ahead of the Padres in the standings before the regular season ends.
The Cubs own the tiebreaker over both the Padres and Phillies, giving them the easiest path to taking the top NL wild-card spot.
Remaining Schedules for NL Wild-Card Teams
Phillies schedule: One game vs Brewers, three games vs Rays
Padres schedule: One game at Dodgers, three games vs Diamondbacks
Cubs schedule: One game vs Marlins, three games at Red Sox
Diamondbacks schedule: One game at Rockies, three games at Padres
