The Phillies’ surge in August changed the feel of their season in a hurry. After opening the second half sluggishly, Philadelphia ripped off a 20-7 record entering the final day of the month and pushed itself firmly into the National League playoff mix.
The club sits in the No. 2 Wild Card spot, and the Braves are back within reach in the NL East race.
That’s the good news. The harder part is still ahead, and September is loaded with series that will tell the story of where this team is headed.
One of the biggest tests comes right away, with Milwaukee and Tampa Bay lining up in what looks like a tough closing stretch. The Brewers own the best record in baseball and will face the Phillies for three games at Citizens Bank Park before the Rays, who currently have the best record in the American League, come in next.
Those matchups will give Philadelphia a chance to measure itself against two of the league’s elite clubs. They also offer a preview of the kind of opponents the Phillies could see in the postseason during the final week of the regular season.
A different kind of pressure comes on the West Coast, where the Phillies finish their nine-game trip with a stop at Chase Field against the Diamondbacks. That series matters because Arizona is one of the teams chasing Philadelphia in the Wild Card race, along with the San Diego Padres. The only other team over .500 in that race right now is the Miami Marlins.
Philadelphia enters that series with a 4.5-game cushion over Arizona, which gives it a real chance to put some distance between itself and one of its pursuers. The Phillies also dropped two of three to the Diamondbacks in their first meeting back in April, so there’s an obvious incentive to at least split the season series.
If Arizona takes the set, it would win the tiebreaker and make the stretch run more complicated for Philadelphia. A 2-1 series win or a sweep would put the Phillies in a much stronger spot.
Then there’s the one that could define the NL East chase: the Braves. If Philadelphia is going to reel them in, the cleanest path is beating them directly.
That starts with a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park from Sept. 4 through Sept. 7, followed by another meeting at Truist Park in Atlanta from Sept. 11-13.
The math is simple enough. Entering play on Aug. 31, the Phillies are five games back.
If they’re going to make a real run at the division, they likely need to go at least 5-2 against Atlanta in those seven games. Anything less, and the gap becomes much harder to close.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Just Reopened A Frustrating September Debate
A tight loss to Philadelphia left the Diamondbacks with a familiar late-season headache, the kind that can hang around after a night when one swing flips everything. Brandon Pfaadt had been one of the steadier arms in the rotation for months, but his unbeaten run in the majors came to an end when the Phillies squeezed out the winning run and Arizona could not answer late.
Ketel Marte was back in the lineup after a stretch away, and his return was met with a mixed reaction from the crowd, which only sharpened the mood around a game the Diamondbacks felt they needed to finish off. Instead, the conversation turned back to the margin for error in September, and to how quickly one close defeat can reopen questions the club would rather leave behind. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Fans Have Two New Reasons To Worry At Chase Field
The Phillies kept rolling through August with a 21-7 finish, and their 2-1 win over the Diamondbacks at Chase Field was another reminder of how much trouble a hot lineup can cause in a tight game. Bryson Stott supplied the lone homer for Philadelphia, while Aaron Nola gave them a steady outing by working into the sixth inning, the kind of performance that helped them stack wins all month and put more pressure on Arizonas margin for error.
For the Diamondbacks, the game came with a little extra sting because the home crowd already had plenty to watch beyond the final score. Arizona has been sorting through injury updates on several players, and the larger concern around the club is how quickly it can settle the pieces in front of a fan base looking for answers at Chase Field. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Get A Boost But One Bullpen Concern Just Got Bigger
The Diamondbacks got a timely jolt to the roster with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Blake Walston both coming off the injured list, a welcome development as the club keeps chasing a postseason spot. Any late-season push needs healthy bodies, and adding back an everyday outfielder along with a left-handed arm gives Arizona a little more flexibility at a point when every decision matters.
Ryan Thompsons move to the 60-day injured list only sharpens the concern on the pitching side, though, because it takes another reliever out of the mix for the rest of 2026. For a bullpen trying to hold up under the pressure of a crowded race, that kind of loss can change how the Diamondbacks manage matchups and innings the rest of the way. [Read more 🡒]