The Phillies are staring at a finish they’d rather not make complicated.
Philadelphia enters its final regular-season series against the Tampa Bay Rays with its Magic Number still sitting at two. The club holds a two-game edge over the Arizona Diamondbacks for a National League Wild Card berth, but Arizona owns the tiebreaker, which means the Phillies need to wind up one game ahead to get in.
That leaves the math simple enough: any combination of two Phillies wins and Diamondbacks losses sends Philadelphia to the postseason. The problem is Arizona is rolling right now, riding a five-game winning streak after dropping five of six before that, and that surge has tightened the pressure on the Phillies.
Philadelphia has not won a series since taking two of three from Arizona from Aug. 31 through Sept. 2. Since then, the Phillies split four-game sets with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets, split a two-game series with the Washington Nationals, and lost series to the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros and Braves.
The bigger issue is what happens if the Phillies wait too long to seal the deal. If they still need a win in the final game of the regular season, Zach Wheeler would be the one taking the mound to try to carry them into October. That would create a major problem for the Wild Card round, which begins on Sept. 29, because a full outing Sunday would take him out of the mix.
If Wheeler is forced into that role, Philadelphia’s NLWC rotation would likely line up with Aaron Nola in Game 1, Christopher Sanchez in Game 2 and Andrew Painter in Game 3. That is not the setup the Phillies want to be dealing with.
The pitching picture is already thin enough. Jesus Luzardo’s status for the NLWC is uncertain, though it is trending in the right direction.
Jose Urquidy, who was claimed from the Chicago White Sox last week and threw 4.2 innings in his team debut, is not eligible for the postseason roster. He will almost certainly be used in some capacity over the weekend, and Game 2 against the Rays appears headed toward a bullpen game for Philadelphia.
Nestor Cortes, who signed a Major League deal a few weeks ago, is also still available as a possible option.
There is also some outside help Philadelphia could use. The San Diego Padres are now two games ahead of the Phillies in the Wild Card standings with three games left, and they play Arizona this weekend, so somebody is going to lose those matchups.
For the Phillies, the cleanest outcome is obvious: clinch by Saturday and keep Wheeler lined up for one of the Wild Card games, with Atlanta looking like the likely opponent right now.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Roster Move Puts Jesus Sanchez In A Tough Spot
Gabriel Morenos left hamstring injury has already forced the Diamondbacks to shuffle their catching mix, with Moreno expected to serve as the designated hitter in the next game while James McCann handles the workload behind the plate. To cover the backup role, Arizona is set to bring up a Triple-A catcher, a move that also clears the path for another roster change as the club tries to patch together its depth on the fly.
That opening leaves Jesus Sanchez in a difficult spot. Arizona is designating the outfielder for assignment to make room, and the move reflects how quickly his opportunity faded after the team claimed him off waivers from the Blue Jays. Sanchez has struggled on both offense and defense this season, and unless something unexpected changes in the process, he is expected to be released after clearing waivers. [Read more 🡒]
Diamondbacks Playoff Push Just Got A Lot More Complicated
Brandon Pfaadt did his part in the opener, working 7.2 innings and allowing four runs as the Diamondbacks took game one of the series, but the bigger news around the club arrived after the final out. Corbin Burnes was placed on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation following an MRI, leaving Arizona to reshuffle a rotation that was already under pressure as the postseason chase tightens.
Ryne Nelson is expected to get the ball in game two, while Gabriel Moreno is expected to be fine after leaving early with leg tightness and should stay in the lineup as the designated hitter once the club brings up another catcher. The roster churn did not stop there, either, with Jesus Sanchez designated for assignment, another reminder that Arizona is trying to patch holes on the fly while keeping pace in a crowded race. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Face A Brutal Wild Card Problem
Eury Perezs complete-game one-hitter in Miami was the kind of outing that can ripple well beyond the NL East, and it landed at a time when the playoff picture in the National League is getting crowded in a hurry. For Arizona, the bigger takeaway was its own momentum, with the Diamondbacks stretching their winning streak to six and tightening the race for the final wild card spot.
The Diamondbacks are now one game behind the Phillies for that last berth, and they hold the tiebreaker, which gives them a real edge in a chase that keeps getting more uncomfortable for Philadelphia. Around the league, there have been no shortage of notable milestones and end-of-season wrinkles, but Arizonas focus is squarely on the standings and the chance to keep pressing a Phillies club that suddenly has less room for error. [Read more 🡒]