The Phillies did enough in their four-game set with the Braves to show they can run with the National League’s best. They just didn’t gain any ground for it.
Philadelphia split the series at Citizens Bank Park, but the result came with a cost: the Phillies lost the season-long tiebreaker to Atlanta and stayed four games back in the standings. That leaves them trying to chase down the Braves while also fending off the Cubs in the Wild Card race.
Entering play on Sept. 9, the Phillies held a half-game edge over Chicago and were 3.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres, the first club on the outside of the Wild Card picture.
The path ahead is brutal. ESPN noted that, entering play on Sept.
8, Philadelphia’s remaining opponents had a combined .537 winning percentage, the toughest stretch in baseball among MLB playoff contenders. The next closest teams on that list are the Braves and Cubs at .533.
That’s not the only ugly number hanging over the Phillies. In the American League, the highest remaining opponent winning percentage belongs to the Tampa Bay Rays at .531, and that’s the club Philadelphia will host in the final series of the regular season at Citizens Bank Park.
Before that, the Phillies will open a six-game homestand with the Milwaukee Brewers, who own baseball’s best record at 90-56. That could end up being a break in disguise if Milwaukee has already locked up a playoff berth and the No. 1 seed in the National League by then, allowing it to rest regulars before October.
But Philadelphia still has to get through the games in front of it first. The club dropped Game 1 of its three-game series with the Houston Astros after the split with Atlanta, and once that set ends, the Phillies head back into another massive challenge: a trip to Atlanta for what amounts to a must-win series to keep their NL East hopes alive.
After that, there’s a little breathing room on paper, at least. The Phillies will visit the Washington Nationals and New York Mets, two teams far outside the playoff race. Still, both are division rivals, and neither will be eager to make life easier for Philadelphia.
So the final stretch is clear enough: four division leaders and two non-playoff teams, with every one of those non-playoff clubs coming from inside the division. That’s the kind of finish that can turn a race fast.
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Braves Rotation Need Could Push Atlanta Toward An Intriguing Gamble
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Casey Mize fits that kind of discussion. CBS Sports Mike Axisa floated Atlanta as a possible landing spot for the free-agent right-hander, whose talent has shown through even as his performance has remained uneven this season. For a Braves club trying to keep pace in a demanding division, the appeal is clear, but the question is whether this is the sort of gamble the organization wants to make as it tries to deepen a rotation that still feels unfinished. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Outfield Uncertainty May Not Last As New Internal Options Emerge
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Eric Hartman, AJ Gracia, Carter Beck and Owen Carey all got attention for the way they performed recently, and each brings a different kind of fit for the Braves to consider. The timeline is still gradual rather than immediate, but the idea that one or more of these players could push into meaningful roles over the next year and a half gives the front office something useful while the bigger-picture outfield situation remains unresolved. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Pitching Shuffle Puts Reynaldo Lopez In A Spotlight Again
The Braves continued to reshape their pitching group amid the series with the Rays, adding left-hander Bailey Falter to the major-league roster and designating right-hander Elieser Hernandez for assignment. The roster moves came alongside a more significant development for Atlantas rotation, with Reynaldo Lopez reinstated from the injured list and lined up to start the upcoming game.
Bryce Elders move to the injured list after knee surgery added another layer to the shuffle, leaving Atlanta to lean on depth it has been forced to test often. For Lopez, the return puts him back in a familiar spotlight at a time when the Braves are still sorting out how their staff fits together over the stretch ahead. [Read more 🡒]