The Philadelphia Phillies have reached an odd, uncomfortable point in the stretch run: the path that might help them most now runs straight through the Atlanta Braves.
After dropping seven of their last 10 games against Atlanta, the Phillies have watched a chance to tighten the National League East slip away. The two clubs split a four-game set at Citizens Bank Park, two wins apiece, and Philadelphia missed a chance to trim the deficit after coughing up a late lead in Game 3 because of a bullpen letdown.
Things didn’t get any easier at Truist Park. The Phillies lost Game 1 in extra innings, then had Jesus Luzardo scratched from his Game 2 start.
That forced a bullpen game, and while Tim Mayza opened well, Brooks Raley was hit hard. Philadelphia did avoid the sweep by taking the finale, but the standings now show the Braves five games ahead with 12 games left.
Atlanta also owns the tiebreaker.
That leaves Phillies fans in a strange spot. Catching the Braves from here would take a minor miracle, and while nobody in the clubhouse is ready to give up before elimination is official, the fan base is almost certainly looking elsewhere - straight at the Wild Card race.
As of Sept. 14, Philadelphia is tied with the Chicago Cubs for the No.
1 Wild Card spot in the National League, 1.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres and 2.5 games in front of the Arizona Diamondbacks. And now the Braves head to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the Cubs, a matchup Phillies fans probably won’t love watching but very much need Atlanta to win.
The reason is simple: Philadelphia also doesn’t own the tiebreaker over Chicago, so finishing a full game ahead matters. If the Braves can take care of business against the Cubs, that could give the Phillies a crucial edge in the race for the top Wild Card spot.
Chicago still has the Reds, the Marlins and then the Red Sox on the schedule after that. The Reds are nine games under .500 and could be mathematically eliminated before the series starts.
The Marlins are 7.5 games back in the Wild Card chase and could be in the same spot. Boston could also have a postseason berth locked up by then, likely turning that final series into more of a rest-and-rotation tune-up than a full-throttle push.
So for Philadelphia, the math is awkward but clear: Atlanta is the best hope for nudging Chicago into a few losses and giving the Phillies a shot to grab the top Wild Card position and control their own fate.
In Other News...
Braves Quietly Added A New Arm And The Bullpen Implications Matter
The Braves picked up another arm just as the regular season enters its final stretch, claiming right-hander Michael Grove off waivers from the Rays while Tampa Bay was sorting through its own late-season roster moves. Grove gives Atlanta another live option to plug into the pitching mix, and any addition at this stage tends to carry extra weight for a bullpen that can always use more coverage as the calendar winds down.
The move also came against a backdrop of more shuffling elsewhere on the Rays' roster, with Tyler Wells landing on the 15-day injured list because of right forearm tightness and ending his regular season. Alex Cook was brought up from Triple-A Durham to take Wells' place, while Jake Fraley returned from the 60-day injured list and Kenny Piper was sent back to Triple-A, a reminder of how quickly September roster management can change the look of a pitching staff. [Read more 🡒]
Rays Move On From Pitcher Still Trying To Rebound From Surgery
The Braves added another arm to the organizational pile Monday, claiming right-hander Michael Grove off waivers from the Rays and sending him to Triple-A Gwinnett. It is the kind of depth move that can matter more than it looks on the surface for a club trying to survive a rash of rotation injuries, especially with a pitcher who has worked both as a starter and a reliever in the majors.
Grove had been designated for assignment by Tampa Bay before Atlanta stepped in, giving the Braves a low-cost way to keep a familiar major league option in the system. For now, he gives them some extra flexibility at Gwinnett while the bigger question remains how soon the big league staff can get healthier. [Read more 🡒]
Braves Deadline Pickup Is Suddenly Fueling A Serious MLB Debate
Tyler Mahle has become one of the more interesting pitching stories in the league since landing with Atlanta at the deadline. In seven starts with the Braves, he has turned in a 1.25 ERA, a stretch that has not only stabilized the rotation but also forced people to reexamine how the trade market looks in hindsight. When a pitcher arrives at a lower cost and immediately performs like this, it is hard not to compare the deal to the bigger names that changed uniforms around the same time.
Jeff Francoeur has already gone as far as calling Mahle the best pitcher to move midseason, and the argument has enough fuel to keep circulating. Tarik Skubal has been solid with the Dodgers over the same number of appearances, but Atlantas return has been the cleaner headline so far, especially considering what it took to get Mahle. Still, these evaluations are always fluid this time of year, and the final verdict may depend on how both pitchers finish the season. [Read more 🡒]