The Phillies wrap up their series against the Mets on Sunday, Sept. 20, and they’ll do it at Citi Field with first pitch set for 1:10 p.m.
Cristopher Sanchez gets the ball for Philadelphia. The left-hander enters at 17-6 with a 2.93 ERA. New York counters with Jonah Tong, who is 2-1 with a 3.43 ERA.
Philadelphia comes in at 85-70 and sits second in the NL East, six games behind the Atlanta Braves, who are 91-64. The Phillies also hold the third NL wild-card spot and are four games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are 81-74.
The Phillies’ magic number to lock up a National League playoff berth is 4. Atlanta’s magic number to clinch the NL East is 1. The magic number is the combined total of wins by a leading team and losses by its closest trailing competitor needed for the leader to officially clinch a playoff spot.
If the bracket were set today, the Phillies would be projected to open the postseason against the Atlanta Braves in a three-game wild-card series beginning Tuesday, Sept. 29 in Atlanta.
Sunday’s game will air on NBCSP, with radio coverage on 94WIP and WDEL 101.7 FM/1150 AM. Fans in the Philadelphia TV market can also stream it on nbcsportsphiladelphia.com and through the NBCSP app. NBCSP is available on FuboTV, Hulu, Peacock and YouTube TV as well.
The game will also be available on PHILLIES.TV for those with streaming packages, and the radio broadcast can be streamed through MLB Audio.
In Other News...
Phillies Have A Growing 2027 Roster Problem Fans Can See Coming
The Phillies have spent much of this season trying to balance a win-now roster with the reality that the back end of the roster does not always age gracefully. That tension is starting to show when you look ahead to 2027, where a few familiar names could be facing a much shakier path to staying in Philadelphia if their current trends continue.
Catching depth is part of the issue, with Rafael Marchn and Garrett Stubbs both coming off declining production, while Orion Kerkerings struggles have complicated his standing even as his trade value remains a real factor. The left-handed relief group has also been uneven, as Tanner Banks and Jos Alvarado have not delivered the kind of consistency the Phillies would want, and Brandon Marshs downturn only adds to the sense that some roster decisions may be getting harder before long. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Have A Big Jess Luzardo Decision Ahead
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What comes next may matter just as much as the comeback itself. The Phillies are weighing whether Luzardo should re-enter the mix as a starter or slide into a relief role when hes ready, a decision that could shape both the rotation and bullpen down the stretch. For a club trying to sort out every meaningful inning, the way they handle him could become one of the more quietly important calls of the second half. [Read more 🡒]
Brandon Marsh Has Become A Huge Phillies Problem At Worst Time
Brandon Marshs season has taken a sharp turn in the second half, and the timing has made his slump a real issue for the Phillies. Before the All-Star break, he was giving them the kind of steady production that made his spot in the lineup feel secure, hitting .301 with an .829 OPS and looking like a dependable presence in the outfield.
Since then, the numbers have fallen off hard, with a .179 average and a .474 OPS over 56 games, and Philadelphias offensive problems have only grown around it. For a team trying to get its bats lined up for the stretch run, Marshs slide has become more than an individual rough patch - its one of the problems the Phillies have had to keep working around. [Read more 🡒]