The Phillies are one win away from keeping their postseason path moving, and they’ll get their first shot tonight against the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park.
Philadelphia and Milwaukee are set for a 6:40 p.m. first pitch, with the Phillies trying to lock in a playoff berth while sitting in a tight wild-card race. The Phillies are 87-70, dead even with the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres for the top wild-card spot. All three clubs are four games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks, who are 83-74.
Philadelphia’s magic number to clinch a National League playoff spot is two. The Phillies can punch their ticket Sept. 23 if they win and either the Arizona Diamondbacks lose to the Colorado Rockies or the San Diego Padres lose to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
In MLB, the first tiebreaker comes down to head-to-head results, and the Phillies have very different paths depending on who they finish level with. If they tie the Cubs, Chicago gets the edge after winning the season series 6-1. If they tie the Padres, the Phillies would take the higher seed after sweeping the season series 6-0.
If all three teams finish tied, the Cubs would land the top wild-card seed because they won the season series against both Philadelphia and San Diego. The Phillies would grab the second seed thanks to their edge over the Padres, and San Diego would fall to third after losing the season series to both clubs.
The playoff bracket shifts depending on where the Phillies land. The top wild-card team would host the second wild-card team in a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park starting Sept.
- The second wild-card team would go on the road for that same three-game set beginning Sept.
- If Philadelphia ends up third, it would open a three-game wild-card series against the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta on Sept.
NBCSP will carry the game, with the radio call on 94WIP and WDEL 101.7 FM/1150 AM. If you’re in the Philadelphia TV market, NBCSP will also stream it on nbcsportsphiladelphia.com and the NBCSP app. NBCSP is also available on FuboTV, Hulu, Peacock, and YouTube TV.
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