The Phillies are rolling into September with real momentum, and the next month is going to lean heavily on three arms that can shape how far this team goes.
Philadelphia won 21 games in August, a run that pushed it firmly into the National League playoff mix. The club has kept pressure on the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and moved into a tie with the Chicago Cubs for the No.
1 Wild Card spot. If the Phillies are going to keep climbing, they need their pitching to keep carrying the load.
One of the biggest reasons for the late push has been the turnaround in the back end of the rotation. For most of the year, the No. 5 spot was a problem area. Lately, though, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter have helped flip that script.
Nola’s season looked rough not long ago, with his ERA sitting at a season-worst 6.04 on June 29. Entering September, that number has dropped to 4.93, which is the first time it has been below 5.00 since April 14, when he made his third start of the season. Painter has made a similar climb after being optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley; his ERA was 7.06 at that point and now stands at 5.95.
That matters because both pitchers are giving Philadelphia a chance to win every time they take the mound. With the standings tightening, those kinds of starts can make a real difference.
The bullpen has also become a major part of the conversation, especially with the offense still prone to uneven stretches. That puts even more weight on Jhoan Duran, who has emerged as one of the top closers in baseball.
Duran has been lights out in 2026, and the Phillies need that to keep going if they want to make noise down the stretch. He has 29 saves, a 1.61 ERA and 3.0 bWAR. With some shakiness in the bridge to get to him, his job becomes even more critical.
At the top of the staff, Zack Wheeler remains the key to making the rotation a true weapon again. He offered a reminder of that in his last start, when he shut down the Los Angeles Angels to help the Phillies complete a sweep.
That outing came after a rough stretch, one that was described as one of the worst of his career. Wheeler still has work to do, but that start was a step in the right direction. If he can build on it, Philadelphia could head into the playoffs with a formidable trio alongside Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo.
In Other News...
Phillies May Have A Luis Arraez Problem They Didn't Expect
The Phillies deadline gamble on Luis Arraez has looked like a shrewd one almost from the moment it was made. Since bringing in the second baseman, Philadelphia has played as well as anyone in the majors, and Arraez has fit neatly into the middle of the order behind Bryce Harper while giving the club steadier defense than it got before. For a team built to contend, that kind of seamless addition is exactly what it hoped to get in July.
What has emerged now is a different kind of concern, one the Phillies probably did not anticipate when they swung the deal. Arraezs production and all-around fit have boosted his value, and that means his free agency profile is climbing at the same time Philadelphia is enjoying the benefits of having him. If he keeps performing at this level, he is likely to draw plenty of attention this offseason, which leaves the Phillies facing a familiar contenders dilemma: the better the rental, the harder it can be to keep him. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Just Turned Gage Wood Into A Frustrating September Debate
Gage Wood spent his first full pro season giving the Phillies a reason to think ahead, moving through High-A and Double-A and showing enough promise to keep his name in the conversation. As a 2025 first-round pick, he represents the kind of arm the organization wants to nurture carefully, and his work this year has at least put him on the radar as a future piece.
But when September call-ups arrived, the Phillies chose a different route for the expanded roster, adding right-hander Grant Holman instead of giving Wood the bump. Holman brings more experience but less upside, and the decision leaves Wood in the awkward spot so many young pitchers know well: close enough to matter, not quite close enough to get the call. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Are Finally Peaking At The Exact Time Fans Hoped
The Phillies did what contenders are supposed to do in late summer, ripping through August with a 21-7 record and giving the clubhouse the kind of momentum that tends to change the conversation around a team. It was a month that blended strong starting pitching, timely production and a roster that looked better after the trade deadline, with Cristopher Snchez, Andrew Painter, Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Bryson Stott all playing major roles in the surge.
What makes the stretch stand out even more is how rare some of it has been in Phillies history. For the first time since August 1991, they swept four series of three games or more in a single month, a sign of a team not just winning but finishing off opponents with consistency. The bigger question now is whether this is the start of the October run fans have been waiting for, or simply the latest hot streak in a season that still has more to prove. [Read more 🡒]