Entering their final series of the regular season, there is some urgency for the Philadelphia Phillies to punch their ticket to the postseason. Interim manager Don Mattingly addressed that urgency ahead of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“If we gotta tell guys at this point that it’s urgent that we win games, then we’re in trouble,” Mattingly told 94 WIP’s Dave Uram. “The urgency, everybody knows.”
“If we gotta tell guys at this point that it’s urgent that we win games, then we’re in trouble. The urgency, everybody knows.”
Mattingly said they have to avoid being reckless and consider who is and isn’t available. Their magic number to clinch the National League’s final Wild Card is 2. That means they are still in the driver’s seat, as Bryce Harper mentioned the night before.
Should the Phillies fail to win two of their final three games, then it opens the door for the Arizona Diamondbacks to steal the final Wild Card. Arizona holds the tiebreaker between the two NL clubs, thanks to a better intradivision record.
Phillies Enter Final Weekend With Chance to Clinch Postseason Berth
At this point in the season, the Phillies are only playing postseason teams. All but six of their September games are against teams that have either clinched a postseason spot or are still in the hunt.
“We’ve been treating every game like a playoff game,” said Mattingly.
The Phillies have slogged through their September gauntlet, going 9-12. The club hasn’t won a series since taking two of three against the Diamondbacks at Chase Field on August 31-September 2.
Despite that, the club still has strong odds to make the postseason. FanGraphs Playoff Odds gives them an 88.6% chance of clinching entering the series against the Rays. Their lead over Arizona is two games, with three to play.
But they can still clinch a postseason spot as early as the 25th. That requires a win against the Rays and a loss by the Diamondbacks to the Padres. That will be a late game, with a first-pitch time of 10:10 p.m. ET.
There are some benefits to getting it done sooner rather than later. Zack Wheeler is set to pitch on September 27, if the Phillies still need him. Most likely, they would prefer to clinch and line him up for a Game 1.
Otherwise, they face the possibility of having to use him on short rest in the Wild Card Series.
Phillies Right Now
The Phillies will turn to their Opening Day starter, Cristopher Sanchez, to try to restore some order. After back-to-back losses to the Milwaukee Brewers, the team hasn’t lowered their magic number in the past two days.
A strong start by Sanchez against his former team would not only put the Phillies in a strong position to clinch a postseason berth, but also cement a top-three finish for the National League Cy Young Award.
Sanchez’s first pitch will come at 6:40 p.m. at Citizens Bank Park.
Phillies Manager Makes Honest Statement About Urgency to Clinch Postseason Berth