Phillies Carry Momentum Into Vital September Stretch
Eric Hartline - USA TODAY Sports
September baseball can either be super exciting, super stressful, or kind of “meh” depending on where your team is in the standings. For the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans, luckily, it's the first option. The team came into September second in the NL East, but has managed to diminish a deficit in the standings that once stood at 9 games in the beginning of June to make the upcoming two series against the Braves must-watch baseball that will have a ripple effect in the standings.
The Red Tide
Red October is not here yet, but the red tide is already shifting, and that shift is being felt. The Fighting Phils finished August with a league-best 21-7 record, and they are 15-2 since the Field of Dreams Game. The team managed this mostly against their norm, without many homers and with the league-best 11.2 BB% and 15.9% K% the last month.
Schwarber homers during the Field of Dreams game (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
Bryce Harper has led the way for the team, but the welcomed resurgence of Alec Bohm was key during the stretch. Jesus Luzardo and Christopher Sanchez have remained fantastic, and while facing some Zack Wheeler regression, it's been Aaron Nola and the return of Andrew Painter that’s helped balance the Phillies' rotation, as both back-end starters had ERA’s under 4 in the last month.
Different Kind of Challenge
The Phillies only faced two teams with a record above .500 in August, and those were the Marlins and the Diamondbacks. This is not to discredit their current form, as most teams they faced are still in playoff contention despite their losing record, but they managed to sweep the Marlins and win the series against the Diamondbacks.
That being said, they will now be facing a different beast altogether. Their next 10 games are all against teams with winning records, and 7 of those 10 games are against the Braves with a series against the Astros in between. Beyond that early stretch, the Phillies will close the month with consecutive series against the Brewers and Rays, each of which leads its respective divisions.
Aaron Nola pitched to a 2.65 ERA in August
Decisive Games Against the Braves
The Phillies are currently 4 games back from the Braves in the NL East division, and will play a total of 7 games against each other in the coming 11 days. The Phillies have virtually guaranteed themselves a spot in the playoffs already, holding the top wild-card spot with a 6-game lead over the Padres and Diamondbacks, who are tied for the last NL wild-card. These two series against the Braves, though, may decide whether the Phils can clinch the East of the National League or “settle” for a wild-card spot which adds a bit of pressure to those games in what has become a modern NL rivalry.
The good news for the Phillies is they are coming in red hot, with a healthy roster and have the first 4 games at home in Citizens Bank Park. The bad news is they will have to face Chris Sale at least once and potentially two times, and we have seen how much the Phillies have struggled against left-handers, let alone one of quality like the Braves’ ace.
What do you think the result of those 7 games will be? And who will end up on top of the NL East division?