It's bad enough that the Philadelphia Phillies have lost three consecutive games, and will enter the final weekend of the regular season needing a win just to keep their postseason hopes alive. Their odds of reaching the postseason, according to FanGraphs, peaked at 99.7 percent on Sept. 4. In the best-case scenario, the Phillies will be back into the postseason with a feeble lineup, question marks about their bullpen, and potentially without one of their best starting pitchers.
In the worst-case scenario, the Arizona Diamondbacks will overtake them for the third and final National League wild-card berth. What seemed unthinkable only three weeks ago suddenly has life. The D-backs took a five-game winning streak into their series opener against the San Diego Padres on Friday.
The Padres, who already locked in their wild-card berth, have no incentive to use their best pitchers in the final weekend of the season against the D-backs. The same is true for the Tampa Bay Rays, but the team with the best record in the American League hardly looks like a pushover to lose one or both of their final two games against the Phillies. On Friday, Freddy Peralta led a combined shutout in which the Phillies collected only four hits.
That continued a disturbing trend: over their previous three series against the Washington Nationals, New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, the Phillies are hitting .201 with a .617 OPS. They're averaging 3.3 runs per game over the nine-game span. More news: Former Blue Jays Pitcher Dies at 45 The lineup was weakened further when Luis Arraez, the Phillies' cleanup hitter who leads the majors with a .310 batting average, sprained his left ankle on Thursday.
He's doubtful to play again in the regular season. The Phillies have several stars who can do more with a bat than Arraez, enough that he might not be missed in their remaining regular-season games. Pitcher Jesus Luzardo, however, had a 1.08 ERA over a seven-start stretch before he was diagnosed with shoulder inflammation after shutting out the Braves on Sept. 7.
Luzardo threw a 30-pitch bullpen Thursday, but questions remain if he'll have built up his arm enough to be a starter or a reliever the next time he takes the mound. More news: One MLB Manager is Obvious Candidate to Lose His Job in 2026 That wouldn't be the worst outcome. Phillies relievers have combined for a major-league-worst 5.26 ERA from the fifth through seventh innings.
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