Phillies lose but still a win away from clinching playoffs
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It was one of those nights for Taijuan Walker and the Phillies. Photo: Dustin Satloff/Getty Images
Put the beers on ice for another night. The Phillies still need one more win to clinch their third-straight playoff berth after Thursday night's 10-6 loss to the Mets.
Why it matters: The National League East title is still within reach — and the team is fighting to secure the top seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Driving the news: Phillies starting pitcher Taijuan Walker gave up four home runs in three innings, including a three-run shot to Francisco Alvarez that put the Phillies in a 7-3 hole from which they never recovered.
- The loss dropped the Phillies into a tie with the Dodgers for the best record in baseball. They own the tiebreaker over Los Angeles if both teams finish the season with the same records.
The latest: The Phillies play three more games with the Mets, followed by a three-game home stand against the Cubs and then end the season with a three-game road series against the Nationals.
Stunning stat: The Phillies are 39-36 on the road, underscoring the importance of securing home-field advantage in the playoffs. They're 52-26 at Citizens Bank Park this season.
- The top-seeded team has won the World Series nine times since 2000, per an Axios analysis of past champions.
The big picture: The excitement is palpable in Philly, where fans are scraping to secure postseason tickets for a chance to watch the Phillies make a deep postseason run again this year.
- They came up a win short of making their second-straight World Series last season.
- The Phillies have one of the highest-paid and most talented rosters in the league with a franchise-record eight players making the All-Star Game.
Zoom in: Bryce Harper, aka Mr. Red October, hit a two-run double last night to trim the Mets' lead to 9-6. It was his team-leading 150th hit of the season— and 13th this year against the Mets.
- Trea Turner is batting nearly .300, and Kyle Schwarber leads the Phils with 35 home runs and 98 RBIs.
- Pitcher Zack Wheeler (2.56 ERA) is among the favorites to win this year's Cy Young Award, given to the game's top pitchers.
Between the lines: The Phillies are hoping their bats come alive in time for the playoffs.
- They struck out 32 times in two recent games against the Brewers. It was the first time in franchise history that the Phillies struck out 16 times in back-to-back games.
The bottom line: While the Phils would love to secure the No. 1 spot, they've done just fine as a lower-seeded team.
- They were the NL's No. 2 seed when they won the World Series in 2008, and a No. 6 seed during their stunning run to the Fall Classic in 2022.
What we're watching: If the Phillies can finally clinch a playoff spot Friday night against the Mets at 7:15pm.