Phillies Face 13 Crucial Games on Road to the Postseason

The Philadelphia Phillies have 13 games left against teams competing for the postseason, turning the next two weeks into a direct test of their playoff position.

Philadelphia enters the stretch tied with the Chicago Cubs for the National League’s top wild-card spot. The Phillies remain five games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and five games ahead of the San Diego Padres, the first team outside the playoff places.

The immediate schedule begins with three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. That series will decide the head-to-head tiebreaker between the clubs. Philadelphia also has seven remaining games against Atlanta, although it currently holds a 1-5 record against the Braves in their season series.

The division race carries a clear playoff reward. The NL East champion will receive one of the top three postseason seeds. Depending on its overall standing, Philadelphia would either advance directly to the conference semifinals or host a best-of-three wild-card series at home.

The Phillies already hold the tiebreaker over San Diego after going 6-0 against the Padres. Chicago has the edge after winning their season series 6-1, while the matchup with Arizona stands at 1-2. Philadelphia’s remaining schedule includes only two series against teams outside the playoff race, Washington and the New York Mets, before difficult closing series against Milwaukee and Tampa Bay.

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It’s that time of year when it’s time to start chasing the division.