Playing spoilers: Eliminated Phillies look to rain on Rockies parade

Any hope, however small, of the Philadelphia Phillies making the playoffs was crushed by the Atlanta Braves over the weekend. Swept in four games by the National League East champion Braves, the only thing left for the Phillies is to evaluate players and try and finish with a non-losing record. The last time that happened was in 2012, when the Phillies finished 81-81. They’ll just have to beat the Colorado Rockies first.

The Rockies come into the four game series with an 85-70 record and are sitting a half-game behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West, which means they’re very much in the hunt for October baseball. The Phillies could certainly make the Rockies playoff push more difficult, however. While the Rockies possess a frightening offense, with the always dangerous third basemen Nolan Arenado at the forefront, their starting pitching is below average. For the Phillies inconsistent rotation, pitching at Coors Field could hurt them in their attempt to end the season on a positive note.

On the season, the Phillies hold a 2-1 record against the Rockies. In a season of ups and downs, the Phillies can still certainly finish the season on a strong run and build momentum for next year. But the what-ifs will remain for manager Gabe Kapler and company.

Matchups:
Monday, Sept. 24, 8:40 p.m.
Zach Eflin (11-7, 4.09 ERA, 3.78 FIP) vs Tyler Anderson (6-9, 4.76 ERA, 4.62 FIP)
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Tuesday, Sept. 25, 8:40 p.m.
Vincent Velasquez (9-11, 4.59 ERA, 3.66 FIP) vs Jon Gray (11-8, 5.07 ERA, 4.01 FIP)
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Wednesday, Sept. 26, 8.40 p.m.
Nick Pivetta (7-13, 4.58 ERA, 3.71 FIP) vs German Marquez (13-10, 3.91 ERA, 3.44 FIP)
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Thursday, Sept. 27, 3:10 p.m.
Jake Arrieta (10-10, 3.98 ERA, 4.15 FIP) vs Antonio Senzatela (6-6, 4.52 ERA, 4.04 FIP)
TV: NBC Sports Philadelphia
Radio: SportsRadio 94 WIP

Series Notes:

1. Now that the Phillies have been officially eliminated, this will be the seventh straight season in which Philadelphia has missed the playoffs. The last season they qualified for the playoffs was 2011, when they won 102 games.
2. In the three games played against the Phillies this year, the Rockies have an ERA of 5.76.
3. In the month of September, Jake Arrieta has an ERA of 6.98 with a record of 1-1 in four games started. His worst start of the month was his last one, when he gave up four runs in two innings against the Braves in the game which ultimately won them the division.
4. If the Rockies make the playoff, it will only be the fifth time in their 26 years of existence. It would, however, be the first time they’ve made the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, as they lost in the Wild Card game last year.
5. The Phillies have seven games remaining this season. In order to finish above .500, they would need to go 4-3, which would give them an 82-80 record.