Phillies news and rumors 9/25: A look at the NL playoff race

For the third consecutive year, the Phillies will play in the postseason. They clinched a playoff berth last Friday with a win over the Mets. They clinched their first NL East title in 13 years on Monday with a win over the Cubs. They still have something to play for.

“We still have a carrot out there,” Rob Thomson said before Tuesday’s game. “We gotta do everything we can to get the bye.”

The Phillies want rest. It would do them some good. They don’t want their season to come down to a best-of-three Wild Card Series, either. The shorter a series, the less room for error.

The odds remain in the Phillies’ favor to get that bye. In order to automatically advance to the Division Series, they have to finish as the first or second seed in the NL. Their lead over the Brewers for the second seed is 2.5 games. Since the Phillies own the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Brew Crew, it’s essentially a 3.5-game lead. There are four games left in the regular season for the Phillies. Milwaukee has five more regular-season games to go.

So, if the standings remain where they are, who would the Phillies play in the Division Series?

As the second seed, the Phillies would play the winner of the Wild Card Series between the third and sixth seed. At the moment, that series would be between the Brewers and the Diamondbacks.

The standings remains fluid. There are important games left to be played this week and over the weekend that will impact seeding. As things currently stand, the Padres are in the driver’s seat for the fourth seed. With a win over LA on Tuesday, San Diego now trails the Dodgers by two games in the NL West standings. Those two teams have two more games to play against each other this week. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks, Mets and Braves — all in the hunt for the last two Wild Card spots — are all within a game of one another.

The Braves and Mets are in the middle of a three-game series in Atlanta. The Braves won the series opener on Tuesday. The final two games of the series are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, but there is rain expected in the area both days. That could complicate things.

The Diamondbacks are currently in the middle of a series with the Giants. They’ll finish their season against the Padres.

The Mets finish the year against the Brewers. The Braves finish the year against the Royals.

Tiebreakers could be important in determining seeding. The Braves and Mets both hold the tiebreaker over the D-Backs. Atlanta is one win away from winning the season series over New York. Out West, the Padres hold the tiebreaker over the Dodgers. The NL West race isn’t done yet.

The Wild Card standings aren’t close to being determined. The Phillies still haven’t secured a first-round bye. Although their chances of doing so are high. They still have a shot at the number one seed, too. Rob Thomson’s club, who has the tiebreaker over LA, trails the Dodgers by a half-game for the NL’s top spot.

There’s still a lot left to be determined over the final five days of the season. Buckle up.

Must-read Phillies content

• The Phillies lost to the Cubs on Tuesday. A major part of the loss were the continued struggles of Taijaun Walker.
• From Phillies Nation’s Ty Daubert: Phillies reward closer Carlos Estévez with ‘special’ moment in NL East clincher.
• A champagne celebration means plenty of social media content. In case you missed any of it, our own Destiny Lugardo put together the best moments from the Phillies’ most recent clubhouse party.
• Aaron Nola’s standing in Phillies franchise history continued to grow on Monday night. He has been on the mound for a few big games in recent years, and has now passed Cole Hamels in a cool Citizens Bank Park metric. Phillies Nation’s Tim Kelly has the story on Nola.

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