The Phillies are embracing the unknown.
For the first time since MLB’s new playoff format was implemented in 2022, the Phillies will begin the postseason in the Division Series.
They officially wrapped it up with a 9-6 win over the Cubs on Wednesday night and a 2-1 Brewers loss to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. Lingering fans inside Citizens Bank Park cheered as PA announcer Dan Baker called the final out and explained the playoff scenario.
After two years of surviving the randomness of the three-game wild card round and beating the Atlanta Braves as underdogs, they will enter the postseason with a Game 1 of a best-of-five series at home.
The fates of the previous teams who started the postseason with nearly an entire week off has been an interesting conversation around the sport. The Houston Astros had a bye and beat the Phillies in 2022 to win the World Series and advanced to the ALCS in 2023. The New York Yankees, who had a bye in 2022, also advanced to the championship series.
The Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers and Braves did not make it as far. The Orioles were swept by the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers in the DS and the Dodgers and Braves both flamed out in the first round in each of the last two seasons
It has led some to conclude that having the bye is detrimental to the higher seed. Braves manager Brian Snitker complained about the playoff format in March. “We had a team that set all these records and everything offensively, and we didn’t hit much in the postseason,” Snitker said on Foul Territory. “I don’t know that it’s approach. I think it’s just a matter of, I don’t like the system, quite honestly.”
We’ll see how the Phillies ultimately fare as a higher seed with down time, but Rob Thomson sees the Phillies getting the bye as a positive development.
“Nothing, really,” Thomson said when asked if he has any concerns about getting the bye. “Because I think the wear and tear of the season, the fatigue sets in, and I think they’ve earned some rest. They need the rest.”
If there’s one player on the roster whose experiences they can draw from, it’s Trea Turner. Turner was on the 111-win, 2022 Dodgers team that ran into a hot San Diego Padres team and lost in four games.
“I think it’s more mental than anything,” Turner told Phillies Nation. “In ‘22 we lost, but I really didn’t feel like it was because of that.”
The Dodgers took Game 1 behind Julio Urias. Turner homered in his first at-bat against Mike Clevinger, the Padres’ fourth starter. The lineup struggled to drive in runners in scoring position in Games 2 and 3 and the bullpen failed them in Game 4.
The Dodgers, despite winning a franchise record 111 games, did not have great starting pitching heading into the series. Urias and Kershaw both allowed three runs over five innings in the first two games and Game 3 starter Tony Gonsolin didn’t make it out of the second inning. The plan going in was to be aggressive with the bullpen and it didn’t work out.
All four games were tight. The 2024 Phillies aren’t as accomplished of a regular season team as the Dodgers from two years ago, but they are hoping to avoid a similar letdown.
Maybe it’s a matter of starting pitching. The Phillies are in a much better spot with Zack Wheeler lined up for Game 1 and a combination of Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez for Games 2-4.
But the postseason is all about being hot at the right time and according to Turner, wild card teams are well positioned to go on a run.
“People overlook wild card teams in general,” Turner said. “The wild card teams have to play really really well at the end of the season all the way up until the last day to get in. And a lot of the times those teams are hot and they’re playing really well whereas somebody, you know, wins the division two or three weeks in advance, a month in advance, can kind of coast and there’s no pressure.
“I think that’s more of the narrative being overlooked more so than the bye. It comes down to who is playing good baseball, who executes. I think we have the right guys in this clubhouse. We’ll take the bye, try to rest up and be ready to go.”
If there’s a silver lining to the second-half struggles, it’s that it has allowed the Phillies to continue playing meaningful games up until the last week of the season. They are ultimately are where they need to be, with the bye to the Division Series secured. Whether or not going for the No. 1 seed is worth it is debatable. The No. 2 matchup with either the Brewers or last wild card team looks more desirable than either the Padres or the second wild card.
The Phillies have a plan for next week. Thomson has declined to provide details, but the Phillies will take Monday off and spend the next three days preparing for the Division Series.
It all begins Oct. 5.
“I think the adrenaline is so high in the postseason that you kind of feel locked in or sometimes you feel sped up just because of the moment you’re in,” Turner said. “I guess more so than what was going on four or five days ago.”
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