For the second straight yr, the Philadelphia Phillies are NL East champions. The Phillies, who secured a playoff spot on Sunday, clinched the division title with a win Monday over the Los Angeles Dodgers (PHI 5, LAD 4). That is the primary time the Phillies have gained back-to-back NL East titles since profitable 5 straight from 2007-11.
As just lately as Aug. 27, the Phillies had a slim four-game lead within the division that was actually three video games as a result of the Mets gained the season sequence and held the tiebreaker. Since that date, the Phillies are an NL-best 13-4 whereas the Mets have gone 5-12. For all intents and functions, Philadelphia clinched the division with a four-game sweep of the Mets at Residents Financial institution Park final week.
They obtained the win on Monday in 10 innings, as J.T. Realmuto’s sacrifice fly was the distinction in a back-and-forth recreation at Dodger Stadium. Bryce Harper homered to present the Phillies the lead within the eighth, however the Dodgers pressured extras as Andy Pages took Jhoan Duran deep within the ninth.
The Phillies nonetheless have extra to do. Monday’s win prolonged their result in 5 ½ video games over the Los Angeles Dodgers for the NL’s No. 2 seed and thus a Wild Card Sequence bye. The bye is further essential for the Phillies as a result of Trea Turner (hamstring) and Alec Bohm (shoulder) are nursing accidents. The bye would give them an additional few days to relaxation and heal up earlier than the NLDS.
Bye or no bye, the Phillies will likely be with out all-world ace Zack Wheeler, who could have season-ending thoracic outlet decompression surgical procedure on Sept. 23. The Phillies additionally will not have lefty reliever José Alvarado within the postseason. He has a forearm harm but additionally will not be eligible for the playoffs as a result of he served an 80-game performance-enhancing drug suspension earlier this yr.
Nonetheless, the Phillies are nearly as good a candidate as any group to win the World Sequence (+425, per DraftKings). Harper and Kyle Schwarber, two gamers with super postseason observe data, lead the offense. Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suárez are a really sturdy rotation even with out Wheeler. Duran, arguably the most effective reliever within the recreation, locks down the ninth inning.
Philadelphia can clinch a bye inside the subsequent week. As soon as they try this, they determine to take their foot off the fuel, relaxation key gamers, and audition others for October. This core group of gamers misplaced the World Sequence in 2022, misplaced the NLCS in 2023, and misplaced the NLDS in 2024. They need to reverse that development and recover from the hump in 2025.
The Phillies are the second group to clinch a postseason berth this yr. The Milwaukee Brewers secured a spot within the event earlier this weekend, although they haven’t but clinched the NL Central title. The Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, and Toronto Blue Jays can all clinch playoff spots within the coming days.
