We have officially hit crunch time. After sweeping the Washington Nationals to win their sixth straight game yesterday afternoon, the Phillies traveled to Miami where they will open up a three game series against the Marlins tonight. They are two games back in the National League East standings and 2.5 games back for the second NL Wild Card spot. The Fightins have scored seven runs or more in the last seven games and have been able to maintain momentum heading into the final month of the 2021 MLB regular season.

Odubel Herrera notched another four hit game yesterday and Andrew McCutchen tallied four RBI on the day. Even without key members of their lineup, the younger players on the Phillies guided by the veteran leadership of Cutch have been able to keep the Phillies trending in the right direction. Bryce Harper was 1-for-5, but still is in the midst of an MVP season and coming off one of the best months of his career, slashing .337/.463/.776 with 11 doubles, 10 home runs, 25 RBIs, and an OPS good for 1.231 in August.

Phillies Pitching Matchups

Friday: Kyle Gibson (4-2, 3.16 ERA) vs Jesus Luzardo (3-3, 7.62 ERA)

Saturday: Ranger Suarez (6-4, 1.48 ERA) vs Trevor Rogers (7-6, 2.45 ERA)

Sunday: Zack Wheeler (11-9, 3.01 ERA) vs Elieser Hernandez (1-1, 3.62 ERA)

Kyle Gibson takes the ball in the series opener tonight against the Miami Marlins. He will be looking to continue his great season with the team since being acquired at the trade deadline.

Ranger Suarez will take the hill for the Phillies on Saturday. Suarez has been mostly lockdown out as a starter, building up his pitch count over his first starts since switching from the reliever role. The Phillies offense will face Trevor Rogers, who is a lot of people’s National League Rookie of the Year. Although the Marlins suck, Rogers has been a bright spot for them this season.

Zack Wheeler heads to the mound on Sunday to close out the series. The NL Cy Young race is coming down to the wire, and Zack Wheeler is in it until the end. The true ace of this ball club this year has pitched a phenomenal season, the best one of his career. Wheeler will look to continue his dominance on Sunday, with the Phillies hopefully already in control of the NL East.

This last month of baseball is going to be a fun one. The Braves are out in the rocky mountains taking on the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies are 43-23 at home this season and let one slip away last night, but still have three more games to play against the Braves, who are 4-6 over their last 10 games and 38-30 on the road this season.

The Miami Marlins sit at the bottom of the well in the National League East with a 55-79 record. They are 34-32 at home this season. Over their last 10 games they are 4-6, while the Phillies are 7-3 but still struggle to win games on the road, especially against the Marlins.

The Braves think they have this thing locked up huh? Not so fast. Phillysportsmatt (via TikTok) gets it, and you should too. The Hunt for Red October is in full force, and the Braves should be incredibly nervous.

Mandatory Credit: Philadelphia Phillies via Twitter