10 Games Remaining: Phillies Red October is inevitable. Let’s talk about it.

Drew Smith
September 21, 2023
Phillies
0 Comments

Can you believe that we are just over a week away from Phillies postseason baseball returning to Citizens Bank Park?

I’ll be honest with you. I haven’t been able to keep track of time since the days of COVID. Everything from that point moving forward has just been…off. Somehow, the summer months are behind us and the start of the 2023 MLB season seems like forever ago

Now, we’re just over a week away from playoff baseball. The Phillies will almost certainly be a part of it, ushering in Red October for the second year in a row at Citizens Bank Park.

Phillies Hunt for Red October

The Liberty Line Mantra:

Playoff Seeding Does Not Matter.
MLB season officially begins June 1st.
We never see a loss on the schedule.

Listen, I know other websites are dishing out potential matchups for the Phillies in the Wild Card round and asking readers and followers “who they want to play” which is why I wanted to be very clear on how we view sports come playoff time here at The Liberty Line.

None of that shit matters. Perfect example as to why would be the Phillies last year.

Everything came down to the final game of the 2023 regular season with Aaron Nola on the mound against the Houston Astros.

Kyle Schwarber hit two home runs as Nola pitched 6.2 innings, allowing two hits and zero earned runs while striking out nine batters as the Phillies secured the third and final Wild Card spot to break a decade-long postseason drought in Houston.

From there, the Phillies hit the road and won two games in St. Louis to advance to the NLDS against the Braves. They split in Atlanta before punching their tickets to the NLCS against the Padres. From there, Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper powered The Fightins to the World Series against the Astros.

Yes. The magic ran out in late October but you get my point. The Phillies had no options last season and were able to run through the National League on their way to the Fall Classic.

The same mindset should apply this year. There are 10 games remaining in the 2023 regular season and the Phillies are primed to not only punch their tickets to the postseason, but enter the Wild Card round with a three game series at Citizens Bank Park.

Arizona Diamondbacks vs Philadelphia Phillies: 2023 Regular Season

HOME/AWAY	DATE	RESULT	SCORE
ARI at PHI	5/22/2023	L	3-6
ARI at PHI	5/23/2023	L	3-4
ARI at PHI	5/24/2023	W	6-5
PHI at ARI	6/12/2023	L	8-9
PHI at ARI	6/13/2023	W	15-3
PHI at ARI	6/14/2023	W	4-3
PHI at ARI	6/15/2023	W	5-4

The Phillies won the regular season series against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a final record over 4-3. We are not counting the series in May (see above) so really, the only series that can even be considered is the four game one in the desert in mid-June when The Fightins took 3-of-4 from the then first place D-Backs.

As for the Chicago Cubs, well, dare I say that they stand absolutely zero chance against the Philadelphia Phillies in a Wild Card series at Citizens Bank Park?

Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia Phillies: 2023 Regular Season

HOME/AWAY	DATE	RESULT	SCORE
CHI at PHI	5/19/2023	L	1-10
CHI at PHI	5/20/2023	W	12-3
CHI at PHI	5/21/2023	W	2-1
PHI at CHI	6/27/2023	W	5-1
PHI at CHI	6/28/2023	W	8-5
PHI at CHI	6/29/2023	W	3-1

I mean seriously, the bottom well of the NL Wild Card is an absolute joke. Let any of these teams walk into The Jungle in South Philadelphia and October and the Phillies will chew them up and spit them right back out. There’s not a single doubt in my mind.

I have zero faith that the Cincinnati Reds will make any noise in October, that is, if they make it to the postseason. “Red October” lives and dies at The Bank. Not in Cincinnati. Period.

Cincinnati Reds vs Philadelphia Phillies: 2023 Regular Season

HOME/AWAY	DATE	RESULT	SCORE
CIN at PHI	4/7/2023	W	5-2
CIN at PHI	4/8/2023	W	3-2
CIN at PHI	4/9/2023	L	4-6
PHI at CIN	4/13/2023	L	2-6
PHI at CIN	4/14/2023	W	8-3
PHI at CIN	4/15/2023	L	0-13
PHI at CIN	4/16/2023	W	14-3

The Fish will die this weekend

The final bottom feeder team would be one of our own here in the National League East. The Miami Marlins are currently 0.5 games out of a postseason spot. The Fish have three games against the Brewers, before playing the Mets and Pirates to close out the regular season.

If I had to guess, I would think that the Brewers will lock up the NL Central this weekend against the Marlins and send Miami into the abyss, ultimately ending their postseason dreams.

I’m not giving you a table for Phillies vs Marlins either. It’s pretty lousy and can’t be considered given the fact that the two teams play each other so many times.

That series, just like the others, is an easy win for the Phillies in the Wild Card round. Book it.

10 Games Remaining: [Red] October is Coming…

The Phillies will open up a 4-game series against the New York Mets tonight at Citizens Bank Park. They will play the Mets SEVEN TIMES over their last 10 games, closing the season out on the road in Queens.

As far as I’m concerned, Red October starts tonight in South Philly. The Phillies magic number to clinch a playoff berth sits at 6 games, with the magic number to clinch the top NL Wild Card spot at 7 games.

Handle business against the Mets and Pirates during the seven game home stand. Clinch the top spot of the NL Wild Card in front of your own fans and get some rest during the final series on the road against the Mets.

Red October is here and the Phillies are on a collision course to face the Atlanta Braves in the NLDS.

The Phillies lost the season series against the Atlanta Braves 8-5, but if you remember how close some of those games were and how easily the Phillies could have walked away with at least three wins, you know damn well that a potential matchup in the NLDS would be nothing short of incredible.

Ranger Suarez on the mound tonight at The Bank

Ranger Suarez will take the bump tonight at Citizens Bank Park in game one of four against the New York Mets. Suarez has been fantastic since returning from injury, posting a 3.31 ERA.

Over his last six starts, Ranger’s ERA drops to an even more impressive 2.86 ERA and with the Phillies absent of a solid third starter heading into the postseason.

In his last start, Suarez dazzled through six innings of work against the Cardinals, allowing four hits, one earned run and four walks while striking out five.

Read Full Series Preview Here >>

Broadcast Notes: Tonight’s game against the New York Mets will air on Fox and Friday night’s game will stream exclusively on AppleTV+. The final two games of the seres will return to NBC Sports Philadelphia on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.