Phillies locked in as NL Playoff Bracket continues to take shape

September baseball is here and right now, the Phillies are right where they want to be.

Ranger Suarez secured an impressive series win in Milwaukee this week and the Phillies remain in first place in the NL East at 81-59. The Fightins hold a 6-game lead over the Mets, who are currently clinging to the final Wild Card spot.

Ranger Suárez shuts down Brewers, Trea Turner delivers Phillies win 2-0 in Milwaukee

The Brewers (86-55) still have the best record in the league, but the Phillies are chasing them down for home-field advantage and one of the two coveted NLDS byes.

Phillies with a commanding lead in the NL East

The Current Bracket

If the season ended today, the Phillies would join Milwaukee as the two NL teams with a bye. The Dodgers (78-62) would line up with the Mets (75-65) in one Wild Card series, while the Cubs (80-60) and Padres (76-64) would duke it out in the other.

It’s a gauntlet no matter how you slice it, but getting that extra rest and avoiding the best-of-three opening round is massive.

On the AL side, the Blue Jays and Tigers own the byes, with the Yankees, Red Sox, Astros, and Mariners filling out the bracket. The Astros-Mariners matchup would be fireworks, but all Philly cares about is taking care of their side of the bracket and staying ahead of L.A.

National League Standings – Phillies No. 2

Sizing Up the Race

Here’s the good news: The Phillies have built enough of a cushion in the division that the Mets would have to go on a ridiculous heater to catch them.

Here’s the bad news: The Dodgers’ remaining schedule is lighter but they just got swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates so who knows how much weight that even holds at this point.

L.A. has 19 games left against teams under .500, compared to Philly’s 12. That Sept. 15-17 series in Los Angeles looms huge, possibly deciding who avoids the Wild Card round. The Padres are lurking too, just 2 games behind the Dodgers.

Still, the Phillies control their own destiny.

Survive this upcoming stretch against Milwaukee, New York, and the Dodgers, and the schedule softens up with Arizona, Miami, and Minnesota to close things out.

Odds and Ends

Vegas likes the Dodgers as the favorite to win it all (+350), with the Brewers and Tigers both at +700. The Phillies are right there at +750, a fair number for a team with frontline starting pitching, a balanced lineup, and postseason experience all over the roster.

The Phillies are in the driver’s seat and will open up a weekend series in Miami tonight with Cristopher Sanchez on the mound. They just need to handle business down the stretch and keep stacking wins. As we all know, nobody in the National League wants to see Citizens Bank Park rocking in October again.

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