NL Wild Card: Phillies continue to do everything possible to miss the postseason

The Philadelphia Phillies are in the midst of a full-blown collapse that is seriously threatening to torch everything this team has built all summer.

They’ve now lost 13 of their last 21 games, including three in a row, and their once-comfortable cushion for the final Wild Card spot has shrunk to a razor-thin one game over Arizona.

NL Wild Card – Phillies Hanging On For Dear Life

Phillies offense remains lifeless in 2-0 loss to the Rays >>

The Diamondbacks are the hottest team in the race, having won six straight, and they own the tiebreaker over the Phillies.

That last part is the gut-punch. The two teams split their six meetings this season, so the tiebreaker falls to division record, and Arizona holds that edge.

That means if these two finish with identical records, the PHILLIES are the ones going home and there’s no Game 163 anymore to bail anybody out.

Whatever happens on the field is final. The problem is that this Phillies team suddenly can’t scratch across a single run, and leaving your fate partially in the hands of a red-hot Arizona club is exactly where you don’t want to be.

Now the weather could throw the whole thing into chaos. Severe rain is forecast all weekend, which puts the final two games against the Rays in serious jeopardy.

A doubleheader, a Monday makeup, even an alternate site are all live options on the table. These games matter enormously, because they could very well decide the last NL postseason berth. As if there wasn’t enough pressure already, now there’s a chance Mother Nature complicates the entire finish.

Red October? God Help Me.

Red October. pic.twitter.com/ahewcVIxRP

— Drew Smith (@drewmsmith) September 25, 2026

This team spent months clawing out of a brutal start to put itself in prime position, and now it’s on the verge of throwing it all away in the final week. The pitching has held up its end. The bats have completely vanished at the worst possible time and now, the margin for error is officially gone.

The Phillies still control their own destiny, technically. Win, and you’re in, sure, but they’d better wake up fast, because Arizona is coming, the tiebreaker isn’t on their side, and there’s no room left to keep sputtering.

I will say, I want the Phillies in the Wild Card. I really don’t give a shit if this team looks like walking corpses entering the final games of the regular season. Just win a few baseball games and lets regroup for October.

Join The Chase