And it’s gone! After Tuesday’s maddening 3-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies longtime lead as the top team in the National League is gone. The surging Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers have overtaken the Phils for the number one and number two spots in the National League, respectively.
To be fair, if the 2024 MLB Postseason were to begin today, the Phillies would be the No. 2 seed as the result of a tiebreaker over Milwaukee and still receive a first-round bye. But that’s not the point. The current National League postseason picture is a long way off from the 6.5-game lead the Phillies had over Los Angeles for the No. 1 seed entering the All-Star break on July 15. Sure, the Phillies still have a 99.4% chance to make the MLB Postseason, but this season was supposed to be about so much more than just making it to Red October. For a ball club that is playing at an 11-18 clip since the All-Star break, the Phillies schedule through September 1 could prove to be “make it or break it.”
Over the next 12-days, the Phillies will play four series against three teams — Atlanta, the Houston Astros, and the Kansas City Royals, respectively– that are currently in position to make the MLB Postseason. Despite being ravaged by injuries and having to sign players of waivers to fill roster spots, the Braves have won seven-of-ten and are within six-games over the Phillies in the race for the NL East. Right on cue, Houston has ramped it up over the last 30-games going 18-12 and overtaken the Seattle Mariners for the AL West lead. And KC isn’t a walkover either. Like Houston, Kansas City has won 18 of their last 30-games and is within 3.5-games of the AL Central leading Cleveland Guardians.
Yeah, it could get worse for the Phillies before it gets better.
Luckily for the Phillies, the intense schedule flips come September 3 when they start a quick two-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays at SkyDome Rogers Centre. Of the Phillies eight series in the month of September, five will be played against teams that are currently at .500 or below. However, mashed in the middle of middling teams will be a 10-game stretch against the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers, respectively. But fear not Phillies fans, the Fightins have a winning record against Milwaukee and the Mets so far this season. Maybe September will prove to be the perfect cure for the Phillies “dog days of summer” blues.
