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  • Phillies weekend rooting guide: A lot to play for, and also the nagging Mets

    The Phillies have clinched the NL East, but the next week will be incredibly important to their hunt for the World Series.

    First, they are hoping for healthy returns from infielders Alec Bohm, Trea Turner and Edmundo Sosa prior to the end of the regular season. Shoulder inflammation sent Bohm to the IL, but he is expected to be playing in Arizona. The other two players could follow back in Philly next week.

    Second, they are playing for a first-round bye and for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. They’re also keeping an eye on the pestering Mets, who are fighting to remain the final Wild card team.

    Here’s a look at what the Phillies are still playing for, and then a rooting guide for fans who enjoy scoreboard watching:

    The 2-seed

    The Phillies have a five game lead over the Dodgers for the 2-seed in the National League. With nine games left to play and a regular-season tie-breaker in their back pocket, the Phillies’ magic number is four to earn this important prize.

    They have the best home win percentage (.680) of any team in the majors this season.

    Heading into Friday, here’s a look at some of their numbers at home this season, with six home games left to play:

    Category Stat MLB Rank
    Batting average .280 1st
    Runs scored 410 2nd
    OPS .822 1st
    Home runs 110 4th
     ERA 3.83 15th
    Strikeouts 735 3rd
    WHIP 1.190 8th

    Home-field advantage will be huge for the Phillies in October. They didn’t have it in their World Series run in 2022, when they were the last Wild card team, but they blew home-field advantages in series against the Diamondbacks and Mets in 2023 and 2024, respectively. They were not as dominant at home in those seasons as they have been in 2025.

    The Dodgers play the Giants, Diamondbacks and Mariners to finish their season — three teams in playoff races themselves.

    The 1-seed

    The 1-seed is much less likely, but no less important. Due to the NL being better than the AL in the standings this year, at least up to this point, the Phillies or Brewers are likely to have homefield advantage in the World Series, as both are clear of the AL-best Blue Jays.

    The Phillies are one of the best teams in the sport at home, as we just mentioned, so if they are somehow able to catch Milwaukee, a team that holds a tiebreaker over Philadelphia, it would be extremely helpful.

    The Brewers lead the Phils by three games, and Philly would need to be a game clear of them, so they are essentially four games back with three series left to play. Milwaukee has a magic number of six to boot the Phillies from 1-seed contention. 

    Milwaukee faces the Cardinals, Padres and Reds down the stretch, three teams that are also currently contending for a playoff spot.

    The Mets and the 6-seed

    Thanks to a messy recent eight-game losing streak — with four of them coming to the Phillies in Philly — the Mets are scratching and clawing to hang on to the final playoff spot in the National League. This is of interest to Phillies fans who simply want to relish the schadenfreude of a potential full collapse, or who want to avoid having to play at all in Citi Field in a potential NLDS match up. Philly has been dreadful in Queens over the last few seasons.

    The Mets’ tumble has brought a few teams back into the race, and those teams just happen to be playing the Brewers and Dodgers over the next 10 days. The longer the Mets keep this a lingering race, the more the Reds, Diamondbacks and Giants have to play for. And if those teams play hard, it could indirectly help the Phillies clinch the 2 or even the 1 seed.

    Here’s how things stand heading into the weekend:

    Team GB Remain
    Brewers — STL, SD, CIN
    Phillies 2 ARI, MIA, MIN
    Dodgers 8 SF, ARI, SEA
    Cubs WC1 CIN, NYM, STL
    Padres WC2 CHW, MIL, ARI
    Mets WC3 WAS, CHI, MIA
    Reds 1.5 CHI, PIT, MIL
    Diamondbacks 3 PHI, LAD, SD
    Giants 4 LAD, STL, COL

    The top three teams are more or less locked in as division-winners, though the Padres have an outside chance of catching the Dodgers (three games back) and the Cubs are six games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. 

    As you can see from the upcoming slate, there will be a lot of games of interest for seeding purposes over the week and a half.

    So, now the rooting guide — preferred winners in bold:

    Phillies at Diamondbacks 

    Even though the D-backs winning would help the Mets collapse, the Phillies are more interested in homefield advantage.

    Brewers at Cardinals

    The Phillies need at least four Brewers losses, probably more, to get that 1-seed.

    Cubs at Reds

    The Reds winning puts pressure on the Mets. It also keeps them relevant — Philadelphia hopes — until their season-ending series against the Brewers.

    Giants at Dodgers

    The Giants winning this series kills two birds with one stone. It keeps the Giants on the Mets’ heels in the race for the final Wild Card spot. And it also helps the Phillies in their quest for the 2-seed, needing the Dodgers to lose a few more times.

    Nationals at Mets

    The Nats are the second-worst team in the National League and don’t have anything to play for but pride. Hopefully they can give the Mets a test this weekend.

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  • Phillies playoff scenarios, magic numbers, potential opponents

    The Phillies have a commanding lead in the NL East and appear to be all but assured not only a berth into the postseason, but also a first-round bye into the NL Divisional Round. 

    Things remain fluid, and scoreboard watching should be part of every Phillies fan’s routine for the remaining two and a half weeks of regular season baseball. It’s entirely possible they finish with the best record in the majors this year. But they have to keep winning.

    Here’s an update on where things currently stand and a look at some potential scenarios:

    Clinching a playoff berth

    The Phillies have a magic number of three to officially punch a ticket into the playoff bracket. The Reds and Giants (more on both in a second) each trail the Phillies by 12.5 games and 13.5 respectively with 14 left to play. Philly needs to either win three of its remaining games, or the Reds and Giants need to lose three of their remaining games for the Phillies to make it official — or any combination of five Phillies wins with losses from those two clubs.

    Here’s a look at the Phillies remaining slate:

    Opponent Record
    vs. Royals (2) 74-73
    at Dodgers (3) 82-65
    at Diamondbacks (3) 73-75
    vs. Marlins (3) 69-79
    vs. Twins (3) 65-85

    Clinching the NL East

    After winning Thursday in come-back fashion over the Mets and a dominating win over the Royals Friday, the Phillies have a massive 12 game lead in the NL East. If everything goes Philadelphia’s way, they can technically clinch Sunday against the Royals, but it would need to be a perfect storm and the Phillies would need to extend their winning streak to seven, with some help from the Mets, who host the Rangers this coming weekend.

    With a magic number of three, the Phillies are more likely to clinch things out west when they play the Dodgers and Diamondbacks next week. 

    The No. 1 seed

    Dominant play of late, despite the injuries of Zack Wheeler, Alec Bohm and Trea Turner, actually have the Phillies in the mix to catch the Brewers for the No. 1 overall seed in the NL. They trail by just two games heading into Friday, so it’s still not super likely, but there are some major advantages if they can keep their feet on the gas and try and catch them.

    In addition to landing home field advantage for the entire playoffs (they lead the top AL team in the standings by two games currently), the Phillies would face the winner of the 4-vs-5 Wild card series, currently the Cubs and Padres. Those two opponents may be more desirable than the winner of the 3-vs-6 series, currently the Dodgers and the Mets, based on the Phillies’ recent struggles at Citi Field. The Dodgers are the defending World Series champions. 

    Here’s a look at the Brewers’ remaining slate of games:

    Opponent Record
    vs. Cardinals (3) 72-76
    vs. Angels (3) 69-79
    at Cardinals (3) 72-76
    at Padres (3) 80-68
    vs. Reds (3) 74-73

    It’s not a cakewalk slate — but with Milwaukee holding the tiebreaker (they won four of six games against the Phillies this season) the Phillies need to finish with three more wins than them down the stretch. So if the Brewers finish 8-6, Philadelphia would need to finish 11-3. 

    The flailing Mets

    Philly’s rivals to the north have become less intimidating this week as they’ve been thoroughly dominated, but fans should still be rooting for their continued demise. The Reds and Giants are hot on NY’s tail. The Giants are just 0.5 games behind the Mets for the final playoff spot and the Reds are 1.5 behind in the NL.  

    Here’s a look at the Mets’ final slate of games:

    Opponent Record
    vs Rangers (3) 78-70
    vs Padres (3) 80-68
    vs Nationals (3) 61-86
    at Cubs (3) 84-63
    at Marlins (3) 69-79

    It’s been well documented that the Phillies are just a total disaster in Queens. And while the team will definitely welcome a chance to fight those demons in October, avoiding it might be a smart move if the have the chance to.

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  • MLB roundup: Will Smith’s walk-off HR lifts Dodgers over D-backs

    (Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images)

    Will Smith hit a pinch-hit walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Los Angeles Dodgers avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks with a 5-4 victory on Sunday.Right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto matched a career high with 10 strikeouts and tied a season high with seven innings, while Freddie Freeman had an RBI double in the first inning and Andy Pages drove in two runs as the Dodgers went 4-2 on the just-completed homestand.Yamamoto gave up one run on four hits without a walk as he helped Los Angeles avoid a series sweep for his second consecutive start.Smith’s pinch-hit home run to lead off the ninth came against Diamondbacks right-hander John Curtiss (2-1). Adrian Del Castillo drove in a run for Arizona and had two hits, while right-hander Brandon Pfaadt gave up four runs on eight hits over 4 1/3 innings.

    Rockies 6, Cubs 5

    Mickey Moniak lined a triple into the right field corner to drive in Ryan Ritter and give Colorado the walk-off win over Chicago in Denver.

    Tanner Gordon allowed five hits and two runs over six innings while striking out nine — the most for a Rockies starter this season. Orlando Arcia posted three hits while Braxton Fulford and Ritter notched two apiece. Juan Mejia (2-1) threw a perfect ninth.

    Cubs starter Matthew Boyd gave up six hits and four runs in six innings, but Ian Happ roped a three-run homer in the eighth to forge a 5-5 tie before Daniel Palencia (1-5) gave up Moniak’s game-winner. Kyle Tucker contributed three hits and Seiya Suzuki drove in two runs.Reds 7, Cardinals 4

    Austin Hays hit a tie-breaking two-run home run in the fifth inning to help host Cincinnati end a five-game losing streak with a win over St. Louis.

    Winner Brady Singer (12-9) went six innings, giving up five hits and three runs. The right-hander struck out eight and had no walks in 102 pitches. It was Singer’s 13th quality start and the Reds have won 11 of those games. Matt McLain also homered for Cincinnati for the 13th time, and second time in two games, in the bottom of the eighth.

    Cardinals starter Andre Pallante (6-13) took the loss, going five innings, allowing six hits and five runs, only two of which were earned. St. Louis rookie catcher Jimmy Crooks recorded his first major league hit with a leadoff home run in the seventh.

    Blue Jays 8, Brewers 4

    Nathan Lukes and Myles Straw each had two RBIs to help Toronto defeat visiting Milwaukee and salvage the finale of a three-game series.

    Blue Jays starter Max Scherzer was removed from the game due to upper back tightness, but five relievers scattered four hits without a walk over five scoreless innings.

    William Contreras hit a two-run home run and Brice Turang added a solo shot for the Brewers. Contreras finished with three RBIs and Jackson Chourio added four hits for Milwaukee.

    Red Sox 5, Pirates 2

    Jarren Duran’s three-run, inside-the-park home run punctuated a four-run fifth inning, helping Boston salvage its weekend series with a win over visiting Pittsburgh.

    Duran reached base in all four of his plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with a double and two walks alongside the home. Nathaniel Lowe also had two hits as the Red Sox supported starter Lucas Giolito (10-2), who worked around five walks to finish six innings of three-hit, one-run ball with six strikeouts.

    Alexander Canario was 2-for-4 with a homer for Pittsburgh. Mitch Keller (6-13) allowed four unearned runs, but struck out seven and gave up four hits.

    Rays 7, Nationals 4

    Brandon Lowe hit a grand slam, Josh Lowe had two hits and Tampa Bay defeated host Washington, completing a much-needed three-game sweep. The Rays play their next seven games against Seattle and Cleveland, two teams ahead of them in the American League wild-card race.

    Tampa Bay starter Ian Seymour (3-0) allowed four runs (one earned) over five innings while striking out eight with one walk. Pete Fairbanks pitched the ninth for his 24th save. Brandon Lowe has homered in three of his past four games while driving in eight runs.

    Brady House and Daylen Lile each had two hits for the Nationals, who struck out 16 times while losing their eighth straight game.

    Twins 7, Padres 2

    Byron Buxton went 2-for-5 with a homer, a double and two RBIs, and Minnesota pulled away against San Diego to win the rubber match of the three-game series.

    Twins right-hander Joe Ryan (13-7) tossed seven scoreless innings to earn the victory. He limited the Padres to five hits, walked one and struck out eight. Royce Lewis finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs for Minnesota. Luke Keaschall added an RBI and scored two runs.

    Freddy Fermin doubled and drove in a run for San Diego. Bryce Johnson also had an RBI.

    Marlins 5, Mets 1

    Sandy Alcantara continued his post All-Star break turnaround by pitching seven stellar innings, and visiting Miami earned a series victory over New York.

    Alcantara (8-11) allowed one run on four hits while completing seven innings for a season-high third straight outing. He had just two seven-inning starts all season before this streak.

    Kodai Senga (7-6) allowed five runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings for the Mets. The right-hander struck out six, walked two and did not complete five innings for the sixth time in nine starts since returning from a hamstring injury on July 11.

    Mariners 4, Guardians 2

    Julio Rodriguez connected for a go-ahead two-run RBI single in the seventh to help Seattle rally for a 4-2 win and avoid a sweep against host Cleveland.

    Starting pitcher Bryce Miller (4-5) allowed two runs on two hits and struck out three in six innings for the Mariners, who had lost three of their past four games. Andres Munoz got the Guardians out in order in the ninth for save No. 32. Randy Arozarena crushed his 26th home run of the season, a two-run shot to supply the other two runs for Seattle.

    Tanner Bibee (9-11) was tagged for four runs on six hits with four strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings for Cleveland, which had its four-game winning streak snapped.

    Angels 3, Astros 0

    Jose Soriano allowed just one hit over seven innings to lead visiting Los Angeles past Houston.

    Soriano (10-9) fanned eight and walked three during his eighth scoreless start this season. Oswald Peraza poked a solo homer in the fifth while Mike Trout’s second double of the day drove in an insurance run in the eighth.

    Astros ace Hunter Brown (10-7) allowed just one run and three hits over six innings. Yordan Alvarez singled off Soriano in the first and Ramon Urias doubled in the eighth. On Urias’ hit, Angels left fielder Taylor Ward crashed face-first into the metal out-of-town scoreboard and was taken to a local hospital for observation.

    White Sox 3, Yankees 2

    Lenyn Sosa went 2-for-4 and hit a go-ahead solo home run in the eighth inning to lift host Chicago to a victory against New York.

    The White Sox salvaged the finale of the four-game series to stop a five-game losing streak while ending the Yankees’ season-best winning streak at seven. Mike Vasil recorded his third save, retiring the final three after Cam Booser walked the leadoff hitter in the ninth.

    Aaron Judge went 3-for-5 and finished a triple short of the cycle for the Yankees. His first-inning homer was the 358th of his career, tying Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra for fifth in franchise history. New York starter Luis Gil worked 5 1/3 innings of two-run, four-hit ball with two walks and seven strikeouts.

    Rangers 9, Athletics 6

    Jacob deGrom threw five scoreless innings and Joc Pederson homered and drove in three runs to help Texas post a victory over the Athletics and complete a three-game sweep in West Sacramento, Calif.

    deGrom (11-6) allowed just two hits, while striking out six and walking one for the Rangers, who won their fifth straight game and their eighth in nine tries. Josh Smith went 2-for-2 and reached on three walks in the leadoff spot for Texas.

    J.T. Ginn (2-6) threw six innings for the Athletics, allowing five runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking a pair. Jacob Wilson went 3-for-5 with two RBIs for the A’s, who dropped their third straight after a three-game winning streak.Tigers 5, Royals 0

    Tarik Skubal allowed four hits over seven strong innings and backup catcher Jake Rogers’ two-run triple highlighted a four-run fifth as Detroit blanked host Kansas City.

    Colt Keith and Gleyber Torres also drove in runs as the Tigers took the rubber match of the three-game set.

    Maikel Garcia had two doubles for the Royals, who are trying to reach wild-card position in the American League and had won five consecutive home series. Bobby Witt Jr. went 0-for-4 to see his 18-game hitting streak come to an end.

    Giants 13, Orioles 2

    Justin Verlander (3-10) worked a laborious five innings to earn his third win of the season, Rafael Devers did the heaviest offensive lifting with three hits, including a home run, and San Francisco blasted Baltimore in the finale of a high-scoring, three-game series.

    Rookie Drew Gilbert had his first three-hit game, featuring his first triple, and Heliot Ramos lashed three singles for the Giants, who sandwiched Saturday’s 11-1 loss with 15-8 and 13-2 triumphs.

    Gunnar Henderson, Ryan Mountcastle and Luis Vazquez had two hits each for the Orioles, who lost for the ninth time in their last 11 games.

    –Field Level Media

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  • Phillies to face Mets in 2024 NLDS

    Phillies to face Mets in 2024 NLDS

    A long-standing regular season rivalry will reach a new level in the playoffs this weekend in South Philadelphia.

    For the first time ever, the Phillies will face National League East foes the New York Mets in the postseason. New York beat the Brewers in the National League Wild Card Series. The Mets won on Tuesday, dropped a game on Wednesday and then were victors in the decisive, winner-take-all contest on Thursday. The sixth-seeded Mets will now come to Citizens Bank Park for Games 1 and 2 on Saturday and Sunday, with both matchups beginning at 4:08 PM.

    Game 3 will take place on Tuesday in Queens (time TBD) and, if necessary, Game 4 will be played on Wednesday at Citi Field as well before a potential Game 5 would bring the series back to Philadelphia next Friday.

    It should be a raucous atmosphere at CBP.

    Red October is finally here, Philly.

    Live it up.

    MORE: 10 best Phillies playoff home runs of this era

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    Shamus Clancy

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  • Brewers’ Chourio celebrates division title with sober surprise

    Brewers’ Chourio celebrates division title with sober surprise

    Brewers rookie Jackson Chourio could not fully enjoy the celebratory champagne in the team’s clubhouse Wednesday night.This is not because he does not drink, but the rising star cannot legally consume alcohol because he will not meet the legal drinking age until March 2025.Video above: MLB player joins in on neighborhood wiffle ball game Still, the organization made sure the young outfielder could still be a part of the celebration while poking fun at his age at the same time.The team filled a baby stroller with non-alcoholic champagne, beer and bobbleheads in front of his locker before the celebration began.Chourio definitely played a big role in the team’s success this season, especially after Christian Yelich was shut down for the rest of the season to undergo back surgery in August. Before Thursday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chourio had a .312 batting average, .961 OPS with 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases in the second half of the season. He became the youngest player in MLB history to reach 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season on Sept. 12.Chourio and the Brewers agreed to an 8-year contract worth $82 million before the season. His deal includes team options for 2032 and 2033. He’s eligible to become a free agent in 2034.The Brewers announced tickets for the first round of the postseason will be available starting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 20. Additionally, the team is holding a drive-thru postseason rally from 6 to 9 a.m. Friday at American Family Field. There, fans will get a special QR code for early access to purchase postseason tickets. Tickets will be available to the general public starting at 10 a.m.Wisconsin sports figures, including Brewers Hall of Famer Robin Yount, Packers Hall of Famer Donald Driver, Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Sidney Moncrief among others, will be at the rally.

    Brewers rookie Jackson Chourio could not fully enjoy the celebratory champagne in the team’s clubhouse Wednesday night.

    This is not because he does not drink, but the rising star cannot legally consume alcohol because he will not meet the legal drinking age until March 2025.

    Video above: MLB player joins in on neighborhood wiffle ball game

    Still, the organization made sure the young outfielder could still be a part of the celebration while poking fun at his age at the same time.

    The team filled a baby stroller with non-alcoholic champagne, beer and bobbleheads in front of his locker before the celebration began.

    Milwaukee Brewers

    Baby stroller for Jackson Chourio. 

    Chourio definitely played a big role in the team’s success this season, especially after Christian Yelich was shut down for the rest of the season to undergo back surgery in August.

    Before Thursday night’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chourio had a .312 batting average, .961 OPS with 12 home runs and 10 stolen bases in the second half of the season.

    He became the youngest player in MLB history to reach 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in a season on Sept. 12.

    Chourio and the Brewers agreed to an 8-year contract worth $82 million before the season. His deal includes team options for 2032 and 2033. He’s eligible to become a free agent in 2034.

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    The Brewers announced tickets for the first round of the postseason will be available starting at 10 a.m. on Sept. 20. Additionally, the team is holding a drive-thru postseason rally from 6 to 9 a.m. Friday at American Family Field.

    There, fans will get a special QR code for early access to purchase postseason tickets. Tickets will be available to the general public starting at 10 a.m.

    Wisconsin sports figures, including Brewers Hall of Famer Robin Yount, Packers Hall of Famer Donald Driver, Milwaukee Bucks All-Star Sidney Moncrief among others, will be at the rally.

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