Phillies Fall Out of Second Wild Card Spot as Padres, Brewers Gain Ground
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Days ago, the Philadelphia Phillies were red-hot, riding a five-game winning streak, with one game remaining in a three-game series against the lowly Miami Marlins. Since Thursday, the Phillies are losers of four-straight.
The Phillies were outscored by the Braves 16-7 in Atlanta over the weekend, dropping all three games.
As the Phillies falter, the Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres move up.
Entering play Thursday, the Phillies led the Padres for the second National League wild card spot by 2.5 games. After sweeping the Diamondbacks in Arizona over the weekend, the Padres surpassed the Phillies for the second National League Wild Card spot Sunday, now holding a 0.5-game lead over the Phillies.
Meanwhile, the Milwaukee Brewers took two of three from the Yankees in Milwaukee over the weekend. The Brewers are now two games back of the Phillies for the third and final Wild Card spot.
The Atlanta Braves remain in control of the top National League Wild Card spot. It appears regardless of who wins the National League East, either the Braves or the New York Mets will be the top Wild Card team. The Braves lead the Padres by 11 games with two and a half weeks remaining in the regular season. It's highly unlikely that the Phillies, Padres or Brewers will creep into the top National League Wild Card spot in the new Major League Baseball playoff format.
The Phillies will have Monday off, then host a six-game home stand where they will play the Toronto Blue Jays and the Braves.
The Padres will also have Monday off, then host the St. Louis Cardinals for three games this week, before traveling to Colorado for a weekend series at Coors Field against the Rockies.
The Brewers will open a three-game series at home Monday against the New York Mets, then play four games in Cincinnati against the Reds.
