Phillies' Magic Number Remains Unchanged Following Disappointing Loss to Mets

The Philadelphia Phillies were unable to get closer to clinching a playoff spot after a bad loss to the New York Mets.

Sep 19, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; (24) pitches against the New York Mets during the third inning at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After losing their bullpen game on Friday to the New York Mets, the Philadelphia Phillies were hopeful that they would be able to secure a win with Andrew Painter on the mound. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case on Saturday. 

In a game that Philadelphia really wanted to take the upper hand in the four-game series, they lost by a score of 10-3. In the loss, the offense continued to struggle for the Phillies. 

It was the fifth straight game that they scored three runs, and to little surprise, they have a losing record during that span. Painter also didn’t have his best game in the loss. The young right-hander went 5.1 innings, allowing four runs on four hits with one walk. 

Most of the damage against Painter came in the bottom of the fifth inning when Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez hit a three-run home run to give New York the lead. That swing of the bat proved to be the difference maker, and then the Mets piled on against a struggling Phillies bullpen. 

While Philadelphia got some help on Friday from the New York Yankees, who were able to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, that wasn’t the case on Saturday. The Phillies’ magic number remains the same at four, and while they will almost certainly make the playoffs, there is reason to be concerned. 

Magic Number Remains Unchanged

Sep 18, 2026; New York City, New York, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Tim Mayza (37) pitches in the first inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even though having a magic number of four with seven games to go for the Phillies indicates that they will be a playoff team this year, the performance on the field of late has not been good. 

This is an offense that has only scored four or more runs once in the last seven games. While the starting rotation is very talented, that is simply not enough offense to get the job done. 

With the loss, the Phillies are now the third wild card team, with both the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs ahead of them by one game. 

This is certainly significant, and getting the top wild card spot and the home-field advantage that comes along with it would have been ideal. If the season ended today, it would be the Phillies facing off against the Atlanta Braves in the wild card round. 

Overall, while the team is still in fantastic shape to make the playoffs, they have missed some opportunities of late and are not playing well. The offense and the bullpen really need to get going, or this is going to be a quick October trip.