As recently as Tuesday, the Philadelphia Phillies held a comfortable four-game lead on a postseason berth, and it felt like only a matter of time until they clinched. Three straight losses and three straight Arizona Diamondbacks wins later, Philadelphia's lead is down to one game, and suddenly their season is on the line during this final weekend. "You have to find a way to win a game tomorrow," Kyle Schwarber said (via MLB.com) after Friday's loss (TB 2, PHI 0).
"Keep trying to find a way to win games. We've still got the ball in our court right now, and if we go out there and we do what we need to do, we control our own future. I wouldn't want it any other way than us to decide what happens." NL WILD-CARD STANDINGS1.
San Diego Padres: 89-71 (clinched)2. Chicago Cubs: 88-73 (clinched)3. Philadelphia Phillies: 87-73------------------------------------------4.
Arizona Diamondbacks: 86-74 (1 GB) The Phillies have scored two runs in their last three games. They haven't hit a home run since Tuesday and have one homer in their last six games, and three homers in their last nine games. The Phillies have hit the fewest homers, stolen the third-fewest bases, and scored the second-fewest runs in September, and now Luis Arraez is sidelined with a left ankle sprain.
"You don't feel great about it because he was so sore this morning," interim manager Don Mattingly said Friday (via MLB.com), the day after Arraez twisted his ankle on a play at first base. While things have unraveled for the Phillies, the D-backs have put together an inspired stretch that has seen them win six straight games. Nolan Arenado hit his 30th home run in Friday's win (ARI 11, SD 4).
He has four homers in his last five games and nine homers in his last 17 games. Arizona has scored 48 runs during the six-game winning streak, or an average of eight per game. "Something magical is going to happen here," Geraldo Perdomo said after Friday's win (via MLB.com).
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