Phillies in danger of finishing below .500 for seventh straight season

WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25: Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Brad Miller (33) comes up to bat during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on September 25, 2019, at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - SEPTEMBER 25: Philadelphia Phillies left fielder Brad Miller (33) comes up to bat during the game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Washington Nationals on September 25, 2019, at Nationals Park, in Washington D.C. (Photo by Mark Goldman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

There were hopes the Phillies could end the year with as many as 90 wins, but they are once again in danger of finishing with a losing record.

If you told anyone in Philadelphia at the beginning of the season that the Phillies would finish the year with a losing record, you’d be heavily criticized. However, that prediction is now a real possibility with four games left this season.

Thanks to their fifth straight loss and seventh in their last eight, the Phillies fell to 79-79 Wednesday night. With a meager 29% chance of winning Thursday afternoon’s game against Nationals, they could fall below .500 for the first time all season.

On top of that, it’s looking increasingly likely that Philadelphia ends the season with a losing record. If they lose to Washington Thursday, they would need to sweep the Marlins over the weekend to finish 82-80. Given their 7-9 record against the 55-103 Marlins, that seems unlikely.

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Fangraphs projects the Phillies to finish the year with an 81-81 record as they have a 59.8%, 62.6%, and 71.1% chance of winning the weekend’s games against the Marlins. Still, there is a genuine chance they wind up with a losing record yet again.

If the season does end with a losing record, it would be the seventh straight year with a losing record. This is already the eighth season in a row without making the playoffs.

The only teams with longer playoff droughts are the Marlins, Mariners, White Sox, and Padres..

An 80-82 record would be the same record as 2018. After all the moves made during the offseason, they were predicted to finish with a win total in the high 80s. Now, they could end with the same record, or potentially even worse if they lose all of their remaining games.

Heads are already expected to roll once the season ends, most likely manager Gabe Kapler. A losing record would only fuel the flames that have been raging all season long.

No matter what happens over the final four games, this season is already a disappointment for pretty much every fan.

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