Only one spot in the National League Wild Card picture remains to be secured. The Philadelphia Phillies have faltered under the September pressure with a losing record (9-12) in the month of September, while the Arizona Diamondbacks have kept their slim playoff hopes alive with a winning mark (12-8) over the final month of the regular season.
If the Phillies can secure wins in two games against the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend, they will be able to hold off the Diamondbacks. However, Philly must take care of their own business, because if they finish tied with Arizona in the standings, it will be Diamondback supporters celebrating an improbable postseason appearance.
Diamondbacks hold playoff tiebreaker over Phillies due to divisional record
The formula for determining MLB playoff tiebreakers is pretty straightforward. Unfortunately, the First Tiebreaker is of no use after the Phillies and Diamondbacks split the six-game season series, each winning three games.
The Second Tiebreaker looks at the head-to-head record for each team against the teams in the division that each squad plays. Arizona owns a 31-18 record against teams from the National League West, with three divisional games still remaining against the San Diego Padres, who clinched a N.L. Wild Card spot last night. Meanwhile, Philadelphia finished 28-24 in its contests against the N.L. East foes, which leaves them on the outside looking in on this particular tiebreaker.
The Phillies can make a massive statement tonight behind Cristopher Sánchez as he seeks his 19th win of the 2026 campaign. Philadelphia has struggled with a 5-5 record over its last 10 games, including consecutive losses to the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park on this season-ending homestand. All of that will be forgotten with a pair of wins this weekend.
Philadelphia still controls its own postseason destiny. If the Phillies can win two games against the top team in the American League, there will be a champagne toast at The Bank at least one time this fall. However, another devastating loss on Friday night (combined with a Diamondbacks win against the Padres) starts to set up a real possibility where the Phillies fans find themselves on the outside of the postseason party on Sunday night.
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