Phillies' latest playoff odds are in perfect shape as September rolls on

Even allowing for Tuesday night's 8-0 whitewash in San Diego, the Phillies are in a good place. As of Wednesday morning they have a 1.5 game advantage for the top NL Wild Card spot and are 5.0 games ahead of the chasing pack for a playoff spot.

This favorable position is reflected in the latest MLB playoff odds on FanGraphs. At the time of writing, the Phillies are being shown as 96.5 percent likely to qualify for the postseason, which is the fourth-best likelihood in the NL.

A .500 finish

The Phillies are currently 76-62 and projected to finish with a 88-74 record. While a 12-12 record to finish the season might not sound particularly inspiring, it does reflect them having the toughest strength of schedule in the Majors, at .534 percent.

Most importantly, even a .500 run to conclude the regular season still has the Phillies projected to clinch the top Wild Card spot in the NL. It would be as close as you'd anticipate however, with the Cubs projected to finish second in the NL Central with a 87-75 record.

Interestingly, the Phillies also had a 76-62 record at the same stage last season. By comparison though, they were in the third NL wild card spot, 10.5 games behind the Mets for the top wild card position and 3.5 games ahead of the competition.

The Phillies would go on to finish in the sixth and final playoff spot and surprise everyone by reaching the World Series, despite playing in a National League with three teams that had 100+ wins. This season the odds are similarly against them, with FanGraphs having them at just 5.7 percent to win it all.

Forget about the division

Of course, the Phillies' chances of making the World Series would improve if they were to win their division. However, that's not going to happen, with the Braves locked in at 100 percent to clinch the NL East.

In respect of the Braves, they are one of just three teams projected as 100 percent certain to make the postseason, along with the Dodgers and Orioles. They also lead the Majors, at 28.9 percent likely to win the World Series.

Overall, as the saying goes: 'The games aren't played on paper'. Regardless, Phillies fans have to feel confident about their team qualifying for the playoffs, after which -- as last year proved -- anything is possible.

NB - All records and percentages up to and including September 5.