It is no secret that the Philadelphia Phillies have struggled since the All-Star break. They are just 5-12 since then and have not been able to piece together any sort of winning streak.
Major pieces of the lineup, like Trea Turner and Bryce Harper, scuffled coming out of the gate, as did some of the team's pitching. Every team goes through ups and downs over the course of a 162-game season, but the Phillies had been widely considered the best team in baseball until recently.
That's why the club's current series in Los Angeles is even more important. Entering Tuesday night's contest, the Dodgers were just a half-game behind the Phillies for the best record in the National League. The club with the best record would secure home-field advantage through the NLCS.
However, this series would also determine the winner of the two NL powerhouses' head-to-head matchup, which is crucial for postseason seeding.
Phillies’ win over Dodgers has more than just crucial playoff implications
This series will be the last time the Phillies and Dodgers meet in the regular season. The Phillies swept the NL West foe in July. The current NL East leaders needed to win one game at Dodger Stadium to clinch the season series and were able to accomplish that goal with a 6-2 victory on Tuesday night.
The implications of winning the head-to-head series against Los Angeles gives the Phillies the edge should the two teams tie for the overall best record in the NL. Playing an extra game at Citizens Bank Park in October would be a huge advantage for the Phillies.
Over the past two postseasons, Major League Baseball teams and fans have seen the atmosphere in South Philadelphia and what an advantage it is for the home club. In the 2022 playoffs, the Phillies won all six of their home games as they lost to the Houston Astros in the World Series.
During the 2023 postseason, the Phillies saw similar success, going 6-2 in home games. The two losses came at the hands of the eventual NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks in Games 6 and 7.
“That can be huge coming down the stretch,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said of the magnitude of taking the season series against a potential postseason opponent, per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “That’s a good thing. That’s a really good club over there.”
Tuesday's win could help catapult the Phillies to another winning streak
The Phillies played one of their most complete games since the Midsummer Classic in their most recent victory. Cristopher Sánchez came out and twirled a gem on the mound. The club got contributions from key players like Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber and also received help from the bottom of the lineup in Austin Hays and Edmundo Sosa.
The bullpen held the lead and allowed just one run to score over three innings, with Jeff Hoffman surrendering a solo home run to Teoscar Hernández.
The win was a much-needed one. Perhaps the bats are beginning to wake up, and the pitching is finding its groove once again. While the Phillies still sit in the driver's seat in the National League, they don't want to decelerate and allow other teams to put pressure on them. A winning streak would be welcomed by the players, coaches and fans.
“It would be nice to get a winning streak going,” Phillies left-hander Matt Strahm said, per Zolecki. “I’d feel a lot better about that. You know, this game is really hard. Just like at the beginning of the year, none of it matters unless we do what we need to do at the end.”
The whole team would feel better about a winning streak. Every team entering October wants to be firing on all cylinders. The Phillies have the pieces in place; now it's time to put it all together.