Power ranking potential Phillies playoff opponents, from most to least fearsome

The Philadelphia Phillies haven't locked up a playoff spot yet, but barring an epic collapse in the second half of September, the probability is high that we'll see October baseball. With that in mind, it's time to start thinking about potential opponents that the Phillies may face as they try to navigate the postseason bracket.

For our purposes, we're only going to focus on the NL contenders that they may face. If Philadelphia makes the World Series, we can worry about AL opponents, but for the most part, the scariest teams reside in the National League regardless.

Definitive power rankings of potential Philadelphia Phillies playoff opponents

1. Milwaukee Brewers

There are several reasons to fear the Milwaukee Brewers. First, the Brewers were the first NL team to clinch a playoff berth, have the best record and best run differential in MLB, and have proven that they aren't smoke and mirrors with a dominant record against teams over .500.

Dominant starting pitchers can play an outsized role in a playoff series, and Milwaukee has arguably the most dominant arm in the game today in Jacob Misiorowski. Add in the fact that their pressure-the-defense offensive style could take advantage of a big Phillies weakness, and the Brewers could prove to be a nightmare to deal with.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

It might seem surprising not to give the two-time defending champs the top spot, but the Los Angeles Dodgers have looked more vulnerable than usual lately. They've gone through a few challenges these past few weeks, including a seven-game losing streak to kick off August. The biggest reason to doubt them, however, has to do with their handling of Shohei Ohtani's injury and the questions his health status raises for October.

The Dodgers' offense has looked weaker than normal at times, but even if Ohtani isn't pitching, they have an impressive collection of aces they can roll out, plus an assortment of players who have proven to raise their level of play during the postseason. Underestimating LA is a risky proposition.

3. Atlanta Braves

Familiarity breeds contempt, and for these two clubs there is a lot of bad blood. The Phillies lost the season series to the Atlanta Braves 4-9, so obviously there's something to fear here.

The Braves have some true superstars in the form of Chris Sale and Ronald Acuña Jr., and that kind of star power can tilt a playoff series in a club's favor. This isn't to say that Philadelphia doesn't have a star-studded roster in its own right, but when it comes down to a pair of division rivals like this, recent history matters, and Atlanta knows better than anyone how to attack the Phillies' weaknesses.

4. Chicago Cubs

The Chicago Cubs have the presumptive NL MVP in Pete Crow-Armstrong, a battle-tested veteran in Alex Bregman, and a slew of lefty starters that could potentially neutralize Philadelphia's lefty-heavy lineup.

The flip side of this coin is that the rotation has been an issue for Chicago all season, and even after solidifying it with the likes of Clay Holmes and Kevin Gausman at the trade deadline, that vulnerability has persisted. A potential matchup between these two clubs could come down to who can win more slugfests, though the Phillies do have the upper hand here when it comes to what their starters can do to shut down the Cubs' bats.

5. San Diego Padres

The primary reason that the San Diego Padres are scary is Mason Miller. The all-world closer almost guarantees that if the Padres head to the ninth with a lead, they will emerge victorious. His bullpen mates like Adrian Morejon, Bradgley Rodriguez, Yuki Matsui, and others further complicate things and up the pressure to get to San Diego's starters.

Beyond that, though, the Padres aren't that scary. The rotation has been suspect for most of the season, and while there are some big names in the lineup, the production hasn't always matched up with the reputations. Falling behind San Diego is dangerous, but otherwise, this is a beatable team.

6. Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks are on the outside looking in at this moment in time, but they're still within playoff striking distance. This is a team that has some forces to be reckoned with, chief among them being Corbin Carroll.

But their rotation stalwarts, Brandon Pfaadt and Eduardo Rodriguez, look like paper tigers based on the peripherals and past history. Pfaadt was even briefly demoted to Triple-A earlier this season. Add in the fact that Ketel Marte is doing his best to blow up team chemistry, and this is not a club that strikes fear in the heart the way others do.

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