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Kapler’s Giants holding final NL wild-card spot
Even with Wednesday night’s 12-3 win over the Nationals, the Phillies are going to need help to make the playoffs.
Four losses in a row prior to Wednesday dropped the Phils below .500 and significantly decreased the chances they’re going to get into the expanded postseason.
They went into Friday night with a 28-29 record and one-half game behind the Giants (28-28), who held the second and final National League wild-card spot. Imagine if former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler and San Francisco end up No. 8 and Joe Girardi’s team doesn’t.
Incredibly, the Phils only trailed the Marlins by one-half game for second place in the NLEast heading into Friday night, which would result in the sixth seed in the eight-team league playoffs and could mean a best-of-three series against the Cubs. Miami holds the head-to-head tiebreaker by winning the season series.
That the Phillies are scrambling to get into the playoffs is a bit bothersome when more than half of baseball’s 30 clubs qualify. After winning the first three games of a four-game series against the Blue Jays, the Phils were 27-25 and just needed to play .500 ball over the final eight games to reach the postseason.
Unless they win out, it might not happen. And if they don’t win out, they won’t be above .500 for the ninth consecutive season.
After falling to Toronto on Sunday, the Phillies were awful in the first two games versus a Washington team playing for nothing but pride, managing fewer than twice as many hits (nine) as errors (five) as top starters Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola took losses.
Some angry fans renewed calls for general manager Matt Klentak to be fired, primarily for his failure to address the bullpen until near the trade deadline and then acquiring several relievers namely, Heath Hembree and Brandon Workman, who haven’t been getting the job done.
“I understand if the fans are frustrated because they really care about how we do,” said Girardi before Wednesday’s game. “And I don’t expect them not to be. I understand, but we’re going to do everything we can and see where we end up.”
The offense awoke to score seven runs in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, only for the consistently ineffective Workman to allow a walkoff home run.
During a conference call Monday afternoon, Klentak mentioned how he hoped the Phillies would be able to clinch a berth prior to Nola’s start Sunday, which would permit Nola to pitch the playoff opener. That’s wish
ful thinking.
Klentak also drew criticism for his response to a question about the possibility of not re-signing All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, whocan become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, after dealing top prospect Sixto Sanchez for Realmuto two years ago. Sanchez has top-of-the-rotation stuff, which he displayed in three-hitting the Phillies on Sept. 13, is 22 and under salary control for four more years.
“Wewould love to have J.T.,” Klentak said. “But when you make that trade, you’re trading for two years of (salary) control and you know that.”
You don’t make that move if you don’t think you can keep Realmuto here long term, which Klentak and Co. should be willing to do.
Realmuto returned Tuesday after missing 11 games with a hip flexor and helped produce seven extra-base hits among the Phillies’ 14 hits Wednesday, including five homers (two of them by Bryce Harper).
“Wehad to win tonight,” said Girardi afterward. “That was the bottom line. One game can change a lot of things.”
After a much-needed day off Thursday, the Phils are in Tampa to play the American League-leading Rays for the final three games of the 60-game regular season. Vince Velasquez, Wheeler and Nola in that order are scheduled to pitch. They can still qualify if they win two of three and the Giants go 2-2 against the Padres.
If the Phillies are fortunate enough to get in, Zach Eflin would start Game 1 on Wednesday. Eflin is coming off two strong outings, including eight-plus innings Wednesday.
“It would be awesome,” said Eflin on Wednesday. “If I’m the first guy up, I’ll be ready to attack some hitters and get some outs.”
“I’d feel really good about that,” Girardi said. “I’d be doing cartwheels, and it’s not pretty. I feel really good about how he’s throwing the ball.”
We’ll see if he’s still feeling good early Sunday evening.