Thursday, October 1, 2026
79 ° Clear
79 ° Clear
For an organization deeply concerned with rewriting the narratives of past Octobers, the Philadelphia Phillies need to realize that they may not get an opportunity.
The month of September has managed to quickly suppress the momentum and spark that August brought the Phillies. After going a Major League Baseball's best 21-7 last month, the club has taken a step back with a 5-8 record following their 6-3 loss to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday night.
With their ace on the mound, the Phillies used to pencil in a victory every fifth day. Now, Cristopher Sanchez has returned to human form. When it is all said and done, the 2026 season for the Phillies' ace will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the best in franchise history.
Who could forget the amazing 50 2/3 scoreless inning streak from earlier this season?
However, since that streak ended, Sanchez has pitched to a 4.11 earned run average. He has had six starts in which he has given up four or more earned runs. Four games in which he has allowed five or more runs, and games where he has allowed six and nine runs, respectively.
Tuesday night's ballgame against the Nationals was one that the Phillies should have won. With a playoff position still in the air, it was a game in which they needed to win.
Don Mattingly is playing a game of Russian roulette every night with his bullpen.
Outside of Jhoan Duran, the hypothetical weapon is fully loaded in all the wrong ways.
Philly's closer has been nothing short of elite in 2026. He has accumulated a 2.6 fWAR, the fourth highest among qualified relievers. He has 30 saves, which is the ninth-best in baseball, even after missing extended time earlier in the season due to injury. His 1.82 earned run average is the eighth-best among relievers with at least 50 innings pitched.
Getting to Duran has been a major problem all season long. While different bullpen options have enjoyed periods of success, the overall unit has performed incredibly poorly.
Alex McFarlane, a rookie who debuted just weeks ago, is arguably the second-best option the team can currently deploy.
Orion Kerkering has taken a major step back, pitching to a 4.02 earned run average in 60 games. Jose Alvarado, once the team's closer many moons ago, holds a 5.30 ERA. Jonathan Bowlen, who had a really strong season before his recent cold spell, now holds a 3.40 earned run average. He has allowed a run in six of his last seven outings.
Tanner Banks was a weapon in 2025. In 2026, he has pitched in only 28 games. When he has pitched, Banks has a 7.20 ERA.
Who can the manager trust?
This is not a question that a World Series-contending team should ever have, much less two weeks away from the first round of the postseason.
At the time of this article, the Phillies hold the fifth playoff seed by .5 games over the San Diego Padres.
If the Padres hold on to defeat the Colorado Rockies, they will tie the Phillies. Philadelphia owns the tiebreaker.
One more bad outing against the Nationals could push the Phillies down to the sixth and final spot with just 10 games to go, with the Arizona Diamondbacks lurking. Philadelphia does not own that tiebreaker.
With Zack Wheeler on the mound Wednesday, the Phillies must play like their season depends on it, because it does.
MORE: Eight Phillies are heading to the Arizona Fall League
