By Evan Macy
Copyright phillyvoice
The Phillies have clinched the NL East, but the next week will be incredibly important to their hunt for the World Series.
First, they are hoping for healthy returns from infielders Alec Bohm, Trea Turner and Edmundo Sosa prior to the end of the regular season. Shoulder inflammation sent Bohm to the IL, but he is expected to be playing in Arizona. The other two players could follow back in Philly next week.
Second, they are playing for a first-round bye and for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. They’re also keeping an eye on the pestering Mets, who are fighting to remain the final Wild card team.
Here’s a look at what the Phillies are still playing for, and then a rooting guide for fans who enjoy scoreboard watching:
The Phillies have a five game lead over the Dodgers for the 2-seed in the National League. With nine games left to play and a regular-season tie-breaker in their back pocket, the Phillies’ magic number is four to earn this important prize.
They have the best home win percentage (.680) of any team in the majors this season.
Heading into Friday, here’s a look at some of their numbers at home this season, with six home games left to play:
Home-field advantage will be huge for the Phillies in October. They didn’t have it in their World Series run in 2022, when they were the last Wild card team, but they blew home-field advantages in series against the Diamondbacks and Mets in 2023 and 2024, respectively. They were not as dominant at home in those seasons as they have been in 2025.
The Dodgers play the Giants, Diamondbacks and Mariners to finish their season — three teams in playoff races themselves.
The 1-seed is much less likely, but no less important. Due to the NL being better than the AL in the standings this year, at least up to this point, the Phillies or Brewers are likely to have homefield advantage in the World Series, as both are clear of the AL-best Blue Jays.
The Phillies are one of the best teams in the sport at home, as we just mentioned, so if they are somehow able to catch Milwaukee, a team that holds a tiebreaker over Philadelphia, it would be extremely helpful.
The Brewers lead the Phils by three games, and Philly would need to be a game clear of them, so they are essentially four games back with three series left to play. Milwaukee has a magic number of six to boot the Phillies from 1-seed contention.
Milwaukee faces the Cardinals, Padres and Reds down the stretch, three teams that are also currently contending for a playoff spot.
The Mets and the 6-seed
Thanks to a messy recent eight-game losing streak — with four of them coming to the Phillies in Philly — the Mets are scratching and clawing to hang on to the final playoff spot in the National League. This is of interest to Phillies fans who simply want to relish the schadenfreude of a potential full collapse, or who want to avoid having to play at all in Citi Field in a potential NLDS match up. Philly has been dreadful in Queens over the last few seasons.
The Mets’ tumble has brought a few teams back into the race, and those teams just happen to be playing the Brewers and Dodgers over the next 10 days. The longer the Mets keep this a lingering race, the more the Reds, Diamondbacks and Giants have to play for. And if those teams play hard, it could indirectly help the Phillies clinch the 2 or even the 1 seed.
Here’s how things stand heading into the weekend:
The top three teams are more or less locked in as division-winners, though the Padres have an outside chance of catching the Dodgers (three games back) and the Cubs are six games behind the Brewers in the NL Central.
As you can see from the upcoming slate, there will be a lot of games of interest for seeding purposes over the week and a half.
So, now the rooting guide — preferred winners in bold:
Phillies at Diamondbacks
Even though the D-backs winning would help the Mets collapse, the Phillies are more interested in homefield advantage.
Brewers at Cardinals
The Phillies need at least four Brewers losses, probably more, to get that 1-seed.
Cubs at Reds
The Reds winning puts pressure on the Mets. It also keeps them relevant — Philadelphia hopes — until their season-ending series against the Brewers.
Giants at Dodgers
The Giants winning this series kills two birds with one stone. It keeps the Giants on the Mets’ heels in the race for the final Wild Card spot. And it also helps the Phillies in their quest for the 2-seed, needing the Dodgers to lose a few more times.
Nationals at Mets
The Nats are the second-worst team in the National League and don’t have anything to play for but pride. Hopefully they can give the Mets a test this weekend.
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