Brutal Bold Prediction Quickly Becoming Real for Phillies

Aug 12, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jose Alvarado (46) walks off the field after he was removed from the game against the St. Louis Cardinals during the seventh inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Brutal Bold Prediction Quickly Becoming Real for Phillies

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Aug 13, 2026 8:00 PM ET

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Heading into the All-Star break, the Philadelphia Phillies were in a great spot with a 54-43 record, right on the heels of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East race.

Unfortunately, none of that positive momentum has carried over into the second half of the season. The Phillies got off to a brutal start, losing series to the New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Miami Marlins. Their record dropped to 3-10 when they lost the series opener to the Baltimore Orioles.

Philadelphia was able to get back on track, winning five out of six games after that, but they have lost two more series since that point to the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals. And now, for the first time since June 2, they are on the outside looking in on the National League playoff picture.

And the bold prediction that Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report made, that the Phillies would not make the playoffs, is unfortunately becoming a reality right before our eyes.

Bold prediction of Phillies missing playoffs becoming a reality

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When the piece was published, Philadelphia was tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks, holding the final two Wild Card spots in the NL. Entering play on Aug. 13, the Phillies had been surpassed by the San Diego Padres and, courtesy of a tiebreaker, were behind the Diamondbacks, putting them fourth in the Wild Card standings.

Out of the three squads, it is easy to see why some people would still believe in Philadelphia coming out ahead of this race. It feels as if there is just too much star power for this team to fail, especially with Luis Arraez being added to Bryce Harper , Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner and Brandon Marsh. Bryson Stott has heated up recently, further lengthening the lineup.

However, offensive inconsistency still plagues this team. After winning the first game of the series against the Cardinals 6-5, they scored a single run over the final two games. The Phillies are now up to eight games in which they scored zero or one run in the second half.

Phillies are unraveling at worst time

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Even if their pitching staff is dominating, it is impossible to win games with that kind of run production from the lineup. Having Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo anchoring the starting rotation certainly helps, but Philadelphia just lost consecutive games started by Sanchez and Wheeler against the Cardinals.

Something is off with Wheeler, who has given up at least four earned runs in all but one of his second-half starts. On top of the rotation woes, the bullpen is a mess, overworked and taxed as the team wraps up a stretch of 14 games in 14 days, including extra innings three times in five days.

To make matters worse, the Phillies have the toughest remaining stretch of schedule compared to Arizona and the Padres. They have to figure things out, and fast; otherwise, the season is going to get away from them quickly.

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This article first appeared on Philadelphia Phillies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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