Phillies’ Bryce Harper Makes Strong Comments About Playoff Race

The Philadelphia Phillies let another chance to lock up a playoff berth slip away Thursday night, falling 5-1 to the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park.

Milwaukee used a three-run eighth inning and a ninth-inning homer from Jackson Chourio to reach 100 wins for the first time in franchise history. The Brewers finished the night at 100-59.

Philadelphia dropped to 87-72 and has now lost two straight after taking the series opener Tuesday. The Phillies’ magic number to clinch a National League Wild Card spot stayed at two.

They still hold a two-game lead over the Arizona Diamondbacks, who improved to 85-74 with a 12-8 win at Colorado. The Chicago Cubs have already secured a postseason berth, while the San Diego Padres sit atop the Wild Card standings.

Bryce Harper said after the game that the Phillies still control their own path.

“We’re in the driver’s seat, so we got to win and take care of our business,” Harper said. “We can’t really worry about other teams and what they’re doing.”

He later added, “We’re in the driver’s seat. We’ve got to take care of our business.”

Harper went 2-for-4 and drove in Philadelphia’s only run with a third-inning single that tied the game at 1-1. The Phillies managed just four hits overall.

The late collapse came against a Brewers club that had already wrapped up the NL Central. Jake Bauers, Cooper Pratt and Joey Ortiz all delivered run-scoring singles in the eighth off José Alvarado. Chourio then hit his 25th homer of the season in the ninth.

Philadelphia has three games left, all at home against the Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa Bay has already clinched the American League East and owns one of the best records in baseball.

“Obviously Tampa is a great team as well,” Harper said. “So got to go out and play our baseball.”

Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez is lined up to start Friday. Sanchez is 18-6 with a 2.93 ERA, 221 strikeouts and 200 innings this season. The Phillies moved him up a day so he would be available for a potential Game 2 of the Wild Card series if they get there.

Harper made similar remarks after a Sept. 12 loss in Atlanta. Philadelphia has gone 5-5 since then and faded from the NL East race. The Atlanta Braves have already clinched the division and lead the Phillies by six games.

The Phillies also lost National League batting leader Luis Arraez to a sprained left ankle when he tried to avoid a tag at first base. His status for the weekend is unclear.

A crowd of 37,177 watched the Phillies fail to punch their ticket for a fifth straight postseason. Winning two of three against Tampa Bay would all but end any late drama. Another slump would give Arizona a chance to catch them, with the Diamondbacks holding the tiebreaker based on intradivisional record.

Philadelphia will also watch the Padres’ remaining games against the Los Angeles Dodgers. A San Diego loss combined with a Phillies win would still allow them to clinch before Sunday.

The season has turned into a grind in September after an uneven year that included a midseason managerial change. With three games left, the Phillies remain in position to make the field. They just have to finish the job themselves.