Phillies' Magic Number Drops Despite Recent Struggles

Sep 15, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) pitches Washington Nationals second baseman Nasim Nuñez (21) during the second inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Phillies' Magic Number Drops Despite Recent Struggles

Originally posted on Philadelphia Phillies on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Sep 16, 2026 10:30 AM ET

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Tuesday night was another tough one for the Philadelphia Phillies, who lost to the Washington Nationals 6-3 on the road. This marks their fourth loss in five games, and now is not the time to be struggling.

Coming into this short two-game set against the Nationals, the Phillies had to be thinking about taking two games. With Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler scheduled to pitch, sweeping this mini-series seemed very possible.

However, on Tuesday, Sanchez was not at his best, and the team was unable to pick him up. The offense scored just three runs in the loss, and this is a unit that has hit a bit of a funk during their recent struggles in the last five games.

With some tough games coming up, Wednesday is going to be one that Philadelphia simply has to have. Wheeler has been much better in his last couple of starts, and the Phillies need him to get a win. Fortunately, even though Philadelphia might have lost the game, they did get a little closer to clinching a playoff spot thanks to some help. Now, their magic number sits at eight.

Magic Number Drops With Help

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thanks to the Miami Marlins on Tuesday, the Phillies did see their magic number drop by one with the Arizona Diamondbacks losing. With the season coming to a close, the Diamondbacks are in a bit of trouble.

The wild card race is quickly becoming just a three-team battle, and the Phillies' struggles of late have made things interesting. With the loss by Arizona, they are now 2.5 games back of the San Diego Padres for the final wild card spot.

Furthermore, it is the Padres who are just one game behind the Phillies, and Philadelphia is a half-game behind the Cubs.

With things being so tight between all of the wild card teams, every game counts, and for the Phillies, they have just 11 left. Now that the magic number has dropped to eight, the team is still heading in the right direction for a playoff spot. However, they would ideally like to get the first spot and get some home-field advantage in the wildcard round.

Getting the win on Wednesday will be key, but the rest of the schedule is not easy, starting with a four-game weekend series against the New York Mets. The Mets would certainly love to play spoiler against their division rival, and the Phillies shouldn’t take them lightly.

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

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