By Sam Bush
If the season ended today, the Phillies (No. 6 seed, NL Wild Card) would take on the St. Louis Cardinals (No. 3 seed, NL Central winner) in the playoffs.
Cardinals playoff chances: 70.5%
Phillies playoff chances: 69.9%
The Cardinals have overtaken the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central and there is certainly a lot more confidence right now with the depth of the Cardinals’ rotation.
It also helps to have a pair of NL MVP candidates and a deep lineup with options off the bench. With that said, St. Louis wouldn’t be the team we’d bet on to go far in the MLB playoffs.
The Phillies took an aggressive approach in last week’s trade deadline.
Noah Syndergaard addressed the lone void in the rotation and even with diminished stuff, he remains a dependable starter.
Brandon Marsh provides the Gold Glove defense Philly needed in center field and David Robertson injects much-needed depth into the back of the bullpen.
Overall, things are really looking up for the Phillies.
