The Phillies clinched the division Wednesday night but they will have something to play for this weekend as they battle for positioning in the National League.
The key for the Phillies will be to win at home and then focus an eye to the West.
The race for the best record in the league was far from over Friday. Los Angeles, Colorado, St. Louis or the Phillies could all wind up atop the NL.
The Phightins enter Friday night one game behind the Dodgers and a game up on the Cardinals for the best record in the NL. While the Phillies will play the out-of-the-race Marlins, the Dodgers will face off against the Rockies with the NL West crown on the line while the Cards finish with the middling Brewers at home.
The best way for the Phillies to earn home field advantage throughout the National League playoffs would be to sweep the Fish and get some help from the Rockies.
The West will be won by the Rockies if they sweep the Dodgers. But for the Phillies to get home field they would need to win two more games this weekend than the Dodgers.
The Phillies don’t need to stand alone with the best record -- they only need a tie (that’s right Donovan -- ties can happen in baseball, just like football) but only if the Rockies beat up on the Dodgers.
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The Phightins own the tiebreakers over the Cards and Rockies because they won the head-to-head regular season series against both teams but LA holds the same advantage over Philly. If the Phillies tie any combination of the Rockies or Cards than they will host Game one of both the NLDS and NLCS (if they get there).
The Phillies were in decent shape. Even if they win only one game against the Marlins than all they need to happen is for the Cards to lose at least one against Milwaukee and the Rockies to sweep LA.
The question then is which team the Phillies would face. They can’t face the Cardinals in the divisional round because no matter what the Dodgers and Rockies can’t face each other to start the playoffs so the Phils and Cards will each get a Western opponent.
The key to home field for the Phillies (in the first round) will be to just win. If they sweep they will at worst get the Rockies at Citizens Bank Park. If the Rockies would sweep the Dodgers than the Phillies would get L.A. at CBP.
However it shakes out, just being in the playoffs bodes well for the Phillies. They have the rotation to rumble through the NL.
And at least there is one certainty. The Phillies would love to not own home field advantage in one round of the playoffs -- the World Series.
