All 30 teams across Major League Baseball will take the field on Friday night as the regular season winds down to around 15 remaining games. 

The Mets and Phillies kickoff a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park, one that could make or break New York’s season. They hold a one-game lead over the Atlanta Braves for the last wild card spot, who next play the Los Angeles Dodgers.

One of those two NL East teams will get into the playoffs. The Phillies currently lead the division by a comfortable eight games, and barring a total meltdown in the last 16 games (seven against the Mets), they should have this division crown just about locked up. 

What matters now for the Phillies is seeding. The goal has to be one of the top two seeds in the National League, guaranteeing a first round bye. The ideal situation is the Phillies outlasting the Dodgers in the regular season race and obtaining the #1 seed, which would mean home-field advantage in a potential NLCS. 

Who should the Phillies be rooting for this weekend? The Braves and the Diamondbacks.


I know, we hate them both. When’s the last time you voluntarily rooted for the Atlanta Braves? Gross. But if Atlanta can win a home series against the Dodgers, that would bolster the lead for the #1 seed in the National League.

Here’s where everything stands going into Friday night:

The Phillies hold a one-game lead over the Dodgers for the #1 seed, but it’s really a two-game lead due to the season series tiebreaker, which the Phillies own. After the Dodgers are the Brewers, who trail the Phillies by three games in the league race.

The Phillies and Brewers will face off next week, and one win by the Phillies would secure the season series, which would win any tiebreaker over Milwaukee as well. That’s where the Diamondbacks come in, who take on Milwaukee out in Arizona.

Weekend Pitching Matchups

Brewers @ DBacks

  • Freddy Peralta vs. Eduardo Rodriguez
  • Tobias Myers vs. Brandon Pfaadt
  • DL Hall vs. Ryne Nelson

Dodgers @ Braves

  • Landon Knack vs. Spencer Schwellenbach
  • Jack Flaherty vs. Chris Sale
  • Walker Buehler vs. Charlie Morton

Mets @ Phillies

  • Jose Quintana vs. Aaron Nola
  • Luis Severino vs. Kolby Allard
  • David Peterson vs. Christopher Sanchez

Milwaukee has been the sneaky team for me all year. They’re a quiet team that hasn’t been talked about enough for how they’ve played. They’re cruising through a bad NL Central, but they’ve looked like a team that can make some noise in October. The Phillies locking up home field over them would be massive.

Through all of this, the biggest priority is the Phillies winning their own series. They face off against a Mets team who has been hot, but hasn’t necessarily played the toughest opponents (White Sox, Red Sox, Reds, Blue Jays). Don’t let New York come into CBP and make this a race. End it this weekend.