PHILADELPHIA— The Philadelphia Phillies had a chance to clinch the National League East crown on their home turf.
Despite an early lead on Sunday afternoon, the club could not overcome a four-run outburst by the Kansas City Royals in the sixth inning. The Royals would go on to win the series finale in Philadelphia, meaning the Phillies had to sit and wait to see the outcome of the New York Mets and Texas Rangers.
New York won, postponing any celebrations for the Phillies for at least another day. The club did clinch its fourth straight postseason berth on Sunday afternoon, but the team is united in the feeling that they have bigger goals in 2025.
That brings us to Monday, September 15, 2025. The Philadelphia Phillies will begin a three-game series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as they enter their final road trip of the season. The Phillies currently lead the Dodgers by 4.5 games for the second seed in the playoffs. This seed is important as it determines which of these two teams will get a first-round bye.
Last year, these two clubs finished first and second in the National League. The Phils would go on to lose in the NLDS to the Mets. The Dodgers, of course, went on to win the World Series.
Magic numbers
With the playoffs already secured, the Phillies now have a few numbers to keep in mind.
1 - The number of Phillies wins or Mets losses needed to clinch the NL East title.
9 - The number of Phillies wins or Dodgers losses needed to clinch the second seed.
10 - The number of Phillies losses or Brewers wins needed for Milwaukee to clinch the one seed.
It is almost a guarantee that the Phillies will be back-to-back NL East champions. The designation is practically a formality at this stage, and thanks to an all-time collapse by the Mets, a tight division race has evaporated. This allows the Phillies to now focus on themselves. They control their destiny toward the first-round bye with their matchup against the Dodgers this week.
Los Angeles needs to realistically sweep the Phillies if they are going to try to leap them in the standings. A series win would only gather a one-game increase in the race, with three fewer games at their disposal. The Dodgers, to this point, have played one less game than Philadelphia, so there is another game they can use to climb back.
A series sweep for the Phillies would ice the race. A series win would likely put an end to the discussion as well. The Phillies would then have nine games to play, with a 5.5-game lead over Los Angeles.
As for Milwaukee, the Phillies are just two games behind the Brewers for the top seed. However, Milwaukee does hold the tie-breaker over Philadelphia, meaning the Phillies would need to finish a game ahead of the Brew Crew if they wanted to leap them.
Phillies-Dodgers pitching matchups
Ranger Suarez (12-6, 2.77 ERA) vs Emmet Sheehan (6-3, 3.32 ERA)
To open the series, the Phillies will send Ranger Suarez to the mound against the Dodgers.
Suarez has allowed just one earned run in his last four outings combined. Since his blowup start against the Cincinnati Reds on August 12, he has been stellar for the Phillies. Suarez is competing with Jesus Luzardo for the game two starter in the postseason. Luckily for Rob Thomon, it seems like Suarez is up for the challenge.
LA will throw Emmet Sheehan, a 25-year-old righty who has made just 21 starts since his debut in 2023. Sheehan has been a huge boost to the Dodgers' rotation and is coming off a strong performance against the Colorado Rockies. The Phillies have been swinging a hot bat as of late, but will see a higher level of competition when Sheehan takes the mound Monday.
Cristopher Sanchez (13-5, 2.57 ERA) vs Shohei Ohtani (1-1, 3.75 ERA)
In game two, the Phillies will turn to their ace in what could be a huge game for the club. Cristopher Sanchez has been elite the past two seasons and is now expected to carry the Phillies' rotation towards a World Series title.
Sanchez has an outside chance of winning the NL Cy Young award at this point in the year. Pirates' starter Paul Skenes seemingly has the award locked up with just a few weeks remaining in the season.
On the mound for the Dodgers will be the one and only Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is returning from Tommy John surgery that kept him off the mound in 2024 and the majority of 2025. He has never faced the Phillies as a pitcher before. The best player in the game has not been great on the mound this year, likely only going a maximum of five innings. If the Phillies can make him work, it should help them when he leaves the game to return as a hitter only.
Jesus Luzardo (14-6, 4.03 ERA) vs Blake Snell (4-4, 2.79 ERA)
Coming off an electric performance against the New York Mets, Luzardo will be tasked with closing the series for the Phillies. The left-hander has been excellent as of late, putting behind him some mid-season blowup outings.
Luzardo has typically fared well against the Dodgers in his career. He faced the club in Philadelphia back in April, tossing seven scoreless innings. In his four career starts versus the Dodgers, he has thrown 24.2 innings to a 1.82 earned run average. He also has notched 27 strikeouts in those four outings.
On the mound for the Dodgers will be two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. Snell has dealt with injury once again in 2025 and is trying to dial back in to form.
Snell has been elite since returning from the Injured List. In 39.1 innings across his last seven starts, Snell has thrown to a 2.97 earned run average, struck out 51 batters, and only walked 15. The tough left typically has struggled against the Phillies, holding a 5.01 earned run average against the club in his last five outings.
