The Philadelphia Phillies still have work to do as they host the Tampa Bay Rays for the final three games of the regular season starting on Friday night, and that work might be a little harder due to a key injury.
The Phillies (87-72) hold a two-game advantage over the Arizona Diamondbacks (85-74) in the race for the third and final wild-card spot in the National League. Two wins by Philadelphia this weekend, two losses by Arizona, or one of each will guarantee that interim manager Don Mattingly’s team will play next week.
“We’re in the driver’s seat,” Phillies outfielder Bryce Harper said. “So we got to win and take care of our business. We can’t really worry about any other teams or what they’re doing. Just got to keep going, and obviously, Tampa’s a great team as well. Got to go out and play our baseball.”
In the Rays (96-63), the Phillies will face the American League’s top team — one that already is guaranteed a bye into the divisional series despite losing its last two games in New York against a Yankees team that holds the AL’s top wild-card spot.
“I would anticipate very similar to this environment here,” Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash said about the upcoming three games after the Rays lost 6-4 on Thursday. “They’re playing for a lot. We’re playing (so) we want to continue to feel good about ourselves heading into our little break.”
The Phillies, losers of four of their last six games, might not have second baseman Luis Arraez for Friday’s game or longer. The current NL batting leader (.310) left Thursday’s game after spraining his left ankle while attempting to avoid a tag on a groundout in the sixth inning.
Mattingly said Arraez’s injury will be reevaluated on Friday.
If the Phillies don’t have Arraez, the Phillies might move Harper from right field to first base. Alec Bohm would shift to third base, and Bryson Stott would go from third to second, where he played before the Phillies traded for the All-Star on Aug. 2. Utility infielder Edmundo Sosa also could be in the mix.
“Either way we do it, it’s obviously going to cause a change,” Mattingly said.
Philadelphia will face a familiar foe in Friday’s opener because Tampa Bay will start former New York Mets hurler Freddy Peralta (9-11, 4.56 ERA). The Rays acquired the right-hander from the Mets for three minor leaguers ahead of the trade deadline last month, and Peralta has helped the Rays by going 4-2 with a 3.60 ERA in nine starts. Over his last five starts, he’s 4-0 with an 0.94 ERA.
Peralta’s last start in Philadelphia, though, was forgettable. On June 20, he lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up 10 earned runs as the Phillies routed the Mets 15-3. It marked Peralta’s shortest start this season and the most earned runs he’s yielded in nine major league seasons. Overall, he’s 0-3 against the Phillies with a 5.30 ERA in nine games (eight starts).
Left-hander Cristopher Sanchez (18-6, 2.93 ERA) will start on Friday in one of the Phillies’ biggest games this season. He leads the NL in wins and is second in WAR (7.7) to Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (9.8).
Sanchez has made three career starts against the Rays, going 1-0 with an 0.50 ERA in 18 innings. He got the win in his last start against them on May 7, 2025, allowing just a hit and three walks in six scoreless innings.
–Field Level Media
