Phillies: Deadline’s X factors for 4 NL Wild Card teams
By Tal Venada
Challengers from the NL Central:
If the Brewers struggle, the Phillies will have one less competitor for an NL Wild Card berth. Currently, Milwaukee has lost six of their last 10 contests due in part to the injury bug affecting their ace and three other starters. Due to this, their fall in the standings is more than just a rough patch. Are they overcoming it?
As the Brew Crew’s stud, Brandon Woodruff is 11-3 with a 3.75 ERA, but he landed on the IL (injured list) with a left oblique strain on July 22. Realistically, Milwaukee is expecting a six-week recovery for Woodruff (early September) after the MiLB campaign ends. He’ll then rehab at their pre-season facility or with simulated games.
On July 30, the Brewers traded for Jordan Lyles of the Pittsburgh Pirates to prop up their five-man staff. He is 7-7 with a 4.97 ERA after two decent performances with his new organization. Basically, they plugged a two-month hole with only Lyles due to their financial ceiling: He had $683 thousand remaining on his pact.
Entering the second half at 44-44, the St. Louis Cardinals have gone 14-11 but are 2-8 in their last 10 contests. And even though they are three games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, they didn’t add anyone to their 25-man roster. Did they find the asking prices on available talent to be too high?
They have a decent bullpen but are a middle-of-the-pack squad with their rotation and runs scored. On the other hand, they have received disappointing numbers from some regulars and starters. Currently, they are behind by half a game for the second wild card.