Phillies: Deadline’s X factors for 4 NL Wild Card teams

Divisional foe:       

If they suffer three consecutive defeats, the Cubs could be back in the wild-card competition with the Phillies. From a distance, though, the shorthanded Brew Crew and the standpat Cards are facing a more difficult path to the NLCS. Translation: advantage Chicago.

The Cubbies acquired Nicholas Castellanos from the Detroit Tigers to bolster their offense. At this point, the right fielder is averaging .280 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. And he provides additional length to their batting order.

In the pen, they picked up southpaw Derek Holland from the San Francisco Giants. But he has 30 relief appearances with a 5.57 ERA. So, they’ll probably use him as a lefty specialist during the stretch run and October.

In the NL East, the red pinstripes and the Washington Nationals are going back and forth from identical records to a small difference. But free agency is looming for their third baseman, and he may test the market if the Nationals’ offer isn’t to his liking.

While their offense is formidable, Max Scherzer has landed on the IL with a mid-back strain after struggling with back soreness in mid-July. However, the injury report lists him as a possible late August return. Of course, the Nats addressed their main shortcoming near the deadline: the relief corps between the starter and the closer.

Washington dealt for right-handers Hunter Strickland from the Seattle Mariners and Daniel Hudson from the Toronto Blue Jays. After three Nationals’ outings, Strickland has lowered his ERA from 8.10 to 5.68 for seven 2019 performances. Meanwhile, Hudson has a 3.00 ERA for 50 appearances including one start.

Regarding portsiders, the Nationals have replaced Sipp with Roenis Elias, but the new addition is on the IL after one appearance with a mid-August return expected. Overall, he has a 3.59 ERA for 45 opportunities. On the other hand, Sipp had a 4.71 ERA with 38 chances when they designated him for assignment.