PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies are not mathematically eliminated from the postseason, but at this point, they need a late-season miracle.
A more productive, more dangerous offense would have helped and perhaps stemmed a remarkable late-season swoon. The Phillies entered Friday ranked 18th in baseball in on-base percentage (.315), 22nd in runs (614), 23rd in slugging percentage (.396) and 28th in batting average (.237). The Phillies do not put as much stock into traditional numbers as more modern metrics, but even then they are 21st in wOBA (.309) and 22nd in wRC+ (92). Still, they take pride in being second in baseball in pitches per plate appearance (4.