Six teams make the playoffs in each league, not just two as was the case in 1980, and there are multiple layers of playoffs. #Brewers magic number today series#The Phils went on to win their first World Series that year. It is where they clinched the NL pennant in an epic 1980 Championship Series. Houston is the site of one of the best moments in Phillies playoff history. The Phillies will use Nola, Ranger Suarez and Bailey Falter in the series. Verlander has the best ERA in the majors and is bidding for the AL Cy Young award. That's a formidable trio, even if their outings are to be abbreviated. With a first-round bye, Houston will not play its first postseason game until October 11 and manager Dusty Baker intends to keep his lads sharp by playing them against the Phillies. Though the Astros punched their ticket to the postseason nearly two weeks ago, they will not be in complete cruise-control mode against the Phillies. The Phils were supposed to open the season in Houston, but that series was postponed because of labor issues between the players and owners and moved to the end of the season. In Houston, the Phillies will play three against an elite Astros team that leads the American League with 104 wins. "I felt like it was a momentum stopper for them and then we extended our lead." "That was a big moment in the game," Realmuto said. It was a huge play at the time as the Phillies, with rain beginning to fall, were trying to get through five innings with a lead. Realmuto homered in the sixth but his biggest contribution came in the third when he gunned down a runner at second for a double play. Earlier, Bryson Stott had a big two-run double. He continued to swing a productive bat Sunday with a three-run single against Patrick Corbin in the fifth. Kyle Schwarber homered twice in that game. They won Friday's opener then suffered an ugly 13-4 loss in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader before bouncing back to win the nightcap, 8-2. The Phillies came to Washington riding a five-game losing skid. It's where you want to go and what you battle for the whole season." He's not looking too far ahead, but he did admit, "That's where it all counts. Like Realmuto, Wheeler has never played in a postseason game. It's definitely a big morale boost for our team knowing we've got him lined up for Game 1 if we take care of business in Houston." "He's exactly where we need him to be this time of year. If the Phillies finalize a spot in the postseason, Wheeler will start Game 1 on Friday. In three starts since coming off the injured list, he's allowed just one run in 15 innings. Wheeler allowed just two hits, walked none and struck out seven. The game was called after six innings and a one-hour, 28-minute wait. He pitched five shutout innings and threw 77 pitches before Thomson got him off the wet mound once the game became official. Under heavy, gray clouds on a rainy day, Zack Wheeler was a bright spot for the Phillies on Sunday. We just need to play well and win some games." "Relying on other people isn't really a plan," he said. One Brewers loss would put the Phillies in the postseason, but manager Rob Thomson is hearing none of that. Milwaukee finishes with three games against Arizona. They could clinch a spot as soon as Monday night in Houston, where Aaron Nola will pitch against Lance McCullers Jr. The Phils' magic number for entry to the postseason for the first time since 2011 is one. Their lead over Milwaukee for the final National League wild-card spot is two games with three to play. Sunday's win improved the Phillies to 86-73. We still have to take care of business in Houston." "The fact that I haven't played (in a postseason) yet is extremely disappointing, so it's fun to be in the race and fun to have a chance. Realmuto, a standout at the plate and behind it in Sunday's rain-shortened 8-1 win over the Washington Nationals. "This is what you play for, to win, get in the postseason and have a chance to win the World Series," said J.T. They got all four games in, won three of them, and headed to Houston for the final series of the regular season, waterlogged, but in control of their own playoff destiny. WASHINGTON - For all the hand-wringing about the weather and what it might mean to the schedule and their bid to lock down their first postseason berth in a decade, things worked out nicely for the Phillies in the nation's capital this weekend.
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