The Phillies’ night against the Brewers was not easy to handle. The team had to go through an injury scare for Luis Arraez and a couple of questionable calls from the umpire. That led to the Phillies’ coach losing his cool and getting kicked out. To top it all off, the Phillies went on to lose the game, and their postseason hangs by a thread.

Jomboy Media reported the whole incident and showed how the Phillies’ night went from bad to worse in a single inning.

“Umpire Dan Merzel ejected Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long after two questionable calls,” wrote Jomboy. And this was after Luis Arraez suffered a potential injury.

The Phillies were still tied 1-1; Arraez was on his way to first when Cooper Pratt’s throw to Jake Bauers pulled him off the bag. He tried to avoid Bauers’ tag, but rolled his left ankle and immediately went down. Arraez was initially called safe, but Dan Merzel ruled him outside the running path.

That call angered Arraez and Kevin Long, who continued arguing while the batter limped toward the Phillies’ dugout. He eventually needed help from an athletic trainer before heading toward the clubhouse. The Phillies were already unhappy with the decision, and another call went against them, and the frustration spilled over.

Alec Bohm stepped into the batter’s box, and Merzel called a pitch a strike. And that was the breaking point for Long. The Phillies’ batting coach wasted no time and called out Merzel for not giving the right call, and all this happened while Bohm had actually asked for an ABS. Before the ABS decision came in, Long’s frustration had broken through. The Arraez’s base path call and this added to it, and before we knew it, Merzel ejected him.

But then, the call was overturned, and all this happened so fast that Arraez was still limping in the dugout and hadn’t even gone out completely.

But this wasn’t the first time Merzel has been in this situation with managers. Back in April, he also ejected John Schneider for arguing a balk call when Gausman was on the mound. The Blue Jays manager had even come out and criticized Merzel and said, “Felt kind of nice to get a little frustration out… Definitely was not a balk.”

At that point, the Phillies were still in the game, with the score tied 1-1 after 6 innings. Andrew Painter had given the Phillies exactly what it needed, allowing one run across 6 strong innings. He also allowed 5 hits while striking out 8 batters during his 93-pitch outing.

Then the bullpen entered, and the game started slipping away from Philadelphia, fast.

Jose Alvarado gave the Brewers their opening in the eighth after allowing a walk and several timely hits. Jake Bauers put the Brewers ahead before Cooper Pratt and Joey Ortiz did more damage. Jackson Chourio then launched a solo home run in the ninth, giving Milwaukee a 5-1 lead.

Just like that, a close game had turned into another difficult night for the Phillies.

The Phillies managed only one run: Harper’s RBI single in the first. Milwaukee’s pitching shut them down after that. Philadelphia finished with only 4 hits, while Milwaukee celebrated its 100th win. What started with Arraez’s injury scare turned into a painful night for the Phillies. And this has raised major questions about their postseason hopes.

Phillies’ postseason hopes seem to be slipping away

The Phillies had a good chance to move closer to a playoff spot on Thursday night. But things took another turn when the Brewers handed them a 5-1 loss at Citizens Bank Park. The defeat left Philadelphia heading into its final 3 games without officially securing a Wild Card spot. 

What made the loss more frustrating was how little the Phillies could create offensively. The Phillies managed only 1 run, with Kyle Schwarber doubling before Bryce Harper brought him home. After getting 3 hits before scoring, Schwarber’s seventh-inning single was their only hit, leaving the Phillies searching for answers. 

Philadelphia has now lost 12 of its last 20 games, following a 21-7 August and a 9-12 September. 

But that slump has not changed Harper’s message to the clubhouse. The Phillies still control their own destiny, and Harper made that clear after the loss. 

“We’re in the driver’s seat, so we’ve got to win and take care of our business,” Harper said. 

He then added that Philadelphia cannot worry about what other teams are doing, especially with Arizona continuing to push behind them. 

The offense, though, remains the biggest concern as the Phillies approach October. 

Philadelphia is hitting .229 with a .668 OPS in September, its second-lowest monthly OPS this season. Kyle Schwarber is hitting .153, while J.T. Realmuto is batting just .119 during the month. The bullpen has also created problems, with José Alvarado allowing 3 runs in the eighth after his fastball averaged 96 mph. And with an injury to Jesús Luzardo, even the bullpen is looking shaky. 

Now, Philadelphia has 3 games against the Rays to settle the Wild Card race. Luis Arraez’s ankle injury adds another question, though his X-rays were negative after Thursday’s exit. The Phillies now need their offense to produce and their bullpen to hold leads.  

If they manage to get a win and the D-Backs drop a game, they will book their spot in the Wild Card game.