Philadelphia Phillies In-Season Trend Makes Postseason Start Times an Issue

The Philadelphia Phillies were much better during the night than during the day and it could make their draw as the early game a factor.

Aug 21, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson (59) makes a pitching change against the Atlanta Braves in the sixth inning at Truist Park. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have had a major difference between playing during the day and playing at night. Could their postseason scheduling end up dooming them?

As Kerry Miller of Bleacher Report examined some trends that emerged over the course of the season, the Phillies record during the day compared to at night stuck out like a sore thumb.

Philadelphia was an impressive 68-40 at night this season, but went just 27-27 when playing during the day.

With the game times for their initial playoff series being announced for 4 pm local time, it might be time to worry. Day games are usually considered anything that starts while the sun is out, before 5 pm local time.

As a whole, the offense does take a slight dip in early games. They hit less home runs, get less base hits. It's not a drastic difference for every one but some players clearly prefer late games.

Bryce Harper, a key cog in the machine for the Phillies, is one of the biggest examples of this. His .246/.355/.443 slashing line during the day is a far cry from his .303/.381/.561 at night.

Kyle Schwarber is actually quite the opposite. He's been much better this season when taking part in earlier matchups.

As for pitching, there is a much bigger overall difference. The Philadelphia staff ERA jumps from 3.50 to 4.58 depending on start time. Batters see them much better early on.

Zack Wheeler, who will be taking the bump for the first game, followed the same trend as most of the team. His ERA was nearly a full point higher in the day.

Aaron Nola, on the other hand, had virtually no difference depending on the game time.

If it wasn't already clear based on a number of factors, the Phillies should be rooting for the New York Mets to take the Wild Card from the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Mets were even worse than Philadelphia when playing during the day with a 32-36 record in those games. The scary offense of New York was much better at night.

As for the Brewers, they were stellar when playing during the day. Milwaukee produced an impressive 39-26 record during the day and have actually hit the ball better with the sun out.

A team as talented as the Phillies should be fine at adjusting for the postseason, but they'll need to buck this alarming trend to move on.