How to watch Phillies-Cardinals weekend series with potential playoff ramifications

When the Phillies and Cardinals met last week, Philadelphia had fallen out of playoff position and was struggling to right the ship with an exhausted bullpen. Now, just a week later, the Phillies are the hottest they’ve been all season, rising through the Wild Card standings and even making gains in the National League East. They will now look to get revenge on the Cardinals back at home.

Since leaving St. Louis, the Phillies (70-58) have won six <a href="https://comicvibe.com/5-best-70s-arcade-games-of-all-time-ranked/” title=”5 Best '70s Arcade Games Of All Time, Ranked”>games in a row, including consecutive sweeps of the Twins and the Marlins. This six-game win streak is a season high for the Phillies and has taken them to a season-high 12 games over .500. 

At the end of play last Wednesday, Philadelphia had fallen out of a Wild Card spot and sat 9 ½ games back of the first-place Braves in the division. Just nine days later, they are now in the second Wild Card, two games up on the Padres, and only five games back of the Braves in the division. With the Braves traveling to Milwaukee this weekend, this is a prime opportunity for Philadelphia to make this division race even more interesting. 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals (66-63) are battling to remain in contention. They sit 2 ½ games back of the Padres for the final Wild Card spot, but they have been hot so far in August. The Cardinals are 12-7 this month, helping to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Phillies will hope to throw cold water on those hopes this weekend.

A series victory by the Cardinals would give St. Louis the tiebreaker over Philadelphia, while a Phillies sweep would flip the tiebreaker in their favor. In any case, the outcome of this weekend series could have playoff ramifications if the Wild Card race tightens any further.    

All three games will be broadcast locally. Here’s when and where you can watch the series on TV:

• Friday, August 21, at 6:40 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Saturday, August 22, at 6:05 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Sunday, August 23, at 1:35 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia