Seven Games to Save a Season, and Arraez Still Isn't Healthy

The Phillies are 84-71, half a game out of the last wild card, with seven games left and a four-game losing streak dragging at them. That is the whole situation, compressed. And somewhere inside it is Luis Arraez, ankle still bothering him, availability still unclear.

I wrote last week that the ankle put two things at risk — a batting title chase and a roster spot. A day later, Luzardo's return gave the rotation some air. But Arraez's status hasn't resolved the way Luzardo's did. He's hitting .300 on the year in 22 games since joining the club, and at second base the depth behind him is essentially Bryson Stott and then Edmundo Sosa, who has logged no production at the position this month. That's thin for a team that needs every functional piece it has.

The offense is the more immediate problem. Philadelphia has scored fewer than three runs a game over its last ten, and the lineup needs contact at the top to give the power hitters something to work with. Arraez, when healthy, is exactly that kind of hitter — a .300 bat who puts the ball in play and makes pitchers work. Without him, the Phillies are leaning harder on Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber to carry a lineup that has gone quiet at the worst possible time.

Seven games. Half a game back. The math is simple enough. Whether Arraez can play through it is the part nobody seems to know yet.