The Phillies escaped from New York Sunday with a much-need win for themselves and Cristopher Sanchez.

After dropping their last two to the Mets and the uneasiness of the postseason beginning to rise, Sanchez and his team pieced together a tidy, 7-2 win at Citi Field (or New York in general), which always has been a House of Horrors for them.

When you drop 10 of your previous 16 games, this was a giant exhale.

Sanchez apparently didn’t want to come out of the game, and he looked like his old self after he had a 6.87 ERA in his three previous September starts and had allowed 18 runs over his last five starts.

Thankfully for Phillies’ fans, rookie Alex McFarlane took over, and he continued to be one of the few bright spots out of the bullpen.

Speaking of the bullpen, it’s one of three major issues facing the Phils and their postseason ahead. (They can wrap up a Wild Card as soon as Wednesday).

Now, it’s just a matter of opening up in Atlanta or likely Chicago for the playoffs. The Phils could still get home field, but it looks like a longshot.

The other issues..

Will Jesus Luzardo be ready for the postseason, and what will be his role? Can Brandon Marsh regain his once All-Star form?

The Pen Isn’t Bullish: In the upcoming postseason, McFarland should get the seventh - or eighth-inning assignment.

You could also use either Tim Mayza, who has had a good second half, or Jose Alvarado, who also has been pitching well lately. Maybe Alvarado has overcome his shakiness and inconsistency. Chase Shugart is in good graces and should get some more time.

Jonathan Bowlan has been an enigma recently, and he has a groin strain. He is expected to pitch in the postseason, but his trust level has dropped drastically.

Who knows when we’ll see Orion Kerkering again? He never fully recovered from his meltdown against the Dodgers last year.

Kerkering is trying to get some quick therapy at Lehigh Valley after he was sent there Saturday night. He had allowed a run in eight of his last nine appearances for an 11.57 ERA.

Kerkering had a 10.24 ERA in 22 appearances since July 22. His best months were in April and May, when he both had a 2.53 ERA. Tim Lazar is back again from the Iron Pigs.

Brooks Raley, considered one of the top lefty relievers in the game when the Phillies acquired him, has been a major disappointment.

During his five September appearances, Raley has a 23.63 ERA, and has given up 7 runs in only 2.2 innings.

In 45 games with the Mets, Raley had an era of 1.96. In his 15 games with the Phillies, Raley has an ERA of 8.71.

There’s also veteran Nestor Cortes, who allowed two hits over three innings with three strikeouts for the IronPigs Saturday. On Tuesday, Cortes allowed two runs on three hits in 1 ⅔inning.

It apparently is a matter of time before he is ready. He is eligible for the postseason.

Jesus’ Second Coming: By all indications, we won’t see Luzardo until the final three games of the homestand. And it is too early to make any assumptions with his shoulder stiffness.

Yet, there is already some chatter about using him out of the bullpen behind Nola in a start, or have him ready as a fourth starter with Andrew Painter.

The Phillies also will have to weigh pitching Luzardo in Chicago (or Atlanta if they slip to the third Wild Card). He has been dynamite on the road with a 9-0 record, a 1.76 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 92 innings. He likely will become the first pitcher since 2013 to have an ERA under 2.00 and have more than 100 strikeouts.

Luzardo played catch before Sunday’s game, and he didn’t feel any pain. Look for him to throw an inning or little more either Saturday or Sunday.

The Final Countdown: Atlanta clinched its seventh national League East title in the last nine years Sunday.

Ronald Acuna Jr.’s return has breathed new life into them, and the often injured pitching staff is healthier. Besides New York, the Phils don’t want to play in Atlanta for the postseason, but they may have to be there. Since 2016, the Phils record in Atlanta is 29-49.

The Phils will return home for their final six games against the Brewers and the Rays.

Milwaukee already has clinched their division, but the Brewers will not be sitting their regulars as they are placing for the top seed overall ahead of the Dodgers and Braves.

Tampa began Thursday 4.5 games ahead of the Yankees, and the Rays should wrap up that division, especially with Aaron Judge’s new injury (see below).

Blowin’ in the Windy City: The Cubs who led the Phillies by a half-game for the top Wild Card spot Thursday, are in Cincinnati for the weekend before they play their final homestand against the Marlins. They will finish in Boston, who also is in the Wild Car hunt.

The Cubs’ starting staff has been hobbled by injuries, but Shone Imagana has emerged as their top hurler with his 11-10, 3.80, 164 strikeout line.

Ex-Met David Peterson (6-2, 3.94) has found himself again, and ex-Blue Jays Kevin Gausman (4-2, 5.04) has a veteran presence. Colin Rea (8-8, 4.47) is another reliable starter.

As they say in Chicago, it’s all about “PCA” (Pete Crow-Armstrong), who should win the MVP with his 45 homers, 107 RBIs, .280 average, .949 OPS, and 38 stolen bases.

Remember when the Phillies were in the chase for Alex Bregman? The third sacker is having a banner year with his 26 homers, 89 RBIs, .262 average and 32 doubles.

Nico Hoerner has a steady bat at the top of the lineup with his eight homers, 65 RBIs, .265 average and 22 stolen bases.

In a short series, you have to like the Phillies with Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez and either Luzardo or Aaron Nola.

Marshy Footing: In a recent Times News Sports Facebook pool, Marsh garnered 59 percent of the vote as being the biggest disappointment in the second half of the season. Trea Turner had 37 percent, and J.T. Realmuto got four percent.

It’s hard to argue otherwise.

Since he was hitting .319 on July 1 as one the league leaders, Marsh is at a .176 clip with three homers since June. After Sunday’s game, Marsh was hitting .114 with an OBP of .114, an OPS of .257, and slugging .143 in September.

It has been a complete reversal since he hit .400 in March, .303 in April, .333 in May, and .315 in June.

That’s when everything took a dive.

Last season, Marsh started slowly and increased his production through the year before he hit .280 in August and .338 in September. However, he hit .077 in the postseason.

Marsh does have a career-season high 17 homers this year, and is currently at his lifetime average of .261.

Maybe this is what we should expect from him, but the Phillies need Marsh’s left-handed bat in the postseason.

There Goes The Judge: Yankees’ fans were elated to see Aaron Judge back after a three-month absence, and he hit .174 with a homer in seven games.

Unfortunately, Judge left Wednesday’s game in the sixth inning with tightness in right leg. Judge described it a “lower body issue,” and it could be a calf problem

The Yankees will make the playoffs, and they can afford to be extra careful with Judge over their final 10 games. He may be able to DH.

With their pitching staff and additions like Luis Garcia, the Yanks definitely need Judge to make a World Series run.

Readers Write:

Marsh is bad, but Turner is worse

Dear Jeff,

Brandon Marsh couldn’t keep up his timely hitting and is swinging at garbage. Trea Turner has been an entire-season disappointment.

Melissa Hager

Lehighton

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