The Phillies have gone from feeling like a team drifting toward irrelevance to one with real October stakes again, and that shift is the whole point of this Arizona trip. In the Inquirer’s Aug. 31 column by Marcus Hayes, the question isn’t just whether the Phillies can keep winning — it’s whether this version of the team looks like a true contender or just a hot stretch at the right time.

That’s a big swing in a short span. Hayes writes that a month ago, the Phillies were floundering near the edges of relevance. Now, he says, they’ve found an identity built on smart at-bats, a solid starting rotation, and unexpectedly competent defense. That’s the kind of formula fans can actually hang hopes on, especially when the calendar has turned and the games start feeling heavier.

And Arizona is a pretty good place to test all of it. The Phillies begin a three-game series there Monday night, according to the Inquirer, and the series could help decide whether they host a wild-card series in October. The standings picture is tight enough to keep everyone checking scores elsewhere, too: the Phillies could leave Phoenix with the wild-card lead if they handle their business and the Brewers beat the Cubs, Hayes notes. At the same time, the Diamondbacks are right there in the mix, holding the final wild-card slot while sitting 4 1/2 games behind the Phillies.

There’s also some recent history baked into this matchup. The Diamondbacks knocked the Phillies out of the chance to win consecutive pennants in October 2023, and they’ve already had success against Philadelphia this season, taking two of three in Philly in April, per the Inquirer. Meanwhile, the Cubs have their own edge from earlier in the year, winning six of seven against the Phillies in those April games that used up the teams’ head-to-head meetings.

So yes, this series matters in the standings. But it also matters in a bigger, more emotional way. If the Phillies really are playing like a team with a first World Series title in 18 years in reach, this is the kind of week that should start showing it. Hayes puts the timing plainly: by dinnertime Wednesday, we’ll know a lot more.