DETROIT _ It took the Phillies 15 innings Tuesday night to accomplish something for which they didn't even need Bryce Harper on Wednesday.
Never try to figure out baseball.
Less than 13 hours after outlasting the Detroit Tigers, 3-2, in the marathon opener of a two-game interleague series, the Phillies finished off the worst team in baseball with a no-frills, low-stress 4-0 victory at Comerica Park. And now, as they head home and into a day off Thursday, their keynote for the beginning of a pivotal nine-game homestand is simple.
Bring on the Braves.
With five wins in six games, the Phillies are tied for the second National League wild-card spot pending the St. Louis Cardinals' outcome Wednesday night in Pittsburgh. The wild card still represents the likeliest path to their first postseason berth since 2011. But if they should sweep a three-game series against the first-place Braves this weekend at Citizens Bank Park and chop Atlanta's lead over them in half, well, it could get interesting.
In preparation for that big series, Harper took a seat on the bench for the finale against the Tigers. After he served as the designated hitter Tuesday night, it represented one of the last times for the superstar right fielder to catch his breath before the stretch drive, which will feature 60 games in 66 days.
"As everyone knows, he goes all out, every day, and we need him healthy for Atlanta," manager Gabe Kapler said of Harper. "This may be the last off day you see for him for a while."
Kapler also took the opportunity to give Rhys Hoskins partial rest by using him as the designated hitter. And after taxing his body by catching 15 innings one night earlier, J.T. Realmuto moved to first base for one game.
Despite the unusual lineup, the Phillies had more than enough to take care of the Tigers, who have dropped 47 of 59 games since May 12 and are on pace for 111 losses. They scored two runs in 24 innings this week against Phillies pitchers, who shut them out for the final 17 innings of the series.
In particular, the Phillies' bullpen was outstanding. After Adam Morgan, Nick Pivetta, Hector Neris, Juan Nicasio, and Jose Alvarez passed the baton for eight scoreless innings Tuesday night, Ranger Suarez, Morgan and Neris did the same for 3 1/3 innings in relief of starter Vince Velasquez on Wednesday.
The Phillies staked Velasquez to a lead on Realmuto's solo home run in the fourth inning. They tacked on three runs in the fifth on a solo shot by Nick Williams followed by a bunt single by Roman Quinn, an RBI double by Cesar Hernandez, a walk of Scott Kingery and a Hoskins single.
Velasquez left the bases loaded in the second inning and stranded Brandon Dixon on second base after a leadoff single in the fourth. He appeared poised to complete the sixth inning for only the second time in 12 starts this season but ran into trouble with two outs and had to be lifted for Suarez.
But Velasquez's spot in the rotation is a topic for another day, perhaps even a day before the July 31 trade deadline. The Phillies were unable to leave Detroit with coveted Tigers lefty Matthew Boyd in tow, but it seems likely they will check back on both his availability and the asking price over the next few days.
In the meantime, they were content to pocket their two wins and skip town, ready to focus on the Braves.
