As Phillies prepare to make a long-term contract offer to J.T. Realmuto, they also must look into signing a backup catcher | Extra Innings

The “tragic number” is down to one. So, let’s play two!

Before you leave work today, even before Aaron Nola takes the mound at 7:05 tonight for the second game of a doubleheader, the Phillies might be mathematically eliminated from the National League playoff race. That is the predicament they face after losing to the Nationals, 7-2, last night in Washington.

If that doesn’t sting enough, think about this: Patrick Corbin held the Phillies to three hits in six innings. You might recall that they pursued Corbin as a free agent but bowed out when the Nationals offered him a sixth year, one more than the Phillies were willing to give. Corbin, naturally, went 2-0 with a 2.88 ERA in four starts against them this season.

All that remains now, it seems, is the quest to finish with a winning record, small consolation given the lofty expectations for the Phillies when the season began. But considering they haven’t had a winning season since 2011, it would presumably represent progress. The Phillies have to finish 3-4 to reach the 82-80 mark.

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— Scott Lauber (extrainnings@inquirer.com)

It was an interesting choice of words.

Last Friday, in the midst of an adamant defense of the decision to finally rest J.T. Realmuto at a time when the Phillies insisted they were focused only on hanging in the playoff race for as long as possible, manager Gabe Kapler said the ironman catcher “needs to be protected and shown the respect that most players around the league get."

“And that involves helping him recover,” the manager added.

There hasn’t been much recovery time for Realmuto this season. He leads major-league catchers in games played (133), starts (130) and innings (1,139 1/3), a gargantuan workload at the game’s most demanding position. And now, he’s dealing with a balky right knee after feeling a “pop” as he ran to first base in the fifth inning Sunday night in Cleveland.

After trading for Realmuto in February, the Phillies intend to speak with him in the offseason about a contract extension. There aren’t many comparable deals for a 28-year-old, two-time All-Star catcher whose numbers have steadily improved each year that he’s been in the big leagues. But $100 million over five years seems to be within range.

“It’s reasonable to expect that one of our offseason goals will be to address his contract situation,” general manager Matt Klentak said last week. “Whether we line up or not remains to be seen, but he has done nothing to change our belief in him or our desire to make him a Phillie for the foreseeable future.”

Just the same, the Phillies must address the backup catcher position.

Part of Realmuto’s value is his durability, and he’s so good behind the plate and offensively that the Phillies want him in the lineup as often as possible. They aren’t going to suddenly seek a two-headed catching monster, a la the Braves (Brian McCann/Tyler Flowers) or the Nationals (Yan Gomes/Kurt Suzuki). A 50-50 timeshare isn’t in the plans.

But in the interest of keeping Realmuto healthy and fresh, it would behoove the Phillies to upgrade from backup Andrew Knapp, who entered Monday night with a .591 on-base plus slugging percentage, which ranked 394th among 425 players with at least 125 plate appearances this season.

To be fair, Knapp’s numbers aren’t worse than those of a lot of backup catchers, including the Mets’ Tomas Nido (.588 OPS), Boston’s Sandy Leon (.579), San Diego’s Austin Hedges (.568) and Tampa Bay’s Mike Zunino (.554). But for as much as Klentak and Kapler talk about gaining every marginal advantage, it’s hard to imagine that Realmuto wouldn’t benefit from a few extra days off every month if the backup was more productive.

The free-agent market will feature a few options. Alex Avila had a nice season with Arizona, and Travis d’Arnaud has played well since joining Tampa Bay. Veteran catchers Jonathan Lucroy, Martin Maldonado, Austin Romine, Matt Wieters and Russell Martin are eligible for free agency, too. The Phillies discussed a potential trade for Martin last winter.

Here’s more from Matt Breen on the status of J.T. Realmuto, who underwent an MRI on his right knee and sounds as if he might not play again this season. “I don’t want to push it and risk hurting myself for next year or anything like that,” he said. “But if there’s nothing structural-wise that I can make worse, then I want to be back there with my teammates and I want to play the last few games of the year.”

Back in spring training, Bryce Harper probably figured a series in Washington against his former team in the last week of the season would carry all sorts of playoff implications. Well, maybe next year.

On top of their many other concerns, the Phillies must be worried about Rhys Hoskins because of the depth of his second-half slump, as Bob Brookover writes.

Today: Phillies play first game of doubleheader in D.C., 1:05 p.m.

Tonight: Aaron Nola vs. Max Scherzer in the nightcap, 7:05 p.m.

Tomorrow: Drew Smyly faces Nationals’ Anibal Sanchez, 7:05 p.m.

Thursday: Jason Vargas vs. Stephen Strasburg in series finale, 4:05 p.m.

Friday: My birthday! Oh, and Phillies return home vs. Marlins, 7:05 p.m.

It isn’t any secret that Hoskins has had a miserable second half of the season. But the depths to which the Phillies first baseman has sunk are even more evident when his numbers are matched up against the rest of the league’s.

Entering play Monday night, 156 players had at least 200 plate appearances since the All-Star break. Hoskins ranked 153rd in batting average (.188), tied for 138th in slugging percentage (.389) and 133rd in OPS (.715). He wasn’t much better in the advanced metrics that the Phillies love so much, including weighted on-base average (.305, 131st) and weighted runs created plus (86, tied for 131st).

Send questions by email or on Twitter @ScottLauber.

Answer: Thanks, Tim, for your comments and the question. Judging from my Twitter mentions and my email inbox, a lot of fans share your angst about this team. By this time next week, I think we will have more clarity on how managing partner John Middleton feels about the state of the organization.

I have been critical of Matt Klentak, in particular, for not being proactive about improving the pitching staff in the offseason and before the trade deadline. But while the front office misjudged the in-house pitching talent, it’s equally fair to point to pitching coach Chris Young for the regression or stagnation of several starters, chiefly Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez. Zach Eflin eschewed Young’s emphasis on elevating fastballs because he didn’t believe it suited his style of pitching.

Young’s background is in scouting. He’s adept at identifying a pitcher’s strengths and weaknesses, but the Phillies need someone with more actual coaching experience to put those changes into practice in bullpen sessions and games. Regardless of Kapler’s future, my suspicion is that a new pitching coach will be in place next season.