Dodgers' offense falters as their chance at No. 2 seed looks dim

They go 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position while bullpen can't stop the Phillies.

- BY KEVIN BAXTER

THE DODGERS' Max Muncy contemplates another frustrating loss, this time to the Phillies, who clinched the NL East on Monday. Muncy ended the defeat by grounding out with the bases loaded in the 10th inning.

Philadelphia came to Los Angeles having already clinched a playoff berth. With Monday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Dodgers, the Phillies added a division title to that collection, one they celebrated in the center of the Dodger Stadium infield, then with champagne in the tiny visitors' clubhouse.

The Dodgers are zeroing in on a playoff berth and division title of their own. So the chances are high the teams will meet again in the postseason, which makes this week's series a great opportunity to do a little scouting.

"We try to gather as much information as we can," infielder Miguel Rojas said. "They're doing the same thing."

That's not the main objective though. Because if the Dodgers are closing in on the postseason, they aren't there yet.

And they have even more work to do after Monday's game, which ended with Philadelphia's J.T. Realmuto's 10th-inning sacrifice fly scoring ghost runner Harrison Bader from third with the winning run.

"With where we're at, I'm trying to win every game," said manager Dave Roberts, whose team fought back from deficits three times before losing. "And where it falls out is where it falls out."

One of the things that both sides surely learned Monday is that the Dodgers' bullpen is still far from being playoff ready. Because after Emmet Sheehan held the Phillies to one hit over 52/3 innings, striking out seven, he watched a quartet of relievers combine to give up four runs two on home runs over the next four.