A team's magic number represents the combination of wins needed by that team and losses by its closest competitor to clinch a given goal. Every time a team wins, its magic number decreases by one. Similarly, every time that team's closest competitor for the division (or Wild Card) loses, the magic number also decreases by one.

The Philadelphia Phillies won their second straight game over the Miami Marlins on Saturday, 4-2, improving their trek toward a second straight NL East title.

The Phillies stretched their lead over the second-place Mets in the National League East to eight games with three games left in this series -- final time these teams play one another. Michael Helman drove home every Texas run with a grand slam and an RBI double to back the solid start of pitcher Jacob Latz as the surging Rangers past Milwaukee in the opener of a three-game interleague series in Arlington,

The Phillies face the Mets at 6:45 p.m., on Sept. 9. Left-hander Ranger Suarez (11-6, 2.89 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies. Left-hander Sean Manaea (1-2, 5.60 ERA) will pitch for the Mets. The game will be broadcast on NBCSP. The radio broadcast will be on 94WIP and WDEL 101.7 FM/1150 AM. 7 FM/1150 AM.

After a day off, the Philadelphia Phillies piled up the hits but were unable to beat the Milwaukee Brewers in a 6-3 loss on Wednesday.