Presently, the Padres lead the Phillies by one game for the NL wild card. It's quite likely the two teams could be battling out the rest of the year for a spot in the baseball playoff derby.

However, the Padres and the Phillies are not exactly a pair of teams with a storied rivalry between them. Or really much of anything that bonds them together, except not appearing on MLB Extra Innings except when their opponent shows the game. The Phillies and Padres don't play each other the rest of the season.

The teams played two 3-game series in July. The Padres won 2 of 3 from the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park from July 4-6 and the Padres took 2 of 3 again at PETCO Park from July 17-19.

When the Phillies beat the Padres on July 4, it marked their 11th straight win over the Padres dating back to May 22, 2004. The Padres then won the next four games before the Phillies rallied in the ninth against Trevor Hoffman on a 2-run double by Bobby Abreu to win 5-4.

According to Baseball-Reference.com, there have been 74 players who have played in the City of Brotherly Love and America's Finest City. (Perhaps this should be called the ironic civic nickname pennant race.)

The 74 players are not an impressive lot. The only player on either team now who has played for both teams is Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino. (Unless somebody I didn't notice sneaked in this year.) No one has been an All-Star while playing for both clubs. No one has played in the postseason for both clubs.

Dave Roberts played for both teams, but it's not the current Dave Roberts, but rather this Dave Roberts, the highly touted prospect from the University of Oregon. That Dave Roberts was more tout than talent.

The only position players who could be considered regulars for both teams would be John Kruk, Benito Santiago, Willie Montanez, Dave Cash, and Joe Lefebvre. Or at least in my opinion.

Overall, the Phillies lead the series between the two teams by a margin of 217-186.

In the last month, the Phillies will be playing teams from the East and Central exclusively. The Padres will be playing team from the West and Central exclusively. They will have no opponents in common in September.

It's going to be a very bizarre race to follow. I'm sure fans in Philadelphia will be scoreboard watching and chanting "Beat SD! Beat SD!" although will likely come out sounding like a public health advisory. Fans in San Diego will probably care more about catching the Dodgers for the NL West lead. Regardless, I'm sure the results will be forever etched in the memories of all people who consider the Phillies-Padres rivalry on a par with the Yankees-Red Sox, Dodgers-Giants, and Cubs-Cardinals.

Onward to the wild card!