Seriously though, how does a team come off of a 15-2 record from May 25-June 12, then face back-to-back-to-back last place teams and go 3-6? Of course the A's are not in last place, but they had been playing like it. Then to get swept in ugly fashion at home by the Red Sox, and now sporting a 5 game losing streak thanks to the Mets last night. Ouch.
Tonight the Phillies face the last place Mets again, who have taken 3 out of the last 4 from the Phillies, and if they win tonight it will be the Phillies who are once again in last place and potentially back to 7.5 games out of first place. Incidentally, this is the spot they started in when they ran off the winning streak. The only silver lining in this is the fact that they are still over .500. It's an amazing feat to have all of the teams in the division with winning records this late in the season, but not much of a comfort to Phillies fans.
The Phillies have to enter tonight's game with a certain sense of urgency. They have to win now to stay ahead of the Mets and keep from falling further behind the pace of the division. After this series, the Braves come to town, which could be a pivital series for the Phillies this year. It looks like the Braves are once again in position to win the N.L. East, and no one is giving the Nationals much of a chance to stay in first the rest of the way. With the Phillies trailing the Braves by 4 games, this weekend is an opportunity to climb back in this race, or fall out of it.
- What could happen -- the Phillies sweep the Braves putting them 1 game behind
- What can't happen -- the Braves sweep the Phillies and bury us in a pretty deep hole
- What's likely to happen -- a series split that doesn't move the standing much either way...but isn't the drama of a sweep much more interesting?
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