Thurs, Sept. 22 - Phillies, Lieber Shut Out Braves, 4-0- But Houston, Florida Both Win, 2-1

In a Thursday afternoon matinee, Jon Lieber and Atlanta's Tim Hudson dueled for eight shutout innings. The Phillies finally exploded in the 9th, scoring four runs off Hudson to seal the victory. PH Michael Tucker once again demonstrated the Phillies' wisdom in obtaining him, driving in the first run (Bobby Abreu). Then, rookie Shane Victorino hit a line-drive, three-run HR to right field, the first HR of his major-league career. Billy Wagner came in for the 9th, although w/ the score 4-0, it was not a formal save situation. He breezed through a scoreless 9th, and the Phillies thus won not only this game, but also the season series from Atlanta, 10-9.

The victory pulled the Phillies to within four games of Atlanta, with nine to play. The Braves' magic number for clinching the NL East thus remained frozen at six. The Braves play six of their final nine games against Florida, so if the Phils keep winning, they will gain ground against one or the other, obviously.

Another milestone was attained today, by the 2005 Phillies. When Billy Wagner recorded the final out at Turner Field, it was the Phillies' 82nd victory - and thus the club has clinched a winning record for the season. That might not sound like much of an accomplishment. But remember, from 1987-2000, the Phillies posted one winning record - the stunning 1993 NL pennant winners. That was it.

In contrast, the 21st century has been good to the Phillies. In 2001 and 2003, the Phillies were involved in pennant races (the NL East and wild card, respectively) right to the end, and in 2004 they also posted a winning record, although it wasn't competitive right down to the wire. And even the disappointing 2002 team finished 80-82.

This segues inot an unusual statistical occurrence. Each of those three seasons ('01, '03, and '04), the Phillies finished with identical 86-76 records. We can only hope that this year's club doesn't meet that same fate, because 86 wins won't be enough this year (Houston already has 84 with nine games to play.)

Other NL Games of Interest

There has been, obviously, a considerable winnowing of the field. The Back of the Pack feature is no longer necessary, as the hot streaks of Houston and the Phillies have foreclosed any hope of a miracle by Milwaukee, Chicago, or the Mets. The Mets and Brewers would need to win their remaining 10 games and have Houston go 1-8, just to force a tie. The Cubs will be mathematically eliminated with one more loss or Houston victory, although ironically they will Houston's opponents for seven of the nine remaining Astros games.

As for Washington - they are still breathing, albeit very narrowly, after beating the Giants, 2-0, at twilight (4:35 PM start) today. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250922120

Hector Carrasco and a series of Nationals relievers posted the shutout: Jon Rauch won in relief (2-4), Brett Tomko (7-15) lost it (his fifth straight loss), with Chad Cordero recording his 47th save - tops in the majors. (Barry Bonds did not play.)

ESPN has removed the Nationals from the "NL Wild Card" graphic, but I still think they should stay on there. The main reason is the quirk of the remaining schedule, since Washington will play six games head-to-head with clubs in front of it. The Nationals will travel to Florida for their penultimate series, and will then host the Phillies at RFK, during the final weekend (Fri Sept 30 - Sun Oct 2).

For the Nationals to sneak in, Houston would need to utterly collapse, for starters. The Nats then would need to sweep Florida and the Phillies, which doesn't seem likely, but... you never know. Of course, Washington obviously needs to make up some ground this weekend, to even make that scenario plausible. However, it is of utmost importance to the Phillies' hopes, that Washington be mathematically eliminated prior to the final weekend. Obviously, the Phillies would be far better off facing a deflated team playing out the string, instead of a club that could force a tie for the wild card by sweeping the Phils on the final weekend, at home.

Anyhow, let's look at what happened to the actual clubs, about whom the Phillies need to be concerned...

Houston continues to keep winning, unfortunately. The Astros took three out of four from the Pirates in Pittsburgh this week, winning a Thursday matinee, 2-1 (after winning a 12-8 slugfest on Wednesday night). http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250922123

Pittsburgh took the Monday opener, beating Roger Clemens, but Houston captured the remaining three games.

RHP Brandon Backe (10-8) won it, on a day when more serious matters were on his mind. He's a native of Galveston, Texas, the possible target of Hurricane Rita, bearing down on the Gulf Coast this weekend, three weeks after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans.) Hurricane concerns were not limited to Backe, however. The entire Houston metropolitan area was evacuated, with 14-hour traffic jams on the highways out of town; all of the Astros were trying to get family members in Houston to safety, prior to a potential impact of Rita on the city. Rita, currently a Category 4 hurricane, is tentatively expected to hit the Gulf Coast sometime Friday night or early Saturday morning.

Backe was masterful, limiting Pittsburgh to two hits and one run (a HR by Craig Wilson in the 5th) over seven IP. Lance Berkman drove in runs in the 1st and 3rd innings, and that was all Backe needed against Pittsburgh's promising rookie Zach Duke (6-2), who was almost as good, but not quite good enough to permit the Phillies to gain a precious game against the Astros. Duke gave up two runs in six innings, and the bullpen kept the Astros scoreless the rest of the way. Unfortunately, Houston's bullpen matched the feat; Craig Qualls and Brad Lidge shut the door on Pittsburgh in the final two innings, with Lidge recording his 38th save. (Lidge's wife, according to the AP story, expected to be in a 12-hout traffic jam leaving Houston.)

And so Houston, which started the season 15-30, has now positioned itself in the wild card driver's seat entering the penultimate weekend of play; after the anemic start, the Astros are 69-39.

As for Florida, they finally managed to beat the Mets - against Pedro Martinez, no less - on Thursday night, 2-1, salvaging the series finale at Shea. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250922121

Dontrelle Willis appeared to have no lingering effects from the historic meltdown from his previous start against the Phillies on Saturday. It will be detailed elsewhere on the blog, but suffice it to say here that Florida committed four errors, allowed the first 10 Phillies to reach base, and yielded 10 runs in the 9th, after Willis sailed into the 9th with a 2-0 lead and hadn't permitted a Phillie to reach second base.

Against the Mets, Jack McKeon inserted Willis in the 7th spot in the order, the first time since 1973 that any pitcher had batted higher than 8th, and the first since Steve Repko of the 1973 Expos to do so. Willis went 1/4, and is now 22/88 (an even .250) for the year.

On the mound, the D-Train (22-9) befuddled the Mets, pitching eight innings, yielding one run on five hits, two walks, and striking out seven Mets. The lone Met run came in the 3rd on a HR by Ramon Castro. Closer Doug Jones, who so memorably played the lead in last Saturday's glorious Phillies victory, picked up his 38th save with a scoreless 9th. Pedro (15-8) took the loss, giving up single runs in the 3rd and 5th.



At the end of play on Thursday, September 22 (9 games remaining)

NL East

Atlanta..........................86-67.....--- (magic number remaining at 6)
Philadelphia..................82-71.....4
Florida...........................80-73.....6

NL Wild Card

Houston.......................84-69.....--- (magic number reduced to 8)
Philadelphia................82-71.....2
Florida.........................80-73.....4
Washington.................78-75.....6

Who's Playing Whom The Rest of the Way (all NL East teams playing three-game series, home games in italics)

Atlanta: Florida, Colorado, @ Florida
Philadelphia: @ Cincinnati, New York, @ Washington
Florida: @ Atlanta, Washington, Atlanta
Washington: New York, @ Florida, Philadelphia

Houston: @ Chicago (3 games), @ St. Louis (2 games), Chicago (4 games)

Wed, Sept 21 - Last Day of Summer, and Possibly the Last Day of Contention for Florida, Washington; Phillies Brake Braves, Houston Pounds Pittsburgh

[Thurs Sept 23 - The Phillies defeated Atlanta tonight on a stunning grand slam by Ryan Howard in the 10th inning. (more on this game later, as I'm trying to catch up...)


At the end of play, on Wednesday, September 21, 2005 (the last day of summer, with 10 games remaining)

NL East

Atlanta............
Philadelphia......
Florida...............

NL Wild Card

Houston..........
Philadelphia.......
Florida..............
Washington..........

Tuesday, September 20, 2005 - Braves Win De Facto NL East Title, Topping Phillies, 4-1; Houston Wins, Florida Falls in 12 Innings

The Braves won their 11th consecutive NL East title, and their 14th consecutive division title (they won the NL West in 1991, 1992, and 1993) on Tuesday night. Oh, sure, the magic number is still at six, but it's over. To explain...

With a dozen games remaining, the Phillies arrived in Atlanta for a three-game series this week. Atlanta held a comfortable 5 game advantage. If the Phillies somehow managed to sweep the series, there would still be some doubt, as the Phils would have closed to within two games with nine to go.

However, Atlanta only needed to win a single game to prevent that scenario. Even if the Phillies take the next two, which is unlikely, they still would be four games back with nine to play and no head-to-head games remaining. So this was it. Atlanta will be in the playoffs for the 14th consecutive year.

(Thurs Sept 22 - As I'm trying to catch up - I will add more to this one later...)


NL East (just a formality)

Atlanta..........................86-65.....--- (magic number reduced to 6)
Philadelphia..................80-71.....6
Florida...........................79-72.....7

NL Wild Card (11 games remaining for all contenders)

Houston........................82-69.....---
Philadelphia.................80-71.....2
Florida..........................79-72.....3
Washington..................77-74.....5

Sat, Sept 17 - PHILLIES MIRACULOUSLY OVERCOME MARLINS WITH TEN RUNS IN 9TH, DEFEAT D-TRAIN!!!!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=250917128 - URL from ESPN.com

(NB) I'm trying to catch up with the schedule, so this post is only a first draft for this game, which was one of the most remarkable games I've ever seen. It warrants more time than I can devote to it right now, in order to catch up with the team - it's now Wed night... so check back for more on this game...


The Phillies had the unenviable task of trying to vanquish the flamboyant LHP Dontrelle Willis at Dolphins Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Willis, arguably the most exciting pitcher in the game, is a tremendous all-around athlete, and it is cool that he pitches in the NL, where pitchers have to play the entire game. The Florida ace is a Cy Young candidate this year, posting a 21-8 record and 2.49 ERA, w/ just 1.11 baserunners an inning. In April, Willis had defeated the Phillies in what broadcaster Scott Graham described as a "gem". Coincidentally, Willis and Jimmy Rollins had attended the same high school in Oakland and know each other well. Willis was class of 2000, Rollins the class of 1996.

The Phillies countered with Vicente Padilla, whose 8-12 record coming in camouflaged his renaissance over the last few weeks. While Willis shut out the Phillies, Padilla was equally effective over seven innings, surrendering only an unearned run, four hits and three walks, and striking out seven Marlins.

The Fox broadcast's frequent miking of the dugouts actually paid dividends today, as Ryan Howard, with mock formality, introduced Rollins by declaring something to the effect of, "America, I would like to present to you, Jimmy Rollins- he's #11 in your program but you know he's #1 in your hearts," to chuckling from the other players in the dugout. The jocularity provided a refreshing contrast to the nerve-wracking ship run by the martinet Larry Bowa. Charlie Manuel's style is much more similar to Jack McKeon's, which is not only more pleasant but also more effective, as Florida's Cinderella World Series title in 2003 affirms.

Moreover, the Phillies' reliance on LH (Abreu, Utley, Howard) hitting makes them uniquely vulnerable to a LHP such as Willis, who is so difficult to pick up for LH. Willis struck out Abreu, an extremely judicious hitter, who doesn't strike out much, three times today. Ryan Howard had to sit. Chase Utley was moved back down to 5th in the order. Kenny Lofton, who's on fire, had to sit in favor of Jason Michaels. And the loss of RH Jim Thome has made the problem even worse, as Burrell is the only major RH threat now in the lineup.

and the Phillies

Willis is a great hitter, with three career HR and 21 hits this year, taking a .259 average and 11 RBI into this game. He is occasionally used as a PH, by Florida skipper Jack McKeon (Willis pinch-hit nine times in 2004). As a result, "D-Train" batted eighth in the order, ahead of September call-up Robert Andino, pressed into duty at SS, due to the ankle injury suffered by SS Damion Easley on Friday night. Easley himself had been a backup, becoming the everyday shortstop after SS Alex Gonzalez's injury.

According to McKeon, it was the first time as a major-league manager that he had ever batted a pitcher higher than 9th (although he had previously done so in the minor leagues). It was easy to see the rationale for McKeon's atypical batting order today. In the fourth, Willis drove a ball to the warning-track in right-center, which was caught by Michaels right in front of the "1997 World Champions" banner on the wall, to an enthusiastic ovation from the crowd.

In the 1st, the Phillies were fortunate to benefit from the baserunning blunders of Miguel Cabrera, at first with two outs, due to an error by David Bell. Carlos Delgado hit a ball into the outfield, and Cabrera made two mistakes which cost Florida a run:

a) Cabrera failed to run hard from contact, an unpardonable sin with two outs, especially in a pennant race. It wasn't until he saw the ball in the alley that he began to accelerate.

b) Due to his poor jump, the Marlins' 3B coach gave him the stop sign, which Cabrera either didn't see, or didn't feel applied to him. Disregarding the stop sign by accident or design, Cabrera tried to score, and was successfully blocked from doing so by Mike Lieberthal, as Jimmy Rollins made a perfect relay to the plate. Cabrera was tagged out to end the inning.

Had he been running hard the entire way, Cabrera would have scored easily. Given that even with a slow start from 1st, and a perfect relay throw, it was still a close play at the plate, one in which Cabrera was arguably safe anyhow.Throwing someone out at the plate is the most exciting play in baseball, and it was particularly fortunate, that the Phillies were able to provide a classic example this afternoon.

Padilla found himself in trouble in the 3rd, almost entirely due to walks. After a walk by Andino, sacrifice from Luis Castillo, and a walk to Juan Pierre left runners on 1st/2nd with one out. Cabrera hit a slow grounder to Chase Utley, who tried to force a double play by gunning his throw wildly past Rollins, covering second. Utley would have been far better off just taking the sure out at first, permitting the runners to advance. Instead, everyone was safe, leaving the bases loaded with one out with Delgado at the plate.

Padilla and Delgado battled at the plate in an eight-pitch AB, and Padilla eventually walked him to force in a run, the third walk of the inning. Padilla came back to strike out the dangerous Jeff Conine (owner of 7 career slams and a .297 average with the bases loaded) for the second out. He then caught Paul LoDuca looking for something other than a fastball on 2-2, splitting the plate with a fastball to end the inning. Florida had scored an unearned run without a hit, relying on three walks and an error. Of course, the Phillies were thrilled to escape the inning with a single run scoring, since Padilla had to face Delgado, Conine, and LoDuca with the bases loaded, and the Marlins could have broken it open. Credit must be given to Padilla to wriggle out of the jam, taking 39 pitches to do so - he now had 75 pitches thrown in 3 IP.

In the 4th, Michaels was well down the line to first after taking what he had been certain was ball four, except that it wasn't. Burrell followed with a two-out single, but w/ a 3-2 count and Burrell running on the pitch, Utley flied out to the warning track in LF to end the inning. A couple of more feet and Burrell might have scored on a ball off the wall, but those are the joys of baseball.

Other NL Games of Interest

Atlanta's Adam LaRoche had his 17th HR, a two-run shot, in the 1st off the slowest pitcher in the major leagues, the Mets' Steve Trachsel (chiefly memorable for giving up Mark McGwire's historic, 62nd HR in St. Louis in 1998, as a Cubs hurler).

At the end of play, Saturday, September 17 (13 Phillies games remaining)

NL East

Atlanta................................85-64.....--- (magic number reduced to 9)
Philadelphia.......................80-69.....5
Florida.................................78-71.....7

NL Wild Card

Houston...........................80-68.....---
Philadelphia....................80-69.....0.5
Florida.............................78-71.....2.5
Washington.....................77-72.....3.5

Back of the Pack

Milwaukee.........................73-75.....7
Chicago..............................73-76....7.5
New York...........................72-76.....8

Friday, September 16, 2005 - Lieber, Phillies Pound 20 Hits in Filleting Marlins, 13-3, Keep Pace With Houston

The Phillies batted around in the 6th, scoring five runs with two outs, and blowing open a tight 2-2 game to pound Florida in Miami, 13-3. Reliever Joe Mecir took the loss (1-4) for Florida. Jon Lieber won his 15th game against 12 losses, pitching five solid innings before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the 6th, which we will discuss below in more detail.

Lieber was shaken initially by a two-run HR from Carlos Delgado (31st), with Miguel Cabrera scoring ahead of him, in the 1st.

Ryan Howard has reached base in 14 consecutive games, a streak extended by his 2nd inning double. Unfortunately, Marlins SS Damion Easley was seriously injured on a routine throw coming back from the OF after Howard's hit, and had to leave the game. He was replaced by rookie Robert Andino, a local product who received a loud ovation from the crowd when he subsequently came to the plate. Andino had had only 4 ABs in the major leagues, before being suddenly thrust by fate into a pennant-race game, as the de facto starter (it was the top of the second inning when Easley suffered his injury and he hadn't yet batted.)

The Phillies received two runs from a highly unlikely source in the 3rd: a hit from Lieber and a home run by Rollins, his 10th. It was almost caught by Juan Encarnacion, but he couldn't haul it in. The bomb evened the score at 2, and extended Rollins' hitting streak to 22 games, as well as a personal hitting streak against Florida to 12 (Rollins had batted .500, 24/48, against the Fish in that span.) The last 23-gamer was by Len Dykstra in 1990. (The all-time club record is 34, by Billy Hamilton in 1896).

Rollins had gone 7/12 and 6 R in last weekend's two out of three victories against Florida.

Lieber also singled with one out in the 5th, which was very impressive, given that he had attained only five hits all season up until this game. Lieber (ironically, a LH hitter although a RHP) is arguably the worst hitter on the team, as he lugged a .077 average into the contest(5/65, four singles and a double, and 27 strikeouts), although he has a more respectable .146 career average.

Brian Moehler was very effective, before being lifted for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the 5th. He finished with 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, no walks and 8 Ks.

In the 6th, against RP Jim Mecir, Abreu walked and stole second, and Mecir then walked Burrell. They were the only two hitters Mecir would face. LHP Ron Villone came in to face Ryan Howard, who has struggled against LHP this season (6-49, .122 going in). It paid off as Villone struck out Howard - his only hitter.

RHP Paul Quantrill (a former Phillie, back in the mid-'90s) then came in to face the two RH at the bottom of the lineup - David Bell and Todd Pratt (Lieber's battermate, who was making a rare two consecutive starts behind the place). IT was Quantrill's 4th appearance with Florida, after spending most of the season w/ the Yankees. Bell hit an infield fly...two outs. Pratt got ahead of Quantrill 3-1, and drew a walk to load the bases.

Michael Tucker then came to the plate, to hit for Lieber. He had two grand slams w/ the Giants earlier in the season. This was why the Phillies made the waiver deal with San Francisco- Tucker delivered big, hitting a two-run single to give the Phillies a 4-2 lead. Rollins then broke it open with a double, and advanced to third on a misplay in the OF by Juan Encarnacion.

Antonio Alfonseca came in and gave up a RBI single to Lofton, making it 7-2. Utley grounded out weakly to end the inning. and it was now in the hands of the bullpen.

RHP Geoff Geary made it unpleasant in the 6th, allowing Cabrera and Delgado to reach second and third on a pair of hits. He stabilized the situation, striking out Encarnacion and getting pinch-hitter Mike Lowell, batting for the rookie SS Andino) on a sacrifice fly, yielding one run. He then gave way to LHP Aaron Fultz w/ Delgado at second and two outs, and the score 7-3. Fultz got Juan Pierre on a liner to left to end the threat.

In the 7th, against RHP Josh Johnson, another September callup, the Phillies once again loaded the bases, but PH Shane Victorino flied out to left to end the inning without a tally.

Victorino remained in the game, replacing RF Abreu, who had been banged up a little, being hit by the throw as he stole second - for the second time tonight - in the top of the 7th. Ryan Madson, who had been shelled earlier in the week, was double-switched into the cleanup spot. Madson struck out the first two Marlins but then walked Luis Castillo on four pitches (a maddening event with a four-run lead in the 7th inning!). He then battled Cabrera, requiring a mound conference, before striking him out on a 2-2 changeup, thus striking out the side. It was one of the most adventuresome "strikings out of the side" as could be imagined.

As it turned out, there need not have been any concern; the Phillies also loaded the bases in the 8th and 9th, scoring 3 runs in each frame to win easily, 13-3. Pat Burrell had a two-run single and Ryan Howard a RBI groundout in the 8th; Chase Utley doubled with the bases loaded and Tomas Perez following also with a RBI groundout to complete the scoring. The rout meant that the bullpen elite- Ugueth Urbina and Billy Wagner - could be reserved for potentially closer games during the weekend. Aquilino Lopez pitched the 8th and Robinson Tejeda the 9th to finish up.

Heroes Tonight - A Very Long List

Lieber - Recovered from the rocky 1st to improve his record to 15-12, and also contributed with the bat.
Rollins - 3/5, 4 R, 4 RBI, walk.
Lofton - 5/6, 2 R, RBI
Abreu - 2/3, walk, R, 2 SB in seven innings.
Pratt - 1/3, 2 R, two walks, plus calling a great game for Lieber.
Tucker - Made the difference tonight, despite the lopsided score.

Relative to everyone else, Utley had an average game - but he has 19 H and 15 RBI against Florida coming into this game, and went 1/5 w/ 2 RBI tonight.

This was a particularly important victory, as it ensures that the Phillies will fly out of Miami on Sunday still in the race, even if they lose the next two. The Phils have to face Florida's ace and Cy Young candidate, Dontrelle Willis, tomorrow, and victory is obviously far from certain.

Other NL Games of Interest

In a game featuring two future Hall of Famers, Atlanta and the hard-throwing John Smoltz were felled at Shea, by Pedro Martinez and the free-falling Mets, 4-0. Pedro went the distance and gave up six hits in the shutout. So the Braves' magic number remained at 10 with 14 games to play. The Phillies were able to regain the game lost on Thursday, and once again trail by 5 but with three remaining games against Atlanta.

In Houston, Milwaukee's Rick Helling and the Astros' Roy Oswalt dueled to a 1-1 draw, but neither figured in the decision. Both runs came on HRs - Jason Lane for Houston (23) and Lyle Overbay (18) for Milwaukee. Closer Brad Lidge appeared atypically in the 8th, to turn away a Milwaukee threat. Lidge (4-3) ended up the winner- as unfortunately, Jeff Bagwell delivered a RBI single in the 9th off reliever Dana Eveland (1-1) to win it for Houston, 2-1. And so the Astros maintained their half-game lead over the Phillies, and increased it to a game and a half over Florida. It was Houston's third straight win. Milwaukee, which might have had a prayer w/ a sweep, gaining three games on the Astros, saw their chances end with the loss.

Washington had to fly from New York to San Diego to face Padres' ace Jake Peavy, but jet lag didn't seem to bother the torrid Nationals, who are very much alive. They kept pace with the Astros and Phillies and gained a game on Florida, defeating Peavy, 5-1, behind John Patterson. The Padres remain in first place in the West even though they are now two games below .500.

Dark Horses

St. Louis was once again denied the formality of clinching the NL Central at Wrigley Field, the major league park where they are most detested. With the Cardinals' magic number resting at one, Chicago defeated the Cardinals at Wrigley on Friday afternoon, behind Glendon Rusch (7-8) with Ryan Dempster recording a perfect 9th for his 28th save (one of the most underrated closers in the game). HRs from Jim Edmonds (St. Louis, 28th) and Derrek Lee (the Cubs, 44th) in the contest; Matt Morris (14-9) lost it for St. Louis. This incrementally improved the Cubs' infinitesimal hopes, as they thus picked up a game on both Florida and Milwaukee.

At the end of the day on Friday, September 16, 2005 (14 Phillies games remaining)

NL East

Atlanta................................84-64.....--- (magic number remaining at 10)
Philadelphia.......................79-69.....5
Florida................................78-70.....6

NL Wild Card

Houston...........................79-68.....---
Philadelphia....................79-69.....0.5
Florida.............................78-70.....1.5
Washington.....................77-71.....2.5

Back of the Pack

Milwaukee.........................73-74.....6
Chicago..............................73-75....6.5
New York...........................72-75.....7

Thursday, September 15, 2005 - Chipper Jones Chops Down Phillies, Houston Reclaims Wild Card Lead, Nationals Sweep Mets

The Phillies completed the end of their four-game series with the Braves on Thursday night. Unfortunately, it did not end with the happy result of a four-game Phillies sweep of Atlanta, which would have been the club's first since 1995. The Braves triumphed 6-4, with Chipper Jones homering twice and driving in five runs to key the victory, the 32nd multi-HR game of his career. (The first HR was his 1800th career hit.) Thus, Atlanta salvaged the final game of the series and snapped the Phillies' four-game winning streak at Citizens Bank Park.

The Phillies wasted a golden opportunity in the 1st, the inning in which Atlanta starter Jorge Sosa has struggled. Kenny Lofton reached on an error by RF Jeff Francoeur, followed by walks to Chase Utley and Bobby Abreu, thus loading the bases with one away. Unfortunately, Pat Burrell hit an infield fly and Ryan Howard, after getting ahead 3-1, fouled off one pitch and drove the next one into straightaway center at the warning track (a tremendous distance) but Andruw Jones was able to successfully retrieve it to retire the side with no runs scoring.

Brett Myers picked up the Phillies' first hit with two out in the 2nd, and Jimmy Rollins hit a ball up the middle which was fielded by Rafael Furcal, but he heaved it over 1B Adam LaRoche's head and it hit the railing of the Phillies' dugout, ricocheting back into play. Myers went to third and Rollins to second, and an umpires' huddle concluded that while Myers was entitled to third, Rollins had to go back to first.

I was puzzled by this ruling, because at least the way I saw it, there were only two possible rulings. One would be to rule the ball in play, which meant that the two runners could advance at their own risk, which they both had. The other would be to rule that it was out of play, thus giving each one base - Myers at 3rd, Rollins at 2nd. Particularly since the first base umpire had apparently given Rollins the out-of-play signal, so he just jogged to second. Anyway, the umps understand the rules better than I do, so I'm sure they made the right call. As it turned out, the point ended up being moot, because Rollins stole 2nd anyhow on the next pitch. Unfortunately, Lofton grounded out to end the threat.

Myers gave up a three-run HR to Chipper Jones in the top of the 3rd, putting the Braves up for good at 3-0. Bobby Abreu got the deficit reduced to 3-2 with a two-run shot in the 5th.

Myers was passable tonight: not great, not terrible. He dodged Braves threats in the 4th and 5th, while giving up a solo HR to LaRoche in the 6th, his final inning. He finished the game with 6 IP, 4 R, all earned, 7 K. Ryan Madson emerged in the 7th and gave up Chipper's 2nd HR of the game, a two-run blast, pushing the lead to 6-2.

The Phils counter-attacked in the bottom of the 7th, as Ryan Howard picked up an RBI single against the Braves' bullpen, reducing the deficit to 6-3. Howard homered with two outs and the bases empty in the 9th off Kyle Farnsworth, the new Atlanta closer, acquired from Detroit at the trade deadline to supplant Chris Reitsma, now relegated to a setup role. But that was it - 6-4, Atlanta, and Farnsworth picked up his 7th NL save. Ironically, in one season, Detroit has had one closer injured (Troy Percival) - one traded to the Phillies (Ugueth Urbina) - and a third (Farnsworth) traded to Atlanta.

The Phillies' offense might have been good enough to make a winner out of Myers (now 12-8) with some more timely hitting. The club outhit Atlanta, 12-8, stole five bases (a season high), and also benefitted from three Braves errors. But the Phils went just 2-13 with runners in scoring position. The club pushed runners to second base in each of the first four innings, but failed to score until Abreu's 5th inning HR. Farnsworth was able to retire Chase Utley to end the 8th, with runners at 2nd and 3rd. The beneficiary of the Phillies' futility was Jorge Sosa (12-3), a converted position player and former Tampa Bay Devil Ray, who is now an integral part of the Braves' rotation.

Nonetheless, the Phillies still suffer from the lack of a true ace at the top of their rotation. Myers lost all three of his starts on this homestand, and it is far from certain that he would get the ball in the first game of a Division Series, should that fortunate circumstance occur.

Charlie Manuel remarked after the game that "87 or 88 wins should win this thing". I'm not so sure...

Worth praising:

Rollins: 3/5, two stolen bases. He extended his hitting streak to 21 games, and his increasing ability to get on base has been crucial in the Phillies' hot streak.
Abreu: 3/4, 2 R, 2 RBI, double, 2-R HR, walk, stolen base. Incredible.
Howard: 2/5, R, 2 RBI, HR. The rookie continues to impress.

This loss effectively ends any chance the Phillies might have had of actually winning the division. With 15 games left, they now trail the Braves by six games, and only play them head-to-head in one more series. Granted, the chances wouldn't have been all that high even with a victory tonight, which would have required making up 4 games over a 15 game span, especially since 12 of them will be on the road. But now the division race is purely of academic interest. The Braves saw their magic number drop to 10 with the victory and also due to the fact that Florida fell in Houston, and they now lead both pursuers by six games with 15 left.

Other Games of NL Interest

As noted above, Florida lost to Houston, 4-1, at Minute Maid Park. Florida had won the first two in the series, while the host Astros took the back two. The red-hot Andy Pettitte (16-9) won his sixth straight start, allowing Florida's one run (a 7th inning HR by Miguel Cabrera) over eight innings, and Brad Lidge recording his 37th save, striking out the side in the 9th. Jose Vargas (5-4) lost it for Florida.

With the Phillies loss, this meant that Houston has now reclaimed the wild card lead by a half-game over both the Phillies and Marlins, and 2 1/2 over the sizzling Nationals. Florida went 6-5 on its road trip, and now comes back to Miami to take on the Phillies this weekend. Houston remains at Minute Maid Park to take on Milwaukee, who haven't abandoned their hopes for the playoffs. The Brewers trail the Astros by 5 games, and would be right back in it with a sweep this weekend.

Washington completed a stunning three-game sweep of the Mets at Shea in the afternoon, winning 6-5 in 11 innings, after the Mets had a 5-4 lead in the 9th, but committed two errors to let the tying run score. While it always does my heart good to see the Mets lose, it is often more irritating that on the rare occasions that it is our interest to see them win (such as the 2000 World Series) that they fail.

The Mets are now officially out of the race, which they weren't, at the end of the weekend. Had they swept the Nationals, they'd be the ones making the charge. Instead, the Mets have three wins in their last 18 games, going from 68-60 to 71-75, and have just lost three games of ground to both the Phillies and Nationals since Sunday.

Jose Reyes hit a solo HR, and Cliff Floyd hit a grand slam to give the Mets a 5-4 lead in the 5th, which they carried into the 9th, and handed the keys to closer Brandon Looper. Looper gave up a single to pinch-hitter Brian Zimmermann, who advanced to second on an error in the outfield. Kenny Kelly pinch-ran for Zimmermann, advanced to third on a ball hit in the infield, thus there being one out and the tying run on 3rd.

Looper hit Jose Guillen with a pitch, and 2B Kaz Matsui committed an error on Brad Wilkerson's ground ball, permitting the Nationals to tie it at 5. Looper managed to get out of the inning by inducing a double play from Jamey Carroll, with runners at the corners, and so the game was extended - Looper's 7th blown save in 35 tries.

Former Phillie Roberto Hernandez (6-6) gave up a two-out RBI single to Vinny Castilla in the 10th, while Washington's Jason Bergmann (2-0) pitched the 9th and Gary Majewski finished the 10th for his first save.

So the Nationals picked up a game on Florida/Houston and are still very much alive. Of course, the Phillies must travel to RFK on the season's last weekend, and so the Nationals are a substantial threat.

Dark Horses

As noted above, the Mets are done. Milwaukee exploded in the heat of the Arizona desert, opening up a 12-0 lead over the Diamondbacks in the 4th, and evening their record at 73-73, gaining one game on Florida and the Phillies and staying even with Houston and Washington.

The Cubs lost to archrival St. Louis, 6-1, at Wrigley - Jeff Suppan getting the victory over Mark Prior.

At the end of play on Thursday, September 15, 2005 (15 Phillies games remaining)

NL East

Atlanta...................................84-63....--- (Magic number 10)
Philadelphia.......................... 78-69.....6
Florida....................................78-69.....6

NL Wild Card

Houston..................................78-68.....---

Philadelphia...........................78-69.....0.5

Florida...................................78-69.....0.5

Washington............................76-71.....2.5

Back of the Pack

Milwaukee........................... 73-73..... 5
Chicago.................................72-75..... 6.5
New York............................. 71-75.....7 (it's over for them)

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 - Phillies Flatten Braves, Move Into Wild Card Tie With Florida

Well, perhaps the NL East title isn't out of reach after all... The Phillies flattened the Braves, 12-4, on an extremely hot and humid night for mid-September, at Citizens Bank Park.

Just kidding. However, the fact remains that the Phillies have now won three straight from division-leading Atlanta, and when combined with Sunday's 11-1 pounding of Florida, have now taken four straight (and five of six, averaging over 8 R/game) overall. This is an astounding turnaround, since a week ago the Phillies were trailing Houston by 2 1/2 games, after being swept by the Astros at Citizens Bank Park.

In the first inning, the Phillies scored three runs (2 ER) and got four hits off Atlanta starter Horacio Martinez (11-9). The lead mushroomed to 7-0 at the end of three, when Ramon Martinez hit a grand slam out of the 8th place in the lineup (his first career slam and his first HR as a Phillie). The game was effectively over. (The slam was the 7th for the 2005 team and is just one shy of the club record, which unsurprisingly was set by the last NL pennant winners, the 1993 team.)

Cory Lidle (11-10) pitched five solid innings for the victory, allowing three Atlanta runs; Aaron Fultz, Geoff Geary, and Aquilino Lopez finished it up. The Phillies did not need to use Ryan Madson, Ugueth Urbina, or Billy Wagner, which is useful, given that Thursday isn't an off-day.

The one bright spot for Atlanta, as it continued to cede ground to St. Louis for home-field advantage in the playoffs, was the fact that Andruw Jones hit his 50th HR of the season tonight, and the 300th of his career. (It's hard to believe that Jones is only 28; remember that he was only 19 when he hit two HR in Game 1 of the 1996 World Series against the Yankees. He had never hit more than 36 before this year.) It came off Geary in the 8th and with the outcome long since decided.

Jimmy Rollins led off the game with a double, extending his hitting streak to 20 right from the get-go, and stole third after Jason Michaels struck out. (Rollins is the 16th Phillie since 1900, to attain a hitting streak of 20 or more games. Chuck Klein holds the club record, with a 26 game streak back in 1930.) Bobby Abreu drove Rollins in on an infield hit; Pat Burrell also picked up an infield single (I know "Pat Burrell" and "infield single" generally don't go together, but they did tonight). Chase Utley grounded a ball to 2B Marcus Giles, who couldn't execute the throw to first. Safe all around. RBI single by David Bell, sacrifice fly by Mike Lieberthal - Lidle staked to a 3-0 lead after one inning. Nothing to it - made it look easy.

Heroes Tonight:

Ramon Martinez: The only reason he was in the lineup, was due to the fact that Charlie Manuel likes to sit Ryan Howard against LHs. But the move paid off, as Martinez delivered a grand slam. Howard received a night off; he didn't even pinch-hit. Can't hurt, for a rookie down the stretch.

Martinez finished the night 2/4, 2 R, 4 RBI (tying his career-high), plus a walk. He can no longer be confused with the other Ramon Martinez, who used to pitch well for the Dodgers a ways back.

Jimmy Rollins: 3/5, 2 R, RBI
David Bell: 3/5, R, RBI
Mike Lieberthal: 2/3, 2 R, 2 RBI; with the big lead, Todd Pratt caught the last couple of innings.
Jason Michaels: 2/5, R, 3 RBI, w/ 4th HR of the year. He's in the lineup for average against LHP, not for power - but every little bit helps.
Pat Burrell: 1/1 w/ four walks - now has a career-high of 91 walks with 16 games to go.

Other NL Games of Interest

Washington continued its charge, beating the Mets again at Shea, 6-3. Esteban Loaiza (as previously noted, one of the coolest names in baseball history) won (11-10), Kris Benson lost it (9-8), he's 0-4 in his last five starts; Chad Cordero picked up his 46th save. The Nationals are now only three back of the Phillies and Marlins.

Roger Clemens opted to honor his late mother, who tragically passed away Wednesday morning, according to news reports, by going ahead with his scheduled start at Minute Maid Park. In a heartwarming story, Clemens and the Astros won, 10-2, with Clemens pitching 6 1/3 innings and allowing only one run, earning his 340th career win and improving his record to 12-7. For Florida, A.J. Burnett (12-11) took the loss.

The two other dark horses, Milwaukee and Chicago, both lost in extra-innings, to Arizona and Cincinnati respectively, to the detriment of their slim hopes.

At the end of play on Wednesday, September 14, 2005 (16 Phillies games remaining)

NL East

Atlanta...................................83-63....--- (Magic number 12)
Philadelphia.......................... 78-68.....5
Florida....................................78-68.....5

NL Wild Card

Philadelphia..........................78-68.....---
Florida...................................78-68..... ---
Houston................................ 77-68..... 0.5
Washington.......................... 75-71..... 3

Back of the Pack

Milwaukee........................... 72-73..... 5.5
Chicago................................. 72-74..... 6
New York............................. 71-74.....6.5 (it's over for them)

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - Phillies Top Braves Again, 5-4; Leapfrog Houston in Wild Card Chase

The Phillies continued their resurgence with a tense 5-4 victory over Atlanta at Citizens Bank Park tonight. Aaron Fultz received credit for another victory, pitching a perfect 6th after Gavin Floyd gave up four runs in five innings, the final two of which involved major problems. Floyd eluded trouble in the 4th, but didn't in the 5th, caving in and allowing four runs, temporarily granting Atlanta a 4-2 lead. Fultz's perfection was preserved by a Web Gem-esque sliding catch by Pat Burrell in left, in which he carved out a divot in the left-field turf (which he then carefully resodded). The Phillies pounded out 13 hits, to 8 for Atlanta.

Fultz is now 4-0 in relief; Atlanta middle reliever Blaine Boyer fell to 2-2; Jason Thomson had started for Atlanta, and identically with Floyd, yielded four runs in five innings. The difference was that the Phillies' bullpen held down the fort for the rest of the game, shutting the Braves out. Atlanta's bullpen gave up a single run, and that was the difference maker.

Billy Wagner recorded his 34th save in the 9th, giving up one hit. However, he struck out two, including pinch-hitter Chipper Jones, for the second out of the inning. (Wagner owns Jones - Chipper is now 1-15 against Wagner lifetime, one mere single to contrast with 11 strikeouts.)

Heroes tonight:

Kenny Lofton - 3/3, 2 R, RBI, before ironically being pinch-hit for by Jason Michaels;
Chase Utley - 2/3, walk, double, 2 RBI
Ryan Howard - awesome. 2/4, 2 R, RBI on a solo HR

Two of the aforementioned Phillies scored critical runs on close plays at the plate. Lofton, although he's lost a step since his mid-1990s peak, was able to score from first on a double hit by Utley in the 5th, knotting the game at 4. Howard, although much younger, is quite slow, but managed to score from second, on a single by Mike Lieberthal in the 6th with two outs - and it turned out to be the game-winning run. The Phillies now led 5-4, and neither club scored the rest of the way.

Right fielder Jeff Francoeur's throw - since he undoubtedly didn't think Howard would challenge him - threw the ball well-wide of the plate and behind Howard, who didn't need to slide. Ironically, the throw was so inaccurate that Lieberthal, properly trying to take second on the throw, was thus trapped in no-man's-land between first and second, and tagged out in a superbly executed rundown. But fortunately, it didn't matter.

Jimmy Rollins extended his hitting streak to 19 games, the longest by a Phillie since Len Dykstra hit in 23 straight back in 1990. It tied two streaks by Larry Bowa, in the category of the longest by a Phillies shortstop. (Chris Wheeler noted on the air that Rollins took great pride in erasing Bowa's records while Bowa managed the club from 2001-2004, often teasing him, "That didn't take long, did it?" when he had shattered another of the skipper's marks as a player.)

Standings-wise, the Phillies gained another game on the Braves, now trailing by six games with 17 to play. It was the Phillies' 3rd consecutive victory after dropping five straight last week. The Braves' magic number remained at 13, with Florida defeating Houston.

Other NL Games of Interest

Florida defeated Houston, at Minute Maid Park, for the second straight night. This meant that the Phillies - who trailed the Astros by 2 1/2 games after being swept by them last week - have now overtaken Houston once again, by half a game.

The Marlins won, 4-2, behind a strong effort from Josh Beckett (14-8), and Todd Jones collecting his 37th save (his 27th in a row). Homers from Carlos Delgado and Paul LoDuca made the difference. Wandy Rodriguez (9-8) took the loss for Houston, although giving them a chance to win.

Washington clung to its slim hopes, by beating the collapsing Mets at Shea Stadium, 4-2. Reliever Gary Majewski (4-3) won it; Tom Glavine (10-13) took the loss; Chad Cordero recorded his 45th save. Former Phillie Marlon Anderson hit a solo HR for New York.

At the close of Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - 17 Phillies games remaining

NL East

Atlanta...................................83-62 ---- (Magic number 13)
Florida................................... 78-67.....5
Philadelphia.......................... 77-68.....6

NL Wild Card

Florida...................................78-67..... ---
Philadelphia..........................77-68..... 1
Houston................................ 76-68..... 1.5
Washington.......................... 74-71..... 4

Back of the Pack

Milwaukee........................... 72-72..... 5.5
Chicago................................. 72-73..... 6
New York............................. 71-73.....6.5 (it's over for them)

Tuesday, September 13, 2005 - Coin Flips Give Potential Home-Field Playoff Edge to Phils against Marlins, Astros

Right now, as I write this, Gavin Floyd and the Phillies lead Atlanta 2-0 in the top of the 5th, Floyd in some trouble (2nd and 3rd, nobody out)....

Well, some good news - odds are that if there needs to be a one-game playoff in October, the Phillies would host it. If your team is a participant in any of the mid-September coin flips in New York, you know you're having a good season...

The Phillies' web site announced today that Major League Baseball (MLB) had officially made the coin flips for any potential one-game playoffs at the end of the season. The only downside to this news was the dry remark that "With all three NL division races relatively decisive, coin flips were used only to determine sites for tiebreakers involving the Wild Card." To its credit, MLB recognizes the obvious fact that the Marlins and Phillies have no prayer of catching Atlanta (at the time of the coin flips, during Monday's business hours, the Marlins were seven games behind and the Phillies were eight games back, with 19 to play.)

With equal certainty, St. Louis and San Diego were conceded their respective division flags as well. St. Louis is miles ahead of its five Central rivals. In the West, the real drama remains as to whether the Padres will make major league history, by becoming the first team to qualify for postseason play with a record of .500, or worse. They are almost certain to have the fewest wins ever for a playoff team, even if the Padres manage to finish with a positive ledger.

But as to the only real remaining race, the NL wild card - here's how any potential one-game playoffs would be resolved:

Most importantly, the Phillies would host either Florida or Houston, should they finish with identical records. Since those two clubs are - far and away - the two with whom the Phillies are most likely to end up with a tie, that effectively means that the Phillies would have critical home-field advantage in the 163rd game of the season. In the unhappy event that Florida and Houston are tied and the Phillies aren't involved, the Marlins would host the Astros.

The fading Nationals received some positive coin flips. They would host the Phillies or Marlins at RFK in the increasingly unlikely event that they force a deadlock. As for Houston, their only potential home playoff would be against Washington, so basically the Astros had best pack an extra bag or two during the final weekend.

The Mets, Cubs, and Brewers, all at the back of the pack, weren't invited to participate.

Over in the AL, Cleveland caught the breaks. The Indians would host a Central playoff against the White Sox and a wild card playoff against Oakland, the Angels or the Yankees. (The article didn't say who would host Oakland/New York.)

The Yankees would host Boston in an East playoff, although ironically the two ancient rivals finish the season at Fenway, and would then need to immediately travel south the next day. Los Angeles/Anaheim would host the A's for the West.

(It didn't specify what would happen in the highly unlikely event that the Phillies, Astros and Marlins all ended up deadlocked. There are provisions if one of those teams were a division winner, but not otherwise, since none will win their division. I suppose there would have to be another series of coin flips to see who would get a bye, and then the other two would face each other. There's got to be a rule somewhere resolving this, although it is obviously not likely to arise.)

Full article from Phillies.com:

http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20050912&content_id=1206791&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi

Monday, September 12, 2005 games - While Eagles are Losing at Atlanta, the Phillies Beat Atlanta, 4-1!

As I write this, the bizarre opening "Monday Night Football" game of the 2005 season, is on behind me on ABC, as the Eagles' Jeremiah Trotter and the Falcons' Kevin Mathis were both ejected a half hour before the contest, during the pregame assembly at the 50-yard line at the Georgia Dome. The Eagles currently trail the Falcons 14-10. The ABC opening sequence was clever and well-done, with air traffic controllers feigning a crisis between a "Falcon" and "Eagle" (Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb, of course) and a cameo appearance by legendary New York Jets QB Joe Namath ("Jets" - get it?)

However, the Philly vs. Atlanta, North vs. South, battle of genuine importance was on the diamond at Citizens Bank Park, not the gridiron at the Georgia Dome. The Phillies, behind rookie Eude Brito, defeated a torrid Atlanta squad and Tim Hudson (12-8), by a 4-1 score. It was Brito's first major league victory, as he replaced the injured Vicente Padilla in the rotation. Padilla had been pitching very well of late and Brito did yeoman's work as his replacement. Closer Billy Wagner recovered from a brutal series against Houston last week, retiring the Braves in order in the 9th, to record his 33rd save of the season.

In one of the sport's many ironies, the venerable former Phillie, Julio Franco, made the last out for Atlanta in the 9th. Franco played for the 1983 NL-pennant winning Phillies, when Brito was five years old. (Franco was also one of the five players the Phillies traded to Cleveland for Von Hayes shortly afterward, but the only one of any significance).

Brito was awesome, keeping Atlanta scoreless for six innings, and was lifted for pinch-hitter Tomas Perez in the bottom of the 6th. Brito permitted only three hits and one walk, while striking out seven Braves. Atlanta's only run came in the 8th, when pinch-hitter Todd Hollandsworth homered off setup man Ugueth Urbina, who was guarding a 4-0 lead.

Brito also contributed with the bat, leading off the bottom of the 3rd with a single and igniting the Phillies' attack. Jimmy Rollins lined out, but Kenny Lofton singled Brito to second. Hudson struck out Chase Utley, and then walked Bobby Abreu to load the bases with two outs. Pat Burrell rapped a two-run single, scoring Brito and Lofton, and it turned out to be all the support Brito needed.

On the offensive side, Lofton and Burrell had strong games. Lofton went 2/4 and scored a pair of runs. Burrell went 3/4 with 2 RBI, before being lifted for pinch-runner Endy Chavez, in the seventh; Chavez played the final two innings in the outfield. In an increasingly common move, Charlie Manuel is having Chavez replace Burrell in the outfield late in games, and pinch-running Chavez for him, if it appears that Burrell has had his final trip to the plate for the evening.

As the days grow shorter, so do the chances of the fringe teams in the National League Wild Card hunt. Since there are less than three weeks remaining - the Phillies have but 18 games left - it seems fair to say that if you are more than six games out of a race, you are no longer contending for it, particularly if there are intermediate teams to jump over. This admittedly arbitrary threshold does simplify the standings process, however.

In the East division race, the Braves' magic number for clinching the title remains at 13, due to their loss to the Phillies tonight and Florida's victory; the Marlins are six behind them.

Other NL Games of Interest

By a remarkable quirk of National League scheduling, the Astros and Marlins are facing each other in a four-game showdown series of the top two teams in the wild-card hunt. This is unusual, since they aren't in the same division. But since there are an odd number of East and West teams (five each, with six in the NL Central), it can't be ensured that all September games are intra-divisional in nature.

This leads to the next question - is it better for the Phillies, if Florida or Houston emerges from this four-game series with the lead?

I am rooting for Florida, for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, Houston had the lead going into tonight's game, although Florida's 8-2 victory over Houston has now catapulted the Fish back into the lead.

Second, the Phillies no longer will have an opportunity to face Houston head-to-head the rest of the way, and thus can't directly gain ground against them. Given the Phillies' horrendous performance against the Astros this year, that is probably more of a blessing than a curse from the baseball gods.

However, what it does mean is that at least the Phillies will have three head-to-head games against the Marlins next weekend, where they can overtake them and at least control their own destiny.

Another factor is that Houston will be playing weaker teams the rest of the way, and the Phillies, like the Marlins, have to face tougher competition. It would be better to give Houston as many losses as possible now, before the Astros' adversaries grow weaker.

Probably the only undesirable scenario would be if Florida won all four games. But I might even take that, because the Phillies could still gain ground quickly head-to-head, and might put Houston out of the race for good. We'll see...

All of the clubs at the back of the pack, except the Cubs, were off (Washington, Milwaukee, and the Mets) - and thus gained half a game on Houston, but lost half a game to the Phillies and Marlins. The Cubs fell to 71-73 with a 5-2 loss to the Reds at Wrigley Field and saw their one-tenth of one percent chance at the wild card completely extinguished with the loss. The Cubs are six games behind the new leader Florida, with 18 to go. They also have to jump over five other teams, and all of the East teams have to play each other frequently. Even if the Cubs swept their final 18 games, they would have only 89 wins. It might not even be mathematically possible for them to make it due to the East playing each other, since someone has to win every game, obviously. The Mets and Brewers are clinging to life at 5 1/2 back of Florida.

So at the end of Monday, September 12, 2005

NL East (18 Phillies games remaining)

Atlanta 83-61 --- (magic number 13)
Florida 77-67 6
Philadelphia 76-68 7

NL Wild Card

Florida 77-67 ---
Houston 76-67 0.5
Philadelphia 76-68 1
Washington 73-71 4
New York 71-72 5.5
Milwaukee 71-72 5.5
Chicago 71-73 6

Sunday, September 11, 2005 Games - Phillies Pulverize Florida, 11-1 - AND Houston Loses!

Of course, this day is given over primarily to observance of ceremonies marking the fourth anniversary of the infamous terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001. After viewing the various and sundry news reports and 9/11 specials on 60 Minutes, the History Channel and the Discovery Channel, the shock and horror of the day seems as real as it did on that chilling Tuesday morning four years ago.

Fortunately, baseball provides a welcome respite from the multitude of cares and threats of this imperfect world. And to that I turn, once again...

The Phillies finally took out their frustration on the Florida Marlins, knocking out the Marlins' starter in less than three innings for the third straight game en route to a satisfying 11-1 drubbing of Florida. The big blow was a three-run HR by Pat Burrell, who had struggled during the Phillies' 7-6 loss to Florida on Saturday night. Jon Lieber turned in another fine outing, yielding a single run in seven innings. All in all, the Phillies took two out of three from Florida, the minimum needed to survive in the wild-card race.

This was matched by great news from Miller Park, where Milwaukee kept its own slim hopes alive by winning, 4-2, over the wild-card-leading Astros. Atlanta won at Washington in a rare shootout, 9-7. The Cubs and Mets kept flickering hopes alive; the Cubs by winning again at San Francisco and the Mets by winning at St. Louis. Along with Milwaukee, they all pulled within 5 1/2 games of Houston with three weeks to play.

At the end of Sunday, September 11, 2005

NL East

Atlanta 83-60 ---
Florida 76-67 7
Philadelphia 75-68 8

NL Wild Card

Houston 76-66 ---
Florida 76-67 0.5
Philadelphia 75-68 1.5
Washington 73-71 4
New York 71-72 5.5
Milwaukee 71-72 5.5
Chicago 71-72 5.5

Saturday, September 10, 2005 Games - Phillies Edged by Florida, 7-6, Lose Ground to Fish, Astros

The Phillies' bullpen has been one of the club's pillars this season. However, staked to a 6-4 lead after six innings, Ryan Madson allowed a three-run Florida rally in the 7th, keyed by a two-run pinch-single by Paul LoDuca. Four rookie Florida pitchers and venerable Todd Jones were able to pitch just well enough to give the Marlins the critical victory.

The news from the rest of the league was mixed. Houston beat Milwaukee at Miller Park, 7-5, and so the Phillies once again trail the front-running Astros by 2 1/2 games. Atlanta shut out Washington, 4-0. The Mets continued to free-fall with another loss at St. Louis, 4-2.

A new club appears at the tail end - Chicago beat San Francisco and is now in a three-way tie at 70-72 at the back end of the pack.

At the end of Saturday, September 10, 2005

NL East

Atlanta 82-60 ---
Florida 76-66 6
Philadelphia 74-68 8

NL Wild Card

Houston 76-65 ---
Florida 76-66 0.5
Philadelphia 74-68 2.5
Washington 73-70 4
New York 70-72 6.5
Milwaukee 70-72 6.5
Chicago 70-72 6.5

Games of Friday, September 9, 2005 - Phillies Break Losing Streak by Pounding Florida, 12-5

The Phillies finally managed to turn things around against Florida at Citizens Bank Park. Having been swept by Houston at home earlier in the week, the Phillies certainly needed to do well against another team in the wild-card chase.

Also, there was optimal news around the National League Friday night, as every single game of interest went the Phillies' way, with the arguable exception of Washington's victory over Atlanta. Most importantly, Milwaukee defeated Houston 7-4 at Miller Park and have now caught the Mets, at the fringes of the wild card race. The Phils have pulled to within 1 1/2 games of Houston and just 1/2 game behind Florida.

The Phillies gained rare ground in the division, not only by moving up a game on Florida, but also due to the fact that Washington beat Atlanta, 8-6. Washington trailed 6-3 at stretch time but rallied for five runs in the 7th and 8th.

The Mets, of course, lost again (hooray) - at St. Louis, 3-2. They are now one game under .500 at 70-71.

At the end of Friday, September 9, 2005

NL East

Atlanta 81-60 ---
Florida 75-66 6
Philadelphia 74-67 7

NL Wild Card

Houston 75-65 ---
Florida 75-66 0.5
Philadelphia 74-67 1.5
Washington 73-69 3
New York 70-71 5.5
Milwaukee 70-71 5.5

Games of Thursday, September 8, 2005 - Phillies Halt 5 Game Skid, Although That Is Due to an Off-day

The Phillies mercifully received a reprieve from the five-game losing streak which has put their postseason hopes in serious peril. The home team just came out of a three-game showdown series with Houston, losing three close games at home, with heretofore-reliable Billy Wagner collecting two losses in the ninth inning.

The same can be said of the wild card race, except that the Phillies did lose another half a game to Florida, who beat Washington, 8-4, as Josh Beckett got the victory and also hit a home run.

Atlanta and Houston were also off. In the only piece of good news on the night, the Mets continued their collapse with a 5-0 loss at St. Louis, dropping to .500 with a 70-70 mark and effectively are now out of the race. The Mets are now 5 1/2 games behind the Astros and have Florida, the Phillies, and Washington to leapfrog as well.

At the end of Thursday, September 8, 2005

NL East

Atlanta 81-59 ---
Florida 75-65 6
Philadelphia 73-67 8

NL Wild Card

Houston 75-64 ---
Florida 75-65 0.5
Philadelphia 73-67 2.5
Washington 72-69 4
New York 70-70 5.5

Games of Wednesday, September 7, 2005 - Wagner Wilts in 9th - Astros Rally for 3 in 9th to Win 8-6

In what will undoubtedly be viewed as the critical loss if the Phillies fail to make the playoffs, Billy Wagner - making his third consecutive appearance against his old team - crumbled in the 9th inning. Craig Biggio hit a three-run HR with two outs in the 9th, with the Astros trailing, 6-5. It was Wagner's second consecutive loss to Houston, and the Phillies' fifth in a row. Houston now leads the wild card race by 2 1/2 games.

It would seem only reasonable to declare the Phillies' slim hopes of overtaking Atlanta to be officially dead, as the loss meant further lagging behind the Braves and Marlins, who both won. With 22 games left, the Phillies trail Atlanta by 8 and Florida by 1.5, and it is obvious that the Phillies are not going to make up eight games on the Braves in that span. Ironically, what this now means is that it is in the Phillies' best interest for Atlanta to stay hot (except, obviously, when they face them) since Atlanta plays mostly NL East opponents the rest of the way.

At the end of Wednesday, September 7, 2005

NL East

Atlanta 81-59 ---
Florida 74-65 6.5
Philadelphia 73-67 8

NL Wild Card

Houston 75-64 ---
Florida 74-65 1
Philadelphia 73-67 2.5
Washington 72-68 3.5
New York 70-69 5

Games of Tuesday, September 6, 2005 - Wagner Falls to Former Teammates, as Phils Lose 2-1

The Phillies continued their skid, falling 2-1 to Houston's Roy Oswalt, an All-Star this year who is having a fine year. Billy Wagner, coming into the 9th with the score tied at 1, lost to his former teammates for the first time, the night after his first-ever appearance against them. Pinch-runner Eric Bruntlett stole second and third off Wagner and scored on a RBI single by Jason Lane. The Phillies wasted a fine effort from Jon Lieber, who yielded only a solo HR to Craig Biggio.

The Phillies now trail Houston by 1 1/2 games in the wild card, and also fell behind Florida in the standings.

Other NL Games of Interest

Atlanta is now cruising toward its 14th consecutive division title. With 23 games to go, the Phillies have now fallen 7 games off the pace, and now trail Florida as well as the front-running Braves. Ergo, it will probably not be necessary to list the division race any longer. The wild card is the only hope.

The future Hall of Famer, the hard-throwing John Smoltz, did ironically help the Phillies out, by keeping the Mets off their heels. Smoltz was facing another future Hall of Famer, Pedro Martinez, who is far less likable. In the Braves' 3-1 triumph at Turner Field, Smoltz improved his record to 14-6, while Pedro dropped to 13-7.

Florida defeated Washington at RFK, thus passing the Phillies (for now, one hopes).

At the end of Tuesday, September 6, 2005

NL East

Atlanta 80-59 ---
Florida 73-65 6.5
Philadelphia 73-66 7

NL Wild Card

Houston 74-64 ---
Florida 73-65 1
Philadelphia 73-66 1.5
Washington 72-67 2.5
New York 70-68 4

Games of Monday, September 5 - Phillies' Late-Inning Rally Falls Short Against Astros, 4-3

I'm quite a bit behind, on this weblog, but I will endeavor to catch up...

Games of Monday, September 5 (Labor Day)

Phillies' Late-Inning Rally Falls Short Against Astros, 4-3, As Houston Seizes Wild Card Lead

Link to box score/recap: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=250905122

On a night when Brett Myers (12-7) gave up four first-inning runs to Houston, Andy Petitte (14-9) and the Astros made them stand up at Citizens Bank Park, winning 4-3. Houston didn't score The big blow in Houston's initial inning was a three-run HR by Lance Berkman, playing with iced knees. Pettitte exited the game with two outs in the sixth inning, due to a swollen left foot. It hadn't helped his foot, that Myers had hit a ground ball off of Pettite's foot in the third inning.

Petitte turned a 4-0 lead over to the Astros' bullpen, having permitted just three hits and without having walked a batter. But the Phillies rallied for two seventh-inning runs against the Astros' middle-relief corps, and left the bases loaded as Dan Wheeler slipped out of the jam.

The Phillies came tantalizingly close to defeating closer Brad Lidge, entering in the 9th with a 4-2 lead. Lidge retired leadoff hitter David Bell. Kenny Lofton, pinch-hitting for Mike Lieberthal (a luxury now permitted by the swelled roster in September) was able to use his speed to manufacture a run. Lofton legged out an infield single, and advanced to second when the throw from shortstop Adam Everett went errant. Lofton moved to third with two outs when Shane Victorino grounded out.

While Lidge was pitching to Ryan Howard, he permitted Lofton to score on a wild pitch, and then walked Howard, a big no-no with a lead in the ninth. Howard had been given the night off against the tough left-hander Petitte, entering the game as a pinch-hitter and staying in as part of a double switch. Tomas Perez had gotten the start at first base, and Shane Victorino ultimately ran for him.

But back to the ninth. Matt Kata was sent in to pinch-run for Howard, as the potential tying run at first base. Then, Jimmy Rollins raised Phillies' fans hopes by doubling to right field. Unfortunately, Kata - although certainly faster than Ryan Howard - couldn't get past third and score the tying run.

This gave pinch-hitter Endy Chavez, hitting for closer Billy Wagner (who had been brought in to keep the score close) a chance to be a hero. Any single to the outfield would easily score Rollins from second, particularly with two outs and Rollins running on contact, thus winning the game, 5-4.

But Chavez couldn't handle Lidge, and struck out, leaving the tying and winning runs in scoring position. They ended up as the 12th and 13th runners the Phillies had left on base on this frustrating night. Lidge thus recorded his 33rd save, although he allowed two hits, a run and threw a wild pitch, probably one of his most adventuresome saves this year. The Astros have now won 10 straight games against the Phillies.

In so doing, Houston passed the Phillies in the standings, and now hold a 1/2 game lead over Philadelphia and one game over Florida. After the disastrous opening inning, Myers settled down and pitched well, shutting out Houston over the ensuing six innings. Myers allowed only five hits and one walk in seven innings. Myers also regretably hit one Astro, third baseman Morgan Ensberg, in the third inning (Ensberg stayed in but eventually had to leave the game, after Myers struck him out in the fifth).

Also, one of Houston's four runs was unearned, due to an error at third base by Bell. Myers also struck out six Astros. Ryan Madson and Wagner subsequently combined to keep the Astros off the board the rest of the way. Wagner had an interesting inning against his former teammates, permitting a hit and a walk but eventually striking out the side. It says volumes about the Phillies' futility against Houston that Wagner - who has now pitched in Philadelphia for nearly two seasons - faced his former teammates for the first time ever Monday night.

It was a tough night for the Phillies' two biggest outfield guns, as Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell combined to go 0-8 for the evening. But Pettitte is tough. It was his 15th consecutive start in which he has allowed three or fewer earned runs.

Other NL Games of Interest on Monday, September 5, 2005

Atlanta relied on homers from Chipper Jones and Andruw Jones to beat the Mets, 4-2, at Turner Field, as they cruise toward the division title. Chipper's homer was his 34th of his career against the Mets, whom he nearly singlehandedly destroyed in the 1999 NLCS. It came in the 8th inning and broke a 2-2 tie, defeating Steve Trachsel.

Washington defeated visiting Florida and Jason Vargas, 5-2, behind a powerful all-around effort from former Marlin Livan Hernandez, now 15-6 on the year. Florida didn't get a hit until the fifth, and Hernandez took a shutout into the 9th. Hernandez also helped himself with two hits and a RBI - he is the defending NL Silver Slugger for moundsmen. Former Phillie Marlon Byrd had a bases-clearing double, ultimately coming only a homer short of the cycle, finishing with three hits. The Marlins' only runs came on a two-run HR by Miguel Cabrera in the 9th, already trailing, 5-0.

So at the end of the Labor Day weekend, it appeared:

NL East

Atlanta 79-59 ---
Philadelphia 73-65 6


NL Wild Card

Houston 73-64 ---
Philadelphia 73-65 0.5
Florida 72-65 1
Washington 72-66 1.5
New York 70-67 3