Remember the days when the Mets were fading, the Marlins had completely imploded, and the Phillies looked like they could be well on their way to cruising to their third straight NL East title? Y'know, like...two, three weeks ago? Well, after apearing to turn things around a little in Toronto, the Phils looked dangerously close to a team in freefall last night--our ace far from dominant, our sluggers overmatched, our leadoff hitter...well, the less said about Mr. Xtreme right now, probably the better. And consequently, those once-floundering Fish are but a half-game shy of our far from formidable 39-36 record, as our boys face the humiliation of getting swept in a park where they went 9-0 just a season ago.
Not to sound too gloom and doom about everything, mind you--the Phils went through a similar rough patch pre-All Star Break last year, and that ended up turning out OK. Plus, tonight we send J.A. Happ to the mound, fresh off his first-ever complete game shutout, and starting to make a pretty good case for being the team's most consistent pitcher through the first half of the season. Rauuuul is also inching back to health, about ready to start a minor league stint in Reading, on his way to getting the team its depth back and helping to spare us from ever having to see Eric Bruntlett or Paul Bako in a pinch-hitting situation again.
Still, with the Marlins real close, and the Mets coming up real slow...the Phillies are certainly making it hard for me at least, these days.*
*Yes, I know what the song is actually about. Humor me.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/07/ph...
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