Turns out, the Phillies ARE the team to beat

It took them 162 games to do it, but the Phillies finally proved Jimmy Rollins right. Jimmy Rollins started Spring training by declaring his team the "team to beat" despite their 14 year absence from postseason play. But after defeating the Washington Nationals 6-1 on Sunday, combined with a 8-1 Mets loss at the hands of the Florida Marlins, the Phillies clinched their first N.L. East division crown since 1993 - the only time the team reached the playoffs since 1983. In doing so, the Phillies completed an amazing comeback - being down seven games with just 17 games to play - and became one of the most beloved teams this city has ever seen.

The pitching problems are well documented, the injury list is long, and the number of times this team has been written off is multiple, but none of that matters now. This particular version of the Philadelphia Phillies will go down as a team that never gave up; no matter what happens in October.

No team, even remotely close to the playoffs, has the poor pitching stats that the Phillies have. Their team ERA, 4.76, is good for 13th out of 15 N.L. teams. Their key free agent acquisition, Adam Eaton has an ERA of 6.29. Their bullpen was so bad that they moved their opening day starter, Brett Meyers - who also threw the final clinching pitch of the season on Sunday - into the closer's role. And they have overcame it all.

Injuries are a part of baseball, but I'm not sure anyone had as many key players on the D.L. at some point this season as the Phillies have had. Previous closer, Tom Gordon, missed about a month. Brett Meyers, after moving into the bullpen, missed a month or more. Reigning MVP, Ryan Howard, missed a few weeks and was slowed for a few more before the trip to the D.L. Chase Utley missed a month with a broken hand, and shortly after his injury, Shane Victorino and Michael Bourn also went down - in the same game. And then to cap it off, the Phillies lost their ace, Cole Hamels for a month, and a key middle reliever, Ryan Madsen, still has yet to return. And they have overcome it all.

Combining the injuries with the pitching woes, it miracle this team didn't just pack it in, and say that this just wasn't their year. In fact, just about everyone in Philadelphia counted them out numerous times. After a 4-11 start, the season was done, right? Nope. When their best hitter, Utley, went out, at a time when they really need offense to make up for the poor pitching, their season was done, right? Nope, newcomer Tad Iguchi, came in and kept the team afloat. When they lost Cole Hamels right before a huge 10 game homestand at the end of August, the season was finished, right? Nope, guys like Kyle Kendrick and Kyle Lohse came out of nowhere to keep the team afloat. Then they lost 4 of the first 6 games in that homestand, heading into a 4 game series with the Mets, trailing by 7 games. Season over? Nope, they go on to sweep the Mets, and overall, gain 5 games on the Mets in 5 days. Then the Phillies struggled immediately following that sweep, and the Mets increased their lead back up to 7 games with 17 games to go. The season was definitely over now. Except, the Phillies went into New York and swept the Mets again. Then the Mets collapsed, and here we are. Division champs.

The 1993 Philadelphia Phillies are not one of the most beloved teams in this city's history just because they made one of the franchise's few World Series appearances. They were fun. They were exciting. They were a bunch of blue collar guys who the city just identified with. While this team is not so much a blue collar team, the city has fallen in love with their never-say-die attitude. They have fallen in love with their attitude - the attitude that was created when Jimmy Rollins made those much criticized statements in Spring training. Unless this team performs miserably in the postseason - which I can't see happening - the city of Philadelphia will never forget this remarkable season.

Time for Phillies to turn it on

So, once again, the Phillies continue to play tug of war with our emotions. Whenever we think they're done and finished, they go on a little tear. And whenever we think they are on easy street toward their first playoff birth since 1993, they lose a few games, having all of their weaknesses exposed in the process. Thursday afternoon was another pivot point for the Phils. Their bullpen lost them a game in all too familiar fashion, and their best player was lost for a month due to a broken hand (I still haven't heard a straight answer on how long Chase is expected to be out. I've heard 3, 4, 6 weeks, and everything in between). But now, in the two games since, they have closed the gap on the division leading Mets, and are 3 1/2 games out. And now Brett Meyers is back. Saturday night, he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a 10-5 victory. And if the Phils can close out the series with a sweep, they will be 10-4 since coming back from the All Star break; and 3-0 since losing Utley. No matter how you look at this team, they are right there in the hunt, and, now, the pitching staff appears to be solidifying.
Let's look at the pitching staff optimistically for a minute. Cole Hamels is the ace. And that is all there is to say about that. Jamie Moyer has been pretty consistent most of the year, and Adam Eaton looks to be a solid number three starter. Four and five in the rotation is where the optimism is really needed. Right now, its rookies Kyle Kendrick and JD Durbin. Kendrick has surpassed any and all expectations, and Durbin has won three in a row after a rough start, including a complete game shutout. Now, are these two guys going to continue to surpass expectations? My heart tells me they can at least continue to keep their team in ballgames. And with this lineup (even with Utley out), and the way the bullpen is shaping up, that is all the Phillies need from their young starters. And that brings us to the bullpen. While it has been the Achilles heel of this team all year, getting Gordon and Meyers back from injury provides an extreme upgrade. If those two can consistently pitch in big situations, like they've shown they can, the Phils bullpen could go from liability to strength. Being able to shorten a game to 7, or maybe even 6, innings with this offense is a winning formula.
So, by most accounts, Utley should be back to start September. And if all goes right, Gordon and Meyers should back to full form by mid-august. And that timing couldn't be better, as the Phils close out the month of August with a ten game home stand against the LA Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and the NY Mets; a four game series. This stretch could very well determine the Phils fate. Obviously they are chasing the Mets for the division. But they also would most likely be chasing on of the other two teams for the wild card, as whoever doesn't win the NL West has a good shot at the wild card. A successful home stand there, and Utley should come back to a first place team, or at least a team within very close striking distance of a playoff spot with a month to go in the season.