Phillies enter All-Star Break clinging to First Place

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

It took some late heroics, but the Phillies were able to hold on to their slim lead in the NL East heading into the All-Star break. With the Mets streaking, winning 9 straight, the Phillies have watched their NL East lead dwindle as the team played inconsistently.

After a poor performance on Saturday that I had the unfortunate opportunity to see first hand, the Phillies needed a late Pat Burrell homer to get past the D-backs, 6-3, on Sunday. With the game tied 2-2 in the 8th inning, Burrell connected on a three-run shot to put the Phillies up for good. Cole Hamels had another solid outing and the Phillies are able to go into the break on a solid note, although they are only 1/2 game up on the Mets:

So why isn't Pat Burrell in the All-Star Game??