Mets win, Phillies magic number stays at 3

For once, the Mets were on the other end of a comeback win. On Thursday, The Mets were behind 6-3 to the Cubs and fought back with 3 combined runs in the 7th and 8th innings before winning in the 9th on a Carlos Beltran single with Jose Reyes at second. The win pulls the Mets to within a game of first place in the NL East and also keeps tied atop the Wild Card standings.

If the Mets had lost, the Phillies would have found themselves in a much better situation. As it stands, with 3 games left, the Phillies will need a combination of 3 wins and Mets losses to clinch the division. They are still in the drivers seat for the division but the only way they are guaranteed to win the division is if they win out. If they happen to go 2-1 in their last 3 games and the Mets go undefeated, the two teams will be tied. The Phillies still have a slight advantage in the remaining schedules of the three teams fighting for the last two spots in the National League:

Phillies: 3 vs. Nationals

Mets: 3 vs. Marlins

Brewers: 3 vs. Cubs

The Marlins still have some fight in them so the Mets will have their hands full. The Nationals always play the Phillies tough but they haven't had anything to play for for months.

I still love the Phillies chances of winning the division but it's now put up or shut up time. It's time for the Phillies to win out and gear up for the first round of the playoffs.