Phillies bounced as bats fall silent

Somehow, this one hurts a little more than the loss to the Yankees last year. In a dramatic, gut-wrenchingly close game, the Phillies lost Game 6 to the Giants, 3-2, and have been eliminated. From start to finish in this game, as in seemingly every game in the series, the Phillies and the Giants went back and forth, trading big strikeouts and tough outs from their relief pitchers until Ryan Howard was struck out looking on a pitch he had no business not swinging at.

Say what you will about the Giants but they were the perfect foil for the Phillies, with their tremendous bullpen and their ability to come up with clutch hit after clutch hit. While on paper, their offense seems like nothing, they had a knack for having a nameless player step up with a huge hit, like Juan Uribe in Game 6. Of course, while the Giants deserve plenty of crediting for beating the Phillies, that doesn't mean I'm going to root for them in the World Series. Go Rangers!

So ends another Phillies season in disappointing fashion. While it hurts right now, it's important to look at the big picture and remember that this team is set up nicely for next year, as everyone besides Jayson Werth is coming back. At any rate, we'll always have 2008.
(AP PHOTO)