8th inning outburst pulls Phillies within one game of NL East lead

Some things never change: the sky is blue, the sun sets in the west and the Phillies own the Mets. On Friday night, the Phillies rode a spectacular 8th inning, one that saw them erase a 2-1 deficit by plating 6 runs, to beat the Mets 7-5 and notch their 13th win in their last 15 games. The win, coupled with the Giants win over the Braves in extra innings, pulls the Phillies to within one game of first place Atlanta.

The bottom of the 8th inning was a truly special thing to witness. In the inning, the Phillies sent 11 batters to the plate and slapped 7 singles, picked up a walk and one sacrifice fly in a 6 run outburst that saw them work through 3 different Mets pitchers. Newest Phillie Mike Sweeney was big in the inning, getting a pair of hits while picking up an RBI and scoring a run. While Sweeney won't be Ryan Howard, he is going to continue to get key hits when given the chance.

While the 9th inning was ugly thanks to Danys Baez and J.C. Romero allowing the Mets to make things closer than they should have been, it was a fairly solid victory for the Phillies as they continue to win games despite missing three key lineup pieces. Saturday's matchup with the Mets figures to be a good one, too, as Cole Hamels will take on Johan Santana in a clash of two solid lefty pitchers. Scratch that, make that one solid lefty as Santana has been lit up for 11 runs in his last two outings. Hopefully the Phils can capitalize on his slump and keep the 12 game home winning streak rolling.

Chris Coste is now dead to us

Scratch Chris Coste off your list of favorite former Phillies, he has gone to the dark side. Coste, who spent 3 plus years with the Phillies before being waived and playing for the Astros last season, has signed with the New York Mets.

There is no guarantee that Coste will actually play any games with the Mets, however, as he was only given a spot on the 40 man roster and not given a guarantee that he would be on the 25 man roster. There is also no word as to whether the Mets expect Coste to play catcher or first base.

It's hard to say if Coste signing with the Mets is an indication of how desperate Coste is to play or how bad the Mets are going to be next season. Losing Coste to the dark side hurts because he is such a good guy, I guess we will always have 2008.

Pedro's gem caps great day in Philly Sports

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Pedro Martinez's performance Sunday night was exactly why the Phillies chose to pull Jamie Moyer from the rotation. Martinez, facing his old team, the Mets, had a masterful game, pitching 8 shutout innings to lead the Phillies to a 1-0 win. It was the second win of the day for the Phillies over the Mets, a win that completely eliminates the Mets from playoff contention.

Pedro was the story of the night, mowing down batters and going deeper into the game than he had ever gone this season. It took 130 pitches, but Pedro got through those 8 innings by striking out 7 batters and generally looking like the Pedro of a few years ago. Pedro has quickly become a must-start in the playoffs for the Phillies and has made Ruben Amaro look like a genius for taking a chance on him.

The night wasn't complete without a little closer drama as Ryan Madson took the mound for the save. Madson gave up one hit but looked pretty sharp in getting through the 9th inning. He certainly fared better than Brad Lidge, who gave up 2 runs and backed into a save, did earlier in the day. The closer situation is still very muddled going forward.

Pedro's gem caps an outstanding day in Philly sports. Not only did the Phillies sweep their doubleheader with the Mets but the Eagles also manhandled the Panthers. The only negative on the day is the fact that Donovan McNabb got injured but at least that doesn't look too serious. It really doesn't get much better than this, Philly fans.

All is right in the world: the Phillies sweep the Mets

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

And just like that, things are starting to look up for our local baseball team. The Phillies, who were slowly losing their grip on first place in the NL East after a recent nosedive where they lost 14 of their last 18 games, seemed to turn everything around as they swept their rival, the Mets, in three straight games. Yeah, so the Mets, dealing with numerous injuries, aren't exactly a top club right now, but the Phillies turned them aside with ease, outscoring them 13-3 in the series.

The hero of the series? Dare I say Jimmy Rollins? Rollins, who was barely hitting over .200 entering the series, went 5 for 11 against the Mets and drove in 5 runs. He rose his average all the way up to .217, and even took a few walks in the process. Looks like the Jimmy of old to me.

The pitching was the real story against the Mets, however. Rodrigo Lopez, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton all had great starts, pitching deep into the games and allowing only a handful of hits each. The bullpen also closed the door, finishing out each game without giving up a single run. The slumping Brad Lidge even managed two perfect 9th innings to get a pair of saves against the Mets.

What a holiday weekend for the Phillies, they actually played like the World Champions that they are. Now we need to see if this series was just the team getting up to play against the Mets or if they have truly turned the ship around. They aren't out of the woods yet, because despite how well they played, the Marlins are still 1 game behind them in the standings. The Phillies have a pulse again, let's see how long it lasts.

Braves sweep Phillies into tie for first

(AP Photo/John Bazemore)

If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. I've got nothing to say about how the Phillies are playing right now. They can't hit, can't pitch and can barely field.

The sweep by the Braves drops the Phillies into a first place tie with the Marlins. The Phils upcoming three game series against the hobbled Mets looms large right now, and it should be huge, just like every Mets/Phillies series. How the Phils do this weekend could tell us a lot about whether this team is any good this year. If they don't take two out of three from a seriously banged up Mets team, this Phillies team is likely doomed.

At least they were World Series Champs last year!

David Wright taunted by a Phillies fan

In case you missed it, and I hope you did, Joe Buck's new show, creatively titled "The Joe Buck Show", debuted last night on HBO. While it was mostly an abomination, there was one moment that all Phillie fans have to see. Buck was interviewing Mets third baseman David Wright in a New York restaurant when a Phillies fan walked by and taunted Wright, pointing to his Phils jersey and the finger that the World Champs wear their rings on:

Classic. I am sure David Wright is used to that by now, though.
Thanks to the Fightins.com for uploading the video.

Error, not Park, causes Phillies to lose to Santana, Mets

(AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

The result is what we expected: the Mets, who sent Johan Santana to the mound, beat the Phillies, who were starting Chan Ho Park. What wasn't expected was just how well Park would pitch and just how close the Phillies would be to winning this game.

Santana pitched 7 strong innings, struck out 10 batters and gave up only 2 hits as he cruised to a 1-0 victory for the Mets. Surprisingly, Park kept up with Santana, going 6 innings and allowing no runs on two hits. Park probably even should have stayed in the game another inning, considering how well he was pitching and the fact that he had only thrown 91 pitches. Phillies fans (me included, check my tweets earlier in the day) should all apologize to Park for not giving him a chance in this one, he proved that he deserves a few more chances to hold on to the 5th spot in the rotation.

What ended up failing the Phillies in this game was, for once, not the pitching, but instead the defense. The usually excellent fielding of Pedro Feliz failed him for one play, when he made an errant throw to first base, and it was enough for the Mets to squeak out the lone run of the game in the 7th inning.

Chalk this loss up to an anomaly: Pedro Feliz rarely makes errors. The Phillies got a great game from Park, but Johan Santana proved that he is still the best pitcher in baseball. Luckily for the Phils, the Marlins also lost, which keeps Philly in first place.

Phillies lose out on Sheffield, finalize bullpen

That didn't take long. After hearing grumblings all morning that the Mets had interest in Gary Sheffield, the 40 year old slugger has already signed a deal with New York. The Phillies had expressed interest in bringing Sheffield in as a pinch hitter but he opted for the extra playing time he will get with the Mets as he platoons with Ryan Church in the outfield.

Sheffield never looked like a great fit for the Phils and I'm not at all upset that they didn't sign him. Sheff would have likely been more trouble than he was worth as he would have surely complained about not getting enough at bats. He will get some big hits for the Mets but I don't think he swings the division in their favor or anything.

While they lost out on Sheffield, the Phillies did announce their final bullpen spots today. Lefties J.A. Happ and Jack Taschner will round out the bullpen as the Phillies Opening Day roster appears to be set:

Catchers (2): Carlos Ruiz, Chris Coste

Infielders (7): Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Feliz, Eric Bruntlett, Greg Dobbs, Miguel Cairo

Outfielders (4): Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Raul Ibanez, Matt Stairs

Starting Pitchers (5): Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton, Chan Ho Park

Bullpen (7): Brad Lidge, Ryan Madsen, Chad Durbin, Clay Condrey, Scott Eyre, Jack Taschner, J.A. Happ

Keeping Happ is an interesting choice because it gives the bullpen a third lefty, an option that this team doesn't usually have. Chances are they kept Happ to help raise his spirits after missing out on the rotation spot to Chan Ho Park, and you can bet that Happ will be getting all of the available spot starts.

All that is left now for the Phillies is confirm whether Miguel Cairo has made the team or they will be bringing in another right handed bench bat, not that there are a lot of options left out there.

It's official: Philly owns New York

Philadelphia may no longer have to suffer in the shadow of New York, at least when it comes to sports.

In case you haven't noticed by now, the Philly sports scene is completely dominating the New York sports scene. The Eagles victory over the Giants seals the fact that every Philadelphia team in the 4 major sports is better than every New York team, even in the sports in which New York has two teams. It's been quite the reversal of fortune for two cities who had gotten used to their roles as underdogs in Philly and as heavy favorites in the Big Apple.

The Phillies, of course, are on top of the baseball world having just won the World Series. The Phillies success is directly related to their New York rival which has made a habit of collapsing at the end of the season. In each of the last two seasons, the Phillies have overtaken the Mets in the final month of the season for the NL East crown. The Phillies have also made the playoffs last season, something the Yankees failed to do.

The Eagles are fresh off their victory over the defending Super Bowl Champion Giants. While the Giants took the NFC East in the regular season, the Eagles were the better team when it mattered, in the playoffs. The Birds finished with a 2-1 record against the Giants this year and won both times they played in the Meadowlands. The other New York team, the Jets, didn't play the Eagles this season but they didn't even make the playoffs, finishing with a 9-7 record, a half game worse than the Eagles record of 9-6-1 (gotta love that tie!).

The Flyers made the Eastern Conference Final last season, something neither New York NHL team has done since 1997 when the Rangers lost to the, you guessed it, Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers also recently took over first place in the Atlantic Division from the Rangers who had been in first since the beginning of the season. The Flyers currently sit just one point above the Rangers but they have played two fewer games. As for the other New York team, the Islanders, they are the worst team in hockey and I can't even remember the last time they were relevant.

The Sixers are the last Philadelphia team who is currently more successful than their New York counterpart, but they have the least to brag about. The Sixers are currently an unimpressive 3 games under .500 and are the 9th seed in the Eastern Conference while the Knicks are slightly worse at 13-22 and are the 12th seed in the East. Sixers fans don't have much to gloat about but at least Philly made the playoffs last year, something the Knicks haven't done since 2004.

As you can see, it's good to be a Philadelphia sports fan. Not only are we on top of the baseball world and one game away from the biggest stage of them all, the Super Bowl, but every Philadelphia sports team is better than our biggest rivals in New York. You could even take it a step further and say that every Philly sports team is better than every team in New Jersey as well, except for the Nets. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh still has the Penguins and Steelers so no such claims can be made about our rival on the other side of the state.

I am not sure how times could get much better for the Philly sports fan. I suppose a Super Bowl victory and a Stanley Cup would put us over the top. What a difference a year makes, before we would have been happy for just one title now we want as many as we can get. It's even sweeter to know that New York won't be winning a championship in the near future.

Mets falter, bring on the Brewers!

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

The Mets collapse is complete. After C.C. Sabathia pitched the Brewers to a win over the Cubs, the Mets season came to an end as they lost to the Florida Marlins, 4-2. The Mets finished out the season with a 3-6 record to stumble out of the playoffs for the second year in a row.

The Phillies, who finished the season with an 8-3 victory over Washington, now prepare themselves to take on the Brewers. They rested all of their starters today, giving them an extra day to gear up for the first game of the series, which will be Wednesday. The Phils have already announced that Cole Hamels will take the mound for Game One while the Brewers will have to go with someone other than Sabathia since he pitched today. The early advantage has to go to the Phils since they will avoid the Brewers ace for at least one game.

Here is the tentative schedule for the first round playoff series:
Game 1: Brewers @ Phillies, 10/1
Game 2: Brewers @ Phillies, 10/2
Game 3: Phillies @ Brewers, 10/4
Game 4: Phillies @ Brewers, 10/5
Game 5: Phillies @ Brewers, 10/7

Phillies clinch second straight NL East title!

Why wait until the last game of the season when you can do it in the second to last game of the season? Last year the Phillies all made us wait until the last day to wrap up the NL East division but this season the Phillies managed to do themselves one better and clinch the division on the penultimate day of the 2008 season.

The similarities between last season's clinching game and this season's were numerous. The Phillies clinched against the Nationals at home both times. Jamie Moyer was the winning pitcher in both contests. In both games, the Phillies closer was on the mound for the final out, although last season Brett Myers cruised in the 9th inning while Brad Lidge ran into some trouble this season. Lidge came dangerously close to blowing his first save of the season, loading the bases with only one out in the 9th. Luckily, he forced Ryan Zimmerman to ground into a game-ending double play to earn his 41st save of the season.

The Phillies now enter the postseason for the second straight year. The last time they made the playoffs two years in a row was 1980 and 1981. Hopefully the Phils will fare better this postseason than last season, although they would only need to win a single game to have a better showing. Who they will play has yet to be determined.

With the Mets winning today and the Brewers losing, the two teams are now tied for the Wild Card. The Phillies would play the Brewers in the first round of the playoffs if they win the Wild Card and they would play the Dodgers if the Mets win the Wild Card. The Dodgers are the better opponent with a quality pitching staff, but the Brewers have C.C. Sabathia and a formidable lineup.

We'll worry about who they will play later. For now, enjoy the Phillies, the TWO TIME NL EAST CHAMPIONS!!!!

Howard, Utley push Phillies to threshold of clinching division

(AP Photo/H. Rumph Jr.)

And just like that the magic number is down to one. With tonight's win by the Phillies over the Nationals coupled with the Mets loss to the Marlins, the Phils have widened their division lead to 2 games with 2 games left to play. That means that the Phils have to win just one more game or the Mets would have to lose one more game for the Phillies to clinch the NL East. As it is, the Phillies have at least guaranteed themselves a one game playoff for the division should they lose out and the Mets win out.

Tonight's heroes were two players who you would expect to come through when it mattered: Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. The Phillies jumped on the Nationals early when Howard hit a 3-run homer in the first inning and Utley followed in the second inning with a bases loaded 3-run double. Howard finished the day with 4 RBI after he doubled in Utley in the 2nd and the Phillies cruised to an 8-4 win. Joe Blanton started the game for the Phillies and, despite his inconsistent pitching over the last few months, ran his National League record to a perfect 4-0.

The Mets did the exact opposite of the Phillies as they fell behind the Marlins in the 1st inning and never came back, losing 6-1. The Mets then got more bad news when they watched the Brewers beat the Cubs because it pushed them a game behind Milwaukee for the Wild Card lead.

The Phillies now have 90 wins on the season. Want a good sign for the upcoming playoffs? Just look at the last three times the Phillies won 90 games in a season: 1980 (91), 1983 (90) and 1993 (97), all seasons where the Phillies went to the World Series. Sorry National League-favorite Cubs, you can't argue with history!

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.

Phils win, Mets lose, Magic Number now at 4

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The Phillies just keep on winning, especially against the Braves. The Phillies won for the 10th time in 11 games, beating the Braves 6-2 to raise their record to 14-2 against Atlanta for the season. The win, coupled with another loss by the Mets, puts the Phillies 2.5 games ahead of New York in the NL East. The Phillies magic number now sits at 4, meaning that any combination of Phillie wins and Met losses that adds up to 4 will clinch the division for Philadelphia. With 5 games left, the division now looks like a lock, barring a Mets-like collapse by the Phillies.

In Monday's game, the Phillies got another strong outing by J.A. Happ, his second in a row against Atlanta. While Happ didn't shut out the Braves like he did last week, he only allowed 2 runs in 6 and 2/3rds innings, striking out 5. Offensively for the Phillies, Jayson Werth drove in the game winning run on a groundout in the 8th inning and Pat Burrell followed with a 3-run homer to give the Phils a cushion to work with.

The Mets lost to the Cubs, their third loss in a row. The Mets are not only in danger of losing the NL East, but they only have a 1 game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers for the Wild Card. Are we really seeing another massive choke job by the Mets, their second in as many years? The Phillies have been amazing down the stretch, but they have certainly been helped by the Mets, who have won only 3 of their last 9.

Phillies edge Marlins, stretch NL East lead

(AP Photo/J. Pat Carter)

After losing the first game to the Marlins, a game that dropped them into second place, the Phillies won the remaining two games against Florida to push back into first place in the NL East. With the Mets losing again to the Braves today, the Phils lead currently sits at 1.5 games.

The Phillies won for the 9th time in 10 games due to solid starting pitching and clutch hitting. Jamie Moyer had a strong outing, just like he always seems to have in big games, going 6 innings and only giving up 1 run. The bullpen relieved him in the 7th, and although they did give up a run in the 7th, they managed to lock it down in the 8th and 9th to preserve the victory.

Offensively, Jimmy Rollins had a nice game, going 3 for 5 with a stolen base, a run scored and an RBI. Chase Utley also hit a homer, his first since August 22nd, and Pedro Feliz added a pinch-hit two-run shot in the 8th to give the Phils a nice cushion late in the game.

With 6 games left to play, the Phillies appear to be closing in on a playoff spot. They have a 1.5 game lead in the division, and if they should falter, they would be leading the Wild Card by a couple of games as well. The Mets still have one extra game which could help them cut the gap or fall even further back. New York still has a tougher schedule than the Phils, considering they have to play two competitive teams in the Cubs (although they have clinched their division already) and Marlins while the Phillies get to play the Braves, who they have owned this season, and the last place Nationals. Here is the remaining schedule for the 3 teams battling over 2 playoff spots in the National League:

Phillies: 3 vs. Braves, 3 vs. Nationals

Mets: 4 vs. Cubs, 3 vs. Marlins

Brewers: 3 vs. Pirates, 3 vs. Cubs

Phillies sweep their way to Wild Card tie

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Just when you think they're done, they drag you right back into it. Just a few days ago, things seemed dismal for the Phillies, who trailed the Mets by 4 games in the NL East and trailed the Brewers by 4 games for the Wild Card. With around 15 games left to play, those leads seemed nearly insurmountable.

Of course, when we are talking about the Phillies, no lead seems insurmountable. The Phillies took 4 straight games from the Brewers and vaulted their way to a tie for the Wild Card. In the process, the Phillies have also climbed back to 1 game behind the Mets for the division lead. Now, with 12 games remaining, the playoffs are back in play in a big way for the Phillies.

The Phillies finished off their sweep of the Brewers with a pair of wins in a Sunday doubleheader. In the first game, the Phils got a solid outing from Joe Blanton and then broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the 8th by scoring 4 runs to carry them to a 7-3 win. Ryan Howard homered in the 6th inning, his 5th homer in 7 games, and Shane Victorino hit a 3 run shot in the 8th to give the Phillies a big lead to work with.

The second game of the doubleheader was all about Brett Myers. Myers needed only 95 pitches to pitch a complete game 2 hitter and led the Phils to a 6-1 victory. Myers, who pitched on 3 days rest, was efficient as he threw strikes and let his defense do most of the work. 65 of his 95 pitches went for strikes as he coasted to victory.

Things look up again for the Phillies in another topsy-turvy season. With the sweep, they greatly increased their chances of making the playoffs as both the division and the Wild Card are now in their sights. While the Phils have no games left against either the Mets or the Brewers, only 3 of their remaining 12 games are against opponents that are above .500. Here are the schedules of the Phillies and the two teams they are in closest competition with for the playoffs:

Phillies: 3 @ Braves, 3 @ Marlins, 3 vs. Braves, 3 vs. Nationals

Mets: 4 @ Nationals, 3 @ Braves, 4 vs. Cubs, 3 vs.

Marlins Brewers: 3 @ Cubs, 3 @ Reds, 3 vs. Pirates, 3 vs. Cubs

The hardest schedule amongst those three is the Brewers slate, as they have to play the Cubs 6 more times. The Mets schedule is slightly tougher than the Phils because they have to play the Cubs while the Phils get 6 against a weak Braves team. The Mets also have two more games than the others and no days off.

With 12 games left, the Phillies are right where they want to be. They have to keep playing hot and they don't have to rely on someone to take a nosedive for them to get into the playoffs. The next two weeks should be very exciting!

Phillies split with Mets, remain 2 games out

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Sunday was a long day spent on the couch for most Philadelphia sports fans and they were rewarded with wins in 2 out of the 3 games. Of course, the Eagles won handily, which meant the Phillies split their doubleheader with the Mets.

The first game was all about Jamie Moyer. Moyer gave up only 2 hits in 7 shutout innings as he slow-pitched the Phillies to victory. Greg Dobbs hit a 3-run homer that put the Phillies up big and they coasted for a win that pulled them within one game of first place.

In the second game, everything went wrong for the Phillies. The Phillies struck first with a run in the top of the first inning but the Mets struck back in the bottom of the first against Cole Hamels. Thanks to a pair of iffy calls, one of which Charlie Manuel's arguing about got him tossed from the game, the Mets scored 3 runs to build a lead they never gave up. Carlos Delgado added a pair of solo homers to increase their lead and the Phillies never really threatened to get back into the game.

Despite the split of games with the Mets on Sunday, the weekend has to be looked at as a success for the Phillies. They took 2 of 3 against the first place Mets to decrease their divsion lead down to 2 games and now have 19 games to catch New York. After last year, 2 games seems like nothing. The Phillies don't face the Mets again this season, so from now on they have to take care of business and hope that the Mets slip up. Given the lack of a bullpen, I think the Mets will be blowing a game or two, it's up to the Phils to capitalize.

Myers shuts down the Mets, Iguchi's back!

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

So, how do you beat the red-hot Mets? Not letting them score a run is a good start. The Phillies beat the Mets 3-0 as Brett Myers completely dominated New York in his best outing of the year, throwing 8 shutout innings while striking out 10 batters and allowing only 3 hits and 2 walks. Myers cruised all game long and continues to be a stud pitcher since his return to the majors. Tonight's performance makes for 9 straight good-to-great starts in a row. In that time he has allowed 11 runs in 63 and 2/3rds innings pitched for a sparkling ERA of 1.57. He has also gone 6-1 in that span and struck out 56 batters while walking only 15. And, one more stat for you: Myers has allowed only 2 runs in his last 31 innings. Myers is a beast and he has been the Phillies MVP since his return to the majors on July 23rd.

The Phillies struggled to get much going offensively. Chase Utley put the Phils on the board early with a RBI groundout while Greg Dobbs hit a two-run homer in the 7th to give them a cushion.

The win pulled the Phillies back within 2 games of first place. Tomorrow is the battle of the graybeards as Jamie Moyer takes on Pedro Martinez. I like the Phillies chances considering Pedro rarely lasts past the 6th inning anymore, meaning the Phils can feast on the Mets bullpen for a few innings.

The Phillies also got news today that a former player is returning to the fold. Tadahito Iguchi, a pivotal player in the Phillies 2007 campaign, has signed with the team for the rest of the season. Iguchi was recently waived by the Padres so the Phillies scooped him up for the stretch run. Iguchi has had an off year, batting .231 as he struggled with injuries. The Phillies won't be asking much of him, he will simply be a pinch-hitting option for them off the bench. Iguchi also won't be available for postseason play since he was brought in after the August 31st deadline, but he could have some key at-bats as the Phillies try to make their run for the playoffs. Besides, how fun is it to have Tadahito Iguchi and So Taguchi on the same team!

What a win for your FIRST PLACE Phillies!

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The Phillies won a wild one late Tuesday night, overcoming a 7 run deficit in one of the greatest games in recent memory, an 8-7 victory of the Mets in 13 innings. This game had it all. An unlikely hero in the bottom of the 9th with two outs in Eric Bruntlett. Continued redemption by Jimmy Rollins. A near-complete emptying of the bench (only Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick didn't get on the field). A silly at-bat by Brett Myers. And, of course, a game winning single by Chris Coste in the 13 inning that drove in Shane Victorino, who tripled to lead off the inning.

This was a huge game that was made even bigger given that it was against the Mets, their biggest rival and the team they have now chased down and overtaken for first place in the NL East. This Phillies team is now starting to have some of the magic moments that last years team experienced. They are turning back into the team that you can never count out, a team that always finds a way to battle back. They will look for the sweep against the Mets tomorrow.

Victorino's homer leads Phillies past Cardinals

(AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

It took some late heroics, but the Phillies managed to take the rubber match in their series with the Cardinals by a score of 5-4. The Phillies were shut out for the first five innings of the game as Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer plowed through the Phillie hitters. Chase Utley finally broke through with a solo homer in the 6th inning to get the Phillies on the board, and then Shane Victorino belted a three-run homer in the 8th to put the Phils ahead for good.

Brett Myers started the game for the Phillies and looked shaky but effective. He had trouble locating his fastball at times, but the Cardinals swung early and often at his pitches to help him stay out of jams. Myers' velocity still hasn't come back to him, although he did hit 93 on the radar gun on a few pitches. In all, Myers has to be commended for only giving up two runs and keeping the Phillies in the game. He will certainly remain in the rotation as long as he pitches like this, leaving J.A. Happ stuck in the bullpen.

Brad Lidge got his 28th save of the season, but made things very interesting in the 9th by giving up a solo homer to Troy Glaus and then loading the bases with only one out. He subsequently struck out the next two batters to end the game. He came incredibly close to blowing his first save of the season, but made some great pitches to get himself out of a jam.

With the win, the Phillies continue to open up the gap between themselves and the rest of the NL East. Both the Marlins and the Mets lost today, giving the Phils a 2.5 game lead over the Marlins and a 3 game lead over the struggling Mets. The Mets, losers of 4 straight, got some more bad news today as they placed John Maine on the DL and learned that Billy Wagner needs an MRI on his forearm. Just as quickly as the Mets jumped back into the NL East race, they seem to be fading right back out. Not that I'm counting them out, but their one big advantage the Mets had over the Phillies was their pitching staff and as the injuries mount, they are losing that edge.

The Phils are off tomorrow as they come home for a six game homestand that starts Tuesday against the Marlins. With the NL East lead on the line, it's another important series for the Phillies. After they play three against the tough Marlins, they are rewarded with a three game series against the terrible Pirates.