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.

Phillies acquire first baseman Mike Sweeney

With Ryan Howard out for at least the next two weeks, the Phillies made a move for a new first baseman, acquiring Mike Sweeney from the Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Sweeney, a 16 year MLB vet, spent most of his career with the Royals but played the last two seasons with Seattle. A 5-time All-Star back in the early 2000's, Sweeney still has some pop in his bat but has dealt with a number of injuries in recent years that have kept him from playing consistently. In this season alone, Sweeney has had back problems that have limited him to just 99 at-bats, though he does have 6 homers and is hitting .263 for the season.

Sweeney will step right into the lineup and be the every-day first baseman for as long as Howard is out. When Howard returns, Sweeney will slide back to the bench and will be a nice right-handed pinch-hitter. While he is far removed from his 20 homer, .300 batting average heyday with the Royals, Sweeney is a professional hitter who will contribute a key hit here and there.

Another solid August pickup for the Phillies, who have made a habit of acquiring players after the July 31st trade deadline (Jamie Moyer, Matt Stairs) that have made a significant impact down the stretch. Sure, Sweeney won't put up numbers similar to Ryan Howard but he will be a solid upgrade over the Ross Gload/Cody Ransom platoon at first. Sweeney is a strong low-risk pickup by the Phillies.