Philadelphia Phillies’ Improbable Three-Game Sweep of Milwaukee Leaves A Phighting Chance for Postseason Ball
The story of the 2012 Philadelphia Phillies after eight innings had been the same – every single time. The team was the only team in baseball without a win when trailing after eight innings, posting a horrendous 0-42 record during that span.
That’s the case no longer, as the team has rallied to win four consecutive games after losing all at one point in the eighth inning or later. Jimmy Rollins led the Phillies to a victory in the 12th inning of the final contest against the San Francisco Giants, and the momentum continued to the Milwaukee series.
The Phillies won all three games by a 7-6 score, overcoming a three-run ninth inning deficit, a five-run eighth inning deficit, and a one-run 10th inning deficit in succession, twice beating up on K-Rod and once off a combination of Manny Parra and Kameron Loe.
The Phillies still stand at just 45-54, nine games under .500 and 14 games back of the Washington Nationals for first place in the NL East. But they’ve cut the last-place deficit behind the Miami Marlins to just half a game, and the four-game winning streak offers more than just a momentary rise in the standings – it gives the Phillies a ton of momentum and a ton of hope as they get set to begin a pivotal three-game series with the Atlanta Braves.
The Phillies can sweep the series and they will probably still be in last place or fourth place, but the team historically has thrived in the second half. Roy Halladay should be getting his groove on soon, Chase Utley is swinging the bat a lot better, and so is Ryan Howard. The duo combined for nine hits and eight RBIs in the three-game series, and it’s much better having those two in the lineup than Freddy Galvis/Mike Fontenot/Pete Orr or Ty Wigginton/Laynce Nix/John Mayberry, Jr.
The Phillies still have 63 games left in the season. If they can overcome a seven-game deficit in the 2007 NL East race with the New York Mets, they can certainly overcome a 14-game deficit with over a third of the season left to play. But they better keep on winning, and taking two of three against the Braves is a must.
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