| Andrew Perna. 18th September, 2008 - 2:43 pm
 Barring an unforeseen slump on the North Side of Chicago or an uncanny surge by the Astros or Marlins over the last eleven days of the regular season, the Mets, Phillies, and Brewers will be fighting for two postseason berths in the National League.
Heading into Thursday's action Philadelphia held a half-game lead over New York for the lead in the NL East, while the Mets had their own half-game edge over the Brewers for the Wild Card. These three teams, separated by mere half-games, will undoubtedly shuffle positions over the next two-hundred or so hours.
Philadelphia is a sports-crazed town that can be hard on both its teams and players, just ask Jimmy Rollins, and in recent years the Phillies have overtaken the Eagles and Flyers as the city’s team of choice.
A lot of that has to do with the team’s September surge last season and the fact that Ryan Howard and Rollins have won the last two NL MVPs.
After leading the Mets in the division earlier this summer, the Phillies trailed New York by 3.5 games on Sept. 10. Since losing to the Florida that night, Philadelphia has rattled off six-straight wins to overtake the Mets by a half-game.
The Phillies, who always tend to surge late in the season, have done so this month on the strength of both timely hitting and incredible pitching. Based on that fact, it’s hard to imagine Citizens Bank Park not hosting at least a few postseason games when the calendar turns to October.
Philadelphia has the eighth-lowest ERA (3.90) in the Majors this season, just a tick above the marks of the Athletics (3.89), Angels and Brewers (both 3.88) through the first 152 games of the season.
Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer have anchored the rotation all year long, with Brett Myers joining them after a stay in the minors at midseason. Hamels and Moyer are a combined 27-16, with ERAs of 3.11 and 3.86 respectably.
Hamels, who ranks in the top-five in the NL in WHIP, innings pitched, complete games and strikeouts, would undoubtedly have more wins if the Philadelphia offense provided him with more run support.
Only three times this season has Hamels allowed more than four earned runs in a start, which makes it hard to believe he has just 13 wins. Hamels and Johan Santana are on opposite ends of the rivalry between Philadelphia and New York, but they are in the same boat when it comes to pitching much better than their records indicate.
After being sent to the minors to refine both his pitching and his psyche in late June, Myers have been lights out on the mound. He’s 7-2 with a 1.80 ERA in his last eleven starts.
Philadelphia also has the most reliable closer in the NL playoff race, with Brad Lidge recording 37 saves with a 1.96 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 64 1/3 innings.
In addition to superb pitching, the Phillies have one of the most dangerous lineups in all of baseball. They have scored the eighth-most runs and hit the second-most home runs this season.
Howard, a strong candidate to win his second MVP this fall, has been the de facto leader of the offense, even with Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins in the batting order. He’s hitting just .249, but leads all of baseball in both home runs (45) and RBIs (137), thanks to a very strong September.
Combine Howard’s numbers with those of Utley (.288 average with 31 home runs and 95 RBIs) and Rollins (.280 with 11 homers, 58 RBIs and 43 stolen bases) and you have offensively, the strongest infield in baseball today.
Unfortunately for the Phils, those numbers won’t guarantee them victories in mid-September.
Philadelphia’s Schedule
Thu, Sept. 18 – @ Atlanta
Fri, Sept. 19 – @ Florida
Sat, Sept. 20 – @ Florida
Sun, Sept. 21 – @ Florida
Mon, Sept. 22 – vs. Atlanta
Tue, Sept. 23 – vs. Atlanta
Wed, Sept. 24 – vs. Atlanta
Fri, Sept. 26 – vs. Washington
Sat, Sept. 27 – vs. Washington
Sun, Sept. 28 – vs. Washington
Philadelphia, unlike the Brewers and Mets, will not face a single playoff contender to finish out the season. That should give them a significant advantage in the race to make the postseason, but stranger things have happened (just ask the Mets).
However, with Hamels, Moyer and Myers on the mound and Rollins, Utley and Howard in the lineup, it’s hard to envision October baseball without the Fightin’ Phils.
Andrew Perna is a Senior Writer for RealGM. Please feel free to contact him via e-mail with comments or questions on this piece: Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com. |
