- First place Philadelphia Phillies! This is the latest that the Phils have been in first since 2011. They are now 29-20.They finally leap-frogged the Braves, who lost again in Boston. Big game today- weather permitting- vs. the Blue Jays before the club heads to the West Coast to start a four-game series with the Dodgers in LA.
- Aaron Nola took a no-hitter into the 7th inning on Saturday afternoon. He finished with 10 strikeouts, only surrendering one run and one hit. He is truly turning into an ace. I'm now surprised when he has a bad game. Shame he didn't get the win. Someday he will pitch a no-hitter. He has that kind of stuff.
- Siranthony Dominguez again pitched brilliantly, getting four key outs and the win. Luis Garcia was the next reliever to get a shot to closer, and despite a shaky 9th inning, he did exactly that. He gives Gabe Kapler yet another option in the bullpen.Interesting that Hector Neris was available for the save but Kapler went with Garcia and stuck with him til the end.
- Nick Williams slugged a pinch-hit homer in the 8th inning to win the game. He now is batting .500 as a pinch-hitter with a league-leading three home runs off the bench. Williams is young and deserves to play everyday but his role as the best pinch-hitter in baseball is a valuable one, and, at least for this season, his role may be primarily off the bench.
- So sweet waking up this morning and seeing the word "Philadelphia" on top of the National League East standings. After failing to capture the lead so many times this spring, it had to finally happen that the Phils took control of the division. Getting out in the lead and making the braves, Mets and Nationals catch them would be different. The Nats are only 1 1/2 games off the pace. Washington is the team to watch. The Phillies have plenty of games left with the Nats, including back-to-back home -and-home weekend series at the end of June.
- Nick Pivetta pitches the finale of the Toronto series and the home stand. . Let's see how the team reacts to being in 1st place All this and Rhys Hoskins and Scott Kingery, two young keys in the line-up, have been disappointments so far.
- Why not the Phillies? Anything is possible after the Eagles' big Super Bowl championship. The Sixers gave us excitement and hope over the winter. Meaningful, fun baseball, a summer of hope ahead, things we have lacked for a good seven seasons. Why can't the Phils make the playoffs, gain valuable experience, and convinced future free agents ( Bryce Harper? Manny Machado?) that Philly is the place to be.
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