- The Phillies also had a gritty, gutty inspiring victory in Washington yesterday afternoon. Striking out 15 times in only 6 1/3 innings against Max Scherzer, they stayed alive and took a 4-1 lead post- Scherzer, then proceeded to blow the bulge in the 8th and 9th innings. Instead of grabbing a share of first place in NL East the Phils remain in second place, only a game behind Atlanta.
- Washington, still the team to beat in the division, now creeps to within two games of the lead. Instead, of losing 2 of 3 to the Pihllies they gain an emotional victory and put the rest of the division on notice.
- For the Phillies, it was an ugly, disappointing loss. I haven't trusted Hector Neris as the closer since he surrendered three consecutive home runs to the Dodger sin Los Angeles last year. Even when notching a save, he rarely has an easy, 1-2-3 9th inning. He needs to return to his effective role of 8th inning, set-up guy. Young Seranthony Dominguz, who has a power arm at Lehigh Valley, could be the next closer. Kapler saw him at Reading not long ago and liked what he saw.
- Relievers Garcia and Hunter didn't exactly help the cause either on Sunday afternoon. Guys need to come into games and throw strikes, especially with a 3-run lead late. Walking opposing batters only give the enemy a chance to tie or win and turns the line-up over.
- Th e lost weekend was a shame because other than his first two at-bats Friday night ( both homers), the Phillies pretty much kept Bryce Harper in check. The Phils pretty much killed themselves on Sunday.One has to wonder how a young team will bounce back form such a gut-punch. It hurt even more then the season-opener in Atlanta, which was also a giveaway loss.
- Another lost game and series to a division rival. That makes four straight series lost. Amazing the club is still only a game out of first. They stand at 18-14. Against national League East competition the Phillies are a woeful 6-12 vs. the rivals they must beat.
- Franco has busted out in a big way. He seems comfortable hitting in the order where he is now- 6th or lower. Why rock the boat? Yet his production could be better suited in the clean-up spot or at No. 5. I like Hoskins at No. 2. He can give you a quick lead and gets on base. Switch Franco and Santana in the order? Santana is starting to come out of his season-long funk, but he's not a hitter I like to see higher than 5th in the order.
- Alfaro is starting to assert himself behind the plate as a great thrower, as he gunned out consecutive Nationals who tried to steal on him. He has a cannon for an arm,and his reputation will grow in the league as runners will be afraid to take chances on the base paths. He reminds me of a young Manny Sanguillen of Pittsburgh, who had a tremendous arm and wasn't shy to show it off.
- The Fightins' start a seven-game home stand tonight vs. the hot San Francisco Giants, who have won 6 in a row. They play four with SF then have a weekend series with the struggling Mets, who always play well against Philadelphia.
- The Sixers try to save face tonight at the Wells Fargo Center as they play Game 4 in their playoff series with Boston. The team is down 0-3 and will not win this series, but winning tonight would prevent total embarrassment to a hated rival. Amazingly, the Sixers were favored in every game so far, and will probably be favored again tonight, despite being down three games. Can't use the excuse of youth, as the Celtics have the youngest player on the court in Jason Tatum and he's been outstanding, making Philly regret not taking him in the draft last June.
- Easily, Coach Brett Brown has cost Philly almost every game of this series, with dumb player decisions, lack of time-outs at appropriate situations, and stupid game planning. Brown was the perfect coach for the Process losing seasons, as he is a loser and didn't have pressure to make key decisions. He lost because not only was the team bad, he was equally bad. Now we see the true Brett Brown.
- Who will ring the bell tonight to salvage a Sixer win? It's gotta be the ultimate underdog, as now the 76ers are against the wall. Even if they are victorious tonight, don't be fooled into thinking they will sweep Boston four straight games, which has never been done before.
- Sizing up Major League baseball as another week begins..
- The American League East race is a war already between the Red Sox and Yankees. Will both teams win 100 games? Toronto is trying to stay above water. How bad is Baltimore at 8-26? The Phillies play the Orioles in 9 days at Camden Yards.
- Cleveland leads AL Central, but that's not saying much. They are 17-17, the only team at .500 in the division.
- The Angels and Astros should go a tit all summer. Mike Trout refuses to let LA slide, while Houston is ready to take off anytime now. Seattle lurks but don't have the talent to overtake either.
- In NL East, Washington is surging while the Mets are slumping. With all of their trials and tribulations, Miami is only 6 games in the cellar. One team, most likely the Nationals, will start to assert itself, but don't sleep on the young Braves, who have an exciting club, yet got swept at home over the weekend by the Giants.
- A lot of jousting going on in NL Central with a new division leader almost everyday. Today it is St. Louis. The Cubs, Pirates, Brewers and Cards have all taken turns swapping places. Only lowly Cincinnati, sitting at 8-26, tied with the worst record in baseball with Baltimore, is out of it.
- In National League West, the favored but injury-plagued Dodgers slipped to 9 games back,had a brief run with a good series in Arizona, and now have slid down to games behind the leader in the Diamondbacks.SF is hot and the Rockies continue to win, as they attempt to breathe down the D-backs' necks.Los Angeles still has tons of talent, but is the division too strong to come back at this summer?
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