A combination of a Phillies loss, a Mets win, and a Padres win dropped the Phillies to 2.5 games back in both the NL East and Wild Card chases.
Realistically speaking, the Phillies were due for a loss. Six wins in a row is rare for even the best teams of all time, which makes seven in a row even more rare.
The trouble is, the Phillies don't have time for realistic occurrences. For instance, if the Phillies were to go 6-4 over their remaining ten games and the Mets go 5-6 in their last 11 games, the Phillies will be eliminated. Same goes for the Wild Card.
No matter what happens, probable or improbable, there are a lot of things to hang your red hat on if you are a Phillies fan. Pat Burrell's second half resurgence and his positive expressions towards Phillies fans. Chase Utley's never-ending hustle. Jimmy Rollins' attitude, leadership, and great play from Game 1 to Game 162. Diamond in the rough Kyle Kendrick. Shane Victorino's energy and spirit. The Tarp Game.
The Phillies are not out of it by any means, their season is living on to read its own obituary. In the end, regardless of the outcome, there are a lot of things we can be proud of as Phillies fans.
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One thing that reminds me of the positive qualities of the Phils are photographs such as these [click below], culled from the Yahoo! Sports Mets feed.
