The Wins Just Keep On Coming
By: Mike Reisman
This is truly a good time for the Phillies. They have a league leading record of 88-61, and with the way they're playing, who knows? Maybe the can win all but one game and end the season 100-62. It seems unlikely, but so has this win streak. Even with Kyle Kendrick on the mound tonight, the Phillies still find a way to win, and usually by a pretty nice margin.
Kendrick would disappoint early as he usually does, allowing a run on an Ian Desmond triple, scoring Danny Espinosa. But the Nationals were not done there. Ryan Zimmerman was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners with no outs. More runs seemed inevitable. However, Kyle was able to get two strikeouts, just to walk the bases loaded the next batter. Lucky for him, Wilson Ramos was the next batter, and he would ground out on only the second pitch, leaving the damage at one run.
The Phillies would not come back that inning, however, in the 2nd they would make some noise on a Jayson Werth solo home run. That would tie the game, but it would not stay tied for long. Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez would both single bringing up Wilson Valdez. Valdez would un-tie the game with a double, scoring Ibanez and giving the Phillies a 2-1 lead. The Phillies would add on to their lead in the 3rd. After a Chase Utley walk would start the inning, Ryan Howard would hit a home run to left field, scoring Utley and making the game 4-1. Raul Ibanez would hit a home run of his own making the game 5-1.
The Nationals would conclude the scoring in the 6th with a Mike Morse single, scoring Ryan Zimmerman. The game would end 5-2, and all would be well in Philadelphia. The Phillies magic number for the division shrunk to 11 tonight with the win, so really with only 13 games left, keep winning and the division is ours. A little help from the Braves would be nice, but with six more games against the division rivals, anything could happen. Basic story? Keep winning and you won't need to rely on others to lose, even though right now it looks as though losing is just not an option for this red-hot team.