Lee
Congrats, Cliff…. everybody gets one… at home. (Photo: USA Today)

Okay, so maybe that's a little pessimistic given what the Phillies accomplished this weekend… maybe it's the rain or something. More on that in a second.

But first, a word from our sponsors:

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Back to the Phils… there's a lot of good you can take from a four-game winning streak, but many of you are thinking about where this was all season long. The Phillies are still 16.5 games back in the NL East despite taking three in a row from the division's top team… but here's something that will potentially get you unnecessarily riled up.

Photo
Photo: (Yahoo! Sportacular)

9.5 games isn't insurmountable. The Tampa Bay Rays earned a playoff bid coming back from a nine-game deficit just last year. By my calculations, the Phillies would probably have to go something like 26-8 to have a real shot. That's asking a lot from a team who gives so many ties and leads away in the eighth inning, but anything is possible, right?

At this point, I'll take .500. 

The Roundup:

  • Flight Night was last night, and it was largely uneventful. And no one, including Stewart Bradley tore their ACL this time. Memories.
  • Joe Buck, your favorite person to hate on Sundays, is growing facial hair, giving you yet another unjustified reason to maintain your hatred.
  • Finally, T.O. had this to say yesterday… I guess three dropped balls in three preseason games will do this to you…

 

I think I'm finally starting to have a bit of sympathy for him… maybe. Happy Monday, folks.

You can follow Ryan Gillon on Twitter @SeriouslyRyan.