Utley_slamSource: Phillies.com

With fans panicking over four straight losses to the Astros, someone needed to be the voice of reason, last Friday.  Baseball is a sport where the best team doesn’t always win.  Last week, the Phillies faced a team full of players determined to prove them wrong.  They faced two pitchers in Myers and Happ who have a serious beef against them.  It was the end of a long home stand full of distractions.  Shit happens.

But the Phillies always seem to elevate their game against good teams (except Boston), and it was only a matter of time before Howard and Utley got their timing back- like Stella, and her groove. When a player returns from the DL, not only does he have to regain that timing, he also needs to regain his strength.  Utley returned in the absolute shortest amount of time, as soon as his ligament healed.  There are many upper body exercises you can’t do with an injured thumb (speaking from experience), so not only did Utley have to get his swing back, he also probably had to recoup some lost strength.  All of that doesn't happen overnight.  Not to mention that the Phillies had only played a handful of games with their opening day lineup.  It was only a matter of time before they put it all together again.

Fast forward a week, and the Phils that we know (and love) are back.  Howard, Werth, and Utley all homered in the 7th inning of last night’s game, helping the them pull out a wild Coors Field comeback to cap a 6-1 road trip.  And really, did you expect anything less?  We didn't.

Dated August 27th.

Cb_wins