Ad Disclosure
The Phillies’ NL East Hopes Are Not Mathematically Over, But…
By Nick Piccone
Published:
Sunday’s loss to the Braves has got to be one of worst losses of the season, if not the worst.
Heading into the eighth inning up 4-1, the Phillies squandered a golden opportunity for a big divisional win, ultimately falling to their NL East rival Braves, 5-4.
The Phillies are currently five games behind the Braves, but with Atlanta now owning the head-to-head tiebreaker, it’s really six. To think they still realistically have a chance at winning the NL East is just irrational fandom (which is okay!)
Of course miracles can happen, but there’s a four-year sample size of the Phillies advancing further in the playoffs when they have to play in the Wild Card round than when they win the division and get a bye. So maybe this is the preferable path.
Whether those seven straight fastballs came from Garrett Stubbs or Caleb Cotham, it certainly became the talking point of the game. Bad execution leads to bad results, and on Sunday, it ultimately cost the Phillies a real opportunity to win the NL East. So the focus will likely shift to the Cubs and vying for the first Wild Card spot so they can host that round.
The only way the Phillies can conceivably stay in the hunt for the division is if they win the final four games against the Braves. And I don’t think any of us expect that to happen.
Hence, they need a miracle.
We’ll see how the rest of the month plays out, but sometimes losses like these are good for teams. I won’t go that far at this point, but the vibes surrounding the Phillies and the Braves have had their fair share of positivity and negativity throughout the course of this season. They’re not that far apart. But, understandably, nobody wants to hear that right now.
The hot hitters have cooled off a bit, and now the pressure is building once again to the pitching staff to keep the games as close as possible. And I think one of the worst things you can ask of your pitching staff is to have them be nearly perfect. It’s certainly not going to work with this bullpen.
I miss August.
Nick Piccone has covered Philly sports and events for over 15 years with various outlets, including PhillyVoice.com and PhillyInfluencer.com. In 2015, he co-launched the Straight Shooters Podcast, focused on covering the professional wrestling industry. He was a producer at Fox Sports Radio Philadelphia and currently produces broadcast and social media content for the Villanova Sports Radio Network. He grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey, and is a graduate of Neumann University. Contact: picconenick@gmail.com