The Philadelphia Phillies have caught the Mets from behind as they are both 87-72 with 3 games left in the season.  The Phillies are also 1 game behind the Padres for the Wild Card.  So it all comes down to three games with the Washington Nationals in Philly.  The Phillies have three super hot hitters right now in Jimmy Rollins who is 9 for his last 27 (.333 avg) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs.  Chase Utley has also been outstanding lately as he is 8 for his last 24 (.333 avg) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 6 RBIs.  The defending MVP on the N.L. has saved his best for last as he is 8 for his last 20 (.400 avg) with 5 runs scored, 3 homers and 8 RBIs.  Look for the surging Phillies to topple the fading Mets who are playing at home this weekend where they have lost their last 7 games.

When the Phillies acquired Kyle Lohse from the Reds most experts didn’t think he would help the Phillies.  But he has pitched well enough to keep the Phillies in his starts.  He has started 9 games for the Phillies and he is 2-0 with a 4.25 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP.  In 48.2 innings for the Phillies, Lohse has allowed 50 hits, walked 21 batters and whiffed 33.  The Phillies have gotten really hot as they have won 8 of their last 10 games including six in a row.  The Phillies are now only 1.5 games behind the Mets in the National League East and 1.5 games behind the Padres for the National League Wild Card.

The Phillies are now 76-68 on the season which is good for 2nd place in the National League East, 6 games behind the Mets.  The Phillies would be better served to focus on the Wild Card as they are only 2.5 games behind the Padres.  It will be interesting to see if the Phillies can hit thier way into the playoffs because their pitching staff has been pretty bad this season.

The Phillies are darn lucky that they have an awesome offense because their pitching staff is holding them back.  The Phillies are currently 72-65 which has them in 2nd place in the National League East, 5 games behind the Mets.  The Phillies are also only 3 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks for the Wild Card spot.  The Phillies have scored 749 runs (5.5 avg) which is the most in the National League….but they have also allowed 705 (5.1 runs per game) which is way too many!  Jimmy Rollins starts everything off for the Phillies as their leadoff hitter.  He is hitting .297 with 119 runs scored, 25 homers, 79 RBIs and 28 stolen bases!  Aaron Rowand is having the best season of his major league career as he is hitting .310 with 89 runs scored, 23 homers and 77 RBIs.  Ryan Howard is following up his MVP season with another sterling performance as he is hitting .269 with 77 runs scored, 36 homers and 111 RBIs.  Chase Utley has missed a month of this season but you wouldn’t know by looking at his numbers as he is hitting .340 with 82 runs scored, 18 homers and 88 RBIs.  The pitching has been poor overall but it’s hard to blame this trio of pitchers.  Cole Hamels has developed into one of the best pitchers in the majors as he is 14-5 with a 3.50 ERA.  Rookie Kyle Kendrick has come out of nowhere to help the Phillies this season as he is 8-3 with a 3.70 ERA.  Brett Myers has been outstanding since he has been the closer of the Phillies.  In 32 relief appearances, Myers is 3-3 with 13 saves in 14 chances with a 2.80 ERA.

The Phillies are 6-7 the last two weeks as they have been outscored 83-54.  The Phillies pitching has been really poor lately and that’s really hurt them as they have been hitting the ball ok.  The Phillies enter this week with a 32-31 record which has them in 3rd place in the National League East, 5 games behind the Mets.