One thing for sure, if the Phillies make the post-season, it won't be anything like last year. Deja-vu went out the window with the continued struggles of Brad Lidge and Cole Hamels. That's not to say that the Phillies won't win the division or go deep into the postseason, but just don't expect it to be anything like 2008.
Even when they scored two in the 9th to take a 4-3 lead, I didn't have any sense that the Phillies would win the game last night in Pittsburgh. Sure enough, it took only three batters, one error by Jayson Werth, and a walk-off home run by speedy rookie Andrew McCutcheon (I've seen him lots at Coca-Cola Park) for the Pirates to win 6-4. For the first time this year, Lidge looked and sounded spent after the game. Charlie says he's sticking with him, and really what else can he now do? Brett Myers may be an option but he's still a long way from being anything on this team.
Kudos to Jimmy Rollins, hitting .300 since July 2. Last night he hit two homers on the first two pitches he saw. Rolling, rolling, rolling.
It used to be that having Cole Hamels pitch the night after a game like last night's meant a sure end to a losing streak. This year, though, Hamels has been anything but a stopper and, for whatever reason, the Phillies have not fared well at PNC Park.
