By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor
And down the stretch they come…
And down they all go. Tripping and flailing over each other.
There’s no other way to describe the National League East and Wild Card playoff races as we head toward the craziness of September. No team seems to want to take their fate by the balls and run away with a postseason birth.
Not the Braves. Not the Phillies. Not the Cardinals. Not the Giants.
Ryan Howard was a tad upset upon being ejected from Tuesday's game. Will that incident help the Phillies regain focus on the sprint toward a postseason birth?
The Phillies have lost three to the lowly Houston Astros thanks to their now healthy lineup looking hitting like the walking wounded should have without their stars. They have posted a 5-5 record over the last ten games. Yet, the Phillies are no worse for it as the Braves have also gone 5-5.
While MLB surely likes the fact that the race remains tight into the final weeks of the year, they’d probably be more enamored with the prospect of a run to the finish if both teams were hot. The fact is, they’re not.
And, the Braves and Phils aren’t alone.
The Cardinals and Giants are in the thick of the Wild Card race with the Phillies. The Phils find themselves in a virtual tie with the Giants and just a one-game lead on the Cards. San Francisco has gone 4-6 over their last ten, while the Cards are a pathetic 3-7.
At the end of the race, the Phillies bats will decide whether or not they make the postseason for a fourth consecutive year. The pitching has been more than competent.
The Phillies field an everyday lineup that is a Carlos Ruiz all-star appearance away from fielding a Yankees-like stud lineup. They need to start hitting like it.
After today’s getaway game against the Astros, the road doesn’t get any easier. The Phils next games are in San Diego and Los Angeles. One is the NL’s best team; the other is fighting for its slim postseason life.
A year ago, Ryan Howard said, “get me to the plate, boys.”
He might want to print up t-shirts for the locker room saying, “Time to score some runs, boys.”
The Phillies are in a position to propel themselves into October. The question is, do they want it?
