Burrell delivers!

Stop the presses! Burrell got a clutch hit!

That was a ridiculous game. Gotta say, I genuinely did not expect the Phillies to recover from the Mets going back-to-back-to-back, but Burrell got the best of Wagner (which is especially funny considering their history).

Nice game for Burrell, with the 10th inning RBI double as well, but the Phillies shouldn't get the idea that Pat the Bat is back and move him up in the order. Batting 6th is perfect for him. He'll still get RBI chances, with Utley, Howard, and Rowand in front of him, and Rowand is a much better fit in the 5 slot. Burrell, with his impressive on-base percentage, could help get the bottom of the order going as well. It will be much easier for Abraham Nunez and Carlos Ruiz/Rod Barajas to get hits if there is someone on base for them 40% of the time. The other advantage to this move is that it allows Charlie Manuel to replace Burrell with Michael Bourn in late innings and then not have it come back to bite him when Howard comes up and is immediately walked because (until he reaches base) no pitcher is scared of Bourn.

As good as Burrell was yesterday, the most shocking part of this series from the Phillies perspective is the bullpen's performance. It was one thing for Geary, Madson, and Alfonseca to get the job done. They've proven themselves before. But to get two scoreless innings in a tight game out of Yoel Hernandez and Mike Zagurski, plus a third save in three nights for Alfonseca, was a very pleasant surprise. Zagurski, in particular, looked great. Yes, he got himself into that jam, but he got the big out and didn't look phased by the situation at all.

Of course, the Mets did do the Phillies a favor by refusing, once again, to hit Paul LoDuca second in the order, opting for Ben Johnson instead last night. I've heard this move defended by the Mets announcers, Michael Kay, and others, but I still don't buy it. The logic is that the Mets can't hit LoDuca 2nd because, with all their injuries, it would make the bottom part of the order automatic outs. There's no doubt relievers would be salivating over coming in to face a 6-7-8 of Ben Johnson, Carlos Gomez, and Ruben Gotay (though Jose Valentin is back now. Shouldn't that affect this decision?). But wouldn't you rather have some "automatic outs" late in the lineup than having one hit behind Jose Reyes, your most dangerous hitter? When the whole team is struggling to score runs, why not maximize your offensive production by putting all your good hitters together? With this approach you won't be able to score a run or even make a pitcher work hard in some innings, but with Reyes-LoDuca-Beltran-Delgado-Wright, they'll get some big innings. Why do the 6-8 hitters absolutely need to produce for a team to win in the National League, when there's a good chance the pitcher or pinch-hitter stalls the rally anyway. Willie Randolph may be forgetting he's not still in the American League. Obviously it'd be nice to get production throughout the lineup, but it seems like a waste of Reyes' immense talent to put a AAA quality player hitting second just so Paul LoDuca might get on base for Jose Valentin and Carlos Gomez.

Back to the Phillies though. This was a great win for them, completing the series sweep at Shea, but they MUST win their next series against Kansas City. I've seen the Phillies play down to mediocre teams way too often, especially after big wins. They can't take this series for granted. Doesn't even need to be a sweep, they just have to win two of three and take advantage of their easy Interleague schedule. Whatever they do from here on out, Mets fans aren't going to forget that series for a little while, and if the Phils can put a scare in them, that's worth something.