Phillies Are NL East Champs

I've been avoiding writing about the Phillies since July, partly out of frustration and partly out of a fear of jinxing them. I'm not superstitious, but, to quote Michael Scott, "I am a little stitious." That said, I won't take any credit for the Phillies incredible comeback (coupled with the Mets collapse) that allowed them to take the National League East and make the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

While some might argue that the Colorado Rockies have actually had the more impressive run, winning 12 in a row and forcing a one-game playoff with the San Diego Padres, the Phillies have had far more to overcome. First off, the NL East is far more competitive than the NL West. The Mets and Braves are both very good teams and, as the Mets found out the hard way, the Marlins and Nationals have the talent to steal some games. The NL West is talented, but the D-backs have clearly had a good amount of luck this year, as they have been outscored on the season. The Padres can't hit and the Rockies pitching is nothing special. The Dodgers are an average team, and the Giants are terrible. Yes, they had four teams in the playoff hunt and technically have three that will be playing in October, but the Mets, Phillies, or Braves all would have won that division.

Also, don't forget all the injuries the Phillies faced. Any Phillies fan knows this, but just to recap: Jon Lieber and Freddy Garcia went down early and were lost for the season, Brett Myers and Tom Gordon both missed time, Ryan Howard spent two weeks on the DL early on, Chase Utley missed a month, as did Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson is still out and may not return for the playoffs, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, and Michael Bourn also hit the DL. There were, in fact, a few "productive" injuries, such as the ones to Adam Eaton and Rod Barajas. The Phillies were better off without those two and here's hoping that they never don Phillies uniforms again. The starting lineup has featured Zach Segovia, Fabio Castro, J.D. Durbin, J.A. Happ, Russell Branyan, and Chris Roberson (though I would still take any of them over Eaton and Barajas).

The only Phillies to stay healthy were Jimmy Rollins and Jamie Moyer. (I would include Pat Burrell, but I would like to pretend he was injured in the first half. That's the only way I can justify it.) It was fitting that Rollins and Moyer were key to Sunday's division-clinching win. Rollins was locked in from the start and really jump-started the offense. Moyer was his usual self. He worked the corners (and was benefited by a wide strike zone) and forced the Nationals hitters to beat themselves. He only lasted 5 1/3 innings, but the suddenly effective three-man bullpen finished the game for him. Gordon got out of trouble in the 6th, J.C. Romero pitched two scoreless innings, and Myers finished it off with a called third strike to Wily Mo Pena.

Of course, the Phillies had some help. A lot of pressure was taken off as the Mets were hammered by the Marlins, who clearly had it in for them after Saturday's game, in which Miguel Olivo charged Jose Reyes and was ejected and suspended. Dontrelle Willis was pulled in the third inning, despite giving up on one run. This is not a move a team out of contention would normally make with a young pitcher in the last game of the season. The Marlins also brought in closer Kevin Gregg to finish off the game, despite holding a seven-run lead.

So now Phillies fans are in a state of disbelief, not just because it's the Phillies who celebrated their 10,000th loss in the same year they have ended their playoff drought, but because this team has no business being in the playoffs. The Phillies have been hit just as hard, if not harder, by injuries as the Cardinals, who were unable to finish with a .500 record despite playing in an exceptionally weak division. That's not a knock on the Cardinals, but a tribute to this Phillies team. Hard as it is, I have to give Charlie Manuel some credit for keeping them in the race. He should not be Manager of the Year, as he is an abysmal strategist, but the Phillies could have been in worse hands.

Can the Phillies keep it up and win in the playoffs? Who knows. This has the feel of a storybook season and a championship would be a happy ending for Philadelphia's long-suffering fans, but, as anyone in Philly will be sure to tell you, it is still the Phillies. That said, after this season, you gotta believe.