It Bears Repeating

"Every night a different guy steps up."

There's a perfectly good explanation why the above has been said a thousand times before and will be said a thousand times more going forward: it happens.

Last night Pat Burrell, all but given up for dead lo these last several weeks, slammed what turned out to be a game-winning two-run homer two evenings after striking out five times in a row. Nearly everyone had been calling for his benching in favor of, well, just about anyone on the roster with a pulse. Not only was Burrell mired in a tremendous slump, his defense, never a strong suit, had been very erratic as well. Fortunately, the only guy with the authority to sit him, Charlie Manuel, stuck by his left-fielder. Call it loyalty to a veteran, something Manuel is inclined to do, or playing a hunch, something the manager is very prone to follow, or his undying faith in the healing powers of the long ball, a prescription Charlie lives and dies by, it turned out to be the right decision. On a night when the rest of the Philliels' offense slumbered a bit, Burrell stepped up.

The victory was their seventh straight and ninth in a row this season at Turner Field, the latter an almost unheard of record. The 4-3 win also kept them a half game up on the Mets. Coupled with another loss by the Brewers, it appears increasingly likely the NL East will be represented by two teams in the playoffs. "Increasingly likely" but hardly settled as the Phils make their next stop in south Florida for three games with the Marlins. The Fish have given the Phillies fits this entire year, most recently taking two of three at Citizens Bank Park. The young, upstart Marlins still have a shot at the playoffs and thus everything to play for. No one has told them they were supposed to fade away months ago. Yes, yes, every game is crucial now but the suspicion here is these three games in Miami hold the key to the rest of the season.