Plenty of Heroes

As recently as 7:04PM last Thursday night the consensus seemed to be the Phils would need to win the division to make the playoffs again. By 10PM Sunday night the consensus had changed as the Phils wrapped up a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers to tie them for the Wild Card lead and move to within a game of the division-leading Mets. Two chances are always better than one!

Going into the series with the Brewers most observers felt the Phils had to win three of four to improve their post-season prospects but that a split seemed more likely. So much for that consensus! The four straight victories over a fading Brewers club clearly evoked memories of last season's September surge and energized a team that only a few days earlier had dropped two of three to the visiting Florida Marlins.

There were plenty of heroes to go around but the best of show goes to a starting rotation that had Jamie Moyer and Brett Myers each pitching on three days rest and winning, Cole Hamels dominating on Saturday and Joe Blanton finally coming through in the clutch in Sunday's first game. Of them all, Myers' 2-hit shutout Sunday night was the gem. There is no denying Myers' sojourn in the minors was more than just beneficial to his career; it was a turning point. Ever since his return he has made the case for being the staff ace or at least co-ace with Hamels. To point it bluntly, Myers appears to have finally grown up and stepped up. He even provided a crucial rbi single to right followed shortly thereafter by a deisel-like churn around third base culminating in a perfect slide a home plate. We don't know if he also sold tickets and hot dogs during the evening.

The top of the Phillies order, especially J-Roll, Utley and Howard, provided most of the punch throughout the four-game set with Milwaukee though there were plenty of other contributors including Shane Victorino, who had five hits on Sunday. Until his 0-for on Sunday evening, Ryan Howard was one of the hottest hitters on the planet, increasing his major league-leading home run and rbi totals.

Now that Big Mo' is on their bandwagon, the Phils have to keep it there. If they do, there is no stopping their march to October.