Phillies Work Wonders over Weekend

Written by Mike Mariano | 12 July 2010

4 games, 3 walk off wins, 1 tight game win, still 4.5 games back.  That last one is a bit of a buzzkill, but who cares.  Getting a sweep with these types of wins is fanastic for team and fan morale.  Winning is always great but doing it in this fashion is decidedly more fun.  The confidence it gives a ball club to win like this is immeasurable.

In the finale, Cole Hamels went 7.2 strong scoreless and all he needed was a third inning Jimmy Rollins RBI single and some light work from Contreras, Romero & Lidge to seal the deal.  The Reds staff including young starter Matt Maloney threw well, but their offense was asleep today.  Most likely they were a little downtrodden from all the walk-off loses -- that kills a team's confidence, most notably in the pitching staff.  Offensive gets start to feel like nothing is ever enough.  The pitchers are going to blow it no matter the score and that breeds a toxic environment -- tough to win that way.

So, here we stand 4.5 back going into the All-Star Break, but for the first time in a while we've got a leg of solid momentum to stand on.  The break is welcomed and it's good to reach it on a high note.