Streaking Phillies look to bust division wide open

The Philadelphia Phillies are hot right now. They seem to be clicking on all cylinders and have picked up after the All Star break exactly where they left off. The team is a winner of seven games in a row and nine out of ten as they head into Saturday night’s contest against the second place Florida Marlins, a team whom the Phillies hold a six-game edge over in the division.

Even Mother Nature can’t cool off the Phillies. During Friday night’s 12-inning victory over the Marlins, the game was delayed one hour 18 minutes for rain. The rain, no doubt, contributed to the Marlins tying the game late on the Phillies. The Phillies were up 4-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when the Miami skies opened up. Phillies starter Cole Hamels looked like his old self, allowing only four hits and one run in five innings prior to the rain. After the rain delay, Hamels was replaced and the bullpen couldn’t hold on to the lead, but with clutch hitting and the services of Brad Lidge, the Phils were able to squeak out a 6-5 victory.

This series with the Marlins could prove to be crucial as the second half of the season begins. Since Florida is in second place, every win for the Phillies further extends their lead in the division over them. If the Phillies can take at least one more game in this four game set, that would stretch their lead to seven games over the Marlins, a team who some think have what it takes in young talent and pitching to at least make a run at the Phillies for the division title this year.

Meanwhile, the Braves are probably the only team with a legitimate chance to challenge the Phillies for the division crown. They have quality pitching, talented hitters, and a manager who knows how to win. They also swept the Phillies in Atlanta a few weeks ago while the Phillies were struggling mightily. The Braves, who are also six games back in the division, are currently beating up on the AAA club that is wearing the New York Mets uniforms. The Mets, who are now 8.5 games behind the Phillies, lost Friday night 11-0 in Atlanta and due to key injuries, are all but finished this season.

A six or seven game lead may not seem like a big lead in the division, and in July it isn’t, but it would take a near meltdown (like the Mets in 2007) for the Phillies to actually give up that lead. The Phillies are playing great baseball currently, and now is the time for them to open up their division lead to double digits. They just acquired former three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez to fill their fifth starter position and are still the top team to land Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay. If the Phillies land Halladay, the question isn’t “Will the Phillies win the division?” The question will be “By how many games will the Phillies win the division?”

Even if the Phils don’t land Halladay, they are still the favorite to win the division. Granted they do have a lot of games left to play against the Braves and Marlins which could make things interesting down the stretch, but the Phillies are typically a strong second-half team and they certainly know how to finish off the competition.