These Phillies certainly are not going to make Ruben Amaro Jr.'s decision any easier.
Last night they decided to make things tough on Kyle Kendrick as well.
The Phils' starter was cranking up a great game, matching Nationals' standout All-Star Jordan Zimmerman goose egg for goose egg, despite some seriously ham-handed play behind him.
The Phillies botched four plays in the field, with Chase Utley collecting three errors all by himself.
But the defense got crucial plays when they need them and Kendrick hung tough, allowing the Nats just one run in seven innings, scattering five hits along the way. The Phillies got key hits from Kevin Frandsen and Ben Revere to post a gutty 3-1 win.
Rack up another series win for this group over a contending team with a record above .500, adding them to the Pirates and Braves, who the Phils topped in the last week.
In the process the Phils clawed back to within a game of .500 for what seems like the umpteenth time this summer. They will get a chance to even their record tonight when they open a three-game set against the Chicago White Sox, the final games before the All-Star break.
So what does Amaro do? Buy or sell? The Phils remain seven and a half behind the Braves, a game and a half behind Washington for second place.
If the Phils take the series against the Sox, Amaro will have no choice but to try to acquire the necessary pieces to take one more run with this group.
Give the Phillies credit. They could have rolled over at any point in this first half. They didn't. And in the process they are managing to deliver meaningful baseball much later in the summer than many thought possible.
Comments