Philadelphia Phillies Fan Blog

Finishing strong is what motivates Phils

If Sunday was the day the Phillies began their push to the 2009 World Series, what a day. Kyle Kendrick left the field to a standing ovation in the afternoon, and Pedro Martinez — the wily veteran — threw 130 pitches in the nightcap in a doubleheader sweep over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park. The Phillies improved to 82-60 to take a 6 1/2-game lead over the Marlins in the National League East with 20 games to play.

Their magic number is 14. But before the Phillies swept the Mets on Sunday, things were rocky at best. They had lost 10 of their previous 18 games. They had averaged just 3.4 runs per game. They had hit just .188 with runners in scoring position. They blew five saves. Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel talked on Thursday in Washington about how his team played down to its competition, particularly against losing teams like Pittsburgh, Houston and Washington. He talked last Monday in Houston about how the past is the past, and the fact the Phillies seemed to play well when they had their backs against the wall meant nothing this year.

Click here to read the full article – By Todd Zolecki of MLB.com

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September 14, 2009 Posted by GameSetMatch | MLB, Phillies News | Baseball, MLB, Philadelphia Phillies, Philadelphia Phillies T-Shirts, philidelphia, Phillies, phillies baseball | No Comments Yet