Fool on the Hill

Game 133 - Phillies

Mets 6, Phils 3

Record: 73 wins, 60 losses - 2nd place (again) 1/2 GB NYM

With much respect for our dear friend Whitney, I am not hanging this on Uncle Cholly or the pen. Nosiree, Andy. This one is clearly, completely and solely the responsibility of those boys in the lineup.

Only one extra base hit all night and that came against the mighty Ho-hann.

Only 3 hits against the beleaguered Met pen.

Only 6 hits all game.

You can't expect Kyle Kendrick to hold up to 3 runs. You cannot expect your own pen - one that labored beyond all reasonable expectations to magnificent results the previous night - to shut out the Mets.

What you should expect is for your hitters to approach each night the way they approached the game Tuesday night. Keep battling, keep the inning going, keep piling on. The Phils had runners on practically every inning yet Ho-hann still managed to stay around 100 pitches after 6 innings.

Well, this one goes in the books to the Mets and they deserve credit. Time and again, they have responded to the Phillies' challenges. The good news for the Phillies is that there are only 3 games left against their nemesis from Flushing. 18 games remain against the reeling Marlins (funny, huh?) and the feckless Nats and the nowhere bound Braves.