At the risk of sounding pessimistic - which in all honesty I'm not trying to be - you've been touting lines like this since the team first showed signs of struggle in the early days of the season. The problem is that we're now closing in on the halfway point of the season and this team is still battling to look like one capable of winning 80-83 games. Sure, they're still four games back in the division after another dismal road trip, but the Mets own the worst winning percentage of any division leader in the league. The Padres - 3rd in the NL West - currently hold the second wild card spot, sit a full ten games above .500, and own a better record than the Mets.
So while remaining in New York's rearview mirror does keep the chance of a pennant and the postseason alive, IMO the Phillies need to start putting wins together on the road (currently 13-23) and against winning teams (19-22) before that carries much significance. There is, of course, enough time for them to do that, but the further into the season they get teeter-totting .500 the more it looks like the only race they're in is to reach league-average in wins (currently a half-game under).
