21 Philadelphia Phillies (Wheeler) @ Atlanta Braves (Morton)

zambonir 2021-09-29 02:12:25 UTC #121

should have had the greenlight at 3-0

Patchmk88 2021-09-29 02:12:35 UTC #122

As bkeich said, this game was lost in the first inning when we didn’t capitalize after getting the first couple of guys on.

LoneStarPhan 2021-09-29 02:13:06 UTC #123

Was that a fastball down the middle of the plate? Forced Smith to throw 29 pitches in the 9th. Just not near enough offense to expect to win. Two hits before the Phillies made an out and only one more hit as they make 27 outs.

I know there is still a chance, but I don't think the Phillies could afford to lose even one game in this series. I am afraid it is over for 2021. I do hope the Phillies break out and win the next 5 games, but unless the Braves flop against the Mets, they are not catching them.

bkeich 2021-09-29 02:13:08 UTC #124

(Deleted)

EDmuch 2021-09-29 02:14:34 UTC #125

I am proud of this team. They have battled through so much adversity. I give them a lot of credit. For a couple of years now I have badgered about the failure of the Phils to make a legit effort to sign Morton. This is the ultimate proof of that folly for never trying to get Morton as a Phil.

zambonir 2021-09-29 02:17:59 UTC #126

I don't know that I blame Joe for sticking with Didi there (and Bohm was also going to bat after Galvis, otherwise it would have been Knapp). I blame him for sticking with Didi overall.

Yeah they pretty much have to win the next five games for it to not be over, and even then Braves would only need one win.

If nothing else they are now battling to stave off elimination in this series.

zambonir 2021-09-29 02:19:44 UTC #127

They finished better than the Reds and Padres at least. Just not as well as the Braves (remember when they were 0-4?) or Cards.

One of these years you will finally be wrong about Morton but he proved you right (and the Astros and Rays wrong) again. Maybe next year.

Sabin 2021-09-29 06:02:34 UTC #128

But, what about the veteran presence he gives the team?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but if the Phillies win out they finish with 86 wins. The Braves are currently at 84, so wouldn't they need to win two more?

At first glance this threw me. But by 'better' here, I take it you mean 'stronger' - else I'd admire your positivity!

Philsmania 2021-09-29 11:25:14 UTC #129

The Braves' magic number is now three. A sweep would finish this off. If the Phillies manage to take just one, it will only take one Brave win against the Mets or a Phillies loss in Miami to wrap it up.

The Braves probably deserve some credit too for getting hot here at the end, 8-2 in their last ten and a four game win streak. While the Phillies aren't 2007 hot, the Braves aren't collapsing either.

zambonir 2021-09-29 16:49:13 UTC #130

Yeah, I don't know what I was thinking there. Our elimination number is three so if Phillies go 5-0 the Braves would still have to sweep the Mets (or lose one and then beat the Rockies). Hope! Can we beat them twice to even make this a conversation?

Last time I looked at the standings - the reverse standings, actually - we were better than the Reds, but mostly I was responding to the fact that they were eliminated last night, after looking much better-positioned than us to take the wild card for weeks (as the Padres looked for months).

We always needed the Braves to stumble a little bit, if not extensively than at least in San Diego, to come into this series. Without that, they couldn't really afford to lose the two games they did, nor to get anything other than a sweep in Atlanta.