Hello my name is Drew Smith and I am writing you again to let you know that I’m a big dumb idiot and the Philadelphia Phillies have made me believers yet again. This will certainly end in pain and misery, but until then, we still have baseball games to play. Last night, someone other than Bryce Harper stepped up as the Phillies took game one against the Mets by a final score of 4-3. The Phillies are now 75-72 and within two games of the National League East leading Atlanta Braves, who have their hands full in San Francisco, with just 17 games left to play. As for the Wild Card, the Phillies remain 2.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals.

Side Note: I don’t really enjoy those on social media who constantly tell me to “only look at the loss column and half games don’t count”. I know that. Idiots. But that’s how MLB.com lists the standings, so I’m going to continue to list those. Either read the article and understand that or don’t. Anyways, back to The Fightins.

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Mr. September Zack Wheeler improved to 3-0 on the month with a 1.02 ERA last night. He honestly didn’t have his best stuff but remained consistent as he continued to make his case to win the National League Cy Young. Wheeler threw five innings, allowing four hits, and one earned run while walking just one batter and striking out six. The Phillies scored runs on two sac flies from Matt Vierling and Freddy Galvis. They also scored on an RBI double from Didi Gregorius and a solo home run from Brad Miller.

The game was 4-1 Phillies heading into the 8th inning when of course, the bullpen ran into some trouble. Archie Bradley was disappointing yet again, he allowed three doubles in the inning and the Mets looked like they were going to hand the Phillies another blown save and crushing loss on the night. Bradley was pulled, which brought in Ian Kennedy to attempt a four out save. Kennedy was hit hard, but managed to shut the door and give the Phillies a 4-3 victory.

Today, Aaron Nola will take the mound for the Phillies. He has been anything but consistent for the Phillies and is currently 7-8 on the season with a 4.58 ERA. The Phillies needed someone to contribute from the plate besides Bryce Harper and they got just that last night. Now, they need Aaron Nola to pitch well today to keep the momentum moving. As for the Braves, they have two more games against the San Francisco Giants before playing four games against the D-Backs and 3.5 games against the San Diego Padres.

The Phillies will finish up tomorrow in New York and then come home to play the Baltimore Orioles before meeting Atlanta at the end of the month with the division on the line. The time to go on a run is now.

Another Side Note: I love the Phillies official social media account tweeting out “Jimmy Cigs”. Elite content.

Just Ring It. The Hunt for Red October continues. Happy Nola Day.

Mandatory Credit: The Philadelphia Phillies