The Phillies wrapped up a 2-5 homestand last night against the Atlanta Braves, dropping game four of the series 4-1.

Before the series finale last night, Rob Thomson was on with the WIP Morning Show and dropped a statement regarding Ronald Acuna Jr’s home run celebration the night before.

Rob Thomson: “I like our guys to act like they’ve been there before”

“I like our guys to act like they’ve been there before.”

Rob Thomson on Ronald Acuña Jr’s celebration last night pic.twitter.com/hboizAkTs6

— WIP Morning Show (@WIPMorningShow) September 13, 2023

To credit Rob Thomson, that’s not exactly what the quote was and in typical 94.1 WIP fashion, it was taken somewhat out of context. They left out the part where Topper said that he doesn’t mind players celebrating and that they can “do what they want” but he personally likes his guys to act like they have been there before. That’s essentially the real quote, which is much less dramatic than the snipped tweeted out of the WIP Morning Show.

Not to mention, if Thomson was such an “old school” type of manager that want’s his guys to act like they’ve been there before, then he might as well served up a few pitches high and inside on softer-than-baby-shit Ronald Acuna Jr for he and the rest of the dorks on the Braves ridiculous home run celebrations on the base paths.

That solves the issue. C’mon, Topper. Act like you’ve been there before.

Anyways, the Phillies lost last night 4-1, dropping 3 of 4 in the series and ending their seven-game homestand with a miserable 2-5 record.

With last night’s win, the Atlanta Braves clinched the National League East for the sixth straight year. They celebrated their division-clinching win on the sacred grounds of Citizens Bank Park last night and the Phillies even threw up a congratulatory message on their scoreboard.

Phillies Scoreboard at Citizens Bank Park…

Atlanta wins its sixth straight NL East title. The Phillies have lost five of their last seven games. They are 79-67. pic.twitter.com/TlkuoQxCLd

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) September 14, 2023

Hey Atlanta Braves, We Don’t Care

Honestly, I’m not even sure why anyone cares about the Atlanta Braves winning the National League East or really, the Phillies congratulating them on the scoreboard after the loss last night.

Seriously, who gives a shit? The Phillies haven’t even sniffed first place since they were FIVE GAMES BEHIND THE BRAVES in the month of MAY.

If anyone has been worrying about the Atlanta Braves over the past four months, then you have serious issues. Hope of the internet and go enjoy a nice day tailgating for the Philadelphia Eagles game tonight against the Minnesota Vikings.

I could care less about the regular season heroes down in Atlanta. They now have roughly three weeks off before they have to play meaningful baseball again in October.

Good luck.

We all witnessed how flat the Braves looked last season in the NLDS, a series that the Phillies won rather easily on their way to what really matters, a National League Pennant and a trip tot he World Series.

The Hunt for Red October is alive in the NL Wild Card

The Phillies will have the day off today and then it’s time to handle business against the St. Louis Cardinals on the road this weekend.

From there, they’ll head to Atlanta for three games before returning to Citizens Bank Park for the final homestand of 2023. The Phillies face the New York Mets (4 games) and Pittsburgh Pirates at home before ending the regular season on the road with three more against the Mets.

The Phillies have a 1.5 game lead over the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot with 16 games left in the regular season. 

There are no moral victories.

I will say, however, those five losses came on a combined eight runs and two of them happened in extra innings after hitting game-tying homers late in the game.

Dropping 3 of 4 to the Braves after losing 2 of 3 to the Marlins is certainly a brutal stretch of baseball in the final month the regular season for the Phillies.

A 2-5 homestand was the last thing this team needed in the middle of September.

Brutal stretch for The Fightins for sure, but if you’ve been reading The Liberty Line, you would have expected those results already.

16 Games Remaining: at STL (3), at ATL (3), vs. NYM (4), vs. PIT (3), at NYM (3)

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