Philadelphia Phillies Suddenly Have a Chance to Do the Unthinkable

The Philadelphia Phillies put together another dramatic ninth-inning win against the Washington Nationals on Thursday night, taking three of four in Bryce Harper's former ballpark as they prepare for a three-game set against the reeling New York Mets.

Back on April 26, the Phillies fell to 9-19, resulting in the firing of manager Rob Thomson. Don Mattingly replaced him, and since then, Philadelphia has gone 36-17, good for the second-best record in the majors throughout that span.

What's more, the Phillies were 10 games behind the Atlanta Braves for first place in the NL East at that time. They were also nine games back in the loss column as recently as June 7.

Well, as Philadelphia continues to win and the Braves slide, the Phillies have made up significant ground in the division and now sit just four games behind Atlanta — five in the loss column — with the All-Star break approaching.

What once seemed like an impossible task for the Phillies is now well within reach, and with the Braves floundering to find answers for an ailing starting rotation, Philadelphia could ultimately rise to the top sooner than you think.

Of course, there are some caveats.

Atlanta has a plus-92 run differential, which ranks fourth in all of baseball. The Phillies are at plus-4, and their Pythagorean record has them at 41-40.

There is no question that Philadelphia has benefited from substantial luck in the midst of this tremendous stretch. The team is an MLB-best 16-6 in one-run games, a stat that usually evens out in the end. The Phillies are also operating with an offense that has been among the worst in baseball all season.

Not only that, but Philadelphia's starting rotation is more than questionable once you get past Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler, especially given Jesus Luzardo's inconsistency.

None of that has mattered for the better part of the last two months, however, as the Phillies have chipped away at what initially appeared to be a nearly insurmountable Braves lead in the NL East.

Philadelphia has a great opportunity to make up some more ground before the break, too. After playing three road games against the Mets this weekend, the Phillies will then host a four-game series versus the Pittsburgh Pirates before heading back on the road to face the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds and Detroit Tigers.

Other than the Pirates, who currently sit at a far-from-intimidating 41-40, all of those opponents are below .500, giving Philadelphia a chance to do some real damage here.

It will also be interesting to see what Dave Dombrowski decides to do before the MLB trade deadline. At least one significant move seems inevitable.

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