Phillies' Magic Can't Possibly Be Sustainable, Can It?

The Philadelphia Phillies have certainly had a flare for the dramatic this season, and that was on full display on Sunday afternoon.

Trailing 4-0 and down to their final strike against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Phillies staged a furious two-out rally capped by Kyle Schwarber's monster walk-off home run to dead center field, giving Philadelphia a 6-4 victory.

The Phillies have now won nine games in a row and continue to gain separation in the NL Wild Card race, and they are also still gaining on the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

But can this magic possibly be sustainable in Philadelphia?

The Phillies are 23-11 in one-run games, the best record in baseball. They own a modest plus-27 run differential in spite of being 73-58. Their expected win-loss record is 69-62. They have clear holes all over their roster.

And yet, somehow, some way, Philadelphia keeps on winning.

Is it possible this team could have the "it" factor, a quality that the Phillies clearly have not had in their last couple of underwhelming postseason exits?

It still isn't even September yet, so there is plenty of baseball left to play. There is no guarantee Philadelphia makes the playoffs. But at this point, it would be pretty shocking if the Phils fell out of it.

The vibe around this ballclub feels different right now. Suddenly, Alec Bohm — who actually missed Sunday's thriller with groin and hamstring tightness — is a dynamo at the plate. Bryson Stott, who bruised his foot after fouling off a ball in the eighth inning, has been terrific for months now. The trade deadline of Luis Arraez has proven to be crucial.

And for the second straight game, Schwarber has left the yard after having previously homered in just two contests since July 19.

Cristopher Sanchez didn't even have his best stuff in the series finale against the Cardinals, but the Phillies found a way to win anyway.

The lineup is still questionable. The bullpen is still a major problem. The starting rotation depth looks better with the improvement of Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter, but it remains a bit dicey.

Regardless, Philadelphia has shrugged off all of those concerns on this recent tear.

I don't necessarily believe in peaking to early. Winning streaks are great no matter the time of year. But you do have to wonder if the Phillies' luck will ultimately exhaust itself between now and October.

For now, though, Philadelphia is riding an incredible wave and is playing some of its best — and most fun — baseball in recent memory.