Phillies Building a Miracle



Kendrick is 7-2 with a 2.08 ERA since June.


Monday, Kyle Kendrick struck out a career-high 8 and took a no-hitter into the 6th inning vs. Miami as the Phillies continued their relentless run at an unlikely playoff spot.

It's official.  After completing their 5th-straight win Monday, their 8th in 10 games, the Phils are the hottest team in the NL and the 2nd-hottest in baseball (after the LA Angels: 9-1, 6-straight wins).

With the Reds beating Pittsburgh 4-3 in 14 innings and St. Louis stumbling to the lowly Padres 11-3 Monday, the Phils moved to within 2 1/2 games of the Pirates and 5 back of St. Louis for the Wild Card with 21 games remaining.

St. Louis, the team presently holding the 2nd and final NL WC playoff spot is now an underwhelming 4-9 in their last 13, while Pittsburgh, barely leading the Phils in the Wild Card standings, is 2-8 in their last 10 and has lost 14-of-19.

Meanwhile, MLB and NL East-leading Washington is only fairly good at 10-8 in their last 18.  Plus, they just shut down arguably their biggest weapon, starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, for the remainder of the season.  That decision has brought inner-conflict to the team, but was determined before the season to keep his innings-pitched to a specific number as this is his return season from Tommy John surgery.

Tuesday, Wild Card hopefuls Arizona and the Dodgers battle eachother, while the immediate team the Phils must pass in the Wild Card standings, Pittsburgh, faces the 1st place Reds.  Meanwhile, Wild Card hopefuls Milwaukee, tied with the Phils in wins-losses, take on Wild Card leaders Atlanta.

All of this is good for the Phils, whose hair-raising timing in getting hot in August and September, may just amount to something yet.

The 3rd-place Phils are now 33-21 in the 2nd-half and have won 13-of -17.

Remembering that this year's team lost 11-of-12 from June 27th-July 13th puts that into perspective.



Kendrick has been a revelation, leading all pitchers.
.

 Kyle Kendrick-- of all people, the player most likely to produce a groan from Phils fans over the past 4 seasons-- has been an instrumental part of that success.

"We definitely know where we're at," Kendrick said. "We've got to win every night. But we're in the hunt. That's fun. Hopefully we can make something happen."

However, Dominic Brown, who homered in the 5th to put the Phils on the board to stay, disagreed:

"I don't think anybody's looking at the standings," he said.

Meanwhile, Manager Charlie Manuel predicted the Phillies would have to win 14 or 15 games over the final 21 to make the playoffs.

"We might win all 21 of them," he said, offering one of the few smiles he's had all season. 

Why not smile?  The Phils are playing with house money like it was 2006.

That year, they dumped salary at the trade deadline, acknowledging they could no longer compete-- for now.  Then, the team went on to record the majors best 2nd-half record, only to miss the playoffs on the season's final couple days by 3 games, while finishing with 2 more wins than NL Central victors, St. Louis.

The 2012 Phils, heavily favored and by no one's measure underdogs, are mounting a similar run.

"I think for a lot of the season many of the teams have counted us out," All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon said. "For a while there we were playing spoiler, and then spoiler kind of dominoed into now-we-have-a-shot. I think we have to get to .500 first."

While they have not overwhelmed anyone all year, at 70-71 they are nearly back to .500 for the 1st time since they were 28-28 on June 4th.

What does all this really mean?

Either that they are proving themselves contenders for next year or that the Phils might make the playoffs in a fashion unprecedented in team history and with a rotation that could compete with anyone, if healthy, come October.

Either way, 28 year-old Kendrick is officially reborn. 

He is now 2-1 with a 2.08 ERA in September, after going a team-best 4-1 with a 2.95 ERA in August.  Add to that his July, 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in relief, and Kendrick is 7-2 with a 2.08 ERA since June.  He is also 5-1 with a 1.49 ERA in his last 6 starts.

That's best on the starter-studded rotation, better than Halladay, Lee and even All-Star Hamels.

Kendrick is making $3 million this year.  Halladay $20 million, Lee $21.5 million and Hamels $15 million.

Nate Schierholtz celebrates his walk-off single Friday.



 Whether the Phils make the '12 playoffs or not, they have officially picked themselves up off the floor and dusted themselves off for a run in 2013, reminding fans and themselves that there can still be winning baseball to celebrate in Philadelphia.

"I see more life, more get-up and go," Manuel said of the recent transformation of his players.

"It's fun to watch, and I think that's what we really need to stick to . . . just going out there and doing what we can do and win ball games," Cole Hamels said yesterday.

1B/LF Darin Ruf was called up Monday after he led all minor leaguers with 38 home runs for Double-A Reading, hitting a HR every 12.86 times at-bat this season.



Darrin Ruf is Phils All-Time single-month HR champ.

 "I like seeing his swing on television because he has a very controlled, short compact swing," Charlie Manuel said. "Powerful swing. The way the ball came off his bat, he had a good load and a good hitting position. From a mechanics standpoint, I liked what I saw from him."

"He's had an extraordinary year," Manuel said. "Ruf is trying to hit his way to the big leagues. That's what it used to be like. You had to do something to get to the big leagues. Evidently, Ruf is an old throwback."


1B/LF Darin "Babe" Ruf.

 "Charlie Manuel said he wants to get me in there, see what I can do,” Ruf said. “I’m looking forward to it.”

This season, Ruf shattered Ryan Howard's club record for most HRs in a month at any professional level with 20 in August for Reading and set the HR and RBI single-season Reading Phils record.

In 2012, Ruf earned the nickname "Babe," while being named the Phillies Minor League Player of the Year, Eastern League MVP and Rookie of the Year by hitting .317/.408/.620 with 32 doubles, 38 HRs and 104 RBIs and a 1.028 OPS in the regular season and led the R-Phils into the Eastern League Playoffs as a Wild Card.  Ruf hit his 39th HR Sunday in the R-Phils' 5-4 playoff loss to Trenton.

Next up:

Tuesday, September 11th

7:05 PM ET @ Citizens Bank Park

Marlins 

Nathan Eovaldi (4-11, 4.44)

vs.

Phillies

Roy Halladay (9-7, 3.87 ERA)