PHILADELPHIA -- Jimmy Rollins was right.
His January declaration that the Phillies were the "team to beat" in the National League East sparked a rivalry with the defending division champs that played out every time they played. At Shea Stadium, Rollins become the favorite villain, and loved the attention.
While the Phillies aren't there yet, Rollins has to love where the Phils are after Friday's 6-0 win over the Nationals gave them sole possession of first, a half-game ahead of the Mets, who were playing the Marlins.
Should the Mets continue their freefall from a seven-game lead on Sept. 12 with 17 games to play, Philadelphia will wake up Saturday in first place alone for the first time since April 6, 2005.
Through the offense provided by Rollins and Ryan Howard, who hit his 45th home run, ace Cole Hamels carried his teammates into first place with a dominating effort. The lefty limited the Nationals to six hits and struck out 13 over 116 pitches.
The Phillies won for the 12th time in 15 games, their best run of the season, while the Mets were on the verge of losing for the 11th time in 15 games.
Remember the Phillies' 4-11 start that forced them into catchup mode? It took an identical swoon by the Mets for Philadelphia to get there.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
His January declaration that the Phillies were the "team to beat" in the National League East sparked a rivalry with the defending division champs that played out every time they played. At Shea Stadium, Rollins become the favorite villain, and loved the attention.
While the Phillies aren't there yet, Rollins has to love where the Phils are after Friday's 6-0 win over the Nationals gave them sole possession of first, a half-game ahead of the Mets, who were playing the Marlins.
Should the Mets continue their freefall from a seven-game lead on Sept. 12 with 17 games to play, Philadelphia will wake up Saturday in first place alone for the first time since April 6, 2005.
Through the offense provided by Rollins and Ryan Howard, who hit his 45th home run, ace Cole Hamels carried his teammates into first place with a dominating effort. The lefty limited the Nationals to six hits and struck out 13 over 116 pitches.
The Phillies won for the 12th time in 15 games, their best run of the season, while the Mets were on the verge of losing for the 11th time in 15 games.
Remember the Phillies' 4-11 start that forced them into catchup mode? It took an identical swoon by the Mets for Philadelphia to get there.
Discuss Add this link to... Bury
LinksMarker is a Web 2.0 content management system
Comments