Just Win (Series) Baby…Positives Even in Phillies Loss

It was a heartbreaking way to end their four game winning streak, but the phillies couldn't find a way to hold on to a 3-1 lead in the tenth inning, and fell to the Dodgers 5-3 on a two-run walk-off  homerun by Matt Kemp in the bottom of the 13th.

You couldn't ask for a better performance out of Cliff Lee. As has happened on more than a few occasions this year, Lee pitched a gem, giving up just one run on two hits, but was unable to get any run support and his second win of the year will have to wait a few more days.

However, even with this loss, let us not forget that the phillies have now won their first two series to start the second half of the season and optimism is in the air. One of the best second half teams in major league baseball over the last five years, the Phils are finally starting to look like the team we expected to see this year. Is it too late to make a run, perhaps, but clutch hitting, solid pitching, and now an attitude and body language that we hadn't seen all year long, should give us hope and optimism for the stretch run.

Although it's still a slim chance, this team looks poised to make yet another playoff run. A loss like tonight stings, but don't let it cloud the big picture. The reality is that they're going to lose some games along the way, the hope is that they win more than they lose and continue to win series. Even in defeat tonight, I liked the team I saw on the field, the effort that was given, and the attitude that was shown. There is no quit in this years version of the "Fightin Phils" and for that I don't believe we should quit on them just yet either. There's a lot of baseball still to play and funnier things have happened.