PHILADELPHIA -- The next win the Phillies collect will match their total from a year ago, an impressive mark to hit in mid-August for any club, despite where it started. And at this time last year, perhaps they could've found moral victories in losses like Tuesday's 2-1 defeat to the Red Sox, where the Phillies battled baseball's best team in front of 33,081 at Citizens Bank Park.
But this is not last year. The Phillies are contenders and, ahead of schedule or not, will need to win games like Tuesday's if they are to continue to contend for the National League East.