The Nationals were blowing out the Reds. The Braves were going to win, too. And the Phillies knew, if they lost, they would fall out of first place in the National League East.
So as the young, scrappy Phils entered last night’s 9th inning trailing the lowly Miami Marlins 2-1, they stared down the barrel of a disappointing loss. This four-game series at Citizens Bank Park was an opportunity for the Phillies to either keep their division rivals at bay or put some distance between them, but they were three outs away from blowing their first opportunity to do so.