Three years ago Sunday, the Phillies won their series finale over the Giants, and it did little — if anything — to improve morale. They moved to 22-29, six games out of a Wild Card spot and 12.5 out of the NL East lead. It was the last game in Joe Girardi’s tenure as manager.
The Phillies lost their fourth straight game on Sunday to cap off a sweep by the Brewers. It moved them to 36-23.
The point of the non-parallel: Things could be worse. A lot worse!
But the Phillies’ recent mini-slide does move them out of first place in the division, a spot they claimed on May 19 and had held or shared since.