Philling In: First Place!

Just minutes ago, the Phils put the finishing touches on a 6-4 victory over the Braves (and by "finishing touches" I mean Brett Myers allowed a home run in the top of the ninth). Coupled with the Mets' loss, the current NL East standings look something like this:

New York Mets: 87-72
Philadelphia Phillies: 87-72

In true Philadelphia fashion, the level of the opposition has finally come down to meet the consistent slightly-past-mediocre performance of the hometown team. The Phillies haven't been in first place or in a tie for first place this late in the season since 1993. (As an aside, how much have we suffered when the answer to nearly every recent-playoffs-related Phillies trivia question is "1993"?) Hell, they haven't even been in first place in September since 2001. Keep it up, guys. We might not need the wild card after all.

I knew the Cardinals were good for something.

- Should this stalemate persist, there are about a million Rashomon-like tie-braking scenarios. The most important thing about this is that the Rockies will have the home field advantage in nearly every scenario since they've recently channeled the spirit of the 2002 A's during a convenient stretch of games against their division rivals.

How much do you think Ryan Howard and Co. would love to see that, should it come to a one-game playoff? This team is built for Coors Field--they slug the ball and playing on the road doesn't seem any different than playing at home to them. I refuse to believe that everything is actually lining up this way. I just can't believe it.

- Speaking of Howard, he's now the proud owner of the single-season strikeout record, now set at 197 punchouts. I like how it combines the excitement of Cal Ripken's consecutive game streak (where he could break his own record every day) and the white-elephantness of Reggie Sanders.

I actually like the direction this record is taking. Long gone are the days when Jose Hernandez challenged Bobby Bonds's place in baseball history. It's more like a bad-but-good record now, like how Cy Young's record number of losses attested more to his longevity than to any failings of his talent. Today's prolific whiffers actually contribute a lot of value--Howard eclipsed Adam Dunn's mark of 195. Those are two guys that just about any GM would have.

- The Chase Utley Plunk-O-Meter is now up to 24; the Phillies have collected an NL-high 85 HBP. I was told that Comcast SportsNet ran a "Chase Utley hit-by-pitch montage" during a recent Phils game. The man is earning every cent of his paycheck.

- What's most amazing to me about this particular late-season surge is that it's occurring during a very awkward time for the franchise. Aaron Rowand has one foot out the door. Uncle Charlie hasn't received an extension and isn't likely to get one unless the Phillies make noise in the playoffs. And Pat Gillick announced he'll play out the string until 2008 and then ride off into the sunset (presumably near Toronto, Seattle, or Chicago). Perhaps it's this atmosphere of impending transition that is finally providing that sense of urgency lacking from the past six seasons.

Stick around--things are about to get interesting.