For a time, today’s matinee seemed deserving of this post’s original title ("Bland Finale"). Not only were the Phillies going to be flaccidly defeated as the final chapter of a series sweep by the easily division-leading Nationals, but the long-feared stretch against the Dodgers, Cubs, and Nats would be coming to a horrid close. Swept out of L.A., battered at Wrigley, and now smothered in their own home, the Phillies looked helpless, and even unwilling at times, to fight back. Pop-outs. Three-pitch ABs. GIDPs. Nothing looked good, as their sole sign of life was the constant farting of their brains.
Altherr-native Ending: Phillies 6, Nationals 5
