Reality probably started to set in for the Braves when Nick Castellanos’ 11th-inning single found its way into center field on Sunday. They had arrived in Philadelphia knowing this was their last realistic chance to make a run at a seventh straight National League East crown. They needed three to really put the pressure on, two to keep themselves within arm’s reach.
They accomplished neither.
“There’s no way to sugarcoat it now,” Matt Olson told reporters, including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman, after the game. “It sucks losing the series.”
Stranger things have happened — 2007 taught this lesson to the Phillies — but seven games back with 25 to play is exceedingly difficult to erase.