The Phillies and the Brewers did a little time-traveling today. The two teams jumped in the Wayback Machine, dialed up the middle of September, and played a fifth game of the previous series between them.
A lot has happened in the interim. The Brewers fired their manager after that four-game sweep at Citizens Bank Park, then went on a wild tear - winning, hold onto your hats, seven of 12 games - and outlasted the flailing Mets for the National League wild card.
Along the way, the Brewers decided they were healed. They told themselves that falling behind, playing so-so defense, and relying on late rallies was the way to play autumn baseball.
So the Brewers returned today to test those theories, and you could almost see Ned Yost leaning against the dugout railing, chewing his nails once again. This was October baseball, with logos painted on the field and bunting hung from the facades, but it looked like nothing more than the fifth game of that September series and the Brewers still looked like a team that knew it was going to lose.
This wasn't going to be a day for home runs or an offensive explosion, although the Phils and Brewers were ranked first and third, respectively, among NL teams for homers this season. This was going to be a day in which pitching, defense and execution of the fundamentals would decide things in the rainswept 3-1 Phillies win.
That turned out to be bad news for Milwaukee. The Brewers handed the Phils three unearned runs in the third inning, with second baseman Rickie Weeks committing the most egregious mistake as he dropped a throw that should have landed squarely in his glove.
"It was catchable," Weeks said, which, under the circumstance, was sort of like saying a hamburger is edible.
"Unfortunately we went from having a guy at second base thrown out to first and second and nobody out," interim manager Dale Sveum said. "So it was an unfortunate little hiccup right there."
More than that, as it turned out. When third baseman Bill Hall bobbled the bunt from Cole Hamels and couldn't get dead-duck Carlos Ruiz at second, he threw to Weeks at first instead. Oops.
Weeks' error opened the door for Chase Utley to bat in the inning with two runners on base. He drove a ball into center field that would have required a very good catch by Mike Cameron. It is the time of year when making difficult plays is required.
