They've managed to stay close, mostly because nobody else in the division has been playing that well, either. So in the sense that getting swept would make their uphill climb a little steeper, yeah, this weekend has a certain amount of significance for a team still fighting the stigma of disappearing the last two Septembers.
Two things, though:
There really is no such thing as a crucial series before the All-Star break. Too much can happen. We've all seen it too many times.
And, second, these games are every bit as important to the Phillies as to the Mets.
Think about it. Sure, the Phillies should be a better team once Raul Ibanez comes back from the strained left groin that has kept him out the last couple of weeks.
Now apply that same logic to New York. How much better will they be when their core players start being activated? That apparently could start happening by the end of the month. Even Wagner could be back by August. And imagine Jerry Manuel having Billy the Kid and Putz to cover the seventh and eighth to get the game to closer Francisco Rodriguez.
Plus, Mike Pelfrey is pitching really well. Johan Santana, despite some recent struggles, is still Johan Santana, giving the Mets a potential 1-2 hammer at the top of their rotation.
As bleak as things look for the crew from Queens at the moment, they're far from out of it.
That makes these next three games just as important to the home team as the visitors.
It would be a mistake for the Phillies to overlook the Mets.
Heck, the way they've played lately, it would be a mistake for the Phillies to overlook anybody.
The hot corner
