Astros holding Phillies' magic number hostage

HOUSTON - Nights like these have been close to nonexistent for the Phillies this season: Nights when the clubhouse door stays closed a little longer; nights when the silence between the players hangs a little thicker; nights when Charlie Manuel addresses the media in a way that makes the media feel like he is addressing his team.

It isn't just that they lost to the lowly Astros for the second straight night. The Phillies, even with their best-in-the-majors record and World Series aspirations, have lost too many games to remember this season. Cole Hamels, who was charged with all of the scoring in the 5-2 loss last night to the Astros, reminded the media that his team has lost three straight games before. And when the media reminded him that they had not done so since June 4, he raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

The point is that losing happens. But the point Manuel made to his team - and, later, to the media - in a brief postgame meeting is that losses like the ones that occurred the last 2 nights are not losses that a championship team should ever accept. After a hard-fought defeat at the hands of the Brewers on Sunday, the Phillies spent the next 48 hours playing with a lackluster energy that matched the pitiful record of the opponent they faced. At least that is the way Manuel sees it.

"We talked all year long about where we want to go, and that's to the World Series and win, and we're sitting in a hell of a position," Manuel said. "And when we come out and play sloppy and without a whole lot of life, we just have to play better than that. Even if we weren't where we are at, I'd feel the same way.

"We just have to come out and play like we always do. And if you are getting a chance to play, I expect you to really bear down and show us what you've got and what you can do. The last couple nights, we just haven't played good."

They entered this three-game series hoping to clinch homefield advantage by the end of the week. Now, the Phillies would just like to make it out of Texas without another late-season sweep at the hands of one of baseball's worst teams. Late last season, the lowly Astros swept a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park.