Kyle Kendrick

KEVIN FRANDSEN apparently made the most of his opportunity. On Tuesday, the Phillies finalized a 1-year, $850,000 contract with the veteran infielder, who hit .338 in 55 games after an injury to veteran third baseman Placido Polanco opened a space for him in the lineup. Frandsen, who turns 31 on May 24, was arbitration eligible, though the Phillies could have declined to offer him a contract and jettisoned him from the 40-man roster. But the righthanded-hitting infielder won their trust with his performance last season.

WASHINGTON - Six months ago, the 2012 season began at Nationals Park with a Take Back the Park campaign and a "Natitude" slogan that was decorated everywhere, including on the bathroom door signs. Despite going 8 straight years without a winning season, the franchise was brimming with confidence, even if the optimism wasn't matched with the empty seats at the 5-year-old ballpark. But after a half-year and more than 150 games, Washington fans believe. They filled nearly all of the blue seats in the ballyard by the Navy Yard on Monday night.

WASHINGTON - The Phillies shook hands on the infield at Nationals Park and could not help but peer into the home dugout. A raucous celebration had commenced. Nine minutes earlier, in the midst of defeat, the Nationals had been crowned National League East champions. "That's the first time I ever won and got beat," Charlie Manuel said. The manager sat in a quiet office still wearing his heavy Phillies jacket. His team won Monday, 2-0, and was formally dethroned by Washington. There was no loud music played in the visiting clubhouse.

WHEN THE Phillies begin holding full-squad workouts in 5 months in Clearwater, Fla., they will reboot from their lost 2012 season and expect to compete with the Washington Nationals and the rest of the National League East thanks to one important and expensive piece of their roster. The Phils will be confident they can collect their sixth division title in a 7-year span because of their starting pitching. Roy Halladay's health aside - nearly everyone in the organization expects the 35-year-old, two-time Cy Young Award winner to bounce back - the Phils will go to work in 2013 with three guys at the top of their rotation who represented the organization at the All-Star Game just 14 months ago. Starting pitching is what has propelled the Nationals from pretenders to contenders: They added Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson in the offseason and got (nearly)

   

THE PHILLIES could be as many as 6 1/2 games out of a playoff spot with eight games remaining in their schedule by the end of Tuesday night. Despite those unfriendly odds and the increasing likelihood that they'll miss the postseason for the first time since 2006, Roy Halladay is expected to finish the season in the rotation. Two days after Halladay surrendered seven runs in 1 2/3 innings, the second-shortest start of his career, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday that his Opening Day starter was scheduled to make his next start.

A day after Roy Halladay failed to finish two innings and revealed that he had visited a doctor before his start, there was little clarity on the pitcher's status. When asked what his rotation would be after Monday's day off, pitching coach Rich Dubee said, "I don't know yet. " The team's official game notes listed Cole Hamels as Tuesday's starter against Washington, Kyle Kendrick slotted for Wednesday and "TBA" on Thursday. Tyler Cloyd's scheduled day is Wednesday, so the Phillies already made one shuffle by inserting Kendrick there.

Things are starting to get more interesting for the Phillies thanks to righthander Kyle Kendrick, the long ball and the Chicago Cubs. With Kendrick limiting Atlanta to two runs in 62/3 innings and his teammates swatting a season-high four home runs, the Phillies defeated the Braves, 6-2, on Friday night before a sellout crowd of 44,052 at Citizens Bank Park. The Cubs? They used an impressive comeback to beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 5-4, in 11 innings on Friday. That means the Phillies trail the Cardinals for the second wild-card spot by three games with 11 to play for both teams.

The final 21/2 weeks of this Phillies season were supposed to be an audition for next season. Shockingly, they have become an improbable push for the postseason. The Phillies remain a long shot to complete their surprising run as they close out a series Sunday with the Houston Astros, but much has changed because of this late-season charge. So what has the impact been? It all depends on the person and the player. Here's a look at the seven people the run has affected most.

The low-water mark came in the Mile High City when the Phillies lost their first game after the all-star break to the wretched Colorado Rockies in mid-July. That defeat pushed manager Charlie Manuel's team to 14 games under .500. It seemed highly unlikely the Phillies would climb above .500 again after that Rocky Mountain low, let alone be fighting for a playoff spot. "The way things were going at that point, it didn't seem like it," pitcher Cliff Lee said early Wednesday evening after the lefty buoyed the Phillies' improbable run at a wild-card playoff berth by pitching his team to a 3-1 win over the Miami Marlins.