Phils Win And Tie

The Phillies beat the Cubs 6-2 last night behind a sparkling effort from putative ace Brett Myers (9IP, 6H, 2ER, 3BB, 12K). The win, combined with the streaking Pirates defeat of Los Angeles, moves the Phils into a tie with the Dodgers for the wildcard lead. Also losing last night was San Diego, meaning that the Phils are now only .5 game behind the Padres should they fall out of the West Division lead into the wildcard lead (I know, it's pretty confusing). San Diego will make up that half-game today in bringing their series with Arizona to a conclusion, while the Phillies will enjoy their last scheduled day off this season. Meanwhile, the Dodgers have a chance to gain a half-game on the Phils when they finish their series with Pittsburgh tonight (LA will have their last scheduled day off on Monday while the Phils will host Houston in a makeup game). On a related note, Brian at Philling Station has made his way back to the phlogosphere and we, his readers, are the better for it. After taking some time off due to personal and professional reasons, Brian seems determined to keep at it. Welcome back, Brian. We missed you. (Thanks to Chris at I've Made a Huge Tiny Mistake for the heads-up.)