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The inevitable has become official: Thanks to their 5-3 victory over the Phillies on Thursday, the Atlanta Braves are the 2021 National League East champions, and for the tenth consecutive season, the Phillies will not make the playoffs.
When the Phillies lost Tuesday night, their playoff hopes took a huge hit. When they lost again on Wednesday, it was only a matter of time before it became official, and that time came on Thursday. Not that the Phillies seemed particularly keen to avoid elimination. Much like the previous three games, the Phillies showed almost no energy.
Kyle Gibson set the tone by serving a homerun to the first batter he faced.
He allowed another homerun to start the fourth inning and allowed another run in the inning thereafter. When Ozzie Albies trebled another run in the fifth, Gibson’s night was over. The Braves scored another run in the inning, and the rest of the game turned into an exhibition of Braves fans counting out.
Speaking of Gibson, he wasn’t a terrible trade deadline pickup. His usual five or six innings of mediocrity were better than watching Spencer Howard crumble in the third inning every five days. But he didn’t stimulate much either. He’s just a passable starter behind the spin.
The quality of Gibson’s throw might not have mattered, as for the fourth game in a row, the Phillies’ offense was largely horrible. They only scored one hit against Braves starter Ian Anderson in the first six innings and barely presented the scoring threat. Andrew McCutchen was about the only player to have had a good night at home, going 2-3 with a two-run homer that was one of the few offensive highlights.
Maybe Bryce Harper cost himself the MVP award with his performance in this series (0-11 with five strikeouts), but it could also help his candidacy. It’s clear how much he carried the team’s offense for most of the season, given that they completely collapsed as soon as he fell into a slump.
The Phillies will play the game with three games in Miami. There is a “drama” attached to the games, as the Phillies will be looking to win their first winning season since 2011. It looks like they should be able to win a game against a 93-game losing team, but would anyone really be surprised? if they don’t?
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