BOX SCORE
Sheets of plastic had been hung above the lockers and were ready to be unfurled. The champagne was on ice. And surely, someone had a stash of victory cigars tucked away somewhere in the clubhouse.
Maybe there will be a party Saturday night.
Were going to clinch, manager Charlie Manuel assured the sports fans of Philadelphia. Its going to happen. Nobody is scared. Well do it.
It didnt happen Friday night. The Phils had a golden chance to wrap up their fifth straight NL East crown. The New York Mets helped out by defeating the Atlanta Braves, but the Phillies couldnt pull their end of the bargain. A stirring ninth-inning comeback went for naught and they suffered a 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals in 11 innings. (See game breakdown.)
As the 197th straight sellout crowd shuffled out of Citizens Bank Park, Fleetwood Macs Dont Stop played over the stadium sound system.
Dont stop thinking about tomorrow.
MLB
The Phillies' magic number for winning the division is one. They could actually win the division before taking the field Saturday night if the Mets can beat the Braves again. Those two teams play at 4:10 p.m. Saturday.
Some might say the Phils would back into the division title under that scenario, but theres no backing into anything when you lead the majors with 97 and wins and are on pace to surge past 100.
Preferably the Phillies will pop champagne corks and puff on cigars after a victory.
When the Phils finally do have their party, it might only register a 4.6 on the Richter scale.
Any time you win the division its an accomplishment, Shane Victorino said. But we know what our ultimate celebration is.
The Phils will need 11 wins in October to have the party they want, the party that registers 9.7 on the Richer scale.
They wont have that party, however, if their offense doesnt wake from a late-season slumber.
Friday nights loss marked the eighth straight game in which the Phils offense was held to three or fewer runs.
Maybe the funk is a result of the Phils seeing some pretty good pitching lately. Maybe its because they havent been able to use their regular lineup because Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard have all missed time with bumps and bruises. But the Phils are going to see good pitching in the playoffs. At some point in the remaining 13 regular-season games, their bats are going to have to come alive so they can go into October with a little momentum.
It would also be nice if Antonio Bastardo could rediscover some of the touch that made him one of the teams MVPs the first five months of the season. The lefty reliever gave up a tie-breaking homer in the eighth inning Friday night. He has allowed nine baserunners and five runs in his last five appearances. Bastardo actually didnt throw the ball that badlyCards catcher Yadier Molina hit a pretty good fastball on the inner part of the plate for that homer. Nonetheless, Bastardos confidence appears to be down and its crucial he have some clean innings to get it back. Without a reliable Bastardo, one can count the relievers that Manuel truly trusts on one finger. That would be Ryan Madson. The Phils will add relievers Joe Savery and Justin De Fratus from Triple A on Saturday. It is not out of the question that one of them impresses enough to squeak onto the postseason roster. Savery becomes the second lefty in the Phils bullpen.
Howard did not start Friday night due to a sore left ankle. With the luxury of a 12-game lead in the standings, Manuel can afford to get Howard some rest. The slugger may have a cortisone injection in the coming days to help him get through October.
Howard came off the bench in the bottom of the ninth and nearly propelled the Phils to victory. He had a two-out, pinch-hit double to set up the tying run and ignite a frenzy in the stands. Alas, rookie reliever Michael Schwimer allowed two runs in the 11th as the Cardinals kept their wild-card hopes alive.
And so the plastic remained rolled above the lockers. Maybe it comes down Saturday night. Maybe thats the night the Phillies became NL East champs again.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com.