Brooke Stephens
Sports Writer
The Phillies, ranked 17th in Major League Baseball (MLB) and 3rd in for the National League (NL) East, are beginning to kick it into gear with the possibility of making the post-season. They now stand the chance of being in the NL wild card spot, which earlier in the season seemed like an impossibility.
The Phillies have been NL East champions every year since 2007, but this season change that record. Early on in the season the chances of even getting into to the postseason were looking very slim. They had a rough start to the 2012 season. In the month of April, they lost 12 of their first 23 games.
Some factors that have played a role in the tough season for the Phillies could include the trades of Jim Thome in June and Shane Victorino in August. They also had several injuries of star players, including Jim Thome early on in the season, followed later by Chase Utley, Roy Halladay, and Ryan Howard. The Phillies coaches and staff then had to make the decision to bring up some of the minor league players. They had younger inexperienced players playing with the big boys. Eventually they seemed to have gotten it together though. Practice makes perfect.
After all the challenges the Phillies were faced with, there is still that bit of hope they will go into the post-season. After having a rough time early on in the season, the Phillies finally seem to be getting it back together. It is becoming clear their chance of going in the post-season is not impossible. Since the beginning of September they played a total of 16 games and have only lost five. It still cannot be said for whether or not the Phillies will make it into the playoffs, but if they keep winning it can only increase their odds that their fans will get to see them play just a bit longer.
