There's no doubt the Phillies are thrilled to see the Astros leave Philadelphia. Even though the team clinched against the Astros (well, really, the clinching happened just before the game ended thanks to bad base-running by Matt Diaz, but let's pretend it happened when Brad Lidge got Lance Berkman to ground out to first), the Phillies just suck against the Astros.
This year, the Phillies are 2-6 in their 8 games against the Astros. And this isn't unusual at all. Going back to 2004, the Phillies are 13-26 against Houston, good for a .333 winning percentage. Compare that to the team's record since 2004 against all other teams: 519-411, or a .558 winning percentage.
If we take an even longer-term view, the situation is almost as bad. Since the Phillies plucked victory from the claws of defeat in the wonderful 1980 NLCS against the Astros, the Phillies are 122-155 against them, or a .440 winning percentage. Against all other teams since those playoffs, the Phillies are 2151-2144, or a .501 winning percentage.
The Astros have been a decent team over these stretches, but they haven't been world-beaters. Since 2004, when they've been .667 against the Phillies, the Astros have a .506 record against all other teams. Since the 1980 playoffs, the Astros have been .560 against the Phillies but only .515 against all other teams.
Is it that the Phillies stay in a crappy hotel when they visit Houston? Do they not like the Astros' uniforms, home or away? Whatever it is, I'm just happy the Phillies aren't playing the Astros in the playoffs. The Cardinals, Rockies, or Dodgers will do just fine.