The ninth belongs to him: Phillies 3, Blue Jays 2

As it has been foretold in the sacred writings of our people, as it had been written in prophecy for centuries, as the scouts and prospect hounds proclaimed "Ho, there be a reliever!", Ken Giles tonight finally stepped into the role of CLOSER and finished out the Phillies' 3-2 win against the Blue Jays.

*cue the choirs singing* KEN GILES! KEN GILES! WE LOVE HIM FOR MILES! KEN GILES!

I hope you liked that song I just wrote about Ken Giles. I call it "Song in the Key of Giles" and it's 10 hours long.

Giles dealt with just one baserunner who reached on a single to start the ninth. A flyout, a lineout, and a forceout put a stop to the Jays. He's a born closer. And I also like how he wears his jersey. SHUT UP.

Other stuff happened, too. The Phillies scored three runs in the fifth inning, which started when a ball fouled off of Ryan Howard's foot trickled into the vacant left side of the infield. But the way it trickled, it looked like it could have actually been hit there.

The play wasn't challenged -- or maybe it couldn't be, the broadcast wasn't clear on that -- and Howard had an infield single on a ball hit by his leg. Someone on the Blue Jays is probably feeling angry and regretful, because Darin Ruf followed Howard with a Double, and then Cody Asche plated them both for a three-run inning. That's all they could score, but thankfully for Ken Giles, that's all they'd need.

Adam Morgan had another decent start tonight, and if he continues like this I'm happy with him in the back end of the Phillies new era rotation. Morgan went six innings, allowing five hits and two runs. His major blemish came on the first batter of the game, Devon Travis, who hit a home run. What happened to Morgan in the second inning wasn't completely his fault, though. Danny Valencia hit a high pop up to shallow right center, and Asche lost it in the lights. Neither Andres Blanco or Ben Revere could get there in time, and so it bounced on to the turf for a single. A walk and a sac fly scored the Jays' second run.

The Phillies -- our 2015 Phillies -- have won five games in a row. They're 9-1 since the All-Star break. Those are real stats I'm not making up! And furthermore, these Phillies are enjoyable. If I close my eyes whenever Ryan Howard bats, I can pretend that this is an entirely new team that carries none of the baggage or expectations of the 2008-2011 teams. Even when they're losing, they're losing because they're young and inexperienced and not good, not because they're old and decrepit and a lesser version of the top model.

I like this. I can get behind a team like this.