Dahl She Wrote: Rockies 5, Phillies 3

Now that wasn’t so bad. Sure, the Phillies lost to the Rockies on Thursday afternoon - their eighth loss in a row - but unlike the previous three games, this one was just a sad, boring affair rather than a complete embarrassment.

Unlike the starters who preceded him in this series, Jake Arrieta managed to turn in a respectable performance. When the Phillies signed him just before the season, they probably didn’t think we’d be happy if a late September start could be described as “not awful,” but expectations have changed a bit since then.

In his final start of the season, Arrieta gave up three runs in six innings, and generally kept the Phillies in the game. If the offense had been able to produce much in the thin Colorado air, the Phillies might have had a chance at victory. Unfortunately, the Phillies’ only runs were a solo homer by Jose Bautista in the third inning, and - after Tommy Hunter helped give the Rockies some breathing room - a much too little, too late two-run shot by Carlos Santana in the eighth.

For the fourth straight game, the Rockies were powered by the bat of outfielder David Dahl. After missing the entire 2017 season with an injury, and sitting out a large chunk of 2018, Dahl seemed determined to make up for the missed time in this series. He homered in each game, and was 8-18 with 11 RBIs.

The Phillies will head home for the final three games of the season. They’ll take on the Atlanta Braves, and I’m old enough to remember a time when we thought those games might decide the National League East title. Now, the only drama left is to see if the Phillies can avoid finishing the season with eleven straight losses. You may be shocked to learn this, but cheap tickets are available for these games!

And in case you’d like to read about a team that has actually managed to win a game in the past week, please head on over to my blog where I give a definitive preview of this week’s Eagles vs. Titans game.