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Rise and Phight: 8/23/2021

An off day before the stretch that will determine the season’s finish

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MLB: Philadelphia Phillies at San Diego Padres Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Had I told you exactly one month ago that the Phillies would go to San Diego and taken two of three from the Padres, you likely would’ve been ecstatic. The Padres were almost guaranteed to make the playoffs then, while the Philies were meandering around the .500 mark, seemingly hopeless. Fast forward to now and it feels like a letdown to only take two of three. The Padres are slumping badly and the Phillies are.....well, they’re not doing so hot.

Today, though, they will take the day off to prepare for what looks like the stretch of the season that will define how September will shake out. Rhys Hoskins returned yesterday and slugged two home runs, proving once and for all that yes, he is a player needed in the lineup and that certain subgroups of the fanbase need to stop devising trades to expedite his exit. Kyle Gibson proved once again that his acquisition was just what the team needed. Seriously, imagine the rotation right now without him in it.

There is still a lot of baseball left to play and the Phillies find themselves five games out of both the wild card chase and the division chase. Still time to make some noise in both races.

On to the links.

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