Yankees Series

Game 1: Yankees 8, Phillies 3
Length of game: 2:45; W - Sabathia (7-3) - 7 IP, 3 ER; L - Halladay (8-5) - 6 IP, 6 ER; Utley is only Phillie with multiple hits; Bastardo struggles out of bullpen in 7th inning (2/3 IP, 2 ER); Phillies score all 3 runs in 4th inning off of Sabathia

Game 2: Phillies 6, Yankees 3
Length of game: 2:51; W - Moyer (7-6) - 8 IP, 2 ER; L - Burnett (6-5) - 3 1/3 IP, 6 ER; Phillies score 6 runs on just 6 hits and 5 walks; Howard and Werth each hit their 11th home run on back-to-back home runs in the 3rd inning off Burnett; Victorino hits a bases clearing triple to knock in 3 runs in the 2nd

Game 3: Phillies 7, Yankees 1
Length of game: 3:15; W - Kendrick (4-2) - 7 IP, 1 ER; L - Pettite (8-2) - 7 IP, 2 ER; Victorino hits 2 run home run (11) in 5th; Howard knocks in 2 runs on a single and a sacrifice fly; Contreras and Romero combine for 2 perfect innings to finish the game

Final Analysis: In this mid-week series against the Yankees, the Phillies did something that they haven't done since May: won a series. They just took 2 of 3 games from one of the best teams in baseball, with the only loss coming as a result of a very rare poor pitching performance from Roy Halladay. Chase Utley, one of the most consistent performers in baseball over the past 5 years, has been in a year-long slump, but one must think that Utley will come out of it eventually due to his terrific work ethic. Although things do not look good in the standings for the Phillies, who sit at 3rd place in the N.L. East and are 3.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves, the upside for this team is unlimited. They have played 3 fewer games than the Braves, and they are just 2 games behind in the loss column. Almost every player on the roster has serious potential, and we all know what this team can do when those players are living up to their potential. While Charlie Manuel does not always make the best decisions for one specific game, he has proven that he makes the correct decisions for the long run. He knows what it takes to get his players to play their best ball. He has become a master at getting his teams to peak at the right time, September and October. If the Phillies can pick it up over the next few weeks, they will have themselves in prime position to make the playoffs and allow their best ball to win Philadelphia another championship.