Game 118 - Monday Night, August 12th in Atlanta
Record - 53-65, 4th Place, 18 1/2 games behind the Braves
One Sentence Summary: Cole Hamels and Cody Asche led the Phillies to an unexpected, but welcome 5-1 victory over the Braves.
What It Means: The Phillies won a game! Their 11-game road losing streak is over! Rejoice!
What Went Right: After a nearly two hour rain delay, Hamels pitched his first complete game of the year en route to his fifth win. He allowed just the lone Braves run on six hits while striking out nine. Despite his 5-13 record, Hamels has been solid all season and it's nice to see him dominate against one of the better teams in the league. Asche contributed most of the offense with a three-run home run in the sixth inning.
Featured Card: This victory gave Charlie Manuel his 1,000th Major League win as a manager and he was presented with a base, autographed by the entire team, to commemorate the milestone. There was a great article in this past week's Sunday Inquirer by Bob Brookover opining that Manuel deserves to know now if he'll return for 2014, or if he'll be asked to step down. I couldn't agree more.
If Manuel is going to be let go following the season, an announcement should be made and he should have the chance to enjoy a farewell tour over the next month and a half. If the decision is made to bring him back, why leave him hanging? Manuel is the winningest manager in franchise history, and he deserves to know where he'll be come February 2014.
No offense to Charlie, but I'd personally like to see someone else take a shot at manning the helm. I hear Ryne Sandberg might be available.
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