The Phillies bench players came up big on offense and defense last night. As the starters rested awaiting the playoffs next week, bench players like Ben Francisco and Mike Sweeney had solid games in their place. Not to minimize anything, but Phillies pitcher Joe Blanton had probably his best outing all season. Now we know that its the end of the year and the Nationals are quickly trying to end their season, but don’t overlook how good Joe Blanton looked last night. Blanton won’t be used as a starter in the first round. He will though, depending on the schedule, be used as the 4th starter in the NLCS. This is quite important, because with the other 3 pitching so well, the Phillies would have one dominate rotation setup for the NLCS and possibly the World Series. I know, I’m getting ahead of myself. I hear you saying let’s take one game at a time, but I can’t help stop the feeling how great this team has become. Read more

Roy Oswalt tuned up for 5 innings, while Jason Marquis threw the best game he’s ever pitched against the Phillies. Amazingly enough, it didn’t matter at all. Half of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs were playing in this game, just playing for a playoff roster spot. Add Greg Dobbs to my list of players I have no desire to see on that roster. The highlight for this fan was a 1-2-3 inning from Antonio Bastardo where he struck out the side. All before Adam Dunn walked it off in the 9th with a massive bomb.

Don’t look for any great baseball for the next few days. Just enjoy the fact that for the 4th year in a row, we’re playing October baseball. Use these games for background noise or to scout some players for your fantasy draft next year (like me).

I’ll be away for a few days but will be back to cover some NLDS action next week.

Watch Hallday’s Reaction after the Jump: Read more

Check also some celebration pictures, after the jump: Read more