Earlier this year, the Yankees were sliding and the Mets were surging.
Now, as we enter the last weekend of the regular season, it’s the Mets who find themselves in trouble:
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Phillies are done chasing.
After 159 games, the Phillies are finally atop the division standings — albeit tied with the free-falling New York Mets.
Ryan Howard hit his 44th homer, Pat Burrell also connected and the Phillies roughed up John Smoltz, before hanging on for a 6-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Thursday night.
The collapsing Mets lost 3-0 to St. Louis to drop into a tie with Philadelphia (87-72) for first place. Both teams have three games left. The Phillies host Washington, which is coming off a three-game sweep at Shea Stadium. The Mets host Florida.
“It’s a good feeling,” Howard said. “But, really, we haven’t done anything. We have three games left. This is what it’s all about.”
At this point, even the wild card may not be an option.
