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Sorry, Phillies, this is not 2007 | Extra Innings

The circumstances between this date in 2007 and today are eerily similar.

Several of the Phillies relief pitchers walk off the field from the bullpen after Wednesday's loss to the Nationals.
Several of the Phillies relief pitchers walk off the field from the bullpen after Wednesday's loss to the Nationals.Read moreCHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer

The infield dirt returned to its pristine look Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park after being blowtorched two days earlier, but the home team was burned again as the Phillies season seems to be melting away.

The Phillies have lost nine of their last 11 games after being swept by the Nationals. They trail Atlanta by 7 1/2 games with 17 to play after the Braves won yet again Wednesday. The Phillies are listless, and the only thing that makes this feel like 2007 is the deficit they face. A rally this season would be even more surprising than the one the team made 11 years ago.

"We are going to fight until the very end," manager Gabe Kapler said. "We are not going to stop looking for value at the margins. We're not going to stop looking for any advantages that we can get. We're going to continue to try to win every single baseball game. That's going to be our focus going forward."

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—  Matt Breen  (extrainnings@philly.com)

No partying like it’s 2007

Remember 2007?

The Phillies that year woke up on Sept. 13 with a seven-game deficit and 17 games left. The 2018 Phillies woke up today, Sept. 13, facing a 7 1/2-game deficit with 17 games left. Charlie Manuel said on Sept. 12, 2007 that "there was no sense in sugarcoating" his team's struggles. Gabe Kapler said on Sept. 11, 2018 that he wasn't "going to sugarcoat" his team's struggles. A player named Adam Eaton helped the Phillies lose on both Sept. 11, 2007 and Sept. 11, 2018.

Hmm.

The Phillies trail first-place Atlanta by a wide margin and have a near-identical challenge to the one they faced in 2007. And every Phillies fan knows what happened next. But I probably don't have to tell you that this sure does not feel like 2007.

The '07 Phillies had won 10 of their last 17 games before facing their seven-game deficit. They finished August with a six-game winning streak and an exhilarating four-game sweep of the first-place Mets. They had narrowly missed the playoffs the previous two seasons. This was their chance to break through, and they had already proven they could go on a run.

The 2018 Phillies have lost 23 of their last 34 games. They haven't won any of their last 11 series since completing a four-game sweep of the Marlins on Aug. 5. They have won just three series since the all-star break. Asking them to win 13 of their final 17 games, as the 2007 team did, seems to be a bit much.

Ryan Howard is retired. Chase Utley is on the Dodgers. And Jimmy Rollins is at home in Florida. This isn't 2007. But you already knew that.

The rundown

"No one is immune to the Phillies' free fall. Not even Aaron Nola," Scott Lauber writes after Nola allowed four runs in five innings and the Nationals completed a sweep of the Phillies. It was just the fourth time in his last 34 starts that Nola failed to reach the sixth inning. It was an uncharacteristic bad night for the team's ace, who said afterward that he is not tired as the season comes to a close.

Entering this season, the Phillies thought they had three key pieces for their future in J.P. Crawford, Scott Kingery, and Jorge Alfaro. The reality, columnist Bob Brookover writes, is that there's still no way to be sure that's the case.

Need a refresher on what the Phillies did in 2007? Here's an oral history we published last September to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the incredible final day of the season. Relive the day from the crowd's rocking when the Marlins took a quick lead to Charlie Manuel's starting Greg Dobbs by accident to Brett Myers' finishing it off with a strikeout and a glove toss.

The Phillies thought for a moment that Maikel Franco might have died Tuesday night, so they were a relieved to find out he had just minor discomfort after falling over the railing behind third base. Franco's neck and shoulder are sore, but he said he's fine.

Gabe Kapler is not blaming his hitting coaches for the team's struggles at the plate this season. "Oh my gosh, those two are an incredible tandem," Kapler said of hitting coach John Mallee and his assistant, Pedro Guerrero.

Important dates

Today: The Phillies are off for the last time this season.
Tomorrow: Zach Eflin opens three-game series against the visiting Marlins, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday: Vince Velasquez starts for the Phillies, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday: Phillies close out series with Marlins before welcoming the Mets, 1:35 p.m.

Stat of the day

Bryce Harper's two-run homer gave the Nationals a first-inning lead and gave Harper his 15th career go-ahead homer against the Phillies. He has more go-ahead homers against the Phillies than against any other team, and his 24 homers against the Phils are the fourth most among active players. Gabe Kapler seemed impressed.

"Bryce Harper might be the best player in baseball," Kapler said of the player the Phillies will try to court in less than two months.

From the mailbag

Send questions by email or on Twitter @matt_breen.

Question: We know Manager Gabe is a positive person, all his press conferences say "turn the page", "we have a young team, they'll make mistakes", "we are in a position to still win the division",  blah, blah, blah. Here's why my patience is running thin with him: Does he ever get angry with players over their playing, whether defensive blunders or lack of hitting? I don't care about how he is in the dugout (but I would like to see some of that "positive passion" get channeled into anger when it's justified at a certain player.) – emailed question from Tim D.

Answer: Thanks for the question, Tim. Kapler's positivity is not just a shtick for news conferences. It's how he aims to operate at all times. And it's definitely how he acts toward his players, no matter the situation. He feels frustration, but I believe he makes a point to stay positive. Agree or disagree, that's who he is.

Kapler gave some insight into his approach yesterday when he was asked if he was "angry" over the tarp snafu over the weekend.

"My job is to stay just the opposite of angry. … In order for me to feel anger about what happened in that game, I would have to assume that something malicious was done. My job is to be exactly the opposite of angry in those situations," he said.