Photos: 2008 Phillies
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But their degree of difficulty is about to go up.
After winning seven seven of nine at Citizens Bank Park, despite last night's 6-3 loss to the Mets, the Phillies flew to Chicago, where they'll open a four-game series tonight at Wrigley Field.
The Cubbies have baseball's best record and a daunting .721 home winning percentage.
After that, they play three in Washington and end the trek with a weekend series at Shea Stadium for a rematch against the Mets, the team they trail by half a game in the National League East.
"It's a big road trip for us," righthander Kyle Kendrick said.
Before the game, manager Charlie Manuel was talking about what a tonic Tuesday night's thrilling win over New York could be.
"But you've also got to keep it in perspective," he warned. "We've still got 30 games left."
Now the Phillies have 29 very important games left.
Andrew Carpenter lists his hobby as restoring cars. Earlier this season, though, it was his career that he was trying to put back together.
The 23-year-old righthander showed up in spring training as one of the Phillies' most touted prospects after going 17-6 for Class A Clearwater in 2007. He thought he was in the express lane, on his way to the big leagues, especially after pitching four shutout innings and striking out six against the Yankees in an exhibition at Bright House Field on March 26.
Well, the Phillies purchased Carpenter's contract from Double A Reading yesterday and he made his major league debut last night against the Mets. But the path wasn't as straight or simple as he might have anticipated.
On May 31, after getting off to a 2-7 start with a 6.94 earned run average for Reading, he was busted back to the Florida State League.
"Everything was going haywire," he said.
There were whispers at the time that he might have started to take his success for granted and let his work slide.
"We sent him down for a little conditioning program," Mike Arbuckle, assistant general manager for scouting and player development, said bluntly. "He responded well and now we feel he deserves the opportunity to show what he can do."
The second-round draft pick in June 2006, Carpenter didn't completely rule out the notion that he would have been in better shape and admitted he lost about 10 pounds after his demotion.
"I might have been putting pressure on myself to do too good," he said.
He added that there might have been other factors.
"I had never pitched in cold weather before," he said. "And I think it was a little bit mechanics. I went back and worked with [Clearwater pitching coach] Steve Shrenk. He said, 'Do this, do that,' two little things, and all of a sudden my command was back."
He went 3-3, 2.92 with the Threshers and then 4-1, 3.44 in five starts back at Reading before getting the call early yesterday morning to report to Philadelphia.
It didn't happen the way he might have envisioned, but it happened. "Things work out for a reason," he said with a smile.
Tuesday night's comeback win over the Mets had a 10.7 rating and a 17.9 share on Channel 57, making it the most viewed Phillies local telecast of the season. Except for the final weekend last season, when the Phils clinched the division, it was the highest-rated Phillies game since 1995 . . . The Mets, who also depleted their bullpen Tuesday night, made a pair of roster moves. The contract of righthander Nelson Figueroa was purchased and catcher Robinson Cancel was recalled from Triple A New Orleans. Second baseman Argenis Reyes was optioned to New Orleans and catcher Ramon Castro was placed on the disabled list . . . The start time of the game against the Mets at Shea Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 7, has been moved from 1:05 to 8:05 p.m. to accommodate ESPN. *
Send e-mail to hagenp@phillynews.com
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