Phillies' march to 100 losses resumes

MIAMI - What's likely to go down as the worst Phillies season in 54 years is, finally, on the brink of being over.

There are 10 games remaining on the 2015 schedule. The Phillies will play tonight in Miami, three times this weekend in Washington, and then come home to say "So long" to Citizens Bank Park for the final time after a forgettable, woeful summer of baseball.

Many of the veterans have been traded and enough of the younger players have been evaluated, giving management an idea of what the Phillies have going into another offseason of transition.

If you are still watching, it's either out of habit, boredom or the morbid curiosity of seeing whether or not these Phillies can go down in infamy as one of the 15 teams in the franchise's 133-year history to finish a season with at least 100 losses. The last time that happened, in 1961, there's a good chance your father was just a kid or hadn't been born yet. Current Phillies manager Pete Mackanin was 10 years old.

But barring the divine intervention from his holiness this weekend, the Phillies' date with 100 losses would seem unavoidable following their 4-3, 11-inning defeat in Miami last night. It was the Phillies' 16th loss in their last 20 games.

It was typical of many of the 94 losses that preceded it, with average starting pitching, little hitting and poor execution when it matter most. After Freddy Galvis hit a two-out single to give the Phillies a one-run lead in the top of the 10th inning, closer Ken Giles couldn't field a bunt in the bottom half of the inning, catcher Carlos Ruiz threw a ball away, and the Marlins tied it right back up.

"I just rushed it," Giles said of Dee Gordon's bunt. "With his speed, he drag bunted . . . I tried to rush it with my hands too quick. I was anxious to get him out."

In the 11th, Gordon was back up again and completed a two-out rally with a double to send the Fish to a walkoff win.

And so the march toward 100 losses continues.

"It was tough to lose that one," manager Pete Mackanin said on a night when the team's defense went awry late. "You can't expect your closer to be perfect every time. Defense hurt us in that inning. If you make those plays . . . there's a good chance we win the game."

With 10 games remaining, the Phillies, owners of a MLB-worst 57-95 record, have to go 6-4 in order to avoid hitting the century mark. That might not sound like a tall task ordinarily, but it's worth pointing out that the Phillies have six wins in their last 23 games, dating back to Aug. 29.

They have lost 28 of their last 40 games dating back to Aug. 10. And their starting pitchers have a 5.36 ERA this season. And their lineup has scored two runs or fewer in 56 of their first 152 games this season, which translates as 36.84 percent of their games.

So, maybe it's time to celebrate it for the sake of a sick sense of humor. (You live in Philadelphia. You watch these teams. This should be a part of your DNA.)

It's all happening.

Save some ink on your Sharpies and some poster board after you greet the pope this weekend and embrace 100 losses. You may not ever see it again. (Although it's quite possible your grandfathers or great-grandfathers saw it more than they liked: The Phillies reached 100 losses nine times in the 16-year span from 1927-42. Nine. Times.)

David Buchanan, who has contributed in 11 of the 95 losses so far, actually didn't pitch half-bad last night. He managed to pitch five innings and leave the scoreboard in working fashion when he exited; the Phils trailed 2-1 when the bullpen took over.

To the Phillies' credit, they rallied back twice in the late innings.

Erik Kratz hit a pinch-hit double and after advancing on a groundout, scored on a wild pitch to tie the game in the eighth. In the 10th, Andres Blanco walked. Brian Bogusevic hit into a forceout, stole a base, and scored when Galvis ripped a two-out single.

But Giles blew his first save in 14 opportunities since taking over for Jonathan Papelbon two months ago. And the offense had nothing left. The Phillies are 8-66 when they score fewer than four runs in a game.

And now they're also five more losses away from reaching 100. And if it does happen, it will take place at Citizens Bank Park: The worst the Phillies can do is reach 99 on Sunday in Washington, before they return to South Philly for the final six games of the season.

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese