The Phillies, known for their near misses in recent years, are again in position heading into the final weekend to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

A 6-4 win over Atlanta Thursday night, combined with the Mets' 3-0 loss to St. Louis, has the two teams tied above the NL East leaderboard with three games remaining for each club.

Since beginning the season an MLB-worst 4-11, Philadelphia has posted the NL's best record at 83-61. Even so, as recently as 16 days ago, the Phils were still seven games behind the Mets. Since then, however, Philly is 11-3, while the Mets have stumbled to a 4-10 mark. Hence, we have arrived at the critical moment, with everything riding on this weekend's action.

Philadelphia wasted no time getting to John Smoltz last night. Just two pitches into the game, the Phils grabbed a 1-0 lead and, thanks to some shoddy defense, had stretched it to 4-0 before Smoltz recorded an out.

Smoltz has certainly had issues with the Phillies in recent years, failing to record a win against them since July 1, 2005. But considering he had given up three or more earned runs just three times in 31 starts heading in to Thursday's action, his sub par outing (four innings, seven hits, six runs – five of them earned) made for some rare footage.

Ryan Howard led the way for the Phils, smacking a two-run homer – his 44th long ball of the year – as part of the first-inning onslaught. The defending NL MVP also struck out twice, becoming baseball's new single-season record holder with 197 whiffs. It's pretty amazing that while Howard is well on his way to becoming the sport's first 200 K man, he's managed to drive in 130 runs this season.

Even Pat Burrell – a 2-for-26 hitter with 14 strikeouts in his career vs. Smoltz before Thursday – got in on the act, crushing his 30th home run of the season, a two-run blast that increased the margin to an insurmountable 6-0 in the third. That dinger not only allowed Pat the Bat to take over fifth place on the all-time Phillies' home run list, but it pretty well stuck a fork in the Braves' chances, and last night's loss officially ended their playoff hopes for 2007.

Both the Mets and Phillies wrap up their schedules at home, with New York hosting Florida and Philly taking on the Nats. Although both those matchups seem favorable, recall that Florida is coming off a three-game sweep of the Cubs and Washington just swept New York at Shea earlier this week, so neither team is ready to roll over for a playoff contender.

For the Phillies, who remain a game back of the Padres in the Wild Card race, today marks the first time all season long they have enjoyed a taste of life atop the division.

While we wait to see if the Mets will become the first team in history to blow a seven-game lead with 17 games to play, or if Philly will break its fans' hearts yet again, let's review the rest of Thursday's diamond developments…

• Adam Dunn should send Howard a nice bottle of scotch or something. He no longer owns the title of the single-season strikeout king. In fact, prior to Howard swinging and missing his way past the Reds' star, Dunn owned the two highest strikeout totals in MLB history – 195 in 2004 and 194 in 2006.



• After watching him struggle badly since his recall, the Pirates will need to make a decision this offseason about John Van Benschoten, the eighth overall pick in 2001 whose career has spun off track with arm injuries. Last night, JVB (0-7) was again rancid, getting ripped for six hits and four runs in just two innings, shooting his already inflated ERA up to 10.15. He's simply been far too hittable (.335 BAA) to have any success in the majors, and as a result, his spot on the 40-man roster is very much in jeopardy. If Van Benschoten is set free, the 27-year-old is sure to garner interest. You've got to believe that a pitcher capable of going 10-7 with a 2.56 ERA in Triple-A, as he did this season, has the potential to deliver better major league results.

AL Quick Hits: When the Yankees open the playoffs next week, all indications are that Doug Mientkiewicz will be their starting first baseman. You know he's got the glove, but a .455 mark since September 1 doesn't hurt either…The top record in the AL seems to have slipped out of their grasp, but that doesn't mean the Angels don't have plenty at stake this weekend. Kelvim Escobar's start Saturday, for instance, will go a long way towards determining if he's over his shoulder inflammation and capable of handling a rotation spot in the playoffs or if the Halos will have to turn to underwhelming Bartolo Colon…Despite the Mariners' late-season swoon that cost them a shot at the playoffs, it's been a successful year in Seattle. The team acknowledged that Thursday by announcing that manager John McLaren and general manager Bill Bavasi will each return in 2008…Scott Kazmir fanned 10 Yankees in six innings Thursday to pass Johan Santana and take over the MLB lead with 239 strikeouts. Only Jake Peavy, who may pitch on short rest Sunday if needed, can touch Kazmir now.

NL Quick Hits: Scott Hairston is picking a great time to make an impression on the Padres. Thrust into a starting role with Milton Bradley out for the year, Hairston was 2-for-5 with two runs on Thursday, delivering a tie-breaking, three-run double to help the Padres keep pace in the NL West and maintain their Wild Card lead. I've always been a Hairston fan and would love to see what he can do with a full-time gig. A late flourish might help him land one in 2008…If Pat Misch is harboring any hopes of getting a shot at the Giants' rotation next year, he didn't do himself much of a favor Wednesday, getting ripped for eight hits and nine runs over 4 1/3 innings. In four starts, his ERA is 6.41, compared to a 2.18 mark in 14 relief appearances…Joel Pinerio has been inconsistent after his tremendous start in St. Louis, but Thursday's performance sure will help him in his quest for a rotation spot next year. In his first career appearance against the Mets, Pineiro hurled eight shutout innings, limiting New York to three hits while fanning six and walking just one.

Rob Blackstien runs www.RotoRob.com, a site featuring daily fantasy sports analysis. In addition to his baseball work on the site, he contributes to Rotoworld’s basketball coverage. Rob also writes for CREATiVESPORTS.com, BaseballNotebook.com and has contributed to Rotoman’s Fantasy Baseball Guide and Fantasy Football Guide.

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