End This Already

Somebody please make it stop. The Phillies, for whatever reason, can't seem to win when the Braves lose, like what happened last night. So even though Atlanta lost, the Phillies Tragic Number is down to 7. That means any combination of Braves wins and Phillies losses equaling 7 eliminates the Phils from playoff contention.

They lost to the Mets again last night, which should come as no surprise. The Phillies have not won a series against the Mets since 2011. The Phillies are 48-82 against the Mets since 2012 and are an absolutely brutal 20-45 at Citizens Bank Park against them during that span. God, I hate the Mets.

It's easy to blame the Mets, because they're, well, the Mets. But the Phils have been absolutely awful since the beginning of August. The only team in baseball with a worse record than the Phillies is the Orioles. And they really stink. So there's that.

Those 7 remaining games against the Braves probably won't give the Phillies any chance to overtake Atlanta for the division title. The way things are going, the Braves will probably eliminate the Phillies this weekend. Sigh.

But there is promising news for Philadelphia sports fans. Carson Wentz has been cleared to return to action against the Colts this weekend. And 20-year-old Flyers goalie prospect Carter Hart, one of the best prospects in the NHL, stopped all 11 shots he faced last night in an exhibition win over the Islanders. I'd love to see the Flyers go all in on Hart and make him the No. 1 goalie. That would be the least Flyers thing ever to happen. But chances are he'll start the season in the minors.