The Phillies salvaged a game Sunday night in Atlanta but, at 10-14, they are not where they wanted to be 40% of the way through the season. They're four games behind the first-place Braves and two behind the second-place Marlins, which is meaningful this year because the top two teams in each division make the playoffs.
The Phils are off Monday before facing the Nationals for the first time this season in a series in D.C. Tuesday through Thursday. As it lines up, they're likely to see both Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin in the series. (Stephen Strasburg is out for the season.) The Phillies will go with Jake Arrieta, Aaron Nola and Spencer Howard, in that order.
After Monday, the Phillies will play 16 games in 15 days and 33 in 30. Win or lose, they won't have much time to think about it in September.
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On Monday, though, the Phillies will rest after a 2-5 start to their 10-game road trip. Joe Girardi was asked Sunday afternoon how he'd spend the day off.
"We're gonna sit in our hotel rooms, just like we do in Atlanta, just like we do everywhere else," he said with a smile. "I'll try to work out, probably outside, I'll go for a run or something, socially distant that way. Order room service a couple of times and do my work on Washington and that's my day. It's the life of baseball people during a pandemic I guess."
The inability to go to nice restaurants on the road is a bummer but that's life in the big city.
"I'm heartbroken over that," Girardi said. "I tell people my real passion is food. I love this game but my real passion is food."