Sept. 1 -- LEFTOVERS

Hard to imagine a worse way to lose than last night in DC for the Phillies.

To recap: Down to their last strike, the Nats got a two-run, game-tying single by Felipe Lopez in the ninth against Arthur Rhodes. Then, after the Phillies went ahead 5-4 in the 10th on a passed ball, Aaron Fultz allowed an RBI single by Brian Schneider and threw a wild pitch that allowed Marlon Anderson to score from third.

Had they won, the Phils would've tied the Padres for the NL wild-card lead. Instead, they're one game behind going into a series against the Braves at the Bank.

Leave it to Rhodes to put the loss in perspective: "I know this one game seems like a lot to us. It's a game we should've won, and it might hurt us in the long run. But we've got to put it behind us. We've got no choice."

He's right. The Phillies do have to rebound, and it might haunt them in October.

A few other notes:

* Ryan Howard's 49th homer was a titantic shot into the upper deck of RFK Stadium. For anyone who says Howard's piling up homers because he plays in homer-happy Citizens Bank Park, I'll remind you of what he did on the road trip. Three homers in three games at Shea Stadium and two more at RFK. Neither are a hitter's paradise.

* It's Sept. 1, which means 25-man rosters may expand. The Phils began the process by calling up RHP Scott Mathieson and LHP Eude Brito. Mathieson will start one half of Saturday's doubleheader. Brito recently was moved to the bullpen at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In the coming days, look for IF Danny Sandoval and LHP Matt Smith to return, too. And after SWB's playoff run is over, RHP Brian Sanches and OF Michael Bourn could be here as well.

* It seems Mike Lieberthal's back injury, which he describes as "spasms," is rather troublesome, after all. He slept on the floor in his hotel room Wednesday night and stood in the dugout for most of the past two games vs. the Nats. Still, he managed to start both games and play all 19 innings, so how bad can it be?