BY SCOTT LAUBERSo, as the Phillies enjoyed their final night off of the regular season, the Mets and Brewers picked up big, huge, ginormous walk-off wins.
In New York, in the rain, Carlos Beltran singled home the winning run, and the Mets turned a 6-3 deficit into a 7-6 victory over the Cubs, who didn't have Derrek Lee, Alfonso Soriano or Aramis Ramirez in their lineup and didn't use Kerry Wood or Carlos Marmol to halt the Mets' big late-inning comeback. Something tells me that Charlie Manuel just crossed Lou Piniella off his Christmas card list.
About an hour later, in Milwaukee, Ryan Braun belted a grand slam in the 10th inning to give the Brewers a 5-1 win over the Pirates. Good sign for the Brew Crew: Yovani Gallardo pitched well in his first start since May 1. Of course, Gallardo won't make another start unless the Brewers make the playoffs. Ben Sheets' status is still undecided for Saturday. Sheets missed his last start because of a sore right elbow.
So, as the rain prepares to invade the region, the already-taut playoff race gets even tighter. The Phillies (89-70), who have a one-game advantage over the Mets and Brewers, will host the 98-loss Nationals. The Mets (88-71) will host the Marlins. And the Brewers (88-71) will visit the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Will Piniella play his big guns this weekend? If so, how much? Meantime, check out what the Marlins have been saying about the Mets:
Mike Jacobs: "We want to kick their butt, and I'm sure they want to kick our butt. It feels good beating teams like that. [Last year] was pretty amazing going from how loud that stadium was to you could hear a pin drop when that game was over. I remember hearing some of the guys saying they saw fans who were crying, and obviously they were hanging their heads. For us to have a hand in it, it was a good feeling. I don't necessarily think they're worried because of what happened last year. I think they should be worried because we play 'em tough. And I think they know that, and I think that I'm sure they'll be up to the challenge. I wouldn't say we're in their heads. I think they need to be perfect because if they're not, they're going to have a tough time."
Scott Olsen: "Anything we can do to keep them from going on is our goal going in."
Here's a breakdown of the final series for the Phillies, Mets and Brewers:
NATIONALS (59-99) at PHILLIES (89-70)
(Phillies lead the season series, 9-6)
Tonight, 7:10: RHP Colin Balester (3-6, 4.83) vs. RHP Joe Blanton (3-0, 4.45)
Saturday, 3:55: LHP John Lannan (9-14, 3.86) vs. LHP Jamie Moyer (15-7, 3.78)
Sunday, 1:35: LHP Odalis Perez (7-11, 4.27) vs. LHP Cole Hamels (14-10, 3.09)
Hot: Nationals SS Cristian Guzman is batting .411 (39-for-95) with 19 RBIs in his last 23 games; Nationals 3B Ryan Zimmerman is batting .322 (39-for-121) with 17 RBIs in his last 28 games; Phillies CF Shane Victorino is batting .431 (22-for-51) with three homers and seven RBIs in his last 13 games; Phillies 1B Ryan Howard is batting .346 (36-for-104) with 13 homers and 34 RBIs in his last 28 games.
Not: Nationals INF Ronnie Belliard (strained groin) is out for the season; Nationals C Jesus Flores (left ankle sprain) hasn't played since Sept. 2; Phillies RF Jayson Werth is mired in a 1-for-25 slump; Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins is hitless in his last 10 at-bats.
MARLINS (82-76) at METS (87-71)
(Mets lead the season series, 9-6)
Tonight, 7:10: RHP Chris Volstad (5-4, 3.10) vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey (13-10, 3.70)
Saturday, 1:10: RHP Ricky Nolasco (15-7, 3.55) vs. LHP Jonathon Niese (1-1, 7.07)
Sunday, 1:10: LHP Scott Olsen (8-11, 4.23) vs. LHP Johan Santana (15-7, 2.64)
BREWERS (87-71) at CUBS (96-61)
(Cubs lead the season series, 8-5)
Tonight, 8:08: RHP Jeff Suppan (10-10, 5.06) vs. Ryan Dempster (17-6, 2.99)
Saturday, 3:55: RHP Ben Sheets (13-8, 2.98) or RHP Dave Bush (9-10, 4.25) vs. LHP Ted Lilly (16-9, 4.17)
Sunday, 2:05: LHP CC Sabathia (10-2, 1.78) vs. TBA
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