Good Contact

Rhys Hoskins picked a great time to end a 30-at-bat homerless streak. His 8th inning solo blast off Mets reliever Taylor Bashlor lifted the Phils to a badly needed 4-3 win at Citi Field. In backing a less-than-his-best Aaron Nola, who worked the first seven innings for his 16th victory, Hoskins also helped the Phils gain back a game on the first place Braves, who lost in Arizona.
It has not been a good month or so for the Phillies, who've been treading water -- not exactly the way to compete with that other young and rising team in Atlanta.
They haven't won a series since early August, while Nola has suddenly given up a lot of home runs -- five in his last two starts, as many as he surrendered in the previous 18.
So Hoskins' bailout couldn't have come at a better moment. Now the challenge for the Phils is to build some kind of streak against a weak Mets club, while the Braves battle the contending Diamondbacks the next couple of days.
(My image of Hoskins is from a July 9th Phillies/Mets game in New York.)

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