Jim Leyland, who could come across as a crusty soul at times, managed 22 seasons in the big leagues, winning three pennants and one World Series title. And one of his pet peeves was somebody suggesting that his club should automatically beat up on opponents with inferior records.
“The other side gives out scholarships, too,” he’d grumble.
Well, yeah, every team in Major League Baseball has some of the best players in the world. On a given day, even a team at the bottom of the pile can knock off a front-runner. You can’t take anything for granted. One game at a time. Yada, yada, yada.
Let’s get real. There are good teams and there are bad teams. And one of the reasons the good teams are good is that they beat the bad teams far more often than the other way around.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
This is an issue that comes to the forefront now because, frankly, the schedule is presenting the Phillies with a chance to put themselves firmly in control of their own destiny in a National League wild card race that’s currently wrapped up tighter than the yarn inside a baseball.
Consider:
They open a weekend series in Pittsburgh on Friday. The Pirates are in last place of the NL Central and have lost nine of their last 15.
Philadelphia Phillies
Complete coverage of the Fightin' Phils and their MLB rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Then it’s on to Miami for four games. The Marlins have dropped 10 of their last 14.
They return to Citizens Bank Park for three games against the Royals who are not only in last-place but have the second-worst record (30-74) in all of baseball.
This stroll down Opportunity Knocks Dr. ends with four against the Nationals who – you guessed it – occupy the cellar of the NL East.
That’s two straight weeks of games against teams that are presently a combined 71 games out of first.
And, in case you were wondering, the Phillies are 29-35 (.453) against teams with winning records, but 26-12 (.684) against teams with losing records.
That’s a lot of numbers. And with over a third of the season still remaining to be played, the next 14 games won’t necessarily guarantee a postseason berth or rule one out.
At least on paper, though, they won’t have a better portion of the schedule to make their move.
