After the Phillies staged their third straight ninth-inning comeback in Washington Thursday, color commentator John Kruk said he was “speechless.”

Play-by-play man Tom McCarthy described it as “incredible.”

Yes, it was a fun four-game set to watch, and it was done without Kyle Schwarber for three of those games. It was a three-game stretch that involved the secondary cast of J.T. Realmuto, Bryson Stott and Alex Bohm along with newcomers Derek Hill and Gabriel Rincones step up with the Bryce Harper’s and Brandon Marsh’s bats.

This was a Nationals’ team that was above .500 coming into the series, and they led the majors in runs scored with 538. Unfortunately, their closer-by-committee has led to a major-league leading 23 blown saves and an overall 4.75 ERA, leaving them 22nd overall.

Suddenly, the Phils are 45-36 and closing in on Atlanta. They led the majors with a .337 average with runners in scoring position in June.

The question now can be posed — Are the Phillies a great team, and did Dave Dombrowski make the right calls on Hill, Rincones and Alan Rangel (pronounced RON-HELL, I didn’t say it correctly)?

They entered City Field Friday night only four games behind the Braves, which didn’t seem possible. But Atlanta has cooled in their summer heat, losing four straight and 10 of their last 13.

The Phils can further close the gap with three games with the freefalling Mets, who had dropped six straight and nine of their last 12. It will be interesting to see how the Mets respond with new manager Andy Green taking over for Carlos Mendoza. It was a move that should have happened at the end of last season or in April of this season.

Now, the Phillies are suddenly in a division race instead of once being viewed battling for a Wild Card spot.

Playing Donnie Baseball ... Entering New York, the Phils had a 36-17 mark under interim skipper Dom Mattingly. If their 36-17 record would be played out over a 162-game schedule, the Phils would win 109 games.

Should they stay at their current pace, the Phillies are projected in the 90-plus win total.

Looking at some numbers, the Phils scored 98 runs and allowed 224 under former manager Rob Thomson, who was shown the door after a 9-19 start. They hit double-digits twice in their wins and had three games which they issued double-digits.

If you take those same 28 games under Mattingly — in which they went 20-8, the Phillies produced 121 runs and allowed 84. Mattingly’s club only reached double-digits in their wins once, and they allowed only one double-digit loss.

But the pitching has been a big difference. Thomson’s bunch didn’t have a shutout, but Mattingly’s crew has eight of them.

Keeping It Real ... If the Phils continue under their current pace and are on the heels of the Braves or win the NL East, Mattingly’s interim status has to be carefully scrutinized.

When he took over, Mattingly made it clear that this would be an interim basis, and the 65-year-old didn’t want the hustle and hassle of a full-time gig again.

Mattingly last managed in 2015 when he led the Dodgers to the third of three-consecutive NL West titles from 2013-15. He has an overall 446-353 slate in the dugout.

It’s no secret that former Red Sox manager Alex Cora is high on Dombrowski’s list, due to their former relationship in Beantown. Cora was offered the job to replace Thomson, but Cora didn’t want to take the job in season.

An ideal finish would be Mattingly taking the Phillies to the World Series and facing and beating the Yankees to get his first World Series ring.

Even if the Phils get to the playoffs and win a round, this should be Mattingly’s job to keep. It will come down to Mattingly or Cora.

A High Hill ... With his recent surge, Hill has provided some hope that he could be the missing right-handed power bat the Phillies are seeking.

However, it looms as a longshot for the .230 career hitter. Hill has 20 career homers and his high for a season is seven in a split year with Texas and San Francisco in 2024. He has reached a career-high 61 games this season.

Yet, Hill will help the strapped bench. Dombrowski still needs a bat at the deadline.

Chris-Crossed ... There have been some theories floating around that Cristopher Sanchez may have a tired arm after he gave up five runs to the Nationals. He also has a 3.87 ERA over his last five starts and has issued four of his eight homers on the season. His league-leading 110 innings (tied with Sandy Alcantara) also came into question.

Well, rest easy, Phillies’ fans. Sanchez threw 98 innings over his first 17 starts last year. He had a 7-2 record, 108 strikeouts, and a 2.73 ERA last year, and has a 9-3 mark, 127 strikeouts, and a 2.13 ERA this season.

Mixed Results ... In a recent Times News Facebook poll, the question was posed on whether the Phillies should acquire Boston closer Aroldis Chapman to bolster the bullpen.

And 37 percent believed the Phillies shouldn’t, 27 percent were in favor, and 36 percent didn’t care.

The 38-year-old lefty is on a one-year, $13 million pact with an option for 2027. He is 0-3 with a 1.99 ERA with 15 saves, and is 10th in career saves with 382.

Chapman can be a clubhouse distraction, but he might look good paired with Jhoan Duran.

New York, New York ... While the Mets are looking more like the Titanic, the Yankees continue to experience smooth seas ahead with an American-League best 48-31 record.

Has anyone missed Aaron Judge? Unlike other years, Judge’s name has barely been mentioned. Besides Judge, Trent Grisham, Max Fried and Giancarlo Stanton haven’t been missed.

For the first time in a few years, the Yanks have depth on the bench and on the mound. Clarke Schmidt will rejoin the rotation in August.

Once they get all the pieces in place, the Yanks will have to meet expectations.

A’s to B’s ... The A’s have been one of the game’s biggest surprises this season, being in first place most of the season. However, they have been recently saddled in second place (39-42) since they were in first place last on May 27 (27-28).

Catcher Shea Langeliers and first baseman Nick Kurtz are two of the game’s young, bright stars.

Mindless Stat ... Through 77 games, the 1980 Phillies were 42-35, the 2008 Phillies were 42-35, and the 2026 Phillies were 42-35.

Is there another World Championship in the works?

Scrapbook ... In each column, I will look back at a former standout from the coverage area.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with long-time Palmerton manager Ted Plessl, who led the Bombers’ program for 30 years as well as being the Lehigh Valley manager from 1998-2023 for the Carpenter Cup.

I was glad to see that “Mr. Baseball” is doing well, and is still keeping an eye on local talent.

In addition, I also was happy to see former Northern Lehigh legendary manager Frank Carazo also enjoying life. Carazo guided the Bulldogs for 31 seasons, He is an avid golfer and plays regularly with a number of former coaches.

Both played major parts in shaping the game locally.

Your thoughts are always welcomed and will be published;email them to tnsports@tnonline.com.

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