The Philadelphia Phillies continue to play surprisingly well which has definitely increased the probability of them making the playoffs this year. This next 10-day stretch of games will be very important for them, because they are playing struggling teams including the Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates and Arizona Diamondbacks. The series against Arizona is on the road. Then they have to play the San Francisco Giants, who have a chance for playoff contention as well.
Two players who have really impressed me in the last month are starting pitcher Ranger Suarez and rookie shortstop Bryson Stott. Bryson has proven he is capable of hitting in the big leagues. Going into the season, Ranger Suarez had an awfully tough start for his second season to follow his impressive rookie season. In the past two months, he has been the Phillies’ third best pitcher after getting over a back injury that contributed to his struggles in the beginning of the season. I hope he continues to pitch as well as he is now down the home stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.
Late breaking news is the return of Bryce Harper on Friday from his broken thumb.
I was very impressed with how well Wilmington Country Club held its own as a PGA Tour venue last week. Patrick Cantlay won by one shot. He became the first player in FedEx Cup history to defend a title in the 16-year history of the FedEx Cup playoffs. The rough was quite thick around the course, which is the key, in my opinion, to keep the scores from going too low, and that means you have to hit the fairways off the tee. That is the hardest part for the modern player because they swing so hard to try to hit the ball for distance. It seemed like most of the players liked the course. I hope Wilmington Country Club gets to host another significant event in the near future.
The Tour Championship is this week. I’m not a huge fan of the recently adopted format for the championship with the top players receiving strokes against par before the tournament even starts. I think the bottom 10 players in the FedEx Cup standings do not have much of a chance. The top-ranked player, Scottie Scheffler, starts the event at 10-under par. I hope they can come up with a more fair format in the near future for the championship.
The U.S. Open tennis tournament starts next week in New York. I will be watching as much as possible, and I hope the U.S. men can continue their high level of play from Wimbledon. We will see how far Serena Williams can go in what is probably her last U.S. Open performance. I hope she plays well regardless.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
