Mission Accomplished: Philadelphia Phillies beat St. Louis Cardinals for their fourth win in a row

Jun 19, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher David Buchanan (55) throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the first inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The Phillies have done it! They’ve overcome the odds to achieve something that most critics had said they were incapable of doing. Believe it or not, for the first time in over a year, the Phillies have won four games in a row!

The chances of extending their three-game winning streak didn’t seem that good heading into last night’s game. They’d be facing the Cardinals’ young pitching sensation Shelby Miller, while the decidedly un-sensational David “Bucky” Buchanan would take the ball for the Phils. (Can we make the nickname Bucky happen? I want this to happen.)

Buchanan hadn’t pitched especially poorly leading up to this game, but his performances were in line with what you’d expect from a guy who started off as a non-roster invitee to Spring Training.

(Sentence I never thought I’d write alert!) Buchanan had his way with the Cardinals lineup, retiring most of the batters he faced with ease. He pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one run on four hits and one walk.

Jun 19, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard (6) hits a two run home run off of St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Shelby Miller (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Even though they were facing a good pitcher in Miller, the Phillies scored four runs, mostly thanks to the red-hot bat of Ryan Howard. It’s been widely publicized how Howard thrives in Busch Stadium, and that continued last night. He hit an RBI single in the fourth and an added a vintage opposite field home run in the sixth. (The homer was his third in four days.)

Unfortunately, the news wasn’t all good last night. Reid Brignac, who has been much less sporadically unawful lately, injured his ankle. The injury happened when Miller was attempting to cover first base and apparently thought a slide tackle was the best way to accomplish this.

The team said he’ll need to be re-evaluated today, but it appears that a DL stint is forthcoming. If anyone wants to watch the carnage, here’s a link: http://m.mlb.com/video/v33866257

But let’s not allow that to sour the mood. We can worry about injuries and the like after the Phillies lose a game. For now, let’s just enjoy the winning streak and see how long they can keep this thing going.