By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
After the Philadelphia Phillies 6-22 month of May, it felt pretty likely that the 2017 team would become the first since Gene Mauch's club in 1961 to lose 100 or more games. It feels safe to say now – that's probably not going to happen.
With the team winning a third consecutive game against the Los Angeles Dodgers Wednesday night, they improved their record to 61-91 in 2017. With 10 games left, if the Phillies were to finish a sweep of the Dodgers Thursday afternoon, they would have to lose their remaining nine games to lose 100 games.
The Phillies, who have won seven of their last 10 games, may not end up with their second No. 1 pick in three years because of their competent play after the All-Star Break. Both the San Francisco Giants and Chicago White Sox could end up with worse records in 2017 than the Phillies.
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Given that the Phillies have won 11 of the 19 games that they've played in September, they also seem likely to lose less games than the 2015 Phillies, who lost 99 games. Unless they win out, they will lose more games than the 2016 Phillies, who lost 91 games.
Perhaps more important than whether they lose 100 games or not is how well the team's young players are playing.
Aaron Nola scattered five hits and two runs across seven innings in the team's victory over the Dodgers Wednesday. Odubel Herrera is hitting .296 in September and has hit at an other-worldly clip since a disastrous month of May in which he hit just .183 and struck out 30 times. Jorge Alfaro still needs to improve behind the plate, but he's quietly slashing .295/.340/.455 in 88 at-bats for the club. Nick Williams, acquired with Alfaro in the 2015 Cole Hamels trade, has provided a spark since being called up in late June, and is hitting .286 with 10 home runs. Aaron Altherr has a home run in all three games against the Dodgers. Oh yeah, you've probably also heard about that Rhys Hoskins guy.
In the short term, September of 2016 may be about avoiding losing 100 games in the 2017 season. In the long-run, we may remember it as the month that baseball in Philadelphia became fun again.
