So the 2007 edition of interleague play is over and after early returns showing the AL way ahead, the NL had a mini surge—including the Mets sweeping the A's in an obvious and long overdue replay of the 1973 World Series—and ended up with just the third most lopsided interleague results in the short-lived history of the gimmick turned reality.

After eleven years of interleague play, the Americans lead with a .510 winning percentage, 1250 wins to 1202 losses. Their .544 winning percentage in 2007, which translates into a 88-74 record over a 162-game schedule, is the third highest for a league behind the AL's hegemonic 2006 record (.611 or 99-63 over 162 games) and the NL's .547 winning percentage in the experiment's first year (or 89-73). Here are the most lopsided interleague records per league:

The AL's dominance over the last four years is even more impressive. They own a 554-454 record for a .550 winning percentage or 89-73 over a 162-game schedule.

The big winners this year were the Tigers and Angels:

…And the losers are the Braves and White Sox:

Meanwhile, the Phils continue to remain in striking distance of a playoff spot. They are three games behind the Mets in the NL East and 3.5 behind the Padres for the wild card. The will host the Mets this weekend for a four-game series with an opportunity to nab first place before the All-Star break.

Unfortunatley with Jon Lieber out possibly for the season, the Phils do not have a scheduled starter for one of the two Friday games. The odds are that Ryan Madson will come out of the pen to take at least that turn in the rotation. Somehow a team that had a surplus of starting pitchers to start the year are down to three veterans, a Double-A pitcher on a tryout, and a big question mark with not many options for the rest of the year. Lieber and Garcia may not return. Myers will probably return to the pen when and if he returns from the DL.

One has to think that the annual beating that the NL takes during interleague play has razed almost the entire league pretty equally. When the better teams in the NL return to better up on the doormats, the severe problems the Phils have in the rotation, the pen, and at third will prevent them from surging ahead.

Then again, nothing on this team seems to make sense from the front office to the minors. They have a core with a great deal of talent and then replacement level or below players in key positions. Pat Gillick started applying spackle to the roster picking up the likes of Helms, Barajas, and Eaton in the offseason and is now earning his nickname, "Stand Pat". The minors are a wasteland, and many of the options they might have had have been thrown into trades over the years (for example, Justin Germano (5-1, 2.63 ERA in San Diego), Gavin Floyd, and Gio Gonzalez would all have be viable starting pitching options).

Somehow, you have to know that this team will float near the top of the division until being flushed away as usual by August.