As the Phils prepare to sweep the Nationals on Thursday to get within one game of .500, the Yankees look to end a five-game losing streak that includes to sweeps, by the Red Sox and the D-Rays.

They are indeed two teams headed in different directions and is largely due to pitching. The Yanks pitching has been decimated by injuries while the Phils have seemingly stabilized the starting rotation while cannibalizing a member of the rotation (Brett Myers) to at least throw another major-league arm in the pen. Oh, and the Phils finally figured out how to bunch a couple of hits.

Should the Yankees get swept by the Blue Jays, they will do something that hasn't been done since the beginning of the Steinbrenner era, get swept in three straight series. Here are all the times in the Yankees history that they have been swept three in straight series:

Yr	Series#	Opp	W	L	Series#	Opp	W	L	Series#	Opp	W	L
1908	25	DET	0	3	26	CLE	0	4	27	SLA	0	3
1912	1	BOS	0	3	2	WS1	0	2	3	BOS	0	1
1912	20	WS1	0	5	21	WS1	0	1	22	DET	0	2
1912	38	CHA	0	3	39	DET	0	3	40	CLE	0	2
1913	11	BOS	0	1	12	PHA	0	4	13	BOS	0	2
1913	12	PHA	0	4	13	BOS	0	2	14	CLE	0	4
1915	12	BOS	0	2	13	DET	0	2	14	DET	0	1
1915	37	WS1	0	3	38	SLA	0	1	39	DET	0	4
1930	1	PHA	0	1	2	BOS	0	2	3	WS1	0	1
1930	2	BOS	0	2	3	WS1	0	1	4	PHA	0	1
1944	13	DET	0	4	14	CLE	0	1	15	BOS	0	4
1973	42	KCA	0	3	43	OAK	0	3	44	CAL	0	2

And if the Yanks do succumb to a sweep at the hands of the Jays and go on to face the Red Sox again, keep in mind that they have been swept in four straight series just twice (in 1913 and 1930).

Meanwhile, the Phils have swept three straight series in a row just twice since 1990. Keep that in mind should they again top the Nats and then go on to face the Mets this weekend. Here are the last ten times they have done it (they have 45 in their history):