"If the sputtering Braves manage to back their way into the postseason, the question could be whether they keep skidding pitcher Derek Lowe a part of their starting rotation once they get there.

Lowe got knocked around again Tuesday by the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Braves lost their fourth consecutive game and seventh in nine on a night when the last bit of their wild-card lead, a lead that once seemed insurmountable, was erased.

The Braves were blasted 7-1 by the Phillies at Turner Field in the next-to-last game of the regular season, while St. Louis beat Houston 13-6 to pull even with the Braves in the National League wild-card standings."