moyer makes it 10

Yes, at age 45, Jamie Moyer last night won his 10th game of the season. Congratulations! The Phillies took a 2-0 lead in the 1st but the Nats got three in the bottom of the inning. That, however, was all that Moyer gave up in seven innings of six-hit ball. The Phillies put five on the board in the 5th on their way to an 8-5 win. Chase Utley had his second homer in as many nights. Shane Victorino continued his tear with a big one as well. And just about everyone had a role to play in a win that put the Phillies back in first for the moment.

is brett back?

I'd gladly take this cool, wet evening at the ballpark over the soupy heat that is again back. Meanwhile, Brett Myers pitched seven+ solid innings of four-hit ball last night in D.C. He used his fast ball throughout and gave up just one run, unearned, in the 2-1 victory. Yes, it's the Nats, currently the worst team in the majors, but those Nats/Expos always give the Phillies fits. Haven't checked the record but I think Myers does not usually fare well against them. Let's hope this good news continues his next start Sunday night in St. Louis.

As expected, J.A. Happ has been recalled to take Adam Eaton's spot, in the bullpen at least for now. Pedro Feliz has been put on the DL retroactive to July 24 with back pain; Mike Cervenak has been recalled from Lehigh Valley to fill the roster spot. Chase Utley, depending on who is talking, does or does not have a hip injury. He says not, his wife says not. In any case, he provided the offense last night with a 2-run homer in the 3rd, following a single by Rollins. Lidge got his 25th in 25 save attempts. And I am reading Joe Bageant's Deer Hunting with Jesus, which is as good as it is depressing.

daydreaming day

I came across this horse, so handsome, patient, and still, early on my long errand path. It was a golden day, with not a hint of the thunderstorms forecast. When I finally got home, I learned that Adam Eaton had been optioned to the minors. He's been a bust from the get-go but I'm surprised that he agreed to go. Speculation is that J.A. Happ, who was pulled early from his start yesterday, will take his place. Or be part of a trade. Is Lehigh Valley becoming the witness protection program for the big club?

Joe Blanton's first start in Philadelphia yesterday went into a two-hour+ rain delay after two innings. He gave up 2 runs in the first. When play resumed, it was bullpen time. Eaton surrendered three more to give the Braves a 5-0 lead. But the Phillies soon came back to tie it, then in the 6th a Pat Burrell solo homer opened the flood gates. Jimmy Rollins' solo shot in the 7th seemed like the cherry on the top, putting the Phillies up 12-5. But Rudy Seanez was unable to get an out in the 8th, and the Braves did some coming back of their own. With the score 12-10, Brad Lidge came in to nail his 24th save in 24 tries. But he should not have had to be in the game. Some bullpen help, please! Tom Gordon is definitely missed.

defining moment---or not?

Flags were flying over the Reading grandstand at a game this spring. Last night the R-Phils held a postgame tribute for catcher Lou Marson and shortstop Jason Donald, who are leaving to take part in the Beijing Olympics.

For the Phillies, yesterday's late afternoon game with the Braves could have been a defining moment in a couple of ways--except that this team never does defining moments. Instead, they just keep going. You had to like the match-up of Cole Hamels vs. Mike Hampton, pitching for the first time in forever. Hamels cruised through three while the Phils got an early 3-run lead. Then in the 4th, Hamels went blooie, giving up 9 runs, in part because of two costly fielding errors, including a wild one by Hamels himself.

The FOX broadcasters all but proclaimed the game over, till the bottom of the 5th that is, when the Phillies strung together some hits to make it 9-5, then 9-7. Then, with two on, pinchhitter extraordinaire Gregg Dobbs came to the plate and smacked a three-run homer into the right upper deck to put the Phils up 10-9. Both bullpens held the score at that through 8. Then it was Lights Out time and it took Brad Lidge just 12 pitches to retire the Braves in the 9th---for his 23rd save in 23 tries. Dobbs now leads the majors with 20 pinch hits this season.

Gotta love the irony. Hamels, golden in several losses when the offense has been non-existent, was out of the game for the offensive explosion. The win went instead to Adam Eaton, who pitched in relief.

getting boring fast

Brandon Watson 'covers' the plate coming in to score for the 'Pigs.

Last night the Phillies again wasted a sterling pitching performance, this one by Kyle Kendrick, who went six and gave up just one run, a solo shot to the Braves' Brian McCann. But from Jimmy Rollins on down, the offense was asleep, mustering just three hits off rookie Jair Jurjens, whom they batted around the last time the two teams met. Since the All-Star break, the Phillies are batting .234; since June 1, .243. Where, oh where is Chase Utley? The game got out of hand in the 9th when Brad Lidge, with the score 1-0, came in and mayhem ensued. McCann hit another homer, this time a grand slam. Unlike the Mets, though, the Braves do not pimp.

phils squander first

Pat Burrell at bat during the March exhibition game at Coca-Cola Park. It seems almost an age ago.

Another series loss, this time to the Mets and this time it puts the Phillies in second in the East. Game 1: Santana was dominant for eight innings while Blanton muddled in his Phillies debut. But in the 9th the Phillies pounced on the Mets' bullpen, which was without Billy Wagner, to the tune of 6 runs. Phillies win 8-6.

Game 2: Myers was shaky in his return and the Phils again allowed Maine to master them. In the 6th, Madson gives up a 3-run bomb and that's that. Postgame, Myers said he could have gone 9. Excuse me, but my eyes are rolling.

Game 3: Moyer pitched 7 innings of 1-run, 2-hit ball all in vain. In the 8th Romero gave up the two runs that gave the Mets the 3-1 win. Phils' offense again missing against the over-rated Perez. Jimmy Rollins was not in the game, benched by Charlie Manuel for being late. Jimmy is putting Charlie in an untenable position--and being very unJimmylike. Are the 2008 Phillies morphing into the 2007 Mets? Ya gotta wonder.

camp day at the ballpark

Jason Jaramillo at bat today in game two at Coca-Cola Park. The everyday catcher, Jaramillo DH'd in this game with the Durham Bulls, the triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

I took my mother this afternoon to the second game of a doubleheader at Coca-Cola Park. The first game, a continuation of yesterday's game (suspended because of rain) was won by the Bulls, though the 'Pigs came close in the 9th to pulling it out. The second, a seven-inning affair, was all 'Pigs. Starter Les Walrond, on a roll of late, threw a 4-hit shutout and the 'Pigs offense put together two runs, more than enough for the win. It was Camp Day and the official attendance was about 9500. By game two, though, most of the kid campers were gone. It was maybe a couple thousand people, sitting in the sun and enjoying baseball on a day of suddenly-bearable humidity.

a little happ-ening

It was too sticky at last night's IronPigs game for photos. Here instead, a misty spider's web.

J.A. Happ started for the 'Pigs, against the visiting Durham Bulls. After giving up a 2-run homer in the first, Happ settled in and was sterling. The 'Pigs got a run in the 1st, then added 3 more. Happ faltered in the 6th, giving up another run, but battled through the inning. Ennis and Swindle came on in relief to hold the score at 4-3 for another win for the IronPigs. Some 8500 fans were on hand to watch.

we would have played for nothing

I wonder how many of the old stars featured in this delightful book bought into its somewhat romantic title. Included in this, the second volume of the Baseball Oral History Project, are Ralph Branca, Bill Rigney, Duke Snider, Robin Roberts, Carl Erskine, Whitey Ford, Lew Burdette, Harmon Killebrew, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, and Billy Williams. Some of these players have familiar (to me, that is) stories, others not so much. All are told in their own words, which makes for interesting reading. Pitcher Lew Burdette explains how he and teammate Warren Spahn decided that "if you get the reputation that you don't walk anybody, like Greg Maddux does, you don't have to throw strikes. They swing at anything." Whitey Ford recounts a story about sitting with Mickey Mantle in the Mick's high-priced Manhattan restaurant and watching a woman come in with four kids for hamburgers. Mantle says to Ford that she's going to be shocked when the bill comes, and sure enough, when it did, the woman was visibly taken aback. At which point, Mantle went over to the table, announced that they were the 10,00th customer and the tab was on the house.

I don't know if interviewer Fay Vincent asked about Jackie Robinson but Robinson features large in many reminiscences, for what he meant to baseball and beyond. Carl Erskine, who in 1960 had a child born with Downs syndrome, provides some of the most poignant comments. It was thanks to Jackie Robinson, he says, that children like his, now have far different lives than in the past. Robinson, he says, was responsible for changing American society from "rejection to inclusion, from spectator to participant." A good book, a good series: check it out.

tuning out

It's simply too hot and humid to follow the Phillies anymore. Despite Eaton, despite Myers, it's the offense that has been the big problem all season. I've finally snapped. Watching the team underperform has become just too frustrating. I need a break. Maybe when the weather is cooler, or at least less humid, I'll be able to focus again.

genji turns 1000, anne turns 100

What I found out yesterday: Genji monogatari (Tale of Genji) turns 1000 this year. Hail to Murasaki Shikibu and the Shining One! What I learned this morning: Anne of Green Gables celebrates its 100th. Cheers for Lucy Maud Montgomery and her famous heroine! Time for a couple of rereads. What else is there to do in the oppressive heat and humidity prevailing on the East Coast?

Limeport Stadium yesterday celebrated its 75th anniversary with a day of baseball festivities. It ended with an old-time baseball game, circa late 1800's. The local Lehigh Valley team beat the visiting New Yorkers 5-1. Fitting.

The little I caught of yesterday's game between the Phillies and Marlins was dispiriting. Each time the Phillies took a slim lead, Kyle Kendrick gave up a multiple-run homer to the Fish. The Phillies had numerous scoring opportunities but the situational hitting continues to be abysmal.

moyer makes it 10

full throttle---
cicadas, cicadas, cicadas
morning to night

Ten straight wins over the Marlins, that is, for Jamie Moyer. Last night's 4-2 win also got contributions from Ryan Howard (HR 29) and Geoff Jenkins, with a mammoth homer to the deepest part of the cavernous park down there in steamy Florida and an RBI single. He said in the postgame show that he'd been working on his swing during the break. Keep it up, Geoff!

It's hot and sticky here in eastern Pennsylvania, too. The cicadas are filling the air with the sounds of summer.

big joe's bluegrass blog

It's oppressively humid here: my excuse for a wandering mind. That, however, has led me to Joe Blanton's sweet blog. The last entry had to deal with trade rumors, which Blanton says he's has been dealing with for the past three seasons. He also says that he basically leaves the rumors to his dad, who scours the Web for them. I hope dad isn't too dismayed by some of the puerile rantings from the blogosphere about this trade. If Blanton is writing this blog himself, he's doing a good job. He's got a real voice and comes across as an easy-going down-home guy. Sometime soon I'll go back and read the Japan bits more thoroughly. Having lived in Tokyo for 3+ years and Japan for almost 20, I love reading outsiders' takes. Good luck to Big Joe in Philadelphia!

http://joeblanton.mlblogs.com/

happ near-perfect

A tremendous thunderstorm delayed last night's first game for the IronPigs by about two hours, but gave way to this rainbow. You can't see it here but it was a double rainbow.

Off of two impressive starts last week in Philadelphia, lefty J.A. Happ last night continued to make his push for a spot in the Phillies starting rotation. He pitched the final seven innings against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in a game suspended earlier this season by rain. Happ retired all but one of the batters he faced, striking out 12 and walking just one. Of his 102 pitches, 71 were thrown for strikes. Yo, front office, what about it?

IronPigs relief pitchers R. J. Swindle and Steve Green have been named to the Canadian Olympic baseball team and will be heading soon for Beijing. Kudos to both!

blanton for cardenas, outman, and spencer

The Phillies yesterday traded infielder Adrian Cardenas (single A), LHP Josh Outman (double A), and outfielder Matt Spencer (single A) for A's starter Joe Blanton. Add Blanton to the list of starting pitchers (Myers and Eaton) with steep losing records. (However does this team have one of the better ERA's in the NL?) Who knows about Blanton? I was hoping to see Cardenas, a hot prospect who can really rake, later this season at double-A Reading. Outman, it was speculated, might have ended up this year in the Phillies bullpen. I confess to knowing nothing about Spencer and shall just wish him well. With Chase Utley at 2nd, Cardenas, a second baseman, was no doubt eventually out of here, but I was still hoping that the recent trade rumors were just that. Bye-bye, Adrian and the splendidly-named Outman.

too long, too late

One thing for sure in last night's All-Star game, the ball was not juiced. You could question that in the Home Run Derby but not last night. There was lots of odd drama in the game but in the end it started too late and went on much too long. Six innings too long, to be exact. To me, the best part, as in all All-Star games, were the player introductions. While the reserves lined up along the field were shot with an odd lens that made them all look like Sharpei, the starters took their spots on the field with their Hall of Fame counterparts. That was very cool and very well done. I had feared some sappy baseball moment but it was all very cool. Take 3rd base: Brooks Robinson, Mike Schmidt, George Brett, and Wade Boggs (of the flowing hair) were joined by Chipper Jones and Alex Rodriguez, future Hall of Famers themselves. Pretty impressive.

The NL took a 2-0 lead, then Edinson Volquez of all pitchers gave up a 2-run homer to J.D. Drew, on several cities' list as a least favorite. The NL regained the lead, then Mets closer Billy Wagner, in to get one out, lit up the NY talk radio phone lines when he blew it in the 8th. That set up the tie and a marathon night for Phillies closer Brad Lidge. Lidge warmed up for the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th innings and when he finally got in was not lights out. He had already thrown by most estimates about 100 pitches warming up. Thanks, Billy, Clint, et al. If Lidge is fried the rest of the season, we will be bitter. I fell in and out of sleep from the 10th inning on and was totally astounded to wake and hear that Lidge had lost it in the 15th. How could he even be in the game?

Alex Rodriguez, on the other hand, had split as soon as he was taken out of the game. Sure, lots of other players left early but they weren't Yankees. Give Dan Uggla a big hug, willya? The poor guy had a horror of a night, with 3 K's and a GIDP at the plate and 3 errors in the field. The NY fans were taunting him at one point with chants of "hit it to Uggla." So much for Josh Hamilton's performance the night before. Last night he got chants of "junkie". But the worst was reserved for Jonathan Papelbon, who had had the temerity to say that he deserved to close the game for the AL. Yankee fans weren't having any of that. The Red Sox players got booed from the get-go but there was venom in the boos aimed at Papelbon. Earlier in the day his pregnant wife had been verbally threatened during the parade up 6th Avenue. When Papelbon finally made an appearance, in the 8th, the stadium rang with chants of 'overrated.' A real NY moment.

In the early goings it was a surprisingly sweet evening. Yankee Stadium is simply "the house that Ruth built" and in the end like no other baseball venue. The first time I went to Yankee Stadium I saw a young Jim Thome playing with the Indians. That was the game in which David Wells wore a Yankees cap that had belonged to Babe Ruth. (Once noticed, Wells was forced to replace it.) Also, I attended my only postgame press conference ever, at the stadium, when Irabu was with the Yanks. Best of all, I was there the night that Pedro Martinez, then a Red Sox, K'd 18 Yankees in what was a fab game for all but Yankee fans.

I don't know what commentary was more tedious: Buck and McCarver on TV or Campbell and Shulman on radio. At least I could mute the TV coverage.

congrats to marson and donald

Congratulations to Lou Marson and Jason Donald, both of the Reading Phillies, on being named to the U.S. men's baseball team at the Summer Olympics this August in Beijing. Marson is a catcher and Donald a shortstop. Good going, guys!

Tedious All-Star

After 15 innings, no one was left in the stands to applaud or boo JD Drew as he picked up the MVP award and an ugly gas-guzzler. What a tedious, boring game it was with inane commentary throughout. At least Lincecum got to skip it all, lying in the hospital with the flu.

bombs away

When I told my mother what Chase Utley said last night during the Home Run Derby introductions, she burst into laughter and said, "Good for him." Utley's name was greeted with a chorus of boos--from classless Mets fans, no doubt--at Yankee Stadium. "Boo?" said our man. "[Bleep] you." That cracked up Dan Uggla, standing next to Utley. Too bad, though, that Utley was miked and the delay was not working. Or was the comment allowed by ESPN? After all, ESPN cut away from most of Utley's at-bats to an interview by Erin Andrews with David Wright on 'catching' the Phillies. (Now there's a pair that look way too much alike.) I confess that I heard Utley and assumed he had said 'thank you'. Once the comment was You-Tubed, I'm sure the T-shirt was already in the works. Boo to the Mets fans! If something similar had happened in Philadelphia, the national media would still be having the vapors.

As it turned out, it was quite a derby. Josh Hamilton blew everyone away, then didn't win. Poor Justin Mourneau. There was also much too much of little kids running around with bottles of water and even at one point going up to Hamilton at the plate with a ball to sign. Then there was the weird suitcase thing that Edinson Volquez (the guy Hamilton was traded for) deposited on home plate for him. I watched Utley hit (just 5), then wandered off to do things. I did though see most of Hamilton's majestic 28, hit in his first round. The 71-year-old coach who tossed to him was priceless. Had to agree, too, with Joe Morgan that Hamilton should have been hitting many of his bombs using the special gold ball, which would have benefited select Boys and Girls Clubs. But he went meekly on #10. A pity.

View from the Box

Duchscherer pitched a stellar game vs the Angels yesterday but sadly, Street blew the save and the Angels won, 4-3. Such a shame to waste a great effort by Duke. Hopefully he'll get to pitch an inning at the All Stars.

espn blows futures game/phillies in first

At the ridiculous time of 12:30 today, I sat down to watch the Futures game, just about my favorite event of the All-Star celebration, and was immediately plunged into an I-heart-NY fest, with endless shots of Yankee Stadium new and old, the city, etc. Gary Thorne and Steve Phillips did their usual slick, superficial, blowhard coverage. The USA line-up was never even given thanks to a long commercial break. Thorne started off by calling Carlos Carrasco, the World's starting pitcher, Chris Carrasco. Despite a slobbering introduction of Fernando Martinez, the Mets center field prospect who has spent lots of this season on the DL, many players from both teams got nothing. The guys were too busy yakking with Brian Cashman, as if he didn't get enough air time already, and some front office guy from the Brewers--or cutting away to Erin Andrews in the dugout. Then Peter Gammons, yawn, another fount of misinformation, joined the booth. Little attention was given to most of the players or the game. Instead it was the usual ESPN flavor-of-the-month hype. Maybe sometime ESPN would consider getting someone who actually cares about the minors to be in the booth. Just a thought. I mean, it's an exhibition game. How about putting the players not the talking heads on show?

At 2, I signed off to listen to a live two-hour radio broadcast by the Dalai Lama, who was speaking to the public today at Lehigh University. If I had been able to get tickets for the speech, I would have missed the babbling from NY.

And I did miss almost all of the Phillies game, tuning in just past 4, and just missing Burrell's 3-run homer, followed by a Feliz solo shot, which put the Phils up 6-2 in the 8th. What does Cole Hamels have to do to get a win?! Final: 6-3. It means the Phillies go into the All-Star break in first place in the NL East. Yay, team! Go, Phillies!

eaton stinks it up again

The problem with Adam Eaton is that when he's bad he's truly awful and when he's good he's barely mediocre. And did I mention a tendency to come up small in big situations? Which is what he did in Monday's awful outing against the Mets, a team he owns. Which is what he did yesterday against the Diamondbacks and a toothless Randy Johnson. By the end of the 4th inning, the D'backs were up 10-2, having scored eight on a rally started by a Randy Johnson (ohmigod) double. That was after Eaton had walked the back-up catcher, who hadn't had a hit in weeks, on four pitches. Get rid of the bum.

This morning I read about a possible trade for lefty reliever Brian Fuentes, but the Rockies want Carlos Carrasco or Lou Marson in return. I wouldn't give up either for a starting pitcher, especially not for the one without a head in Toronto or the one without a heart in Seattle.

A's Take Advantage of Angel Fatigue

The air was weirdly warm and the sky overcast from the area fires. It was a great night at the Mac. The Angels had a tough night against Texas before coming here and the A's took advantage. Garland needed to go at least 7 innings because the Angels' relievers were fatigued but the A's got to him early, piling on the runs. It was interesting to watch the bullpen - no one was going to stand up to bail Garland out. Gallagher, the guy we got from the Harden trade, pitched very well and teammie, Murton made some excellent plays in left field. Perhaps Beane did have good reason to trade away Harden for these guys. The winning game was topped off by an excellent fireworks display.

shane saves it, werth wins it

A Technicolor sunset filled the sky at Citizens Bank Park last night. Fireworks came later.

Both Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth had three hits in last night's 12-inning win over the Diamondbacks. Victorino got a 'save' in the 8th, with an almost-spectacular catch that prevented a home run, then an assist, getting the ball in to Jimmy Rollins, who threw out the advancing runner at 3rd. In the bottom of the 8th, Victorino brought in the tying runs with a triple. It stayed 5-5 till the 12th, when So Taguchi (finally!) led off with a single. Rollins was then intentionally walked. Jayson Werth then singled to right and Taguchi scored standing.

It was fireworks night and most of the crowd of 45,000+ was still on hand for the exciting finish. I had to leave after the 7th and got home at 11, just in time for Werth's single. In the 2nd, Ryan Howard (or Howie, as Werth called him) sent the first pitch he saw from D'back starter Doug Davis soaring deep into the left field stands for his 28th homer of the season. Scoring stayed there till Arizona tied it in the 6th. The Phillies immediately went back up 3-1, on a wild pitch, then a delayed double steal that scored Victorino. In the 7th, though, the Snakes got three, then tacked on another run in the 8th. The Phillies left two on in the 8th, 9th, 10th, and 11th, stranding a total of 16! Credit 2nd baseman Orlando Hudson of the D'backs with some nifty defense.

Pedro Feliz laid down a key sacrifice bunt in the 8th. Mike Cervenak of the IronPigs got his first major league at-bat in the 11th, lining out sharply. And once again the Phillies won a game started by Kyle Kendrick. It was a grind but they did it.

hey hey a series win

Final this afternoon: 4-1 Phillies, thanks to a sterling seven innings of one-run ball by the ever-amazing Jamie Moyer, who has not given up more than three runs in his last 10 starts, and thanks to two homers by Ryan Howard. Yes, I dare say that he is back. His first was a 2-run shot in the first to give the Phillies what has been of late an elusive early lead. Ryan Madson pitched the 8th and into the 9th but J.C. Romero (who has shaved off all of his beautiful hair!) had to come in to get the last two batters. Negative highlight: a cheapshot take-out at 2nd base of Jimmy Rollins by the "sliding" Chris Duncan. He also made a borderline cheapshot play on Chris Coste Tuesday night at home. But that's not why I dislike the Cardinals. They're one of those teams that look all alike. Couples who look alike bore me out. So do teams.

J.A. Happ was sent down to Triple A this morning and journeyman infielder Mike Cervenak recalled. Now don't get all in an uproar, a laughing Charlie Manuel told the media, things are gonna work out fine for Mr. Happ. It's just that there's no need for a 5th starter till the week after the all-star break and he can get some starts meanwhile with the 'Pigs. For the 31-year-old Cervenak, a temporary option off the bench, it's a first-time call-up. Pretty exciting for him.

Corey Hart and Evan Longoria won the Final Vote selections for their respective leagues. Too bad, Pat. Four fans voted for 53 straight hours at the ballpark, two buildings in Philadelphia had the number 5 illuminated on them, and Vote for Pat T-shirts were everywhere but Burrell finished 3rd in the joke balloting.

Speaking of All-Star non-invitees, what about the NL's leading home run hitter (27) and RBI leader (83)? Yes, that would be Mr. Howard.

happ and howard get it done

A recent IronPigs program featured Jason Jaramillo, my favorite on the team. And I'd just been thinking about J. D. Salinger.

Lots of drama in last night's much-needed win for the Phillies. Mark Mulder threw just 16 pitches in his first start for the Cards in about two years, then left with an apparent shoulder injury. In his second start this season (third of his career), J.A. Happ went 6.1 innings and left with a shutout. Two inherited runners, however, scored off Chad Durbin to tie the game at 2-2. The Phillies had got their scoring started in the 5th, with a single by 1-for-25 (or was that infinity) Carlos Ruiz, who scored on a triple by Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley brought him home. On to the 8th, when Ryan Howard, with a 0-2 count, smacked a homer to right. (He's now got 25 homers and 80 RBI.) Two batters later, Pedro Feliz homered to left to make it 4-2. Brad Lidge came on for a nail-biter ninth but with two on struck out the dangerous Rick Ankiel on three sliders. In the postgame interview, Lidge said of his upcoming All-Star appearance, "I'm looking forward to it but we've got to get Pat in there. He deserves to be there." Voting ends today at 5 p.m.

hamels in vain

Sometimes it's all about the funnel cake, as it was for this young fan at an early season game in Reading.

Nothing sweet, though, about last night's 2-0 loss to the Cards down at the ballpark in Philadelphia, the 9th Phillies home loss in 11 games. Cole Hamels vs. Joel Pineiro. And sure enough, once again Hamels sparkled and got no (as in zero) run support. It's happened too often in Hamels' starts. Maybe he should pull a Johan Santana and throw his teammates under the bus. But Hamels hasn't done that, though the offense is just awful. For a month now it's been just awful. So what if Ryan Howard leads the league in RBI and Chase Utley in homers? Since his ankle injury, Rollins has not been right and is rarely on base. Maybe it's the swirling trade rumors that are keeping Victorino more off than on. Without those two setting the table, not much happens. It's been a month of dismal play. And now Flash is lost to the DL with a tender elbow, J.C.'s got a nagging groin pull, and the team is in sore need of some R&R. They need to find that "fun" Brett Myers says he's looking for. Everyone's jumped on Myers for that comment but I'm assuming he's talking about winning.

Tough luck for the A's, maybe even worse luck for the rest of the NL. Charlie Manuel called Harden's shutout effort against the Phillies last month the best game pitched against them all year. Isn't it a tad surprising, though, that the A's seem to have given Harden up for nothing much in return? The recent megabucks signing of Michel Inoa, the hot Latin pitching prospect, though, should make A's fans happy. So much of baseball is about living in hope.

Just Like That The Season's Over

Rich Harden - Gone! Chad Gaudin - Gone! Joe Blanton - Almost Gone! Houston Street - Next on the Block! I suspected Harden was on the block because they were so cautious with him with pitch count (can't have our precious commodity break before the transaction!). I knew that losing 2 to the Angels pretty much sealed the A's fate but it's sad to see the A's give up on contending halfway through the season.

have a guinness and vote for pat burrell!

Once I found the Guinness stout stand (oh, happy day) at the Oakland Coliseum during the trip there in June, this congenial vendor became my favorite. She was sweet enough to let me take her photo.

So pour a glass of Guinness, put some Thelonius Monk or whomever on the player, and start voting for Pat Burrell for the National League's final man at next week's All-Star game. Burrell has had an impressively consistent career and his numbers this year again make him worthy of All-Star status. Under the silly system used for All-Star voting, you can vote online till those proverbial cows come home--or at least until 5 p.m. Thursday here on the East Coast. Vote now! Vote often! Vote for Pat!

To vote, go to http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com and click on VOTE for BURRELL and a ballot will pop up.

breakdown!

OK, so the bullpen, stellar all season, has had two breakdowns in the past two days. Galling that both came against the Mets' brittle offense. And speaking of offense, where oh where is it! It's not just the bottom of the order (you, Geoff Jenkins, Carlos Ruiz, and on-again, off-again Pedro) that's dragging, it's everyone from the top on down that's been sketchy for almost a month now. Thanks to the lackluster play, the rest of this stinky division is still hanging around. Do hope that the Phillies are not morphing into the mediocre Metsies!

After Saturday night's sad performance, Tom Gordon was put on the DL with a tender elbow. Get well soon, Tom. We need you!

On Sunday, the Phillies announced---hip, hip, hooray---a three-year extension with sexy dude closer Brad Lidge. That means that Brett Myers is either coming back as part of the rotation or being shopped as part of a trade. Said GM Pat Gillick of Myers' perceived desire to be a closer, we don't always get to do what we want, but meanwhile we are getting paid to do a job, which in Brett's case is to be a starter.

Yesterday journeyman pitcher Les Walrond threw a 17-strikeout shut-out for the IronPigs against the visiting Louisville Bats. I saw most of the game on TV and Walrond was definitely in a groove. Many of the strikeouts were on four pitches. Afterwards, Walrond gave kudos to catcher Jason Jaramillo, who had called the game. Wow!

more happ-ening

Back to J.A. (pronounced Jay) Happ, making his second major-league appearance last night against the team that roughed him up a year ago in his debut. Happ fared much better last night, despite starting the game with a walk to Jose Reyes, who ended up stranded at 3rd. After that Happ was solid, retiring the Mets in order and pretty much matching Johan Santana. Only in the 5th did he run into trouble, allowing walks to the light-hitting Endy Chavez to load the bases, then to David Wright (who was out to all but the umpire). The Mets scored only two weak runs, on a ground-out and that walk to Wright. After the 5th, they were held to just one hit.

With his nervous-looking mom and dad in the stands, the lefty Happ went 4.2, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks, and striking out 3. He did what he was asked to do: keep his team in the game. The fabulous Phillies bullpen did the rest.

FWIW, my mother has seen J.A. Happ pitch several times this season with the IronPigs. About a month ago, she said out of the blue, "That kid Happ is going to do well in the majors."

happy belated 4th

So it was the 4th of July and where was baseball on TV? Except for the Phillies and a local minor league game, here it was nada. C'mon, folks, baseball on the 4th is a given! Also shocking: the scant 17,000 who showed up in Tampa for a Rays game. Gosh.

As fireflies danced through lowering fog, I listened in the dark to the thrilling end of the Phillies game. Last night's game paired minor league call-up J.A. Happ against Johan Santana of the Mets. Happ was effective for four, then lost his command and walked three in the fifth. With 2 outs, the bases loaded, and 2 runs in, Happ gave way to Chad Durbin, who struck out Carlos Beltran. Durbin, who has been a revelation in the 'pen, went on to strike out 5 of the 6 men he faced in the next two innings. The Phillies came back to tie the game in the 6th on two RBI singles by Howard and Burrell, and there it stayed till the 9th. Sanatana too was effective, while the Phillies bullpen continued to be spectacular. In the 9th, Santana, who had thrown just 95 pitches, gave way to Douaner Sanchez. He struck out Howard and Burrell, then gave up a sharp double to Pedro Feliz. With a 1-2 count on Victorino, the flyin' Hawaiian laced a single to right. Feliz scored standing, guys jumped the rail, the Phillies won 3-2. Fireworks!

Charlie Manuel, by the bye, was looking good in the special dark-blue caps worn by all teams for the 4th of July.

Salute

The game at AT&T on Wednesday started with a salute to the military. Too bad the Giants lost to the Cubs. Tonight, I listened to the tail end of the A's vs White Sox game and cheered my team to a 7-1 win over the Sox. Considering the A's are dropping like flies with various injuries, winning 2 games in a row over the hot White Sox was encouraging. It's that time of the season when there's talk of trading away and acquiring players. Talk was generally on the acquisitive side for the A's until the injuries started to pile up (Chavez, Crosby, Gonzalez, Thomas, Mark Sweeney) and losing two games to the Angels recently. Now I fear our marketable players will be traded away. Please win A's. And pox on the Angels.

hamels (almost) finishes atlanta sweep

We turned the tables on this fanfoto guy at one of the Phillies-A's game last week. It was a treat to see the Phillies' batting practice, though the bats were pretty much dead during games.

It smelled like rain last evening and I passed on the IronPigs game. Sure enough thunderstorms ended up suspending the game---and making the radio here crackle. Between static outbursts, I listened to the great game Cole Hamels was throwing down in Atlanta, against the Braves' outstanding rookie Jair Jurrjens. On a night when the back of the bullpen was out of gas, Hamels came up--what else?--aces. Jurrjens lost his hitless streak in the 1st, off a Chase Utley solo homer. Even over the radio, the sharp crack of his bat instantly conjured up Utley's short, compact swing. Hamels went 8.2 innings, giving up one run in the 9th. Tom Gordon came in for the save, which he got with one pitch. Final: 4-1. Another Phillies' sweep in Atlanta, and the first series win since the Phillies last swept there earlier in June.

Howard and Feliz also had solo homers. Good sign: Howard's was again to the opposite field. The night before Howard hit his 150th HR, making him the fastest to reach that mark. Pat Burrell, meanwhile, became the 2nd Phillie to hit 20 or more homers eight years in a row.

myers in allentown

Brett Myers warms up before last night's game in Allentown between the Lehigh Valley IronPigs and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees.

Despite the afternoon's heat and humidity, at game time the weather was simply perfect. Brett Myers took the mound for the 'Pigs and went five innings. He was solid for four, then gave up three runs in the fifth. He looked pretty much like a guy working on things. He did it in front of a sell-out crowd of 10,000, which included some loudmouthed Mets hecklers. The guy behind me was a Yankee fan with the irritating habit of saying "good pitch" after almost every pitch made by a pitcher on either side. The woman next to me asked, "Is he always at the games?"

The 'Pigs played a sloppy game. Jason Jaramillo, most uncharacteristically, had three throwing errors. Tons of media people were on hand to monitor Myers' outing. This morning's Inky had a fascinating account by Jim Salisbury about how this whole stint in the minors came about. It was hard to check on Myers' velocity. When it was noticed that he was checking his speed after pitches, the team turned the display off. Postgame, Myers said that one of the things he was working on was getting his swagger back.

kendrick does it again

Fans leave the game after Kyle Kendrick posts a shutout win last Wednesday night in Oakland.

Last night in Atlanta, Kendrick did it again. As usual, it was with a little help from his friends. Kendrick held the Braves scoreless through six, while a Pat Burrell solo homer, a Shane Victorino 2-run shot, and some savvy baserunning put the Phillies up 5-0. After the Phillies left the bases loaded in the 7th, the Bravos finally broke through for 3. The Phillies again left the bases loaded in the 8th but Tom Gordon held the score at 5-3. In the 9th, the Phillies again loaded the bases and this time tacked on 3 more. Final score: 8-3, in a much-needed win.

Kendrick, an absolute godsend since his callup last June, is 8-3 this season. The Phillies are 14-3 in his starts. His stuff is far from dazzling, but he works fast, pounds the strike zone, and is fearless and tenacious. Yes, he benefits from run support (an average of 6 per game), but part of that, I think, is that guys like to play behind him. I'm sure that the team also likes playing behind ace Cole Hamels, who receives less support. But then he's perceived as needing less. Too bad about those hard luck losses, Cole. Baseball is a funny sport.

Tonight it's Adam Eaton, tomorrow Cole Hamels. Myers' replacement still TBA. Meanwhile, soft-tossing lefty R. J. Swindle (he makes Jamie Moyer look out of control) has been called up from Triple-A to replace Clay Condrey, on paternity leave for the birth of his first child. It's a boy and Condrey, the outdoors type, has camouflage diapers ready for the kid.

Carlos Carrasco is pitching tonight for Reading. Unless he goes only three, I guess it's unlikely that he'll be taking Myers' spot. So, J.A. Happ?

myers to lehigh valley

Kyle Kendrick in the dugout before last Tuesday's game in Oakland. The next night KK pitched a swell game against the A's, the only one that the Phillies managed to win. Watching all three games with my co-blogger was fun. Gotta say thanks to her husband for giving up his tix for the series and for making a super fava bean/corn/turkey bacon salad for us for one of the games.

On the day that the Phillies signed 19-year-old shortstop Anthony Hewitt, their top draft pick, the big news turned out to be Brett Myers. He was optioned today to Lehigh Valley to get himself together, we hope, at the Triple A level. It's a stunning development. I give lots of credit to Myers, who could have rejected the move, for doing this. For whatever reason, his transition from closer to starter has been a disaster. Maybe at Triple-A he'll be able to work on his mechanics and regain his confidence. So, who pitches in Myers' spot on Thursday? Who takes his place in the rotation? Carlos Carrasco? J.A. Happ? Someone else?