we love you, phillies

This cute young fan's poster says it all. She's been bringing it to all the games, had it at Fan Appreciation day on Sunday and also the night before when the Phillies clinched. She even made the big screen that night. Pretty cool, huh!

Brad Lidge and Cliff Lee were named, respectively, the NL and AL Comeback Players of the Year. Way to go, Brad! Cliff Lee, too, had a great year.

Tomorrow is the first game of the play-offs. Goosebumps and butterflies! Lefty Cole Hamels goes for the Phillies, righty Yovani Gallardo for the Brewers. Gallardo is a rookie coming off an ACL tear but he is dominant. I remember the game last year in Milwaukee when he held the Phillies down. All in all, a scary match-up. Whatever happens, though, we love you, Phillies! Thanks for the 2008 season!

fan appreciation day

Charlie Manuel emptied the bench for the last game of the season and Manny Acta did about the same with his Nationals. Starter Kyle Kendrick was pedestrian. He has now gone to the Florida Instructional League to get his act together. I hope that he does! So Taguchi, the forgotten man, started in left and had 3 hits and 3 RBI, and scored a run. Double-A prospect Lou Marson got his first start behind the plate and had two hits, including a 2-run homer. The Phillies won 8-3. Mrs. October and I were sitting right under the big board. It was hot and muggy and we left early.

Yesterday marked the 50th sell-out of the year. It took season attendance to a record-breaking 3,455,583.

Meanwhile, as they did last year, the Marlins (payroll: $22 million) were putting the choking Mets (payroll: $140 million) to sleep, while in Milwaukee the Brewers, led by CC Sabathia, were taking care of business against the Cubs. Mets out, Brewers in. First divisional game between the Brewers and Phillies at 3:00 pm Wednesday in Philadelphia.

2008 nl east champions!

They were again the team to beat! And it was a spectacular double play from Rollins to Utley to Howard that ended a bases-loaded jam, saved the 4-3 lead, and gave the Phillies the division for the second year in a row. The rains held off till after the game. It's now pouring here but I've got to leave for Philadelphia, for a game that may or may not be played. But I saw a great one yesterday! Yay, team! Go, Phillies!

three to go

True love was on display before the game Monday night.

It's down to the last three days. If I didn't have tickets to the games on Saturday and Sunday, I might spend the weekend with my head under the covers. It's too nervewracking!

No matter how the season ends, these recent words by Charlie Manuel sum up one of the best things about this team: "People in this world like flash and glitter. But this team just keeps after you for 27 outs. We're always staying around. We always play the game out."

Go, Phillies!

reality check? or dog fight?

A friend called Tuesday's loss to the Braves a "reality check" for a team that was perhaps starting to cruise. I wonder what he'll call last night's 10-4 creaming at the hands of the Braves.

Watching the Phillies morph last night into the 2007 Mets was profoundly disappointing, not to mention stunning. Luckily, the Mets were even bigger dogs against the Cubs, who don't look all that hot themselves. Before I switched to radio, I went between Comcast and ESPN, watching three head case pitchers blow things up. For the second game in a row, Brett Myers did not have it; worse he was looking like his hopeless early season self. Then there was Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs having hissy fits on the mound and acting the drama queen. Last was old Ollie 'space cadet' Perez. Given a 5-1 lead, he immediately lost focus, crumbled and let the Cubs back in. Mercifully, the Cubs finally came through with three runs in the 10th to beat the Mets 9-6. No wonder at least one Mets fan (a grown man) collapsed in tears on the shoulder of a buddy. Too funny.

Charlie Manuel was visibly unhappy with his team, who have gone from being in a "tremendous position to win" to having a chance. I assume that the players were not much happier. Scott Eyre said of the 3-run homer he gave up to pinch-hitter Chipper Jones, "If I could kick myself in the head, I would." On the bright side, if there is one, Pat Burrell showed signs of coming out of his funk and also made a great defensive play. And Brad Lidge got another day of rest.

Speaking of Chipper Jones, I must say, to my amazement, that he is one of my favorite players in baseball. I'd take Chipper on my team even now.

With a nor'easter headed up the Atlantic coast, the weather now comes into play big time. The Phillies, still 1.5 games up on the Mets in the division, are off tonight. The Mets, now tied with the Brewers for the wild card, again play the Cubs. Rain is forecast for this evening, heavy rain for tomorrow, more rain for Saturday. It could be an awful weekend of rain delays and double headers, with games still left to be made up.

All of this pales, of course, when compared with the economy and these eight 'great' years of Bush and Co. Let the boos rain down.

nervous loss

You just had that feeling about last night's game. The gifted Cole Hamels gutted it out for seven innings. The one mistake he made was an errant throw to third that allowed a run to score. That unearned run made all the difference in a 3-2 win for Mike Hampton and the Braves. Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino, two unlikely candidates to ground into double plays, did just that. Another double play ended the game. And let's not even get into the foolishness on the base paths that cost potential runs. Even without the New York and Milwaukee wins, the game just made you nervous.

can you feel it!

The rally towels were out and working for last night's exciting game with the Atlanta Braves.

It all came down to the 8th inning. Kelly Johnson led off for the Braves with a double and reached 3rd on a bobble by Victorino. Reliever Rudy Seanez got Infante to line out sharply to short, then got Francoeur to ground a ball to short. Johnson broke for home and Rollins zipped the ball to Ruiz, who applied the tag. Two outs! Everyone on their feet, towels twirling. And Kotchman flied out to end the inning and keep the game tied at 2.

In the bottom of the 8th, pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs led off with a single and speedster Greg Golson, a double-A call-up, came in to pinch run. Braves' reliever Jeff Bennett immediately threw over to 1st---and threw the ball away! Off like a shot, Golson sped around to 3rd. Rollins grounded out. With Golson still at 3rd, Utley was given an intentional walk to set up the double play. Jayson Werth hit a hard grounder snared by third baseman Prado, who opted to throw home on the bolting Golson. Safe! The ball beat Golson but he clearly beat the tag. Instant pandemonium. Pat Burrell capped it all off with a three-run homer off reliever Julian Tavares. Ryan Madson, in to close out the 9th, bent but did not break in the 6-2 win.

Meanwhile, as the crowd was well aware, the Cubs were mopping up the Mets just 100 miles north in NY.

J.A. Happ was solid for 6.2, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits. The young guys again came through. It was a very good game.

the professional

In 90-degree heat, Jamie Moyer went six innings, giving up 1 run and 6 hits, to earn his 15th win of the season and go 11-1 lifetime vs. Florida. He is truly a consummate professional, doing all the little things and doing them well. It was nonetheless another nail-biter with the Fish, taking almost three and a half hours to finish. Jimmy Rollins had three hits, scored a run, knocked one in, and stole a base. Chase Utley put the Phillies on the board with a 2-run homer, his first home run in ages.

After the Fish had cut the lead to one, Pedro Feliz, in to replace the injured Greg Dobbs in the 7th, came up to bat in the 8th with a man on first. Feliz made as if to bunt, then sent the second pitch he saw high into the leftfield seats to give the Phillies a 5-2 cushion. More nailbiting ensued but the bullpen shut the door. Ryan Madson has been stellar of late in the 8th-inning role. Brad Lidge, however, no doubt needs a night or two off. The Phillies are now up 1.5 games on the Mets. Six to go. Bring on the rally towels!

gutty, gritty does it

Joe Blanton struck out the side swinging in the first. That was the only easy part of the evening. The Phillies scored first, the Fish went ahead, then Shane Victorino tied it 2-2 with a solo homer. Gregg Dobbs doubled in the go-ahead run in the 6th. Both starting pitchers had to battle home plate umpire C. B. Buckner's elusive strike zone. Blanton was followed by Durbin, Romero, Madson and Lidge in a gutty, gritty 3-2 win. Games with the Fish exhaust me.

sandbagged

14-8! What a drubbing! Each time the Phillies took a lead, starting in the 1st, the Marlins took it back and then some. Brilliant when pitching on short rest on Sunday, Brett Myers had almost nothing last night, giving up 10 (ouch) runs in 4+ innings. Fish starter Josh Johnson had little more but benefited from his punishing offense. Florida is almost always a house of horrors for Philadelphia. But the Phillies had better find an answer for the Marlins quick or this season may be washed away. As for next, when the Marlins should be really good, look out.

Jamie Moyer, too, faltered after a great outing on short rest. Are the effects from pitching on short rest residual? On the other hand, last night's pitch selection (Coste or Myers, I don't know) was dubious. Joe Blanton tonight and already I am thinking a lamb to the slaughter. Good thing I'll be on deadline!

nine for nine

Cole Hamels was erratic to start but gutted it out in what felt like a nervous 4-3 win last night in Atlanta. Hamels went six, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits. The Phillies again jumped out early (Chase, Jayson, Ryan) with a 2-run first, but the Braves got a run in the 1st, then the 2nd to tie it. The hugely slumping Pat Burrell broke out in the 6th with a 2-run homer. The Braves got an unearned run off Ryan Madson, who has been sterling of late, in the 7th, but J.C. Romero handled the 8th and Brad Lidge went 1-2-3 in the 9th, getting Chipper Jones to strike out swinging to end the game. With that, the Phillies swept the Braves this season at home, taking 9 out of 9. The last time that happened the Braves were the Boston Doves, swept in 11 at home by the Chicago Cubs. Oh, these weird baseball stats. As Bobby Cox said when asked about it, "Does it matter?"

Burrell's homer was the 250th of his career. Congrats!

Tonight it's the Fish in Miami. The Marlins have won 8 straight, the Phils 7. The odds favor the Fish, who always tie the Phils in knots. Anyone else notice how the surging Marlins resemble the '07 Phillies? They've got 3 with the Phillies, 3 with the Mets. The stage is set.

happ takes advantage

Given a four-run lead in the 1st, J.A. Happ ran with it. Taking the place of the struggling Kyle Kendrick, he pitched six innings of 3-hit, scoreless ball, walking only one and striking out three in the 6-1 win. The single Atlanta run came in the 9th, off Clay Condrey. The Phillies took early advantage of rookie starter Jair Jurrjens' uncharacteristic wildness, using timely hits to turn walks into runs. They later tacked on two more runs, which allowed Brad Lidge a much-needed rest. Matt Stairs, who looks like such an old-timey ball player, had a pinch-hit homer in the 9th. Happ had not pitched since August 26 at Lehigh Valley, but showed admirable poise and command in a key game. Nice way to get his first win in the majors.

howard again comes up big

Ryan Howard put the Phillies up 8-7 with a 2-run blast to left in the 8th off Braves' closer Mike Gonzalez, who was brought in to face the big guy. Brad Lidge loaded the bases on walks in the 9th but got Gregor Blanco swinging to end the game. It wasn't easy, it wasn't pretty but the Phillies won, with contributions up and down the line-up (Jimmy Rollins, Jayson Werth, Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz) and two sterling innings of scoreless relief by Ryan Madson. The Phillies went up 3-0 in the 3rd, the Braves tied it, then Ruiz untied it with a solo homer. In the 6th, the Braves went up 7-4. The Phillies crept to 7-6 in the 7th, then went ahead to stay thanks to Mr. Howard.

Howard had three hits, including a triple. He also made a sparkling defensive play. Is he hot? Charlie Manuel said postgame, "He's a carrier. He's the guy that's big in the moment." Said Jimmy Rollins with a smile, "I'm glad Ryan's on my team."

just win, baby!

Mummers were at Citizens Bank Park on opening day this April.

So the season comes down to this: 12 days and 12 games. The mantra stays the same: Just win, baby!

myers goes the distance for sweep

In game 2 of the doubleheader, on three days' rest Brett Myers threw a complete game against the Brewers and made it look effortless. Swept in four, the Brewers are in a funk but are by no means a bad team. Myers gave up one run on two hits in the 6-1 victory, throwing 95 pitches. He also had a key single that contributed to the Phillies' surging offense. Since his stint in the minors, Myers has an ERA of 1.80. His turnaround has been simply spectacular. The Phillies are now tied with the Brewers for the Wild Card at 83-67 and trail the Mets (83-65) by just one in the NL East. Just 12 games to go.

In Milwaukee, meanwhile, the Astros, driven out of Houston by Ike, were "hosting" the Cubs. Carlos Zambrano tossed a no-hitter in the 5-0 Cubs' win. Tough luck all round for the 'Stros.

blanton buckles down

After giving up a 2-run homer to Ray Durham in the 1st, Joe Blanton pretty much settled down and went seven. He allowed a solo homer in the 4th to Mike Cameron but kept his team in the game. The Phillies tied it at 3 on a 2-run homer by Ryan Howard in the 6th, then took the lead for good in the 8th, a bizarre inning all round. Everything worked for Charlie Manuel; nothing for Ned Yost, the Brewers' manager. Werth led off the bottom with a single, then Chase Utley sacrificed him over. Surprise! (Blanton later called it a big play.) Yost then elected to walk Ryan Howard, but kept his lefty on the mound to pitch to Pat Burrell, who singled. Werth scored on some gutsy baserunning to make it 4-3. With two on, Shane Victorino then golfed a ball into the left field stands to put the Phils up 7-3, the final score. So two guys who have been struggling came up with the big late-inning hits. Despite his effective (love the word) outing, Blanton did not get the win. That went to Scott Eyre, who is now 4-0 since being picked up after the trade deadline.

Derek Jeter today tied Lou Gehrig for the most hits at Yankee Stadium. That's a goosebumps kind of record for sure.

I've got tix for the second game of the doubleheader (at 7:30) but am stuck here this evening, slaving over a hot keyboard.

rollins and hamels chase the clouds

A flyover at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA, one day this season.

On Friday night while Ike was getting ready to trash Texas, rain was washing games out in the Northeast and forcing a weekend loaded with doubleheaders. The Phillies and Brewers ultimately chose to stay with one game for Saturday and play two today. Weather is once again changing the complexion of a series.

When Jimmy Rollins scores, the Phillies are 37-14. J-Roll got it going early yesterday and finished just a triple shy of the cycle in the 7-3 win over the Brewers. Cole Hamels rebounded from his bad outing on Sunday against the Mets, giving up just two runs on six hits. At the top of the order, Rollins, Utley, Werth, and Howard had 7 hits and 6 RBI and scored 6 runs.

45-year-old phenom

Jamie Moyer pitched 5.2 innings on three days' rest, giving up 3 runs and 4 hits, walking one and striking out five in a 6-3 win over Ben Sheets and the Milwaukee Brewers last night. Can you say phenomenal for the always unflappable Mr. Moyer! Ryan Howard had a double, homer, and 3 RBI. Shane Victorino scored on a squeeze by Carlos Ruiz. (Where has this Carlos been all year!) Brad Lidge notched his 36th save. Jamie now has 14 wins. I'll say it again, the guy's on a mission.

The day before the game Moyer was showing Tyler Babel and his family around the Phillies' clubhouse. Tyler is the six-year-old who took a line drive foul in the face at a game last month and suffered three fractures. He is now quite fine, and Moyer invited him for a tour. The kid got to hang with Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins and get a bat from So Taguchi and a ball from Moyer. Jamie Moyer is a treasure.

down, down, down

The Phillies lost 7-3 to the Marlins this afternoon. Brett Myers took the loss, giving up the go-ahead run in the 8th. J.C. Romero, on in the 9th, allowed another three and became a bit testy. I'm on deadline and couldn't even listen to the game but surfaced in time to catch Charlie Manuel's postgame press conference. Gotta love Charlie! He gave the reporters lots to chew on though I somehow wonder if most of them got it. Definitely a superior man. And no one appreciates the direness of the team's situation more than he does. After all, Jamie Moyer will be pitching tomorrow, at age 45, on three days' rest and there is no pitcher for Sunday. (Good luck with that wild card idea!) Charlie spoke candidly, too, about the differences between last year's team and this, without throwing any of his guys under the bus. It's the first time in years, though, that the Phillies have floundered at season end. Sigh.

Then I read some blogs and by the time I finished reading those comments, I had more or less put the loss if not the season behind me. Thank heavens the people writing are nowhere near the front office or field of any MLB or MiLB team.

knocked out

Kyle Kendrick gave up seven runs in one and a third innings. Down 9-1, the Phillies rallied to make it a game but the Marlins held them off 10-8. That's it no doubt for Kendrick. That also leaves 3.5 starting pitchers---and too many chances lost.

go, jimmy, go

Jimmy Rollins had three hits and stole three bases in last night's 8-6 win over the Marlins. Howard and Utley, too, not to mention Carlos Ruiz, were hitting the ball. But the big shot was a mammoth 3-run blast by Jayson Werth. Wowee! Joe Blanton stumbled and bumbled his way through five innings, pitching as if he had left his security blanket in Oakland and again stressing the bullpen needlessly. Tonight it's Kyle Kendrick. Will the old KK please stand up!

2 for 3 fizzle

No groundhog day this time. Cole Hamels had a frustrating game from the start, never looked comfortable, and lasted only five. (I love how pissed Hamels looks when he does not perform well.) Charlie got tossed in the 1st after a weird catcher's interference call that seemed to be made by David Wright. The Mets then got a key blown call at 3rd when Wright was clearly off the bag. Chase Utley added another silly error. And the only Phillie who showed up against Santana was Ryan Howard. Jimmy Rollins thrilled the NY 'faithful' by striking out to end the game in the 6-3 Mets' win. Carlos Delgado, with two homers, continued to carry his team. Joe and Jon provided more mind-numbing coverage. Entering the game Pat Burrell, who looks haunted, was batting .100 since August 7; by the end of the night he had dipped lower. The Phillies now trail by two with 19 games to go. They've got to step it up against the rest of the division.

Ryan Howard hit his 40th home run of the season. With it, he became the first Phillie ever to hit 40 home runs in three consecutive seasons. He is also the third Phillie to reach 120 RBI in three consecutive seasons. The others are Chuck Klein and Sam Thompson. Way to go, Ryan!

Barring any play-off possibilities, last night's game was the final time the Phillies played at Shea Stadium. What a dump.

vintage jamie moyer

In a great rebound from his last outing vs. the Mets, Jamie Moyer held the NY team scoreless through seven innings this afternoon, giving up just a bunt single and an infield single to earn his 13th win of the season. Magnificent! The Phillies manufactured two runs in the 2nd off of Pedro Martinez, then added four more in the 4th, including a 3-run homer by Gregg Dobbs, his second big homer of the series. The bullpen gave up two runs in the 8th. Final score: 6-2. The Phillies have now taken the first two games of the series. The third will be played in a couple of hours. Sweeping a doubleheader is not likely and vaunted pitching match-ups, in this case Hamels vs. Santana, have a way of fizzling. But let's go, Cole! Let's go, Phils!

sunday doubleheader

"You don't save a pitcher for tomorrow. Tomorrow it may rain." ---Leo Durocher

Hanna is here; today's game is rescheduled for tomorrow afternoon. The same pitching match-ups hold: Moyer vs. Martinez in game 1 and Hamels vs. Santana in game 2. I fear that this works against the Phillies. With no days off till next Monday, they will need to shuffle pitchers for Thursday's game against the Brewers as both Moyer and Hamels will now be on short rest. J.A. Happ is supposedly taking Kendrick's place against the Marlins on Tuesday. Kendrick is, I guess, the likely candidate for Thursday's start. Sounds like too many weak links next week against the Fish and Brew Crew, starting with Joe Blanton on Monday.

Tadahito Iguchi has been reacquired by the Phillies and is already with the club today. Iguchi was recently released by the Padres. He became something of a fan favorite when filling in last season for the injured Chase Utley.

brett is brilliant

Brett Myers was the star last night in a 3-0 win against the Mets. Myers, who has been dominant since his return from the minors, went eight strong innings, fanning 10 on just three hits. Brad Lidge came in for a shaky ninth but hung on to get his 34th straight save. Mike Pelfrey pitched well but not well enough. Led by Shane Victorino, the Phillies manufactured a run in the 1st. Greg Dobbs sealed it with a 2-run homer in the 8th. Tropical storm Hanna is likely to postpone today's matinee, setting up a day/night doubleheader tomorrow. The Phillies have taken the first game in all of the series with the Mets this season only to lose the remainder. But for last night Brett Myers was brilliant. Since the All-Star break he's 5-1, with a 1.55 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. In 4 of the 9 games he's pitched in that span, he's allowed 0 earned runs.

no baseball

On the concourse at Coca-Cola Park.

No baseball today, at least no Phillies today. Late in June I walked out of the Oakland stadium thinking that the Phillies were basically done for this season, and they really haven't played any better since then. Last year they surged from May on. This year they've been doing a slow fade, despite better pitching. The pitching, too, is now failing them. It's the time of year when all you've got to do is just win but this year this team, notoriously strong finishers, does not seem to have it in them. The invoice for post-season tix languishes on my desk.

hoist by their own petard

I resigned myself to the end of the season in the 6th inning of tonight's game. The Phillies had just retaken the lead 5-4 on Ryan Howard's second 2-run homer of the night, that after a dumb 5th which gave the Nats two runs on one hit. So Howard homers with Werth on base. Then Pat Burrell, who has been near-comatose, singles. Still no outs. Acta replaces Estrada with Colome. Up steps Feliz, who flies out to center on the first pitch. Up steps Coste, who flies out to right on the first pitch. Up steps pinch-hitter Victorino, who flies out to right on the first pitch. That was it for me. Enough to send me screaming into the night. And sure enough, after another stinky showing by Joe Blanton, who didn't make it through the 5th, the bullpen blew it. Hell of a time for the bullpen to spring leaks. Or for the 'innings-eater' to start fasting.

I switched to the Yankees-Rays game just in time to see Alex Rodriguez hit what was ruled a 2-run homer but looked distinctly foul to all but the umpire. So for the first time ever the umps went to instant replay. TV replay meanwhile seemed to show that it was a foul ball. But no, the call stood. So was instant replay used for the first time and they still got it wrong? No, Rays skipper Joe Maddon confirmed later that it was a fair ball all the way.

Glancing cheers tonight for IronPigs call-up Mike Cervenak, who got a pinch-hit single, and for Reading Phillies call-up Greg Golson, who in the 8th came in to pinch-run and got his first stolen base in the majors. But, Greg, please do lose the chaw.

hamels and rollins roll

It was a crowded field for the ceremonial first pitch at a recent Reading Phillies game.

Pitching was the name of the game last night as Cole Hamels combined with three relievers in a 4-0 shutout of the Nationals. Hamels went 7.1 innings, raising questions about his pitching Sunday against the Mets in NY. Oh, the drama. Jimmy Rollins drove in two and scored one. Chase Utley made a gutsy try at stealing home--taking out Nats catcher Jesus Flores in the process--but was thrown out. That's not "old school", said Charlie Manuel later, that's "good school. That's the way you play the game, unless you want to put some rouge and make-up and liptstick on you."

ironpigs end as they started

A shot of Coca-Cola Park Saturday night, the last home game of the inaugural season.

The season should have ended Friday night, with the sparkling pitching performance by Carlos Carrasco and the elusive win by the 'Pigs. But it ended Monday in Pawtucket on a three-game losing streak. The 'Pigs started the season on a historic down note, going 5 and 35. After a team shake-up they played .500+ ball for much of the middle months. But in August they again swooned, going something like 7 and 25.

I knew before the season started that the team would not be good, but certainly did not expect them to be this bad. To their credit, they never stopped trying and along the way they provided some good baseball moments. Les Walrond's 17-strikeout performance, J.A. Happ, and the coming of Carlos Carrasco come to mind. It was great to have season tickets for this inaugural season. The park is quite nice, in the mold of other new triple-A parks I've seen, and the fan atmosphere was, by and large, just fabulous. For me there was much too much of the gimmicky between-innings junk but I get why they do it. And if the team were better maybe there would be more emphasis on the on-field aspects of the park. Many on this year's team will not be back. Thanks and farewell. Here's to next spring!

One who may or may not be back is catcher Jason Jaramillo, who had a Herculean task and got beat up all season long. I had a close-up view of the plate and learned a new appreciation for what catching is all about, while watching Jaramillo at work. It is a damn shame that he did not get a September call-up. Instead, double-A catching prospect Lou Marson got the call. Jaramillo may not have had an outstanding season but the guy deserves some love.

oh, those red-hot nats

What to do about Kyle Kendrick? He's hit a wall or for some other reason lost his confidence and his recent outings have not been pretty. The minor league season is now over so no going down to work out his problems. Does he get his next start, against the Mets in NY on Sunday? If not, is he done for the season? I'm a KK fan but it's a terrible time for a slump.

Yes, Kendrick stunk it up in yesterday's 7-4 loss to the rolling Nationals but in the end it was again about the offense. Why can't the Phillies hit Tim Redding? Once again the journeyman righty held the bats in thrall. Combine that with a Nats' team that is suddenly hot and playing loosy-goosy and you had a long frustrating afternoon yesterday down in D.C. Can anyone on this team make adjustments? Except for J-Roll's empty solo homer in the 9th, all other Phillies' runs were handed to them by the Nats. Yes, those Nats, who have now won seven straight. They couldn't knock the Phils out last September but they aim to do it this.

werth stays hot in chicago

Born in nearby Springfield, Illinois, Jayson Werth seems to like hitting in Chicago. For the second day he got the offense going in a 5-3 Phillies' win. Werth went 2 for 4, with a solo homer and 2-RBI double, helping the Phillies to a split with the Cubs and continuing his push to be an everyday player. In the past seven days Werth is batting .500 (12 for 24), with 4 homers, 3 doubles, and 9 RBI. Brad Lidge got his 33rd save in 33 tries.

Jamie Moyer went 5.1 innings for his 12th win of the season. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, since turning 33 on November 18, 1995, Moyer has a record of 183-109. Only four other pitchers have won more games past age 33: Cy Young, Phil Niekro, Warren Spahn, and Randy Johnson. Longevity rocks!

Congratulations to the Gulf Coast Phillies, who yesterday won the Gulf Coast League championship! First they beat the GCPirates in a one-game semifinal, then took 2 of 3 from the GCNationals. Down in the finals 0-1, the GCPhillies took a doubleheader on the road to win the low-rookie championship. Sebastian Valle, 18-year-old catcher from Mexico, caught both games and provided key offense. Good work, guys!