rollins is stellar, blanton steady, and ruiz comes through

At the start of each inning, Cliff Lee goes to the mound, windmills his left arm, then makes a phantom pitch towards the outfield. A quick worker, he says he started this routine because he was always ready to go before his mates and it gave him something to do while waiting.

I listened to last night's game while doing laundry and pickling peppers. Joe Blanton, who has been a brick for months, finally got some winning run support thanks to a clutch two-run double in the 7th by Carlos Ruiz. Blanton went seven, giving up three hits and one run, a solo homer by Martin Prado. Chase Utley (who else) tied the game in the 4th with a solo shot of his own, off Braves starter Jair Jurjjens.

Starting in the 1st, Jimmy Rollins was the defensive star of the game. He was also in the middle of a spectacular 4-6-5 double play, started of course by Chase Utley. That was in the 8th, when Scott Eyre came on in relief of Ryan Madson, with no outs, one run in, and two on base. Eyre, who had not pitched since August 16, got the double play, then the third out to preserve a 3-2 lead. Lidge came in for a 1-2-3 save in the 9th. The Phillies took two of three from the Braves. They and the Marlins are both nine behind in the loss column. One month to go.

Eyre was interviewed for the postgame show. In spring season he had said that this would be his last year. He now says that he and his wife have yet to talk it over but maybe he'll stay on another year if the Phillies will have him. It's that much fun, he says, being in the bullpen and playing with this group of guys. One reason for sure that this team is so popular.

save the planet

I haven't yet seen this t-shirt but already love it: Save the planet--it's the only one that has baseball.

drabek shut down

Everybody's got their eye on the ball. It was in fact a two-run homer by catcher Kevin Nelson last Thursday in Reading.

In a move termed one of caution, Kyle Drabek has been shut down for the year. Returning this year from Tommy John surgery, the top prospect threw 158 innings between High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. This past month, though, he seemed to have hit a wall of sorts, going now up, now down.

Swept yesterday in a doubleheader, the Reading Phillies meanwhile are clinging to the slimmest of play-off hopes. They finish the season on the road.

up, up and away

Utley on 1st, Victorino on 2nd, and Rollins on 3rd in the 7th. Then Howard, Werth, and Ibanez all made out.

Cliff Lee left the ball up all night and the Braves's batters sent it away, to the tune of three homers and 10 hits in a 9-1 loss. It was a rare clunker for Lee, who has been fab since the All-Star break.

The Phillies' only run came on a 1st-inning solo homer by Chase Utley, not that the team did not have their chances against Derek Lowe. They had lots, only to strand runners in scoring position again and again and again. The worst was the 7th, when Rollins, Victorino, and Utley all reached, only to languish as Howard, Werth, and Ibanez made out. Ibanez gave it a ride but in the end the ball was caught up against the left center wall.

We had great seats down along the 1st base line. The game started with a 24-minute rain delay and ended in the middle of the 8th, when out of nowhere a curtain of rain swept across the park from left field and sent everyone scurrying. It was an epic kind of rainfall; the raindrops were positively assaulting. By the time we got to the concourse, everyone was bedraggled. And the rain and wind just kept coming, blowing across even the concourse.

By the time it made sense to leave the park, with the heavens still raining down, it was almost midnight. Ushers were handing out leftover hot dogs and pretzels and in the end big blue baggies for people to wear out to the parking lots. Once we were on the way, I tuned into WRTI and lulled my three passengers with late night jazz.

the big piece delivers in the rain

The Big Piece is what Charlie Manuel calls Ryan Howard. And the BP delivered last night, with a solo home run in the 2nd, a two-run shot in the 4th, a double, and a walk. Howard has hit 11 homers in the past 15 games, while driving in 28. In what is getting to be a home habit, Pedro Martinez started the game, but was again knocked out by rain. Jamie Moyer, still sounding pouty, picked up for Pedro, went 4.1 innings, and got the win. (In 10+ innings of relief, Moyer has an ERA of about 0.33.) Ryan Madson worked out of trouble in the 8th, and Brad Lidge breezed through the 9th for a 4-2 win over the Braves. Tommy Hanson, also driven from the game by rain, absorbed the loss on his 23rd birthday.

Down in Florida, meanwhile, the Padres beat up on the Marlins. Both Braves and Marlins are now eight games behind.

Traffic to Philadelphia was befuddling yesterday, though there were, blessedly, no accidents. I left around 4 and pulled into the parking lot as the 1st inning was starting. I got to my seat in time to see Howard lead off the 2nd with a homer. Werth then struck out and we went into a rain delay of one hour and three minutes. When play resumed, Ibanez struck out, Feliz doubled, and Ruiz struck out to end the inning. And we went into another rain delay. When play resumed 45 minutes later, I was already driving home through fog and pouring rain.

pedro tonight

Tonight Pedro Martinez makes his fourth start with the Phillies. He got a boatload of run support in his first start, was rained out in his second, and labored early, then hung on for the win in his third. It's cool here (in the 60's) and wet, not ideal conditions for an ageing pitcher. This past series in Pittsburgh, the Phillies left 25 men in scoring position, and run support may be thin. If there is a game tonight, it may be some kind of test for Martinez, who will be going up against the hot Atlanta prospect Tommy Hanson.

I talked the other day with 'Mrs. October'. When I asked what how she was feeling about our fave team, she said, "They're losing too many one-run games." 'Nuff said.

13 dooms r-phils

Young shortstop Freddy Galvis waits on-deck last night in Reading.

The last time I saw Mike Stutes pitch, months ago, he pitched the way he did last night. What can I say? In between he's been very good. Stutes was gone after five but it took the Reading Phillies till the 9th to tie the game at six. It then took the Erie SeaWolves, a dismal road team, four more innings to take a 9-6 lead. And that's how it ended. By then I was way gone. So were most of the other 7,000 or so on hand for the start of the game.

The R-Phils had a ton of chances but it was again one of those strange games from the get-go, with hits going off the pitcher's glove, bloops and bleeders, and lots of strange base running by the home team. Domonic Brown was 0 for 6; Freddy Galvis had an error.

This season the Reading Phillies have run one of the sweetest and funniest TV ad campaigns ever, all built around the slogan: "Bring the fam!" A week before school starts again, the fams were out in full force on a suddenly mild night at one of the best ballparks in the country.

howard picks up madson big time

Ricky Romero, rookie pitcher for the Blue Jays, warms up in the bullpen at Oakland's Coliseum Stadium last month.

I spent the evening switching between the Phillies and the Reading Phillies. I saw much of Cole Hamels, who went eight strong innings, but missed Utley's solo home run in the first, which gave the Phils a 1-0 lead. I also missed the solo homer that Ryan Madson gave up to Brandon Moss in the 9th to allow the Pirates to tie the game. But I did not miss the 10th. Rollins led off with a walk, Victorino followed with a single and, after a shallow fly-out by Utley, Ryan Howard with a mighty crack of the bat sent the ball deep into the right field seats. Madson then came back for the 4-1 win in the 10th.

It will be nice when the dozing z's at the end of the order (Ibanez, Feliz, and Ruiz) again wake up.

In Reading, meanwhile, the R-Phils were battling the Erie SeaWolves for a play-off spot. Starter Mike Cisco hung on for six innings, giving up four runs. By then the Phillies had six on the board, thanks in part to some strong hitting by Neil Sellers and Freddy Galvis, playing in just his third game at Double-A. Galvis, a 19-year-old shortstop from Venezuela known for his defensive wizardry, went 3 for 4, including a two-run homer. Interviewed after the game, Galvis flashed some serious dimples.

The rehabbing Brett Myers was the other reason to monitor the Reading game. It took Myers 24 pitches to dispatch the SeaWolves in the 7th and 8th. He looked great. Really. Read what you will into it.

definitely not deja-vu all over again

One thing for sure, if the Phillies make the post-season, it won't be anything like last year. Deja-vu went out the window with the continued struggles of Brad Lidge and Cole Hamels. That's not to say that the Phillies won't win the division or go deep into the postseason, but just don't expect it to be anything like 2008.

Even when they scored two in the 9th to take a 4-3 lead, I didn't have any sense that the Phillies would win the game last night in Pittsburgh. Sure enough, it took only three batters, one error by Jayson Werth, and a walk-off home run by speedy rookie Andrew McCutcheon (I've seen him lots at Coca-Cola Park) for the Pirates to win 6-4. For the first time this year, Lidge looked and sounded spent after the game. Charlie says he's sticking with him, and really what else can he now do? Brett Myers may be an option but he's still a long way from being anything on this team.

Kudos to Jimmy Rollins, hitting .300 since July 2. Last night he hit two homers on the first two pitches he saw. Rolling, rolling, rolling.

It used to be that having Cole Hamels pitch the night after a game like last night's meant a sure end to a losing streak. This year, though, Hamels has been anything but a stopper and, for whatever reason, the Phillies have not fared well at PNC Park.

this and that

Veggie pack, broccoli, lettuce, and cauliflower sprint to the finish of the between-innings veggie race early this season in Reading. Veggie pack held on for the win.

The Phillies yesterday announced their Arizona Fall League roster: Domonic Brown, Scott Mathieson, Mike Cisco, Michael Schwimer, Mike Zagurski, Tuffy Gosewisch, Steve Susdorf, and Troy Hanzawa. Wish I were going to be there.

Speaking of Michael Schwimer, his blog entry yesterday at Phuture Phillies (http://phuturephillies.com) is great stuff. He goes pitch by pitch through two innings of work, outlining what he was thinking for each pitch and what he thought the batter was thinking. You can follow along while watching the innings on youtube.

Michael Taylor was put on the 7-day DL with the oblique strain he's been nursing for a week. That probably means his season is over. Taylor does say, though, that he plans to play winter ball somewhere.

Brett Myers is scheduled to pitch an inning tonight at Reading. Speaking of Reading, they came back to beat the Erie SeaWolves 8-5 last night. This is a crucial four-game set with Erie, which coming into last night trailed Reading by 1/2 game in the wild card standings.

triple play

i got it
i got it, i got it--
triple play

seven up,
seventeen to go--
oh my god

jayson werth nl player of the week

For the first time in his career, Jayson Werth was named NL Player of the Week. In the past week he hit .440 with a 1.160 slugging %, nine RBI, seven runs scored, and a .481 onbase %. He also seemed to be hitting a home run every other moment. Congrats, Jayson.

Brett Myers, hard on the rehab circuit, pitched a scoreless inning in for the Lakewood BlueClaws yesterday. Next stop: Reading? J.C. Romero meanwhile says that he will be back before the end of the season. Whoa! I had no idea that Romero, who has had a season that pretty much has not been, was that far away. Same I guess can be said for Clay Condrey, who is still rehabbing his injury. So when exactly does the bullpen again become whole and sole?

And what about 'dem Rockies? Now four up on the Giants in the wild card standings and just three behind the Dodgers. Things are getting interesting.

lee (again) and the big 'oppo boppo'

It was another weird 1st inning in Flushing this afternoon. With two on, Ryan Howard hit a humongous opposite field homer, what TV play-by-play man Tom McCarthy calls an "oppo boppo". So with a 3-0 lead, Cliff Lee took the mound going for his fifth win as a Phillie and right off Chase Utley made an unimaginable couple of errors that gave lead-off man Angel Pagan four bases and a run. The Mets then added another run on a sacrifice fly.

In his second at bat, Ryan Howard again homered, this time a two-run shot to the upper deck in right, to put the Phillies up 5-2. For the fourth season in a row, Howard has 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI, the only Phillie to do that since Hall of Famer Chuck Klein did the same from 1929 to 1932. Not a bad start to a career, Ryan!

Meanwhile, the amazing Mr. Lee went seven innings, giving up just those two unearned runs and getting his fifth straight win as a Phillie. His ERA in that period is 0.68, with a WHIP of 0.75. He has walked five and struck out 39. Just think about that. Thanks to a sensational defensive play by Utley, Chan Ho Park pitched a scoreless 8th and Lidge followed with a clean 9th. The Phillies tacked on a run in the top of the 9th on an RBI double by Raul Ibanez in the 6-2 win.

It was a ragged series, but the Phillies did what they had to in taking three of four from an inferior team. On now to Pittsburgh and its lovely park before a weekend series at home with Atlanta.

dobbs to dl, cairo to philly

Co-blogger Priscilla (where is she) sent a large "I Was There" postcard from one of her home parks, AT&T in San Francisco. What made the card was this cool display on the message side. I've got to check in Philadelphia for something like this.

In a bit of bad timing, Gregg Dobbs has been put on the 15-day DL with a strained calf. Taking his place on the bench is Miguel Cairo, who had his contract purchased from the IronPigs. The veteran Cairo has been solid for the 'Pigs. He's also got a fiercely cute son, maybe seven or eight, who looks like a major leaguer in the making. Even playing catch with dad, the kid's got game.

phils win on bruntlett's unassisted triple play

Oh my goodness. Not exactly what I was screaming when, with two on, no outs, and the runners in motion in the 9th, Eric Bruntlett caught a liner by Jeff Francouer, stepped on second, then tagged Daniel Murphy in the base path. And with that Bruntlett, who had earlier in the inning committed an error and misplayed another ball, became the 15th man in MLB history to turn an unassisted triple play and the first since 1927 to turn a game-ending one.

Oh yes, the Phillies won 9-7 in a game that was filled with bizarre events. The Phillies had two three-run homers in the first, one by Jayson Werth (his 29th) and one by Carlos Ruiz. Then with a 3-0 count on Pedro Martinez, the 9th man to come to bat against Ollie Perez in the inning, Mets' manager Jerry Manuel came out of the dugout and pulled Perez. Wow.

In the bottom of the frame, Shane Victorino 'misplayed' the Citifield ground rules and handed an inside-the-park home run to lead-off hitter Angel Pagan when the ball got lodged under the fence padding. Right then you just knew it was going to be a weird game. Martinez, rocky for his first three innings and effective for his last three, went six, giving up four runs on seven hits. He also had an RBI single.

Martinez left with an 8-4 lead. The Phillies tacked on a run when pinch-hitter Matt Stairs walked, went to 2nd on a wild pitch, to third on a ground-out, then scored on another wild pitch. Bizarre. This is after all Matt Stairs we're talking about.

The Mets meanwhile got another run off Chad Durbin in the 7th, then another off Ryan Madson in the 8th to set up the 9-6 final frame. Eric Bruntlett, who was playing for Chase Utley, had already gone 3 for 3. In the top of the 9th, he hit what was at first ruled a triple, but the umpires, after crowd reaction to replays, overturned the call, initially made by the second base ump. In fact, Jeff Francoeur had made a fantastic catch but the reason for overturning the call was sketchy at best. Charlie Manuel got tossed for his protests.

On in the 9th, Brad Lidge was immediately let down by his defense, first by an error at 1st, then an error by Bruntlett at 2nd, who also misplayed another ball, allowing a run to score. Then Bruntlett, who had gone from hero to goat all in one inning, went again to hero in the most improbable ending of all. I'm still smiling.

Bruntlett later said that he would have been just as happy to have made the plays he botched and have the game end in ho-hum fashion.

chase utley is the man, the man, the man

It wasn't that Chase Utley was the only Phillie to get a hit off the immensely-hittable Tim Redding or the one to put the Phillies up 2-1 in the sixth with a two-run homer. It was that every time he came to bat, you just knew that if anyone could do it, he could--in his own quiet, intense way. I was thinking again last night that it's probably hard for those not on the field truly to appreciate what kind of player Chase Utley is. And feeling very, very grateful that he is a Phillie. Gotta love lots of the guys on this team.

Meanwhile, J.A. Happ gave up just one run in seven innings. Madson pitched the eighth and Lidge a 1-2-3 ninth in the 4-1 win. Reminder: Rookie J.A. Happ is actually more than a year older than Cole Hamels. Raul Ibanez is showing signs of regaining his stroke.

This morning's Inky has an interesting cross-cultural story about Chan Ho Park and how Chopper, as he's been dubbed, has found success in the close-knit Phillies bullpen. Click on www.philly.com for Inside the Phillies: Park blossoms in bullpen.

cole hamels and the rule of 30

Early this year I read somewhere online that Cole Hamels was on the 2009 "Verducci effect" list, also called the "year after effect." Tom Verducci, of Sports Illustrated, was the first to do the research which indicated that a young pitcher (25 or under) whose workload increases by more than 30 innings from the previous season is likely to under-perform or get injured in the year following the increase. This "rule of 30" has to do with young pitchers building up stamina. Increase the load too much and you run into trouble.

In 2008 the 24-year-old Hamels threw 262.1 innings, including the post-season, for an increase of 72.1 innings over 2007. Hamels now has a 4.78 ERA, fifth-highest in the National League and opponents are batting .285 against him, the ninth-highest BAA in the NL.

Last night's outing against the Mets was typical in many ways of his season. He labored for five innings, giving up four runs on 10 hits. He was pretty much nickel and dimed throughout. Everyone's got a theory about Hamels' woes. I'm now firmly of the belief that it's the Verducci effect, exacerbated by a shortened offseason because of last year's playoffs. Just stay healthy, Cole!

cruisin' in the cadillac

When someone hits a home run, color analyst Gary Matthews is likely to say that the guy just took a ride in the Cadillac. The Phillies have been doing a lot of that of late thanks in large part to Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth, who are suddenly both scorching. Last night they helped finally to give Joe Blanton, who has been sturdy but unrewarded, some rare offensive support. Werth hit a two-run homer to center. Howard hit a three-run shot that rattled around the back of the D'backs' bullpen. Even watching on TV, the sound of bat on ball for that one was commanding. Carlos Ruiz too hit a solo homer, which just made it over the left field fence.

In the end, it was a 12-3 win and a series sweep for the Phils. Blanton went a solid eight, got an RBI, and scored a run. This hitting thing is contagious. So is the good pitching. Phillies pitchers did not issue a single walk in the three-game series.

Nice to see that Kyle Drabek rebounded from his previous outing to pitch seven innings of shut-out ball in a 7-0 Reading win up in Portland.

Only five weeks to go.

lee and the longballs

In a vaunted match-up between Danny Haren and Cliff Lee, it was all Cliff Lee. On a muggy night in Philadelphia, with a game time temperature around 90, Lee threw another complete game, allowing just two hits and one unearned run in an 8-1 victory. He again had a no-hitter going into the 6th. He struck out 11 and threw 81 of his 106 pitches for strikes; through the 6th he had thrown just 15 balls. The game took 2 hours and 28 minutes.

As for the offense, Chase Utley led it off in the 3rd, with a two-run homer. Ryan Howard later added a three-run opposite field homer. Jayson Werth had two solo homers. Oh yes, Cliff Lee had two hits and scored a run. As a Phillie, he's still got more hits than runs allowed. When he came to bat in the bottom of the 8th, he got a tingling standing ovation, then beat out a swinging bunt to 1st. Again, is this guy for real?

Lee now has a 0.82 ERA in his four starts with the Phillies. Jayson Werth talking about him postgame said he works quick and fast, throws strikes, and he's good. You got that, Jayson. So did the sell-out crowd, 52nd of the season and the largest to date, in attendance.

brody colvin

Before I forget, on Monday, the final day for draft signings, the Phillies signed their 7th-round pick, right-handed pitcher Brody Colvin of Lafayette, Louisiana. Colvin, who had a verbal commitment to attend Louisiana State University, is 6'4" and throws in the low 90's. He may be a replacement for Jason Knapp, sent over to the Indians in the Lee and Francisco trade. Whatever he is, he's got a great name. The Phillies signed all of their picks in the top 10 rounds but a couple of coveted fish still got away. Colvin had dropped lower in the draft because of signability issues. Kudos to Marti Woloever and his staff for getting it done.

"two old goats for the price of one"

That's how Pedro Martinez summed up last night's game against the Diamondbacks, which was started by himself, interrupted by a dramatic thunderstorm, and finished by Jamie Moyer out of the bullpen. "The fans got to see two old goats for the price of one," said Pedro, who went three innings, giving up two hits, including a lead-off homer to Stephen Drew, before thunder, lightning, rain, and wind sent the game into a delay.

When play resumed an hour or so later, in the bottom of the third, the Phillies put three on the board. Jamie Moyer, in his first stint out of the bullpen, went six shut-out innings, giving up just two hits. Moyer benefited greatly from facing a young, free-swinging team in the D'backs and from a generous strike zone. Questioned after the game, Moyer somehow managed to sound aggrieved. I don't like judging based on edited snippets but he still sounded sulky about pitching in relief. Get over it, Jamie.

Jayson Werth hit his 25th homer of the season, a two-run shot and a career best. That put the Phillies up 5-1.

Haren vs. Lee tonight. Sounds good.

pedro in philadelphia tonight

If it weren't for the hot, sticky weather of late, I would probably have tried to get tix to tonight's game with the Diamondbacks. Pedro Martinez makes his home debut against Jon Garland. It's funny. When Martinez was with the Mets, I must have seen him pitch in person against the Phillies, but I can't recall any of those games. Instead, I remember a 1999 game late in the season in Yankee Stadium, against the Red Sox. I had got tix for the plumber, a big Yankee fan. By chance Pedro was pitching.

If anything, I had an anti-rooting interest in both teams, but was looking forward to seeing Pedro in person. A trio of excited young Latinos asked me directions to Yankee Stadium on the subway platform at 42nd Street. I told them to follow the crowd, then asked if they were going to see Pedro. Their faces lit up. Yes, of course, because he was Pedro and because he was a countryman.

It was a fabulous, unforgettable game. Pedro struck out 17 Yankees, including the last three he faced in the 9th. It was reminiscent of an electric interleague game a couple of years earlier at the old Vet, when Curt Schilling K'd 16 Yankees.

For the Pedro game, we had seats down the third base line. By the ninth, the many Red Sox fans in attendance were loudly feisty and many of the Yankee fans belligerently sour.

Pedro is unlikely to come anywhere near 17 K's tonight. I had to laugh, though, about what he said after his first start with the Phillies, last week in Chicago, about "trotting the Old Goat out there". He was referring to himself of course, but you had to wonder if it was a sly dig at Jamie Moyer, who had already expressed his displeasure about being bumped for this "new" Old Goat.

rickey #24

Last month's trip to San Francisco included the August 1 game in Oakland when Rickey Henderson had his number retired by the A's. It was nice to see the stadium filled with cheering fans at the celebration. The giveaway that day was a Henderson jersey. We didn't make the 10,000 fan cut that day but did get the super five-foot banner of Henderson handed out the next day, when the crowd barely passed 10,000. (Not good, Oakland.)

Henderson spoke last at the ceremony on the 1st. He ended his short but eloquent speech with these words: Rickey has tears in his eyes. Rickey has love in his heart for you. Rickey is very very very humbled.

It was truly touching.

michael taylor il player of the week

Michael Taylor, called up to the IronPigs a bare month ago, was named the International League Player of the Week. No wonder. Besides having some key home runs, including one that tied a game in the 9th, he hit for the cycle. Way to go, Michael! I still vividly recall my first sight of Taylor and Domonic Brown, before a game a couple of years ago at Williamsport. I was sitting in the first row just off first base fiddling with my camera bag when I looked up to see these two regal-looking dudes gliding by, like Nubian princes. Taylor is 6'6" and Brown 6'5. Definitely a wow moment. Even better, as time has shown, they're both good.

Reading's Mike Stutes was named the Eastern League's Pitcher of the Week. The right-handed Stutes, who has really picked it up of late, threw 13 innings of one-run ball.

howard with a helping of happ

Ryan Howard last night put the Phillies up 1-0 in the 2nd with a solo home run to center right. He untied it in the 6th with a three-run shot to deep right. Both were off Braves' starter Javier Vazquez. J.A. Happ, meanwhile, held the Braves to just one run in 7.2 innings. He was uncharacteristically wild, with six walks, but that may have had as much to do with the home plate umpire as Happ's command. The Phillies took the game 4-1 and Happ ran his record to 9-2. Not bad, rookie! The Sunday night ESPN game started after a rain delay of an hour and 45 minutes. I confess to drifting off to sleep in the middle of the third.

yo, cole, take a lesson from cliff

It's time for Cole Hamels to get a new mentor. He's pitching like Jamie Moyer when he should be learning from Cliff Lee.

spring baseball

The Altoona Curve come off the field during an early season game in Reading. It's hard to believe that the Eastern League season is now down to weeks. Reading continues to hang onto second place in the Southern Division---and a possible play-off berth.

mugged in hot atlanta

The second time the Phillies had a runner on third with no outs and didn't score him, I pretty much gave up on the game. Cole Hamels didn't have it but battled mightily for six innings. The Phillies took a 3-2 lead into the 9th but Chase Utley misplayed a ball and Brad Lidge compounded his dismal season with a two-error throw to first that allowed the tying run to score. After that it was just a matter of time. Braves win 4-3. But the real story of the game was 1 for 12 with RISP. That's what the Phillies were today.

Sad to say, Brad Lidge is now 0-5 with eight blown saves. His ERA remains over seven. Aiyaiyaiyai.

howard homers for win

Ryan Howard broke a 2-2 tie in the 9th with a solo home run, then Brad Lidge came in for a sticky save, aided by lots of help from his outfielders, and the Phillies took the first of three in Atlanta 3-2. It was a great game, with good pitching from both starters, Jair Jurrjens for the Braves and Joe Blanton for the Phils. In two previous starts this season, Jurrjens had held the Phillies scoreless. Chase Utley put an early end to that with a two-run homer. Joe Blanton, rocky early in the year, just gets better and better with each passing month. He's now pitching how the Phillies envisaged when they brought him in last season. But last year he got tons of support; this year he's often been a hard luck loser.

The outfield defense was sparkling. In the 6th Shane Victorino splattered himself high against the center field wall to rob Brian McCann. That was the dazzling best of several Victorino highlights.

lee caps sweep in chicago

Tuesday night Carlos Ruiz broke up Rich Harden's perfect game with a walk and Jimmy Rollins followed with a two-run homer to tie the game. The Phillies took a 3-2 lead into the 9th, but Brad Lidge blew the save. Ben Francisco hit the winning home run in extra innings and the Phils stole one 4-3.

Wednesday night was the debut of Pedro Martinez, but that was pretty much overshadowed by the Phillies' offense, which put 12 on the board early. Martinez went five and did pretty much as expected in his first start. It was an exciting game. Some dumb Cub fan dumped a cup of beer on Shane Victorino as he caught a sacrifice fly against the ivy. The wrong guy was apprehended but the culprit today turned himself into the police.

Thursday afternoon was again all Cliff Lee, with the help of a three-run homer from Ryan Howard and a solo shot by Pedro Feliz. Lee went eight innings, striking out eight and giving up just one run in the 6-1 victory. In three starts with the Phillies, Lee has given up just three runs. He has four hits in that time. This guy is simply fabulous to watch. I understand why he was reportedly the only trade that Ruben Amaro Jr. was targeting at the deadline.

"moyer unhappy, feels misled"

So reads the title of Todd Zolecki's latest blog for mlb.com. Oh, dear. So much for the good soldier we all thought that Jamie Moyer was. Instead, he feels that he was told during the offseason that this scenario would not occur. Wishful thinking clouds all of our minds at times and that could be the case here. I find it hard to believe that Moyer was assured a spot in the rotation no matter how he was pitching. I'm a fan of his and hope that he will again be back and pitching till he wants to retire, but he was not getting the job done. And he has been handsomely rewarded by the Phillies for his instrumental role last year in winning the World Series. Are cracks starting to appear in this team? How sad if Jamie Moyer turned out to be just that. Even worse if Pedro turns out to be a bust.

martinez starts wednesday, moyer to 'pen

In something of a stunner, the Phillies have announced that Pedro Martinez will start on Wednesday in Chicago. Jamie Moyer will, for the foreseeable future, be pitching out of the bullpen. His exact role there is unclear but he reportedly took the news like the consummate professional and team player that he is. Wow! It was the right move, no doubt, but its success depends on how Martinez pitches. Who knows?

J.A. Happ will start Tuesday and Clff Lee on Thursday. Given this rotation, I would probably see Pedro pitch at month's end in Philadelphia. Will he even be in the rotation then?

I guess the fans who gave Moyer a standing ovation when he was pulled from yesterday's game were prescient. They may indeed have seen his last start this year. Again, who knows?

Chad Durbin, who looked strong last night in a one-inning rehab stint at Lehigh Valley, has been activated from the DL and Rodrigo Lopez optioned back to the LV squad.

metsied already?

Ugh. What a dreadful weekend. I couldn't even listen to much of the game and missed Victorino getting thrown out for supposedly showing up the umpire from center field. Was that a first in the annals of baseball? It was a bad day for home plate ump Ed Rapuano, who also had a phantom strike zone.

That aside, this was a bad weekend---and an ugly day today---of baseball for the home team, who were swept by the Marlins. I thought out in San Francisco that the Phillies were in trouble and the way they sleepwalked through the weekend suggests that they are. They could have put the NL East away this weekend. Instead, they were totally outplayed, and the Marlins and Braves are now right there.

The Phillies have now lost eight of their last 11 games, scored three or fewer runs in eight of those games, and won only five games all season when scoring three or fewer. Ugh. Howard shows small signs of coming out of his funk but all week he and Utley were basically ohfer. Speaking of Howard, he has yet to get hot this year. As with Hamels, it's getting late early. Since coming off the DL, Raul Ibanez has been a shell of his former self; Jayson Werth, either hot or cold, is again in the polar regions.

With the exception of Joe Blanton, the pitching was pretty much putrid. Jamie Moyer did not get it done today and takes the loss in the 12-3 blowout. The bullpen, in the person of Rodrigo Lopez, was even worse. But who expected Lopez to be pitching in the 'pen at this point? Or Kyle Kendrick? Chad Durbin is still on the DL, so is Clay Condrey, and J.C. Romero is now headed for an MRI in Philadelphia.

Inconceivable as it sounds, I've got to wonder if the Phillies have already been Metsied. They certainly are playing like the '07 and '08 Mets did down the stretch. Ugh. And they are now back to .500 at home.

no hamels, no hitting, no good

It's getting late for Cole Hamels to turn his frustrating season around. In most of his losses, he hasn't pitched that poorly. He just hasn't pitched that well either. Once again I think that the Phillies will be lucky if he gets through the year without an injury, and that all else may have to wait till next year. Despite his starry success, Hamels is still a young pitcher learning his craft. This year looks like it may be a big bump along the way.

So far in this set with the Marlins, the Phillies have looked like chum. In truth they've looked like that for most of the past 10 days. If the slumping offense, a collective misfiring, doesn't step it up, the Phillies will be Metsied in September--if not sooner. And I'll be thinking Arizona Fall League, not play-offs.

One bright spot: Ryan Howard went 4 for 4.

strictly business

An hour or so after nattering on about pitching (below), I heard the news that the Red Sox had designated John Smoltz for assignment. Another unceremonious end for a future hall of famer? That was followed by the news that the Oakland A's had released (no DFA'ing even) Jason Giambi. Wow, what a dump. A week ago, Giambi was the face of the team when the A's retired Rickey Henderson's number. He's also on this year's pocket schedule for the A's, with the catchphrase 100% Back, 100% Baseball. Guess that didn't work out. You'd think the out-of-it A's would have let Giambi, even if he was hitting .191, hang on till the end of the season.

That brings the question of Jamie Moyer to mind....

harry kalas wall of fame induction night

The weekend series with the Marlins coincides with Old-Timers weekend. Last night, as part of this year's weekend, Harry Kalas was inducted posthumously into the Phillies Wall of Fame. It was an emotional ceremony, mc'd by Mike Schmidt, who has a knack for these things, and attended by Kalas' three sons and two stepchildren. The core group of old-timers were 'announced' by Kalas, who used to mc the annual induction. The Phillies' organization does this kind of thing as well as any team in baseball, and last night was truly touching.

Then the Phillies went out and lost to the Marlins. Joe Blanton was again strong through seven but the Marlins' Ricky Nolasco bested him. Blanton gave up three runs on two homers in the first two innings. The Phillies got two back in the 7th on a two-run homer by right fielder Ben Francisco, who squashed a Marlin threat in the top of the inning with a fabulous throw that nailed Chris Coghlan at the plate.

All you need to know about the home offense is that in a 3-2 game Fish closer Leo Nunez put the Phillies away in the 9th with only five pitches! C'mon, guys. Really.

never too much pitching

Wasn't it only weeks ago that everyone was saying how deep the Red Sox were in pitching? So deep that they had Clay Bucholtz stashed in Triple-A instead of in their rotation? Last night's outing by John Smoltz vs. the Yankees and the sudden signing of the dry-docked Paul Byrd indicate just how fragile pitching is.

Sad to say, Jamie Moyer too may be an athlete suddenly at the end of his career. Or he may once again be in the process of reinventing himself. For all the clamor over who should be the 5th man in the Phillies' rotation, Pedro has yet to pitch in the majors this season. He may very well be on the same path as Smoltz--and maybe as Moyer.

With a jam-packed schedule and a couple of doubleheaders looming, the more pitchers the merrier.

almost like being in love

Come to think of it, Ruben Amaro Jr. has made two major acquisitions in this his first year as general manager and both have been tremendous. Free-agent signing Raul Ibanez became an almost instantaneous fan favorite. It took Cliff Lee all of one game, his debut in San Francisco, to make the fans fall in love with him. He got a standing O walking in yesterday from the bullpen, another when starting line-ups were announced, and of course a big one when he left after the 7th. He even got a go-get-'em-next-time smatter when he overran a bunt. What do Ibanez and Lee have in common? They're both professionals and they're both really, really good.

Per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, in his first 16 innings as a Phillie, Cliff Lee has allowed just four runners beyond first base. Yes indeedy, love is in the air!

happ-lee ever after

Cliff Lee was not as sharp in his Philadelphia debut but he was still pretty damn good, throwing seven strong innings and giving up just one run. That came in the 1st on a sac fly, but the Phillies immediately tied it up in the bottom of the 1st, also on a sac fly. The Rockies had the lead-off man on in four of Lee's seven innings, but scored only that one run. In San Francisco it was fastballs and cutters, today fastballs and change-ups. The 'mountain men' were flailing at the change-up all day long; Lee K'd nine. Rox starter Aaron Cook was also good but Paul Bako broke up the tie in the 5th with his first homer of the year. Jimmy Rollins (who went 3-4) followed with a triple, and Shane Victorino brought him home on a fielder's choice. And that was all she wrote.

It was a great follow-up game to Happ's superb outing last night. Lee went seven, Madson took care of the 8th, and Lidge finished it off in the 9th. That's the way we like it!

Ruben Amaro Jr. announced today that J.A. Happ is staying in the rotation. Yippee! He deserves it.

all happ all the way

Rookie J.A. Happ, at the center last week of swirling trade rumors, threw the second complete game shut-out of his career, holding the Rockies to four hits, striking out 10 (nine swinging), and walking two. He threw 127 pitches, and his manager thought he could have thrown more. Said Charlie, "He showed me he wanted to stay in the rotation." Happ is now 8-2 on the year.

Everyone in the line-up, including Happ, had at least one hit in the 7-0 win. Happ got his, a sharp double over the head of Rockies' center fielder Dexter Fowler, in the bottom of the 8th, after coming out to the plate to a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 45,000+. It was very cool.

In Reading, meanwhile, Pedro Martinez was also pitching in front of a sellout crowd, of some 10,000. Martinez went six innings, striking out 11 and giving up three runs. Hot prospect Domonic Brown had his first home run at Double-A. As I write, the R-Phils are up 8-4.

Ruben Amaro Jr. and Charlie Manuel now face some very tough, sticky decisions about the rotation. Who exactly is the odd man out?

and the angst rolls on

Jamie Moyer was (dare I say again) awful last night. Rodrigo Lopez in relief was not much better. Between the two, they gave up eight runs in an 8-3 loss to the streaking Rockies. With the exception of a two-run homer by Jimmy Rollins, the offense continued to be missing. Utley and Howard were a combined 0-7. It's hot and sticky, what Charlie Manuel calls "hittin' weather". The Rockies were rolling, but the Phillies were not.

happ still on the teeterboard

Last Friday while Cliff Lee was debuting in San Francisco, Carlos Carrasco was making his first start as a Columbus Clipper vs. Pedro Martinez, pitching a rehab assignment for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Talk about weird. I'd forgotten that the Clippers, now the Indians' Triple-A team, were in town. Marson and Donald, however, did not play in the game. Oh, and Carrasco won. I wonder when he will start for the Indians.

A big part of last week's trade was that J.A. Happ stayed with the club. He's been in ways the best starter on the staff but is still likely to end up in the bullpen. Ouch. Tonight in Reading Pedro is making what could be his final rehab appearance. If and when he joins the big club, something's got to give.

Brett Myers, meanwhile, is scheduled to throw a simulated game tomorrow in Thursday.

lee the only bright light in bay area fog

There was a fair amount of red at the games with the Giants, who are not drawing the way they used to. But Phillies' fans didn't have much to cheer about.

Thank heavens for Cliff Lee, the only bright spot in the four-game set in San Francisco this weekend. Thursday night's game was a sloppy effort, Saturday a pitching duel won by Tim Lincecum, and Sunday an out-of-sorts effort by Cole Hamels. But on Friday, in his Phillies' debut, Lee was dominant, giving up just one run on four hits. There was a lot to like about the dazzling Mr. Lee. He threw strikes, worked quickly, fielded his position well, and even had two hits and scored a run. What has this guy been doing in the American League?! He looked totally in control and he was. What a treat to watch.

Phillies' bats, however, were not. The offense, shut out twice last week, was anemic. Last year the Phillies went on a West Coast road trip and came back in a deep hitting slump. Oh-oh. After a sizzling July, in which they went 20-7, they begin August with a losing streak. Oh, the angst. Why does this team go cold all together and all at once?

Just-acquired Ben Francisco played in all four games in place of the injured Shane Victorino and immediately proved his worth. Good job there too, Ruben.

old news, good news: cliff lee to the phillies

I heard the news of the trade on my way to San Francisco last Wednesday during a stopover at the Denver airport: Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco of the Cleveland Indians to Philadelphia for prospects Carlos Carrasco (sigh), Jason Donald, Lou Marson, and Jason Knapp. The key to the trade was no doubt the 18-year-old flamethrower Knapp. I've got to admit, though, that it was a good trade, even if I had no idea who Francisco was. But Amaro did a great job in getting an ace without giving up the farm. And he did it with stealth. So far Ruben Amaro Jr. has picked up where his genius predecessor at general manager left off.

There's still lots of juggling ahead with the roster. Rodrigo Lopez has been sent to the bullpen but that still leaves six starters if you count Pedro Martinez. John Mayberry Jr. and Stephen Register were sent back to Lehigh Valley to make room for Lee and Francisco, but more moves will be needed when Clay Condrey, J.C. Romero, and Chad Durbin come off the DL. Meanwhile, Joe Savery was promoted from Double-A Reading to take Carrasco's spot in the Triple-A rotation. And much-touted prospect Dominic Brown is now in Reading, which is where Pedro will be pitching another rehab assignment tomorrow night.