up. up, and away

Roy Halladay gave up three solo home runs to the Washington Nationals down in D.C. Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez, meanwhile, went back-to-back in the fourth in a see-saw game that saw the Phillies take the lead for good in the seventh. With Polanco on first, Jim Riggleman went to a lefty reliever who has been death on lefties. Charlie Manuel, however, had just this scenario mind when he bunched his big lefty hitters together. Utley walked, Howard singled in Polanco to tie the game, then Ibanez hit a sac fly to score Utley and give the Phils the 5-4 lead. Halladay worked out of a dicey bottom of the seventh, then turned it over to the bullpen.

Halladay is now 10-0 lifetime against the Nationals/Expos. Ryan Madson pitched the ninth for the save. He is now 12 for 12 in save opportunities. It's hot and humid here and everywhere.

Vance Worley was optioned down to Lehigh Valley to get himself together.

triple-a day

After seven innings Saturday night it looked like another hard-luck loss in New York for Cole Hamels. Then down 2-1 in the top of the eighth the Phillies started another comeback. Rollins led off with a single, stole second, and was on his way to stealing third when Utley singled him home to tie the game 2-2. Utley then stole second, Polanco walked, and Howard doubled them in for a 4-2 lead. The Phillies added another run in the ninth, the bullpen did its thing and the Phillies won 5-2. With the win, a rarity for him in NY, Hamels went to 7-2. He went seven innings, gave up five hits, and struck out 10.

Things did not go anywhere near that way for Vance Worley today, who gave up four in the first and four in the second. Bye-bye, Worley. To be fair, a Rollins' error in the first led to three runs. But the Mets were tattooing the lad from the get-go. Since going to the bullpen, then back to the rotation, Worley has been less than sharp.

Today's line-up featured the Triple-A squad, from Worley to battery mate Sardinha, Mayberry at first for a rare off-day for Howard, Martinez in center, and Valdez at second. They scored one run in the third, then left the bases loaded. They threatened in the eighth, which Ibanez led off with a solo home run. The Phillies then added two more but, with Brown on third, the threat was foiled thanks to some overzealous base-running by Jimmy Rollins. (What is going on with him?) They got another in the ninth but fell to the Mets 9-5 on a hot, sticky day in Queens.

overcoming absurdity

Roy Oswalt went just six innings, throwing 91 pitches. I guess the back is not yet well. The Phillies took an early 2-0 lead, then the Mets came back, eventually to take a 3-2 lead. The Phillies tied it in the eighth when Domonic Brown singled and stole second, letting Jimmy Rollins single him in. In the ninth, the Phillies got three more off of closer Francisco Rodriguez, the first time they have ever scored off him. The Mets got a run off of Madson in the ninth but the Phillies held on for the 6-4 win.

Both teams had costly miscues; the Phillies, however, overcame theirs, which included a rare error on Chase Utley when he clanked into Jimmy Rollins on a routine pop-up that was clearly the shortstop's ball and a Michael Stutes pick-off throw to an unmanned second base. Both led to Met runs. The Mets made two errors on one single up the middle, then in the ninth allowed the go-ahead run to score when Domonic Brown singled under the glove of first baseman Daniel Murphy.

I give the usually-surehanded Phillies a pass on the errors. It's likely that the fatigue of the Wednesday and Thursday games had caught up with them.

lee hits, everybody hits

Thursday was get-away day, with a game scheduled for 1:05. So less than 12 hours after the epic end of game 3, the Reds and Phillies were back at it again. This time it was Cliff Lee vs. Homer Bailey. The Phillies scored first, but wouldn't you know that the Reds came back to tie it 4-4 on some more hitting by Jay Bruce. Homer Bailey left after the fourth with shoulder spasms. Lee hung in. In the bottom of the sixth, he smacked a ground-rule double to deep center that scored two. In the seventh, he tacked on another RBI with a single.

Raul Ibanez hit a three-run homer. Chase Utley had a solo home run, his first of the year. Michael Martinez, at shortstop, hit, too. So did Domonic Brown, John Mayberry, Jr., Dane Sardinha and 'pitching sensation' Wilson Valdez. Jose Contreras, just back from the DL, threw the ninth and the Phillies won 10-4.

But for the dramatic Phillie come-backs, it could have been the Jay Bruce series. The rest of the Reds, though, were pretty much held to nothing. Dusty Baker and his boys were no doubt happy to get out of town. Next up for them is to get their pitching in order.

wilson goes babe and wins the game

You just wouldn't expect a game started by Roy Halladay to be finished, and won, by second baseman Wilson Valdez 18 innings later. But that's what happened in game 3 of the Reds series, in a game that went deep into the night. By the time the game ended, after one a.m., starters Halladay and Wood were distant memories. Wood went six, Halladay went seven. Both gave up three runs.

Ibanez led off the bottom of the eighth with a triple---and languished at third. The Phillies loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth---and did nothing. Jay Bruce (him again) led off the 10th with a solo home run that just made it over the right field fence, much to reliever Antonio Bastardo's disgust. Ryan Howard led off the bottom of the 10th with a mammoth homer that skittered down the bullpen stairs. Game tied: 4-4.

In the 11th, J.C. Romero hit a batter and walked two, but managed to get two outs. One was a pick-off at second of Brandon Phillips, who was busy schmoozing with Jimmy Rollins. What a gaffe. With the bases loaded, David Herndon came in for the final out, which he got on a backwards stutter-step catch off the mound, then a hard throw to Howard at first. By the 14th, the two bullpen guys left standing were call-up Carlos Fisher for the Reds and Danys Baez for the Phillies. The two went at it for inning after inning. In the 18th, both were obviously flagging.

With his bench emptied as well, Charlie Manuel went to Wilson Valdez, who had started the game at second. Polanco went from third to second, Ruiz from catcher to third, and Sardinha, who had pinch-hit in the 18th, took over behind the plate. All Valdez had to do was sit down the heart of the Reds' order. He got Votto on a pop-up, hit Rolen, got Bruce on a pop-up and finished off with a pop-up by the pitcher. It took him only 11 pitches. Wow.

In the bottom of the 19th, the pitcher Fisher was looking totally gassed. No wonder. He had thrown almost 90 pitches. (Baez, by the bye, had thrown 73.) An Ibanez sac fly scored Rollins from third and the game was over, six hours and 11 minutes after it had started. It was a total team effort on both sides. You had to feel for Reds' reliever Carlos Fisher who, like Danys Baez, stepped in and did yeoman's work.

The game was one for the ages, for sure. Wilson Valdez got the win and became only the second player in major league history to start a game as a position player and finish it as the winning pitcher. The other time it was done? In 1921 by Babe Ruth.

late error does in the phillies

I'm glad that the Reds and Phillies are not in the same division as their games tend to take odd often excruciating, twists and turns. On Tuesday night it was Vance Worley, just recalled, vs. Johnny Cueto. Worley worked hard for five innings and the Phillies took an early 3-1 lead only to allow the Reds to tie it. With the game 3-3 in the 9th, Ryan Madson came in to hold it there, but bobbled a ball back to him and the runner was safe. Things kind of fell apart after that. Pretty soon the Reds had gone ahead 6-3 on a Jay Bruce double and the game was over.

Ryan Madson took the loss, his first in nine attempts. The good? He seemed to shrug it off. But the early lead, tie, then Jay Bruce RBI was to become a theme in the series.

like old times

Chase Utley got a near-overwhelming ovation in his first at-bat last night. In the end, though, he was the only one in the starting rotation who did not get a hit and one of two who did not score a run but maybe his presence was exactly what everyone else needed. Placido Polanco started the scoring off the Reds' Bronson Arroyo with a 2-run homer in the first. The Phillies then put the game away in the third with a seven-run outbreak, capped by a three-run homer by Jimmy Rollins. Even starting pitcher Cole Hamels had a hit and scored a run in the inning. Raul Ibanez, who also made a fabulous catch at the wall, topped it all off with a solo homer and the Phillies won 10-3.

Hamels went just six innings. Stutes, Bastardo, and Baez each pitched a scoreless inning to finish the game. Brown and Mayberry were in the outfield with Ibanez. Worley pitches tonight in place of the injured Joe Blanton.

It was wonderful to see Utley back in the line-up. The sellout crowd of 45,841 was the largest ever for an in-season game.

oswalt outdueled by harrison

"Let's all get stoned." Thats about all I could think after yesterday's game.

Roy Oswalt looked like he was on the comeback trail, giving up just one run in seven innings of work yesterday. The one run was enough, though, to earn him his first loss ever at Citizens Bank Park. The offense was unable to muster anything against lefty Matt Harrison of the Rangers, who salvaged the final game of the series 2-0. The Rangers and Phillies combined to score just nine runs in three games---and the Rangers are built on offense. Yes, watching the Phillies' current offense could drive one to drink.

Snap out of it, Jimmy. Come back, Chase. Take a deep breath, Polly. Relax, Ryan. Step up, Raul. Seize the day, Johnny. Shine, Domonic. Do your thing, Carlos.

utley is in philly

According to Jim Salisbury of Comcast Sports, Chase Utley is back in Philadelphia. Hallelujah! Not in the line-up today but may be tomorrow. Again, hallelujah!

lee gets the win

Ryan Howard, who had been 0 for 23, led off the second inning with a solo home run, which was all the Phillies needed last night in a 2-0 win over the Rangers. Cliff Lee threw a strong eight innings of shut-out ball and Ryan Madson came in for the close in the ninth, his seventh in as many consecutive wins. The Phillies' second run came via an RBI single from John Mayberry, Jr. But it was Cliff Lee night at the ballpark as the lefty faced his mates from last year's World Series. On the way to his first win in six starts, he struck out 10. He also singled and stole a base.

In his post-game interview, Charlie Manuel said of Lee's performance, "I get the impression that he likes to impress you when he beats you."

3-2 gets it done

Three runs on four hits was just enough for the Phillies to top the Texas Rangers in the first game of (dreary) Interleague play. That and eight strong innings from Roy Halladay topped with a quick helping of Ryan Madson to finish it off. The Rangers scored first in the first, then added another in the eighth. The Phillies got their three on home runs, a two-run shot by the long-missing Ben Francisco, then a solo homer to deep center field by Raul Ibanez. The Rangers' C.J. Wilson was also outstanding but his mistakes, especially the rare homer to a lefty, were more costly.

'pigs take three in the rain

Let's hear it for the IronPigs, who last night finished off a rain-shortened sweep of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees up in Moosic. (Game 4 of the series will be made up later.) Brian Bass, coming off a complete game win his last outing, was solid for six, then ran into trouble in the 7th. Eddie Bonine, out of the 'pen, failed to pick him up and the Yankees turned the 4-0 lead into a 5-4 deficit. Michael Schwimmer held the Yanks there in the 8th, then in a most improbable 9th, Erik Kratz smacked a two-run homer through the falling rain for a 6-5 lead. Schwimmer came back to finish and he put the heart of the order down, 1-2-3.

These are the kinds of games the IronPigs could never win in their first three years. With last night's win, they are now 25-16, three games ahead of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the Northern Division and second in all of the International League.

brown back to bigs, herndon recalled

Quaint Henley Field in Lakeland, Florida, was spring training home for the Detroit Tigers until the mid-1960's. The Tigers now train at Joker Marchant Park and Henley Field is on the National Register of Historic Sites.

Well, well, well. The morning after telling everyone Domonic Brown would not be called up, Ruben Amaro Jr. called the kid up. Shane Victorino is officially on the DL. Scott Mathieson was optioned to Triple A and David Herndon recalled to take his place in the bullpen. Domonic Brown will not, however, be starting tonight against the Rangers' lefty C.J. Wilson. Next move: Worley for Blanton come Tuesday?

ouch! 3 home runs = 7 rbi = game

Twenty minutes before game time last night, Joe Blanton pulled out of his start with a sore elbow. Kyle Kendrick got the emergency start but lasted only three innings, giving up two mammoth home runs to 40-year-old Jason Giambi. Advantage Rockies, 5-0. Kendrick soon gave way to Danys Baez, who gave up another home run to Giambi, to up the Rockies' lead to 7-0. Must have been a merry night in the rain-soaked stands at the ballpark. The Phillies' spring-training squad managed one run. Before last night, Giambi had just four RBI. Last night upped his total to 11.

Both Blanton (elbow) and Victorino (hamstring) are slated for the DL. Wow. The Phillies' outfield is looking awful and there's not much good to say about the infield.

hamels dazzles

A vintage view of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

Cole Hamels and Jorge de la Rosa went toe to toe for eight innings last night, but it was Hamels who came away with the win. Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the eighth, the Phillies scratched out a go-ahead run on a Valdez single, Victorino pinch-hit bunt, wild pitch, and a Rollins sacrifice fly. Ryan Madson made it stand up in the ninth and the Phillies beat the Rockies 2-1. Both starting pitchers were outstanding. So was Madson.

grin and bear it

What else is there to do with the current roster? Enough with Valdez, Sardinha, and Orr. I give Martinez a pass. He has not had enough of a chance to frustrate and annoy and former IronPig Mayberry still gets 'hometown' backing. Romero and even Ibanez are starting to feel like old family pets, flopping about the house. As for Baez: ugh.

Michael Stutes is now gone, with an injury that changed the course of last night's game. Roy Oswalt only lasted five but seemed on his game. The offense, however, was not. The Phillies tied it in the eighth, then gave up the winning run in a 2-1 loss in the ninth. Don't even ask how it happened.

Up in Moosic, meanwhile, the IronPigs were winning 7-3 over the Yankees and solidifying, at least for now, their hold on first place.

'soft, stupid, and gutless'

No, not the Phillies' offense, though it's close to that. These, according to announcer Chris Wheeler, are the words Mel Queen, the former Blue Jays' baseball man who died a couple of days ago, used to characterize the young Roy Halladay. In 2000 the 23-year-old Halladay was sent down to the low minors with a 10.64 ERA in 67.2 innings. (That's still the worst ERA ever for any pitcher with at least 60 innings.)

Queen, a pitching guru, rebuilt the struggling Halladay's mechanics and made him the pitcher he is today. As Wheeler said, it would be hard to imagine anyone telling any 'bonus baby' today that he is 'soft, stupid, and gutless'. Agents, wives, and others would be squawking immediately.

As for the Phillies offense last night, it was near-invisible. The Cardinals walked Ryan Howard three times. Couple that with a pedestrian outing by Cliff Lee, who set a career-high with six walks, and it was no surprise that the Cards won 3-1. Lee (2-4) is now winless in his last six appearances. The Phillies have lost three in a row for the first time this year.

Tonight it's Roy Oswalt, who will be held to about 70 pitches and who is already saying that he's not 100 percent. Sputter, sputter.

tinkering with the line-ups

First, there's the Phillies line-up tonight: Rollins, Valdez (3B), Ibanez, Howard, Mayberry (CF), Francisco, Orr (2B), Ruiz, Lee. If that line-up doesn't make you blanch, what will? Charlie Manuel opted to give Placido Polanco a day off, his second in 40 games, because he needs a rest.

Tony LaRussa, back to the dugout after a long absence, has put Albert Pujols at third and Lance Berkman at first. Should be interesting.

Roy Oswalt, low velocity and all, was activated from the DL and Vance Worley optioned to Lehigh Valley. Oswalt is to pitch tomorrow.

powder 'blues'

Shane Victorino was out of the line-up today with that sore hamstring. Uh-oh.

While I was sleeping yesterday afternoon, the Phillies lost their second straight game to the Braves and their second straight series to them. Roy Halladay lost his second straight game. Both were complete game losses. Yesterday was also his second loss to an NL East opponent since becoming a Phillie. John Mayberry, Jr. hit his second homer of the year, to give the Phillies a brief 2-1 lead. Halladay, for the second start in a row, failed to protect the lead. For too many games, the ragtag Phillies' offense was feeble. In the end, the Braves won 3-2. Until Saturday, the Phillies had been 10-0 in day games. They are now 10-2.

On Saturday, both teams wore throwback Negro Leagues uniforms. The Phillies were the grays of the Philadelphia Stars and the Braves the cream ones of the Atlanta Black Crackers. Yesterday, both teams wore unis from the 1970's. The Phillies were in their iconic powder blues and the Braves in the blue-and-white uniform worn by Hank Aaron in his heyday. Aaron was one of the more prominent honorees of Civil Rights Weekend, held this weekend in Atlanta.

this one went the braves' way

Joe Blanton gave up solo home runs to Martin Prado and Nate McClouth who led off for the Braves, then settled down, only to dive after five. He was at 74 pitches. Jair Jurrjens, meanwhile, had a no-hitter (howl) going into the sixth. Michael Martinez broke it up with a pinch-hit single, then scored on a Rollins' double. But Rollins was then caught in an inexplicable run-down.

The Braves added three more after yet another controversial call not made at second. J.C. Romero, Kyle Kendrick, and Danys Baez did not fare well today out of the bullpen. The Phillies got another two runs but in the end fizzled at 5-3. The Braves made some unexpectedly good defensive plays (Dan Uggla, really) while Kyle Kendrick slipped and bobbled a bunt.

Shane Victorino left the game late with a sore hamstring. Enough with the hamstrings! From Lehigh Valley came the news that Domonic Brown will be out five to six days with a sprained thumb. Oh, these fragile young men.

getting wild in hotlanta

On the day that Carlos Ruiz came off the DL, the Phillies played as if they had taken a night bus from Florida to georgia instead of flying in two nights before.

It all started well, with a three-run homer to dead center by Ryan Howard in the first off Braves' starter Brandon Beachy. But a Hamels' throwing error in the first gave the Braves a run back. (The Phillies would later add another error and a wild pitch and passed ball.) The Braves tied the game in the fifth and went ahead 4-3 in the sixth. Hamels left after that.

In the seventh, the Phillies tied it 4-4 but only after a controversial call by home plate umpire David Rackley. O'Flaherty, in for relief, clearly had Shane Victorino struck out and catcher Brian McCann was halfway to the dugout before he realized that Victorino was still at the plate. The ump had not called the strike. That allowed the Phillies to capitalize and they did, tying the game to the displeasure of all Braves' fans.

More drama ensued. J.C. Romero loaded the bases, with one out, in the bottom of the inning. Charlie Manuel, in an unusual move, called on rookie Michael Stutes, who got Uggla out but only after a moonshot foul ball. Antonio Bastardo then came in, threw three straight balls, before recovering to get the strike-out. Whew.

The Phillies went ahead in the eighth, on an Ibanez single that scored Ryan Howard from second. Vance Worley, another surprise move, allowed a lead-off single to Alex Gonzalez in the bottom of the inning, then set down three in a row. Ryan Madison came in for the save and the Phillies won it 5-4. Bastardo got the win, O'Flaherty the loss.

If the rest of the games in the series follow this pattern, it will be the usual wild weekend in Atlanta. It is also Civil Rights Weekend and lots is going on. The Civil Rights Game will be played on Sunday.

bass goes nine, 'pigs back him up

Brian Bass was stellar last night for the IronPigs, pitching a complete game and giving up just two runs on six hits. The 'Pigs' offense came through in the sixth. With a 1-0 score, the 'Pigs took advantage of some 'creative' baserunning and a string of six singles to plate five. Tack-on home runs made the final score 8-2. The IronPigs are now 20-15, which puts them half a game out of first in the North Division of the International League. Talk about pigs flying!

Brian Bass was the no-doubt star of the game. The night before the IronPigs had had both their starter, Eddie Bonine, and their manager, Ryne Sandberg, tossed in the first inning of the game at Toledo and the bullpen had been taxed. Bass, who came into last night's game with a 7.00 ERA, was sent back to the Lehigh Valley a day early for his start last night. The rest of the team rolled into town by bus from Ohio around 6 a.m. yesterday morning. Bass, however, was ready to go and he gave the 'Pigs all they could hope for. Good job!

threshers on tv

The 'Jimmy' on the card is Jimmy Rollins, who found juicing, thanks to his wife, during the off-season.

Watching a Single-A game on Philadelphia TV was odd, especially when the game featured not one but three rehabbing major leaguers. And no, the stands were not overflowing. Instead, it looked like just another drowsy night in the minors.

Of the three rehabbers, Carlos Ruiz did well enough to have headed to Atlanta to be activated for tonight's game with the Braves. Just in time, too, as Schneider goes on the DL. Chase Utley flashed his sweet swing with a home run, but he still has a way to go. The good news is that he is again in the line-up tonight. Roy Oswalt looked much as he did before he left for Mississippi, which is to say that his velocity was down and his fastball was flat. He is supposed to start on Tuesday in St. Louis but still looks as if his back, or something, is bothering him.

The three were gone in the sixth, when the pace of the game slowed to something like that of a Yankees-Red Sox match-up. Single-A ball takes a great deal of patience.

The NHL has announced that Citizens Bank Park will be the site of the 2012 Winter Classic. The Flyers and the Rangers are scheduled to take part in the game, which will be held on January 2, 2012.

comeback seals series win

Hanley Ramirez led off for the Marlins with a solo home run off Cliff Lee. And that was it until the fifth, when Brian Schneider pulled up lame as he rounded third on the way to tying the game. In the sixth, the Fish put some hits together and got another couple of runs off of Lee. Ricky Nolasco, meanwhile, sailed along.

Then, in the seventh, the Phillies showed some life, scoring one on pinch-hit double by Pete Orr. Out with Nolasco and in with Webb, who also gave up a run. With the score 3-2, Victorino greeted Mike Dunn with a lead-off homer (a real zinger) in the eighth. In the ninth, another double by Orr helped to get a rally going. With two out, Jimmy Rollins laced a single off closer Leo Nunez to plate two. Ryan Madson continued the sterling work of Phillie relievers (Romero in the seventh and Kendrick in the eighth) to put the Fish down 1-2-3. Phillies win 5-3 and take the series.

Brian Schneider is likely headed for the DL with a hamstring injury. That leaves Dane Sardinha as the lone catcher. Tonight, in a game that will be broadcast on Comcast, Chase Utley (knee), Carlos Ruiz (back), and Roy Oswalt (back) will all be appearing with the Clearwater Threshers. If all goes well, Ruiz may rejoin the Phillies tomorrow in Atlants.

missed chances, costly mistakes doom halladay

The pitching duel was indeed a duel, taut and tension-filled. In the end Josh Johnson got a no-decision and Roy Halladay a loss, just his second to an NL East opponent since coming to the Phillies. The other one? To Josh Johnson.

Last night the Phillies took the lead in the second on a Ryan Howard homer to left. They then stranded the bases full that inning and the next. They had their chances but did nothing. In the bottom of the third, Halladay was visibly disturbed after walking Johnson, the first time in his career that he has walked a pitcher. Sure enough, Johnson ended up scoring the tying run off a Bonifacio sac fly.

Johnson was gone after seven. Halladay, much more economical with his pitch count, went eight. A rare error by Jimmy Rollins, a wild pitch by Halladay, a slow throw by Polanco, a timely single by Chris Coghlan---all went into giving the Marlins the 2-1 lead that inning.

John Mayberry got on base in the ninth but the game was over. A taut game that definitely did not go the way the Phillies wanted it to go. A little offense from the bottom of the order would certainly help in games like these.

Word is that Carlos Ruiz is close to a return, that Roy Oswalt may pitch on Tuesday, and that (trumpets blare) Chase Utley is near.

the other side of sunday

The Secrets We Thought We'd Lived Down by David Rathman.

Weinstein Gallery in Minneapolis is having a show of watercolor and ink works by David Rathman. Called The Other Side of Sunday, the exhibition runs from May 19 to July 9. Gotta love this 2011 work shown in the announcement card that arrived today. For information: www.weinstein-gallery.com

snoozing on a monday night in florida

Joe Blanton came off the DL and went five innings, giving up three runs and inducing a whopping four double-plays. His Marlin counterpart Javier Vazquez did not fare so well in a game that was muffled in cotton batting. Jimmy Rollins led it off with a solo home run. The Phillies had 12 hits on the way to six runs and a 6-4 victory. Vance Worley, on in relief for the sixth, seventh, and eighth, again made a case for staying in the bigs. There were few people in the stands (announced attendance was just over 11,000), which made the e-a-g-l-e-s chants that erupted in the eighth inning all the more irritating. The same group of dipwits were at a game in Arizona. Stay home or shut up.

homers do the phillies in

The team that hits the most home runs wins the game 75% of the time, or so I've been told. Last night Cole Hamels went seven innings, giving up three runs on two home runs while striking out nine. Michael Stutes then gave up a two-run shot to pinch-hitter Eric Hinske and the Braves won the game 5-2. The Phillies had plenty of chances against Braves' starter Jair Jurrjens but failed to convert. And they had nary a home run.

kk does it again to the braves

Kyle Kendrick did it again to the Braves, combining last night with four relievers to shut them out 3-0. Kendrick, who was making a spot start in place of the ailing Oswalt, is now 6-1 lifetime against Atlanta. How he does it, nobody knows. The Phillies, meanwhile, got three runs off of prospect Julio Teheran, called up from Triple A to make a start. Ryan Howard hit the 260th homer of his career, moving him into second on the Phillies' all-time home run list. Mike Schmidt, at 548, is first. The Phillies have won all of the last three games not started by their first four.

16 k's but a shutout

Cliff Lee struck out 16 Atlanta Braves last night but the Phillies lost the game 5-0. With two outs in the third, Lee gave up four well-struck balls and the Braves put three runs on the board. Lee went seven,giving up just those three. In his last three starts, he's had a total run support of one.

Derek Lee, meanwhile, had a no-hitter going into the seventh, when Shane Victorino greeted him with a sharp single, then Placido Polanco followed with what was, alas, a ground-rule double. With two on, Eric O'Flaherty came in and struck out Howard, then Francisco, then Ibanez. Threat over. Danys Baez gave up two more runs in the ninth.

Placido Polanco had to leave the game in the seventh with a contusion of his right toe. I don't even want to think about what the line-up will be tonight behind Kendrick.

Up in Boston, meanwhile, the Flyers were swept out by the Bruins in a 5-1 defeat. The Bruins were the better team from the get-go. Magic does not happen twice. The Flyers always have goalie problems, but really their problems went deeper than that. Give Bobrovsky a chance!

oswalt to dl?

It just doesn't end. Roy Oswalt is still having back issues and may go on the DL. It;s the same song for Carlos Ruiz. Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick will pitch instead of Oswalt on Saturday. Hmmm. KK will face Julio Teheran, the Braves' top pitching prospect, who is being called up to make the start. That means it will be Jair Jurrjens vs. Cole Hamels on Sunday night. Tonight's match-up, another game I shall miss, features Cliff Lee and Derek Lowe. And the DL carousel keeps going round and round.

and worley and halladay make three

Vance Worley picked up where Cole Hamels left off, pitching another six solid innings Wednesday night and contributing a timely single that keyed the offense. Worley allowed just one run on four hits, while striking out seven. He left with the score 7-1, but Danys Baez gave up some runs in the 9th. Final score: 7-4. Raul Ibanez continued hitting. See: homer deep to right.

Last night Roy Halladay finished off the sweep of the Nationals, facing John Lannan. A six-run third, led by Jimmy Rollins, sent Lannan packing. Raul Ibanez hit some more. Maybe he just needed a Natty dose to come out of his slump. His most dramatic hit last night was a second-deck solo homer (yes, another home run) to right. Halladay went seven, a slow night for him. Final score: 7-3. With that, the Phillies swept out the Nationals and now welcome in the Braves.

During the game I switched at one point to the Nats' radio coverage and caught the two announcers discussing a Halladay fan group wearing hospital gowns over their clothes. Last night, in honor of Cinco de Mayo, they were also wearing sombreros and their banner was in Spanish: Los pacientes de Doc. What does it mean, queried one announcer. Must mean Doc's strikeouts, opined the other. Later, when Halladay got a strike-out and the group started chest-bumping, the announcers chimed in again about another 'pacientes' for him. The group is, of course, 'Doc's patients'. But I've often found the Nat announcers to be a step behind.

tsunami #1

Jozef Bajus created this piece, called Tsunami #1, for the Bijutsu fundraiser on at Buffalo State College on May 6.

more numbers to ponder

Artist Jozef Bajus sent this announcement for an art sale to raise funds for relief efforts in Japan. The fundraiser will be held on May 6 at Buffalo State College in Buffalo, New York. All proceeds from the sales and auction of artworks will go to the Japan Society's earthquake relief fund.

Attendance at last night's Jays-Rays game in Tampa was 10,248. Attendance at yesterday morning's Triple-A Lehigh Valley game, vs. the Buffalo Bisons, was a capacity 10,000. Ouch.

Only four teams in the National League currently have records above .500. The American League is not much better, with six.

J.C. Romero has been activated from the DL. To make room for him on the roster, David Herndon was optioned to Lehigh Valley, the first time that Herndon will toil in Triple-A. The stint should give him a chance to work on current issues.

end of an oh-fer

On a night when Cole Hamels threw a complete game victory, Jayson Werth made his first return to Philadelphia, and Jimmy Rollins returned to lead-off, it was Raul Ibanez who loomed the largest, breaking an 0-35 hitting slump with a double. Whew! It should have been an RBI as well but the ball hopped into the stands, forcing Ryan Howard to stop at third. Ibanez added another double later that did get him an RBI.

Hamels was locked in from the start, giving up just one run on five hits, walking one, and striking out six. He needed just 108 pitches to finish the game. He also tripled and singled and scored the first run of the game. Hamels is now 4-1 on the season, with a 1.42 ERA in his last five games.

Jayson Werth received a mix of cheers and boos when he first came to the plate, doffed his cap to the cheers, and with that got a standing ovation. It was pretty cool. He went to his regular spot in right field to a chorus of cheers and another doff of the cap. When playing in Philadelphia, Jayson had always had a great dynamic with the right field crowd and they did not forget that.

In Chicago, meanwhile, Francisco Liriano of the Twins was pitching a no-hitter against the flailing White Sox. Liriano walked six but held the Sox hitless and scoreless in the 1-0 win. It was the first ho-hitter of the season.

reading, lehigh valley, philadelphia

The Phillies finished April with an 18-8 record--despite a handful of key injuries. Placido Polanco had a career-high 41 hits and Ryan Howard an MLB-best 27 RBI.

One of the coolest things about the weekend was the way the young guys are stepping up. Friday night it was Vance Worley starting for Roy Oswalt. After six, he gave way to Michael Stutes, who then gave way to Antonio Bastardo. From the Reading Phillies to the IronPigs to the bigs. On Saturday, John Mayberry tied the game 1-1 with a solo home run, before the Phillies, behind the redoubtable Roy Halladay, went on to win it 2-1.

worley, halladay, and reality

Last night was one of those nights when reality trumps all. I was listening to the Phillies' game on the radio and had switched stations to check the weather. That's when I heard that Osama bin Laden had reportedly been killed in Pakistan and that the president was shortly to address the nation. News then took precedence over baseball, though I heard the game lurch first into a tie, thanks to a Howard single that plated Mayberry, then into extra innings. I also heard the crowd chanting as the world news spread, from phone to phone, around the ballpark. By the time the game ended, around 1 a.m., I was listening to BBC World coverage.

Cliff Lee started the game vs. Chris Young, who once again befuddled Phillie bats with his soft-tossing ways. Lee struggled mightily in the 1st inning, needing 34 pitched to escape, but then held on for another six frames. He limited the Mets to one run. In the end, the Mets won it 2-1 in the 14th. Kyle Kendrick got the loss and former-Phillie farmhand Taylor Bucholz the win.

On Friday Vance Worley started in place of Roy Oswalt and went a solid six innings of two-hit, no-run ball. He struck out five but walked four and used too many pitches (total: 102). Still, he left the game with a shut-out going. The Mets scored all of their runs in the 10-3 loss in the 9th, after getting-to-be hapless David Herndon. Ryan Howard drove in six, with a two-run second-deck blast, then a grand slam. The GS was the 10th of his career.

Saturday was the Roy Halladay show. I was supposed to be there but was unable to make it, so I missed seeing Halladay open the game with 18 straight strikes. He finished the game, a 2-1 Phillie win, with 107 pitches. Of those, 80 were for strikes. What can I say about Roy Halladay?

In other news, Roy Oswalt is supposed to rejoin the team on Thursday and may take a turn in the rotation this weekend. Carlos Ruiz may be back catching on Tuesday. Domonic Brown has been optioned to Lehigh Valley, another step in his return. Joe Blanton and Brad Lidge are soon to start throwing again. J.C. Romero will be on a rehab assignment in Lakewood tomorrow. And Chase Utley played a simulated game yesterday. If all goes well, Clearwater may be his next stop.

glanville on oswalt

Getting by with a little help from my friends, I am posting these 'snapshots' of a non-royal celebration this past Friday. While the big wedding was getting the big news that day, old friend Carolyn who now lives in Welwyn Garden City, just outside London,was at a local street party, which offered old-fashioned attractions--think tug of war, fancy hat competition, egg-and-spoon races, plant swap stall, etc.--for all. It all looks like good fun. If you click on the photo at top, you'll see the odd upside-down bottle attached to hat that won the competition. Gotta wonder why an upside-down bottle.

Doug Glanville had an insightful piece yesterday about Roy Oswalt's going home this week to his tornado-ravaged town. But thoughtful pieces from Glanville are pretty the norm. Tracking how he has turned into such a fine writer, especially on my favorite sport, has been exciting.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=glanville_doug&id=6454756