Suspended Belief

The Phillies and Rays had their World Series game suspended after 5 1/2 innings with the score tied 2 - 2.

The Phils struck first early on the strength of a 2-run Shane Victorino single that drove home Jayson Werth and Chase Utley.

The Rays finally got to Phils starter Cole Hamels in the 4th inning on a Carlos Pena double and an Evan Longoria single.

The Phils, meanwhile, had Rays starter Scott Kazmir on the ropes during his 4 inning stay in the ballgame, but failed to put him away on a couple of occasions. Kazmir walked 6, but the Phils failed to come up with the big hit to break the game open.

The Rays tied the ballgame as the rains really began coming down. Carlos Pena drove in BJ Upton from 2nd, tying the game at 2, and, after Evan Longoria flied out, the umpires finally suspended play.

As of this writing, MLB is unsure as to when they'll start up play again, as the forecast tonite in Philly doesn't look much better than last night.

Notes:

- I've waited this long....I can wait a little longer.

- Went to Finnigan's Wake on Spring Garden to catch the game. The place was packed and the crowd was into the game. The crowd reaction to suspending the game ranged from drunken anger at stopping the game to drunken anger at NOT stopping the game before Carlos Pena drove in BJ Upton in the top of the 6th. Yeah, people were pretty hammered last night and ready to celebrate.

Phils Take Game 1

The Phillies took the initiative in Game 1 and took out the upstart Rays by a score of 3 - 2. They lead the World Series by a count of 1 game to none.

The Rays got their nose bloodied early in the first inning, when, with 1 out, Jayson Werth walked, bringing up Chase Utley. Utley took a 2-2 pitch from Scott Kazmir over the right field fence to give the Phillies a 2 - 0 lead.

The Phils added a third run in the 4th inning by virtue of a Carlos Ruiz ground out, scoring Shane Victorino from third.

The Rays, meanwhile, were stifled by Cole Hamels for the most past. Carl Crawford took Hamels deep to make the score 3 - 1 in the bottom of the fourth inning and Akinori Iwamura doubled home Jason Bartlett in the bottom of the fifth to draw within a run. Other than those two threats, however, the Rays didn't really make a lot of noise offensively. Hamels went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs on 5 hits and struck out 5.

The Phillies, meanwhile, seemed to allow Scott Kazmir to pitch in this game far longer than he had any right to. After taking a 2 run lead in the first, the Phils had lead off baserunners in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th inning, but failed to get anyone home. The closest the Phils came to getting another run early was squandered in the bottom of the 2nd when Shane Victorino, on third because of an infield single, was thrown out at the plate by BJ Upton on a shallow Jimmy Rollins fly out.

Hamels gave way in the 8th inning to Ryan Madson, who pitched a scoreless 8th inning and later, to Brad Lidge, who closed out matters gaining his 6th save in the post-season.

The series continues tonite with Brett Myers facing James Shields.

Notes:

- Loved the attempted bunt by Chase Utley in the first. What is with that shift they are playing on Utley? I guarantee he will drop a bunt down the third base line in this series.

- No more Ryan Howard at first base. Please. I can't take it anymore. He. is. TERRIBLE in the field. DH him in the AL ballparks. Whatever. But no more.

- Howard also struck out 3 times and left 4 men on base.

- Jimmy Rollins. 0 for 5. Left 5 guys on base.

- While I'm on the topic, the Phillies batters were responsible for leaving 21 runners on base last night. This game should have been a laugher. Instead, it was a nailbiter that tested both my nerves and my liver.

- Shane Victorino really seemed to get under the Rays' skin on the basepaths.

- What was with the BJ Upton glare while at the plate in the 3rd inning? I particularly enjoyed his two GIDPs.

Picture: Yahoo.com(Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Hey America.....Why Not Us?

I almost forgot how much fun it is to get to a championship round of one of the four major sports. Since the Phillies got into the World Series last week, it's amazing how much it's done for the morale of people who live in and around Philadelphia. Everyone is wearing red to work, people are a little nicer, the sun is shining just a little brighter.

The one interesting thing I've found so far? A vast majority of people outside of Philadelphia are rooting for the Tampa Bay Rays. Hell, a vast majority of the major media outlets (*cough*ESPN*cough) have (anecdotally) spent more time highlighting the Rays than they are the Phillies. This is remarkable, if only because the Phillies have the last 2 NL MVPs on their team and a third guy, Chase Utley, who is easily the best 2nd baseman in all of baseball. You would think this would make the Phillies the more prominently featured of the two teams, but this has not been the case.

Now, some of these people rooting against the Phillies are rooting against the Phils strictly for one reason: scheudenfreude. And believe me, I get that one. I spent the better parts of 10 years at a certain Wall Street firm and most of my co-workers were either Yankee fans and Mets fans. I would rather gargle a bottle of Pine Sol than to go through the 2000 Subway series again. That World Series featured two of the most annoying fanbases in all of sports bickering over who had the better team, the better stadium, everything. This was akin to watching the Two Corey's discuss who had the better movie career.

But some of you good people of America are rooting for the Rays strictly out of the good, altruistic reasons. If you fall into this category, you probably are rooting for the Rays because they have been perennial losers, they have interesting players, etc. I want to try to sell you on the idea that if you are rooting for Tampa based on these factors, that NO team deserves your rooting interest more than the Philadelphia Phillies.

1.) The Perennial Loser Factor. Are you aware that the Philadelphia Phillies franchise has more losses than any team in the history of professional sports in North America with over 10,000 losses? That's a mind boggling number of losses. When the Phillies registered their 10,000th loss, I compiled a lineup of Phillies who represented losing baseball to me since about 1977. Fact is, I probably could have compiled several lineups worth of really bad Phillies players going back to 1883.

You like the Rays because they have been perennial losers? Hell, from the perspective of a Phillies fan, the Rays are spoiled, having been to 1 World Series in their 10 year history. The Phillies have been around since 1883, and have been to only 6 of these things; that's one World Series every 21 years!

2.) Compelling Players. The youth and skill of BJ Upton, Evan Longoria, and Scott Kazmir have really drawn people to this team. Even guys who haven't even pitched 10 regular season innings like David Price are getting a ton of press leading up to the World Series.

Not to brag, but the Phillies have quite a few pretty good players on their team. As mentioned previously, the Phillies have the last two NL MVPs on their team in 1B Ryan Howard and SS Jimmy Rollins. If you never saw great left-handed sluggers like Willie Stargell or Willie McCovey hit, Ryan Howard is a worthy successor to that lineage. Jimmy Rollins has a style all of his own and a knack for coming through when the Phils need him most (see the leadoff homers he had in both clinching playoff games the Phillies have had this year as reference). Both Rollins and Howard are just short of 30 years old.

The Phillies also have a 3rd guy just short of 30 that could win the MVP any year now in 2B Chase Utley. People in Philadelphia already love Utley, but you may not know much about him. Check out this article as a primer on a guy many consider to be one of the best all-around players in the game.

And don't forget about the energy of CF Shane Victorino, the quiet confidence of young SP Cole Hamels, and skill and sagacity of 45 year old starting pitcher SP Jamie Moyer.

3.) Committed Fanbase. You don't need me to get into the attendance figures from Tampa's history from when they were bad. I'll simply use this year as an example.

The 2008 Tampa Bay Rays drew only 1.78 million people this year; well below the AL average of 2.46 million. Also to be considered in Tampa's attendance are the number of northern transplants from places like New York and Boston who go to the ballpark to see the Yankees and the Red Sox more than the Rays. And this was in a year when the Rays were good.

The Phillies fans, on the other hand, have been coming out in droves this year. The Phils drew 3.4 million fans this year; well above the NL average of 2.75 million people.

The point? If people in Tampa have barely cared about this team this year, why should you?

4.) Entertainment Factor Upon Victory. The city of Tampa had the Buccaneers, which won the Super Bowl in 2002. They have the Lightning, which won the Stanley Cup in 2004. Both of these championships were won by going through a Philadelphia sports team.

Tampa does not need another championship. Philadelphia NEEDS a championship much like a junkie needs their next fix. This much is well documented.

If the Phillies win this World Series, there is no telling what will happen in the city if they win. I'm not saying rioting or looting, but I'm sure they'll be enough jackassery that will occur and get posted on YouTube such that bloggers will be kept busy making fun of Philly fans for the next month.

And if the Phils win, and we get made fun of? Well, that'd be just fine.

Phillies Beat Dodgers; Advance to World Series!

The Philadelphia Phillies beat the LA Dodgers by a score of 5 - 1 to win the NLCS and earn their 6th National League pennant in their 126 years of existence.

Jimmy Rollins quieted the crowd right out of the gate by slamming a lead off homer to give the Phils the early lead and the early momentum.

The Phils extended their lead in the 3rd, when with one out, Jimmy Rollins singled and stole second. After a Jayson Werth strikeout and a Chase Utley walk, Rollins scored on a Ryan Howard basehit. Pat Burrell plated Chase Utley with a single of his own, giving the Phillies a 3 - 0 lead.

The Phils extended their lead in the top of the fifth. With Howard on 1st and Utley on 2nd with 1 out, Pat Burrell hit a nubber to Rafael Furcal. Furcal booted the ball, and Utley, seeing Furcal lose the ball, ran hard all the way around 3rd and came home safely to extend the Phillies lead to 4 - 0. Furcal was also charged with a throwing error in a vain attempt to throw out Utley at home, allowing Burrell and Howard to advance. The Phils were able to get Ryan Howard home on yet another Rafael Furcal throwing error with two outs to make it 5 - 0.

Cole Hamels, meanwhile, went 7 strong innings giving up 1 run and striking out 5. The only run he gave up was to (who else?) Manny Ramirez on a solo home run. Hamels turned it over to the bullpen, which meant Ryan Madson in the 8th inning and Brad Lidge to close matters out in the 9th.

Notes:

- Because David Boreanaz announced the Phils starting lineup for Fox, Channel 6 weatherman Dave Roberts, who is Boreanaz's father, got a shout out from announcer Joe Buck during the telecast.

- Good to see Scott Boras in the crowd last night. How does he hide his Satan horns and where does he keep his pitchfork?

- Great turn by Jimmy Rollins on that double play the Phils turned in the 5th inning.

- Tremendous running catch by Burrell on Ethier's drive in the bottom of the 6th. Did not think Burrell would come up with that ball.

- Why wasn't Russell Martin thrown out after vehemently arguing balls and strikes with the home plate? Loved the Fox replays of Martin slamming his equipment after the discussion. If Martin could hit with the same aplomb that he threw equipment around in this series, the Dodgers might still be in the series.

- Can't believe that Dodger fans cheered when they thought Victorino got hurt sliding back into first on a pickoff attempt late in the game. I've written it in comments over at 700level.com and I'll write it again: if that had happened in Philly, the announcers would have made a point to mention it and it would have been a much bigger deal. The stories about Dodger fans in this series have not been good ones.

- Great diving grab by Chase Utley on Furcal's shattered bat shot in the bottom of the 8th.

- Lidge gave us a couple of "moments" in the 9th; both "moments" disappeared into the glove of Shane Victorino, deep in center field.

- NLCS MVP: Cole Hamels.

Phils Take Lead in NLCS

Chase Utley and Pat Burrell both hit homers and Cole Hamels went 7 strong innings as the Phillies beat the Dodgers last night in Game 1 of the NLCS. The win gives the Phils a 1 - 0 series lead, with the NLCS continuing this afternoon with a Happy Hour starting time.

Hamels struggled a little bit in the early going of this game, giving up consecutive doubles in the first inning to Andre Ethier and Manny Ramirez to give the Dodgers a 1 - 0. The Dodgers extended the lead to 2 - 0 in the 4th inning, off a double from Matt Kemp, who was eventually advanced and chased home on a sacrifice fly from Blake DeWitt.

Offensively, the Phillies struggled mightily to do anything with Derek Lowe in the early going. The made some noise in the bottom of the 5th, getting two out singles from Chooch Ruiz and Cole Hamels, before Jimmy Rollins flied out to end the inning. That set the stage for a 6th inning of fireworks from two of the Phillies big guns.

Shane Victorino led off the inning by getting on base via a Rafael Furcal throwing error. Chase Utley then hit the first pitch of his at bat into the first couple of rows in right field, evening the score at 2. Utley's homer revived the home crowd, who was put to sleep by the Phillies pounding the ball into the infield for the better part of 5 innings. The Phillies eventually took the lead in the 6th inning, when Pat Burrell took a 3 - 1 pitch out of the yard to left in what could be charitably described as a flower box shot.

Hamels, meanwhile, got through the 7th inning by striking out two of the three batters he faced and that ended his evening with 8 strikeouts and 2 runs allowed. Ryan Madson pitched the 8th inning and Brad Lidge closed matters with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

As mentioned earlier, the Phils and Dodgers play again today at Happy Hour (4:35pm) with Brett Myers facing Chad Billingsly.

Notes:

- Like you, I thought Manny Ramirez's double in the first inning was out of the park from the bat. Apparently, so did Manny. If he had run that ball out, it would have possibly been a triple and he might have scored on the passed ball incurred by Chooch Ruiz in the first inning.

- TJ Simers is trying his best to take shots at us in his columns of late (today's offering is here). And for the record, I'd much rather live in a passionate and substantive city like "Angryville" than the shallow and fake "Fairweatherville" that is the city of Los Angeles.

- Good offering in yesterday's USA Today on some of the previous playoff clashes between the Dodgers and Phillies. The symmetry of Davy Lopes and Larry Bowa's careers is something I touched on here in the beginning of the season.

2008 Phillies: Why Not Us?

As we focus on MLB's final four teams, I feel sort of lucky that a second of my four favorite sports teams were able to make it to their sports final four participants (the Flyers being the other). If your team is out of the hunt for the World Series right now, I think I can break it down for you and let you know why you should most assuredly be rooting for the Phillies.

1.) The Other 3 Cities Have Recently Won Stuff. Think about it.

Tampa won a Super Bowl after the 2002 season and they won the 2004 Stanley Cup. And by the way: they won both of those championships by going through a Philadelphia team. Besides, no one in Tampa gives a damn about sports when their team isn't good. Do I have to remind you there is no income tax in Florida?

LA? They had the Shaq and Kobe years, which like, just happened 5 minutes ago. And LA has all the hot actresses you can gape at in addition to beautiful weather. Not worthy.

And do you really need me to get into it about Boston???

Trust me, Philly needs this championship more than Wall Street needs more cheap loans.

2.) The way the team was built. I wish I could say it was by design that the Phillies are in contention. The previous GM did not really have a plan for the Phils, but the Phils were built through the draft (5 of their starting 8 were Phillies draft products), sound free agent acquisitions (namely, Jayson Werth and Chad Durbin), and shrewd trades (getting Jamie Moyer from the M's, Brad Lidge from the 'Stros). Furthermore, there are no Alex Rodgriguez-like salaries on this team.

It's funny, but the Tampa Bay Rays are often lauded for having developed their own talent, but you could make this same case for the Phils. Where would the Phils be without Jimmy Rollins, Pat Burrell, Ryan Madson, Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Brett Myers, and Shane Victorino (Rule 5 draftee)? All of those players were drafted by the Phils and figure prominently in their success.

3.) The Phillies players are really a likable group. Hate on the fans all you want, but these Phillies players are a great group.

Rollins may have called out the fans earlier this year, but he comes up big on the bigger stages and does everything with style. Shane Victorino is such a ball of energy, that the manager needs to remind him to tone it DOWN once in awhile. What is not to like about the short, crisp swing of Chase Utley? And the Big Man, Ryan Howard.....outside of Albert Pujols, he is as powerful a hitter as there is in baseball. Who wouldn't want to sit and have a beer with Pat Burrell as he tells you how he REALLY feels about Billy Wagner?

And don't forget about Brad Lidge, coming back from the baseball dead, Jayson Werth overcoming years of injury problems to realize his potential, and our ace in the making, Cole Hamels.

We may boo, cajole, complain, and catcall on occasion, but Phillies fans genuinely like this team.

So feel free to hop on the bandwagon, America*. Beers at McFadden's are on me**.

* Note: Offer does not apply to Mets fans.
** Note: I really can't afford to buy America beer.

Hamels Hurls Gem; Phils Win Game 1

The Phillies, behind the dominant pitching of Cole Hamels, took game one of the 2008 NLDS by a score of 3 - 1. They lead the best-of-5 series 1 -0 and the victory marked the first post-season victory by the Phillies franchise since the 1993 World Series.

On a windy and rainy day in South Philly, Cole Hamels was positively dominant. In his second ever post-season start, Hamels did not give up a basehit or a baserunner until the 5th inning. He only gave up two hits in all during his 8 innings of work and also struck out 9.

The Phils scored their only runs of the game during a weird 3rd inning that started with a Carlos Ruiz single. Cole Hamels successfully attempted a sacrifice to move Ruiz over, but the Brewer covering 1st base (Ricky Weeks) failed to secure the ball to force Hamels, giving the Phils two men on and no one out. After Rollins flew out and Werth struck out, Chase Utley hit a ball in the left centerfield gap that Mike Cameron appeared to get leather on, but could not control. The ball fell on the outfield grass as two Phils scored and Utley stood on second base. Brewers starter Yovanni Gollardo then proceeded to intentionally walk Ryan Howard, and then walked two more batters to give the Phils their 3rd run.

Hamels was lifted after the 8th inning and Brad Lidge provided yet another eventful save, giving up a run on two hits, but he also struck out the side to preserve the victory.

The series continues today at 6pm, with Brett Myers facing CC Sabathia.

Notes:

- When did Brad Lidge turn into Mitch Williams? Did I miss the memo? And since he threw 35 pitches, is there anyway that Lidge is available today? I can't see it.

- If Utley had kept his feet when receiving the relay throw from Jayson Werth in the 9th inning, Ray Durham either stays at 3rd or gets cut down at the plate. As it was, when Utley did lose his feet and Durham broke for 3rd, a decent throw might have gotten Durham.

- Speaking of Utley, he made a great play on Tony Gwynn Jr's attempted bunt in the 8th inning.

- Pedro Feliz left 6 men on base in going 0 for 4. He'll probably play again today, with lefty Sabathia on the mound.

- The Brewers practically emptied their bullpen yesterday after Gallardo could only go 4 innings; they better hope Sabathia eats some innings today.

Photo: Yahoo.com ((Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images))

Phils Chug Brew; Gain Ground

The Phillies jumped on the Brewers early and captured a 7 - 3 win in front of 45,000 folks at Citizens Bank Ballpark. The win, coupled with a Mets loss to the Braves, puts the Phils 2 1/2 games behind the Mets in NL East and only 2 games behind the Brewers in the Wild Card race.

The Phils wasted little time in this one, sprinting out to a 3 - 0 lead in the first inning on the strength of run-scoring hits by Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, and Shane Victorino. They struck again in the 2nd inning on a Ryan Howard 2-run single, giving Cole Hamels an early 5 - 0 lead.

Cole Hamels, while not dominant, pitched more than well enough. He had baserunners on in every inning but the 2nd and the 6th, but managed to strand most of the men he put on base. The 2 runs he did give were ultimately preventable, in that the ball that Jason Kendall hit to left to score the first 2 Brewer runs should have been caught by Pat Burrell. Burrell misjudged the fly ball, took a bad angle, and allowed the ball to get over his head.

Hamels ultimately gave way to the bullpen in the 7th inning.

Offensively, the Phillies were led by their catalyst, Jimmy Rollins. Rollins, in addition to getting on base and scoring in both the 1st and 2nd inning, hit a 2-run homer to put the game out of reach in the 6th inning, when it looked like Hamels was tiring a little and the Brewers seemed to be getting a little frisky. Chase Utley also went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored.

As a result of Friday's rainout, the Phils and Brewers will play a day-night doubleheader. For the Phils, it's their second Sunday in a row playing a doubleheader and for a Philly fan, it's just as well as the Eagles don't play till tomorrow night anyway.

Pitching matchups:

Day game: Joe Blanton vs. Dave Bush
Night game: Brett Myers vs. Jeff Suppan

Notes:

- I was critical of Cole Hamels when he lost that game against the Mets on 3 days rest; this game is probably the biggest game that Hamels has won in his young career. Contrary to what I read in some outlets describing Hamels as "sharp", I would contend that Hamels can pitch much better. All in all, though, the outing was a positive step in Hamels' development as a big game pitcher.

- With Pat Burrell's struggles, there is no way he should be batting 5th as he did yesterday. Right now, I'd put him no higher than 6th. I'd even rather see Pedro Feliz or Victorino batting 5th right now. Burrell and Ruiz were the only starters to not get basehits yesterday.

Photo from Yahoo.com....REUTERS/Tim Shaffer (UNITED STATES)

Phils Split With Mets

As if the real "opening day" of the NFL wasn't enough for sportsfans yesterday, Phillies fans were treated to a day-night doubleheader yesterday because of tropical storm Hanna cancelling out Saturday's Phils game.

The Phils managed to split the day-night doubleheader with the Mets and in doing so, took 2 of 3 from the Mets and now trail them by 2 games in NL East.

The Phils took Game 1 of the day night doubleheader by a score of 6 - 2.

The Phils were paced by the brilliant pitching of Jamie Moyer, who went 7 innings and gave up a scant 2 hits in boring the living hell out of the local patrons at Shea Stadium.

Once again, the Phils' offense was paced by supersub Greg Dobbs. Dobbs, who on Friday hit a 2-run homer to nudge the Phils to victory, hit a 3-run homer in this contest off of Pedro Martinez to put the Phils ahead by a score of 5-0.

The Phils jumped out to a 2 - 0 lead in the 2nd inning on a Matt Stairs sacrifice fly and a Carlos Ruiz single. Ruiz had a nice day offensively, going 3 for 4, knocking in a run and scoring another.

Game 2 saw Cole Hamels and Johan Santana match up in what was supposed to be a pitching duel between two of the best lefties in the game today.

Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell Cole Hamels.

The Phils dropped game 2 of the doubleheader by a score of 6 - 3.

Hamels got knocked around pretty much from the beginning. Hamels had to have his hand held just to get through 5 innings and apparently, he doesn't have a pitch that can get Carlos Delgado out. Delgado hit approximately 900 feet of home run off of Hamels, in going 3 for 3, with 2 homers and 4 RBI.

Johan Santana, on the other hand, wasn't his usual dominant self, but was good enough to go 7 1/3 innings in giving up only 2 runs. The bulk of the Phillies offense was provided by Ryan Howard, who had an RBI single in the first and hit a solo shot off of Santana in the 3rd.

Next up for the Phils: The Florida Marlins and a healthy dose of scoreboard watching.

Mini-Rant:

- Look, I like Cole Hamels as much as the next Phillies fan, but the next time Hamels opens his mouth about his contract, the fans, or a needing a chiropractor, he should be reminded about how small he came up, not only in the game last night, but in the playoffs last year against Colorado. Please, Cole....do your defenders a favor....when you go into your next prima donna rant on whatever is on your mind, at least have one clutch win under your belt when you do so.

Phils Drop Series to Nats

The Phillies, allegedly girding themselves for a run at the NL East lead, dropped a series they easily could have won last night by losing to the Nationals by a score of 9 - 7.

The game got off to a good start, with the Phils posting 2 runs in the top of the first on a home run from Ryan Howard. But starter Joe Blanton, who only lasted 4 innings last night, gave those 2 runs back in addition to 2 more runs before giving way to Ryan Madson and bullpen in the fifth inning.

The bullpen, led by Chad Durbin, has been one of the most reliable parts of the Phillies this season. Not last night. Durbin came in during the 7th inning and gave up a bomb to straightaway centerfield to Ryan Zimmerman. He combined with JC Romero to give up more runs in the 8th inning allowing the Nats to salt the game away, despite the Phils scoring 2 in the top of the ninth.

Offensively, the Phils were led by Ryan Howard's 2 homers and Chase Utley's 2 RBI.

The Phils begin probably their most important series of the season this Friday at Shea Stadium when they take on the Mets. According to various reports, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is looking to move up Cole Hamels' start so he gets the opportunity to face the Mets in what will be his first start against them this year. Anything less than taking 2 of 3 and the Phils are putting themselves in a mighty big hole down the stretch.

Probable Starters:

Friday: Myers vs. Pelfrey

Saturday: Moyer vs. Martinez

Sunday: Hamels vs. Santana.

Notes:

- The whole business with the Nationals having to make sure they got their pound of flesh from Chase Utley for bowling over their catcher was astounding. For one thing, Utley never went at the guy's head; it was a shoulder to shoulder hit. Secondly, let's not forget it was Nationals starter John Lannan who hit Utley with a pitched ball last year, shelving Utley for period of time down the stretch last year. So if any team should have had a beef, it should have been the Phillies.

Back to last night....Utley was hit by a pitched ball from Odalis Perez and was upended on a hard (clean) take out slide by Lastings Milledge. Hmmmm......

Let's add on that Chase Utley leads the league in being hit by pitched balls and frankly, I think it's now time for the Phillies pitchers to begin protecting the All-Star second baseman. Interestingly, Washington comes to Philly for the last series of the year. If the Phils are out of the race by then, things could get nasty.

Photo: Yahoo.com....(AP Photo/Luis M. Alvarez)

Phils Bow to Dodgers

The LA Dodgers scored 3 unanswered runs to come from behind and beat the Phillies last night by a score of 4 - 3. This loss, coupled with wins by the Mets and the Marlins, cuts the Phils' lead in NL East to a game and a 1.5 games, respectively.

The Phils jumped out to a 1 - 0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a home run from Chase Utley. Cole Hamels gave that run back in the bottom of the 1st, but the Phils battled back to go up 3 - 1 after 3 innings on the strength of a Cole Hamels RBI single and a Pat Burrell sacrifice fly.

The Dodgers, however, chipped away at the lead, scoring in the 6th off of Hamels, in the 8th off of Chad Durbin, and finally, in the 9th off of JC Romero. It is unclear to me why Romero was in the game, as Lidge is supposedly OK to pitch after taking last weekend off. Regardless, Romero gave up the game winning hit to Andre Ethier, scoring Russell Martin.

The Phils will try to bounce back tonite, with Joe Blanton going up against Brad Penny at 10:10 pm.

NOTES:

- Yet another tough luck outing for Hamels: 7 IP, 2 ER, 7 K's and a ND.

- Shane Victorino was pulled from the game because of back issues.

- Anyone notice Manny Ramirez glaring at Chad Durbin after Durbin hit him with a pitch? What has Ramirez done that everyone thinks he's so tough? I'd love to see him actually charge the mound once and have some pitcher give him the Robin Ventura treatment.

- The lineup was a bit different last night, with Shane Victorino leading off and Jimmy Rollins batting 3rd. I'd even consider batting Utley at leadoff and Rollins second until they can, somehow, get Rollins (1 for 4 last night) going.

- Speaking of Utley, he made a tremendous diving grab of a Russell Martin line drive to save further damage in an inning where the Dodgers had already scored and were threatening for more.

- Because of elbow and arm problems, Tom Gordon is likely done for the year and probably, his Phillies career.

Phils End First Half in First

The Phillies, on the strength of a Pat Burrell 3 run homer, beat the D-backs by a score of 6 - 3 and in doing so, ended the first half of the season in first place.

For 7 innings, Brandon Webb and Cole Hamels dueled, giving up only 2 runs apiece. One of the runs scratched out by the Phils against Webb was courtesy of a Cole Hamels double in the 5th inning. Hamels almost cracked in the 7th inning, when he gave up 2 lead-off singles, only to wriggle off the hook on a botched sacrifice, a horrible baserunning play by Orlando Hudson, and a Mark Reynolds strikeout.

Hamels' high-wire act in the 7th gave way to the Phillies' heroics in the 8th, when Chad Qualls, in relief of Brandon Webb, gave up hits to Utley, Howard, and ultimately, the kill shot courtesy of Pat Burrell. Pedro Feliz followed two batters later, with a line drive home run right into the left field flower box.

Notes:

- No matter the outcome of the Mets game tonite (still in progress as I write this....they are up 7 - 0), the Phils will end the first half in 1st place.

- Jimmy Rollins: 2 steals today, giving him 24 on the year.

- Victorino and Utley combined to leave 8 men on base. Utley is hitting a less-than-robust .247 with runners in scoring position.

Picture: Yahoo.com ((AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Hamels, Howard Humble Sox

Ryan Howard clouted 2 homers and Cole Hamels pitched 7 strong innings as the Phillies beat the Red Sox last night going away by a score of 8 - 2.

Howard's home runs, both off of Red Sox starter Bartolo Colon, were hit to the opposite field and mark a return of Howard's classic opposite field MVP stroke. Howard also later added an incredibly entertaining triple on what was probably his hardest hit ball of the night to right-center field. RyHo knocked in 4 runs on the night. Jimmy Rollins also enjoyed a big night, with his second lead-off homer of the year, and a big base hit in the 6th inning that drove in two and broke the game open.

As for Cole Hamels, he only had the one bad inning where he gave up back-to-back homers to Dustin Pedroia and JD Drew. Otherwise, he pitched a very good, but not overpowering game, in striking out 5 and walking 2. He even contributed offensively, with an important sacrifice in the 6th inning that led to JRoll's 2-run single and a fluky base hit in the 7th inning.

Chad Durbin held down the fort in the final two innings to preserve the win. Can't help but wonder where Clay Condrey was here, but I guess Charlie Manual didn't consider this a true mop up situation. I would possibly have wanted Durbin for tonite's game in case Moyer gets knocked about, but it's hard to complain when they beat one of the best teams in baseball.

The series continues tonite with Old Man Moyer going up against Jon Lester. The game starts at 7:05pm and will be on CSN-TV.

Did You Notice?

- Terry Francona leave Mike Timlin in FAR too long in the 6th inning? Nice going, Tito. It brought back a lot of memories of how incompetent Francona was when he was the Phillie manager. Still can't believe he owns World Series rings. No, I can't let it go, either.

- The sweet defensive play in the 2nd inning by Hamel off of Jason Varitek? Looked like a Martin Biron glove save.....

- The Pat Burrell triple? What made your heart stop more? Watching Ryan Howard chug into 3rd or watching Burrell lumber the bases? Both of these forays could have led to DL trips as unathletic as those two players looked on those plays.

- Weird stat I heard on a Podcast: According Eric Karabell and Peter Pascarelli on yesterday's ESPN Baseball today podcast, Adam Eaton had more quality starts this year (this was before last night's game) than Cole Hamels. I've tried to find a website that actually keeps the quality start as part of their statistical package, but I can't find one. That Eaton has more "quality starts" than Cole Hamels should tell you all you need to know about that particular statistic.

Photo: (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Phils Waste Hamels Stellar Outing

Phils reliever Tom Gordon gave up a walk-off grand slam to the Marlins' Dan Uggla in the bottom of the 9th to give the Marlins a 6 - 2 win.

The loss overshadowed a great pitching duel between Cole Hamels and the Marlins' Andrew Miller. Cole Hamels made two mistakes the whole game. The only problem is that both of them ended up as Jorge Cantu homers. The Phillies could only cobble together one run off of Andrew Miller, who kept the Phillies off balance all night. Miller was so good, he got Utley out twice via strikeout before Utley touched him up for an RBI single in the 7th inning.

Down 2 -1, the Phils managed to scratch out a run off of Marlins closer Kevin Gregg. The money play in the inning was a steal of 3rd by pinch runner Eric Bruntlett on an attempted sacrifice. From there, Bruntlett scored on a Chase Utley fielder's choice to tie the game at 2.

In the bottom of the 9th, Tom Gordon promptly loaded the bases on two walks and a single (from Cantu) before serving up the game ending meatball on a 3 -1 BP fastball to Uggla.

The Phils will look to salvage the last game of the series with Old Man Moyer going up against Scott Olsen. CSN-TV....7:10pm.

Did You Notice?

- Hamels retired 17 straight batters between Jorge Cantu's homers in the 1st and 7th innings. Hamels was truly dealing last night, striking out 13 and walking only 1. Hats off to Andrew Miller, who also pitched a helluva game.

- Know what I could have done without last night? The post game interview with Jorge Cantu. In high definition, no less. Yikes! Cantu had more craters and acne than the 15 year old on the french fry machine at the McDonald's on Rt. 70. Cantu seemed like a nice, upbeat kid, but get him some Proactiv or something.

Cantu's facial issues reminded of that story where someone asked a young Larry Bowa to describe what Mike Schmidt looked like and Bowa replied that it looked like someone was using Schmidt's face for an ashtray. Ouch.

- The rare 3-6-1 double play the Phils turned in the Phils? Nice play by Hamels getting over to first to complete the play.

- This was the 2nd straight game where Victorino lined out sharply into a double-play. I wonder if that frustration played a part in Victorino arguing balls and strikes in the 9th inning of the game last night.

Hamels Dominates; JRoll Benched

Cole Hamels pitched a complete game shutout as the Phils took this game (and the series) from the Reds by a score of 5 - 0. Hamels gave up 3 hits, walked 3, and struck out 4. This outing comes on the heels of two outings where he got pounded, so it was reassuring to see Hamels right the ship in such an emphatic way.

Other than Hamels, the big story of the game involved last year's MVP, Jimmy Rollins. Rollins, who had been struggling at the plate recently, appeared to have popped out in the 3rd inning, but instead the ball was dropped by Reds' SS Paul Janish. While the ball was in the air, Rollins did not appear to be running the play out as is the custom. Therefore, when the ball was dropped, instead of being on second base as he probably should have been, he was on first. Essentially, Rollins violated one of baseball's longest held maxims to always run out a play, even when it appears you are going to be out.

As a result of the play, Manager Charlie Manual, showing quite a bit of chutzpah, pulled the MVP of the NL from the game and replaced him with Eric Bruntlett (who turned in a great defensive play in the 8th inning). For his part, Rollins did not pout (at least not publicly) and showed real good character in accepting the consequences for his actions:

"He has two rules -- be on time and hustle; and I broke one of them today. I know better. Sometimes the manager gets you. I just have to go out there and make sure I don't do it again. It's something you learn from." - from Ken Mandel's MLB.com story

As a fan, I am already over this incident. Rollins did it, Manual punished him for it, and Rollins recognized that it was wrong. As far as I'm concerned, as a fan, this incident is over. It's not too difficult to see that Rollins is currently frustrated at the plate. His BA has dipped below .300, into the .280s, and it just looks a little bit like he's fighting things at the plate. As the weather heats up, and the stakes become bigger, I have no doubt that Rollins will pick it up.

From here, the Phils go on a road trip that starts in Atlanta and takes them to Miami to face the Marlins and then to St. Louis. Jamie Moyer is scheduled to go against the Braves tonite against Atlanta's Tim Hudson. The game starts at 7:30pm and will be on CSN-TV.

Phils Draft HS Infielder

The MLB amateur player draft was conducted yesterday and the Phils, picking at 24, selected Connecticut high schooler Anthony Hewitt. According to the article on Phillies.com, he is supposed to be a 5-tool player targeted for an infield position, but the way things go with prospects drafted out of high school, who knows when we'll actually see this kid at CBP. He has a commitment to go to Vanderbilt, but sounds open to starting his pro career sooner rather than later:

"I don't want to drag out the process too long," Hewitt said. "I'm pretty sure [the talks] will go pretty well. I really want to go ahead and pursue my professional career as soon as possible. I'm eager to start."

The Phils also drafted a high school outfielder (Zack Collier) with a compensatory first round pick and a slew of pitchers in the rounds following round 1.

Phillies May 2008 By The Numbers

Now that Memorial Day has past and Summer is in full swing, we've officially entered the heart of the baseball season. Hell, you've probably already had your first night downashore where you got a little overserved by now.

As for the home team, as May gave way to June, they were challenging for (and eventually got to) first place in NL East. In years past, this news would have been a much bigger deal. Now, it's sort of expected, with the offensive talent the Phils have on the roster. It is that offensive talent that carried the day in the month of May, as the Phils slugged their way through their schedule, dropping only two series during the month (@SF and Toronto at home).

Onto the numbers.....

17

The number of wins for the month of May. This is two games better than last May, and as the calender month was winding down, the Phils entered a 3 game set against the Marlins, with first place on the line.

The biggest culprit? Starting pitching sunk the Phillies on several occasions (5/8 vs. Ariz, 5/10 vs. SF, and 5/14 vs. Atl). There is not one guy in the rotation that can look themselves in the mirror and say they pitched their best in May. There are a couple of guys that should feel worse than others. We'll get to them momentarily.

175

The number of runs scored by the Phils in the month of May, which led all of Major League Baseball. The Phils scored runs in bunches during May; especially towards the end of the month. The Phils scored double-digit runs 6 times during the month, including hanging a 20 spot on the Rockies and 15 runs on the Astros.

As you would expect when your team puts up 175 runs in a month, the Phils also slugged to the tune of .468. That was good enough to tie them for first in MLB with the Texas Rangers. As you'd further expect, the Phils hit 42 homers for the month. That was good for 2nd in MLB behind the Florida Marlins.

.322

The May 2008 batting average of embattled outfielder Shane Victorino.

It had appeared that, earlier in the month, Shane Victorino had all but lost the starting CF position to Jayson Werth. Werth punctuated the gains he had made during the beginning part of this season, by going off for 3 homers against Toronto on May 16th. Everyone, including Charlie Manual, seemed to be questioning Victorino's ability to be an everyday player.

Apparently, Manual's machinations got Victorino's attention. By the time Werth was put on the DL on May 24th, Victorino was well on his way to rescusitating his season. Victorino's batting average had risen from .235 on May 1st to a season high of .293 in the month ending loss to the Marlins on the 31st of May. He also continued to make things happen with his legs, stealing 11 bases on the month.

Amazingly, with all of the offense the Phillies produced during May, it was Victorino who had the best batting average amongst the Phillies regulars for the month of May.

18

The combined number of home runs hit by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard in the month of May. Ryan Howard, the subject of much conjecture earlier in the month because of the brutal slump he has endured so far this year, has definitely found his power stroke. He hit 10 homers in the month of May, tying him for 3rd for the month in all of MLB. Howard's 30 RBI was tied for first in the month of May in all of MLB. Though his average has not shot up like you would like to see (still only around .210), he is still knocking in runs.

The same could be said of 2B Chase Utley. While Utley saw his overall batting average dip in the month of May, his power stroke is intact. Utley slammed 8 homers on the month and ended the month of May riding a 6 game hitting streak (.360, 5 HR, 16 RBI). There is nothing more that needs to be said of Utley, of whom, I have run out of superlatives.

2

The number of wins logged by Phillies' starters Adam Eaton and Brett Myers. When you combine their ERAs for the month, the combined figure approaches 11. You don't need a degree in fake baseball math to know that you can't go far with two starters performing this poorly.

Other than the early season slump of Ryan Howard, the issue of what to do with these two guys is the most vexing. Eaton, were he not so well paid, would either have been cut or in the bullpen by now. He is in the rotation strictly because the Phillies do not believe they have a better or more cost effective option at this time. Unfortunately, help from Kris Benson does not appear to be forthcoming as he has had another setback in his attempted comeback. Either Eaton needs to figure things out or the Phillies need another Kyle Kendrick to come out of nowhere in the minors and save the day.

Brett Myers, on the other hand, is a good pitcher who can still get better. Since May 14th, when he went only a 4 1/3 innings in a 4 - 2 loss to Atlanta, Myers has gone further and further into games. On May 30th, he went 8 innings, in giving up 3 runs to Florida in a 12 - 3 win. Maybe that is the game we look back on later in the year, and say that was the game Myers turned his season around on.

12.11

The ERA of Cole Hamels in the two starts following the two starts in which he gave up zero runs. He gave up 6 ER vs. Houston on 5/25 and 7 ER against the Fish on 5/31. I don't think this is the start of anything sinister, but I think it warrants mentioning that sometimes we treat young Hamels like he is already Steve Carlton, when in fact, Hamels still goes through occasional growing pains as he grows into his role as an ace.

Summary:

It was great to see the Phillies remain somewhat consistent with respect to their win total relative to what they did in April, but they cannot withstand going through another month like May, with such anemic starting pitching. You cannot rely on Jamie Moyer winning 4 games per month like he did in May. Both Hamels and Myers need to take the bull by the horns and act like the leaders of the pitching staff both player purport themselves to be. It would behoove GM Pat Gillick to begin formulating a plan B with respect to Adam Eaton. Is Kris Benson the answer? Or is it someone in the minors like Carlos Carrasco (4 -4, 3.46 ERA in AA Reading) ready to make the jump to the Big Leagues?

Cole Hamels Brilliant (again); Phils win.....

Cole Hamels doesn't seem like the type to lack in confidence under ordinary circumstances. How confident must Hamels be now after the game he pitched last night, where he went 7 shutout innings last night after pitching a complete game shutout against the Braves last Friday?

Hamels pretty much mowed through the Washington Nationals last night for a 1 - 0 win as the Phils finally figured out a way to score a run in the Nationals' new ballpark. CMH only gave up 4 runs, walking 2, and struck out 11, and amazingly, he didn't even get the win. The reason for that is that the Phillies offense was flummoxed by the pitching prowess of Jason Bergmann for the Nats. Bergmann matched Hamels as he tossed 7 innings of shutout ball.

The Phils got their run off of substitute closer Jon Rauch in the 9th inning. Pedro Feliz laced a lead off double (then lifted for PR Eric Bruntlett), was sacrificed to third by Carlos Ruiz, and was knocked in by a timely pinch hit single from the bat of Greg "The Natural" Dobbs. If not for a tremendous block of the plate by Nats catcher Jesus Flores, the Phils could have gotten the insurance run (as Dobbs eventually came around on a Shane Victorino hit), but Brad Lidge came in and pitched a scoreless 9th inning to save it for 8th inning pitcher Tom Gordon.

The series against Washington concludes tonite at 7:10, with Jamie Moyer going up against Matt Chico. The game should be on locally on CSN.

Did you notice?

- Ryan Howard; 0 for 4 with 3 strikeouts. Sigh.....

- This is only the 2nd win against 4 losses against the Nats for the Phils this season and the run they scored broke a 17 inning scoreless streak in Washington.

- Further supporting the Phils' ineptitude against the Nationals, the Phils have a team OPS of .673 against the Nationals. The Phils, against the rest of the league, hold a .765 OPS. Clearly, someone is doing a good job of scouting for Washington (as announcer Chris Wheeler appropriately observed last night).

Programming Note: Flyers post-mortem tomorrow (barring a Jamie Moyer no-hitter).

The Phils: A productive weekend

Unlike me, the Phils actually had a rather productive weekend. The Phils took 2 of 3 games from the visiting Cubs last weekend, which currently puts them in second place in the NL East. They did this without the services of Jimmy Rollins, who is still out with a sore ankle.

Brett Myers looks like he is close to righting his ship on Friday, as he held the Cubs to 3 runs over 8 innings in what was his best outing to date in a 5 - 3 Phils win. Pat Burrell continued his hot start, with a homer and 3 RBI.

Saturday saw CMH keep the fuzzy Cubbies at bay with 7 innings of 1-hit ball. According to the game recap on the Phillies' official site, Hamels wasn't impressed with himself:

"It's a scary feeling, especially in this ballpark," Hamels said. "In the summer, those things will be five rows deep. I felt better after the third inning. It's part of the game. I lucked out. They hit a lot of balls hard that I left over the plate -- right at guys. I wasn't hitting my usual location. It's one of those things where I'm thanking our defense."

Geez, I can't wait to hear what he's got to say after a bad outing. Also, Ryan Howard and Peter Happy both went yard.

Yesterday was the only Phils loss of the weekend, but it was the second time in a week that they got jobbed by the umpires. This time, it was Adrian Johnson, who called fair, what everyone in the ballpark knew to be a foul ball. This comes on the heels of last Thursday debacle when Jose Reyes was called safe when he was very obviously out, giving the Mets the win last week. With any luck, we'll be collecting those make up calls sometime in September when we really need them. In a weird set of circumstance (which I'll elaborate on shortly), Geoff Jenkins batted lead off yesterday. He didn't do so bad, in going 2 for 6, while the most recent two hole hitter, Jayson Werth, had two steals to go with a home run.

Shane Victorino: Everyday Player?

I like Shane Victorino. I really do. He runs hard. He hustles. He does the neat little shaving pie stunts to this teammates. Seems like a good guy.

So, why can't I shake the sneaky suspicion that Victorino will never be anything more than a platoon player? Shane just cannot stay on the field as he is now on the 15 day DL with a strained right calf and a slight tear of his meniscus in his right knee. This comes after he was limited by a calf injury last year. It also occurs just as he was beginning to pick up the pace with the bat, going 4 for his last 7.

I'd love to be proven wrong in this assessment.

Did You Notice?

- Former Phil Gavin Floyd almost had a no-hitter on Saturday, in shutting out the Tigers 7 - 0. He lost it in the 8th inning and was lifted shortly thereafter.

- Karma is most certainly a woman, because it can be a real bitch. Don't believe me? Ask a Mets fan. If any of them were happy to see JRoll get hurt last week, they've got something else to worry about. Jose Reyes has been out with a sore hamstring. No word if a DL stint is in his future.

- I can't think of anything dumber than that story of the idiot who buried a shirt under the new Yankee stadium. Honestly, enough of the Red Sox and Yankee bullshit. It's completely played out.

Phils-Mets 2008 - It Begins Today....

Thankfully, the Phils did manage to get their split in the 4-game set in Cincinnati by winning yesterday by a score of 5 - 3, on the strength of a 2 homer game from Pat Burrell and 7 strong innings of work from CMH. Jimmy Rollins led off the game for his second homer of the year and Geoff Jenkins hit his first as a Phil.

Now today, in yet another afternoon game that threatens to completely cripple my work productivity for the beginning part of this week, they go to very aptly named Flushing, NY to play the hated New York Metropolitans.

In case you didn't know, today is the home opener for the Mets, who have managed to compile a 2 - 3 record to date, and are fittingly tied with the Phils and Atlanta in the division in the very, very early going. This is supposed to be the last opening day in Shea Stadium history as that toilet will finally be relegated to history and the Mets (thankfully) will get a new ballpark next year and stay the fuck away from our ballpark.

I am actually very happy that the Phils are going to New York so early this year and will get the Mets back at our place next weekend. If the Phils are in any way nonchalant about the start of the season, that will end today. The Mets always seems to get the Phillies' attention and if any Phils are sleep walking right now (Shane Victorino, I'm looking at you), opening up the Mets' ballpark for a new season is the right way to wake up.

One player who has not been sleep walking has been noted Met-killer Pat Burrell. Burrell carries a lusty .435 avg. with 3 homers and 9 RBI into Shea Stadium. For his career, in 134 games, Burrell has hit 41 homers, several of the dramatic variety, and 102 RBI, while slugging .559.

The pitching matchups are just OK for the Phils (not in love with Thursday's matchup), but the Phils do miss Johan Santana on this trip:

Today (1:10pm): Jamie Moyer vs. Oliver Perez
Tomorrow (7:10pm): Kyle Kendrick vs. Doug Pelfrey
Thursday (7:10pm): Adam Eaton vs. John Maine

As for this being the last opener in Shea Stadium history, as I've never been to Shea, I don't really have any personal memories of the place. So, for every series we have this year in Shea, I'm going to try to come up with a shitty Mets memory to commemorate the closing of one of the worst ballparks in recent athletic history.

Today's memory is also Phillies related and comes up every year around Father's day...... the famous Jim Bunning perfect game against the Mets in 1964.

Hamels Loses Despite Tossing Gem

Cole Hamels (CMH) did not disappoint last night. He went 8 innings on a night when the wind was blowing in at Citizen Bank ballpark (CBP) and gave up only 5 hits and 1 run.

Unfortunately, the Phillies couldn't do anything with Washington's Tim Redding, who tossed a 1 hitter en route to a 1 - 0 victory.

It's tough to really pick things apart in a ballgame such as this one that was played rather tautly. The Phils did hit some balls hard, but always right at people it seemed.

But on a night where the wind was blowing in and the weather was on the nippy side, you would think one of the more fleet footed Phils (Shane Victorino, I'm looking at you) would have tried to work a walk or bunted to get on base and maybe get the running game going on a cold night. This would have given Tim Redding something to think about rather than having him simply mow the lineup down like he did last night.

Notes:

-Pedro Feliz got the only hit last night, his first as a Phil.
-Another sellout last night at CBP: 44, 986.