The Phils tried to chip away, but it just wasn't enough.

The Phils offense has really stalled out, with only 5 hits today, and only 4 yesterday. The excitement from that West Coast road trip has pretty much died down now, and it's a shame because the Phils really need to be beating up on the other teams in the division.

Bell had some good hits, including one that knocked in the two 5th inning runs, and therefore he earns today's PhilliesBlog GameSTAR. He handled a clutch sitaution while most other Phillies watched them pass by.

Hernandez is not my favorite pitcher right now. Earned run average? 6.11 No further comment necessary.

During the rain delay, they showed the 2003 video yearbook "The Power and the Glory: the 2003 Philadelphia Phillies" (or something like that.) Man, I eat that shit up. Back in the day I bought those videos every year. They just pump you up. Even if the Phillies placed last in any given year, the video leaves you thinking it was the best team there ever was.

After watching the 2003 video, I just can't wait for those Septemeber games when things really start getting crazy. I get chills just watching bits of previous years' games. Today's loss definitely didn't bolster that feeling, but every damn day I wake up counting down the hours to the next Phils game, and tomorrow will be no different.


Courtesy of MLB.com

Yesterday's game: Good old fashioned pitching duel.

Thank goodness (and Eric Milton), the Phillies came out on top.

Milton gave up just three hits and one run in seven innings, striking out eight poor poor Braves. His pitching was excellent.

Said Milton, to the Inquirer, "In the past I've always been stronger in the second half of the year. I'm building up arm strength, and I'm getting really close. By the end of the season I really want it to be there, and it's going to be. I know I'm feeling strong. But I still feel I have more to offer."

Milton also said he thinks he'll be able consistently throw pitches in the mid-90s this year.

In offensive notes, props to David Bell who hit twice (one a homer), scored twice, and knocked in a batter.

Congrats also to Thome for hitting his first HR in, well, a few weeks, I think. Anyone know when he hit his last?


Courtesy of MLB.com

Basically, Phillies pitching just got beat today.

Padilla gave up four. Hernandez gave up four. Ramirez gave up one.

Phils offense wasn't entirely bad ... 9 hits, just not nearly enough to keep up with the Braves 8th inning pounding.

I suppose GameStar will go to Burrell, basically just for reaching base the most times. Burrell walked, doubled, and had an RBI single in the third.

Utley's hitting streak had to come to end at some point. Would a couple of hits on his part have saved the Phillies today? Probably not, but who knows. I'm certainly not blaming him. Nice nice catch in the 5th, that's for sure.

Although Glanville ran the bases very well to score a run in the fourth, it didn't help that he went hitless also.

Padilla also ended his four-game winning streak, and now, after feeling discomfort in his elbow, he is on the 15-day disabled list. That, I don't like.

Said a Braves blogger: "It's a lot more fun when Roberto Hernandez is on the other team."


Courtesy of MLB.com

I had no idea the Nevin heckling issue became such a big deal:

San Diego Union-Tribune article

I feel that I should say a little bit more about the Nevin incident since it truly unfolded right in front of me. But the explanation a few posts below is really how it happened.

I do know this. During the incident, the guy next to me clearly said to the security guard/usher that he wanted to file a complaint, and the usher kindly told him he could go to guest services, and he told him where he could find it.

So, at least, it's not like the guy went home and made up some grand scheme to cause a lot of commotion just for the hell of it. He had simply thrown out a simple comment along the lines of "Try using the bat next time" and then Nevin backlashed. The man next to me was clearly just making fun of the whole situation in a much more jolly manner than even most fan hecklers would exhibit. The man said things like "I'm Phil Nevin, I wear a skirt," in a mocking high-pitched voice that surely made his 8-year-old daughter laugh. Meanwhile, Nevin (who, by the way, DOES have a history of getting into trouble for shouting at fans) is yelling out obscenities and forming a 'pussy' with his hands.

Point is ... would I go to guest services and complain if I had been with a daughter of my own? Probably not. It's all just fun and games, even if the player truly did take it too far.

But does this man have a right to complain and a good reason to be upset? Yes, he definitely does.

Who doesn't like a 10th inning homerun to win the game?

Tomas Perez likes it, that's for sure.

If you're following Phils news at all, then you know that Thome missed the game tonight after getting another cortisone shot and Perez was using Thome's bat and glove.

Frankly, I don't care whose bat he was using, Perez clearly had some key hits tonight, as one of them tied the game and the other won it. That simple.

The Phillies overall were swinging the bat fairly well tonight, at least enough to get on base. 12 hits, but only 3 runs. Probably should have scored a few more, but Braves pitching was pretty solid.

And yet, so was the Phils'. We kept the braves scoreless after the second inning, and of the two runs agianst us, only one was earned.

Congrats also to Utley for upping his hitting streak to 11 games.

--

I was at the game again tonight, this time not in quite as good of seats -- right field way way upper deck.

But, after a fairly quiet majority of the game, there was excitement in the stadium tonight that I hadn't experienced in any of the other games I've been to this year. An energy. It almost felt like a September game in '93. (Yes, yes ... it always comes back to '93.)

I swear that 1 out of every 10 fans was trying to start a wave ... Strangers were giving each other high fives ... People were spilling their beers ... and this was all happening as the Phils were just finally working towards their first run in the game. When Pat Burrell was walked to force in Marlon Bryd, you would think Burrell had just hit a grand slam. The place was wild.

You may be saying to yourself 'That happens every game.' But I assure you, the energy is growing by the day.

Though some other bloggers have described CBP as 'eh,' I can't ever leave there without wanting to return the next day. I'm addicted.

Pretty soon, I will run out of funding to keep going. When that happens, time to sell my body. Or, you can all just send me tickets, and I'll thank you by showing the box score from tonight's game:


Courtesy of MLB.com

Go Phils.

Well, that was ugly.

I just can't even give out an arbitrary GameStar.

It was nice, at least, that we kept the Braves scoreless after the 4th inning, and Ramirez pitched two innings better than I thought he would.

Anything else? Nope.

Damn.


Courtesy of MLB.com

So, in the latest Phillies news, it seems Billy Wagner and team trainer Jeff Cooper are a little grumpy towards each other. Basically, Wagner doesn't have the patience for Cooper's methods, and Cooper ... just won't say anything. They haven't spoken to each other for days now.

And you know what? This annoys me, but in the end I really just don't care. I don't care if they start kicking each others' asses, as long as Wagner gets better.

If Wagner weren't getting along with Bowa, or some of the other players, that would be a different story. But right now, although I like both Wagner and Jeff Cooper, I don't care what their relationship is.

Do I think it is wise to disagree with the trainer? Not at all. The trainers are there to make sure the players are healthy and in condition to perform to the best of their abilities.

But if Wagner wants to do his own thing, or seek someone else's advice, fine.

Just come back soon, Billy.

Missed it. Again.

In fact, I'm still at work right now. I did get to listen to a bit if the game though, and ahhh, it sure is nice to pound out some runs again, even if it's with a little help from Mets errors.

I really hope to watch the replay later, because I definitely missed a lot. But, from what I heard, I'm thinking Jim Thome really stepped up again tonight. Was it two doubles he had? I don't have time to check. But for now, Thome gets GameStar.

If you think otherwise ... just let me know. I'll change it when I have the time.

Go Phils.

Missed the game again due to work, and will probably miss tomorrow's too. I didn't even have time to follow on MLB GameDay, and therefore I feel partly responsible for the loss.

But, the Phils had four hits. One of them was a double by Jim Thome, and that appeases much more than you would think.

Just some random eye candy:

Hi Ho. Hi Ho. It's back to first we go.

The Phils took another from the Padres today, winning the series, 2-1.

The Phils only lost one game in this brief homestand, and they have won 12 out of the last 16.

Props to Jimmy Rollins for smacking his first homer of the year, and to Perez, Pratt and Burrell for knocking in the rest of the runs today. The Phils have scored at least six runs in 11 out of the last 15 games.

But our old pal Vicente Padilla gets GameStar today.

Padilla held the Padres to three runs (only one earned) in six innings, which is exactly the type of outing we needed. He gave up a lot of hits, and by the end of the 6th inning, he was completely spent, but he got the job done and set up the rest of the game nicely for the relievers. He walked none.

Padilla has also won his last four games. Not bad considering he started out 0-4 (before Phils bats really started taking off).

But are you people paying any attention ... we just took five out of six against two of the best teams in the National League. Our pitching is solid. Our hitting is working. The Phils are doing damn good right now. Do you need to hear this from me? No. But will I continue to say it all year? You bet I will.


Courtesy of MLB.com

I hope to post some pics from the game tomorrow. For those that watched the game (and paid close attention), you may remember during the ninth inning Harry and Larry mentioned that a fan was heckling PH Phil Nevin after he struck out looking.

If you saw the shot of that fan, I was right next to him (along with Special Correspondent Amie) talking trash right with him. Yes, I happen to have a shot from the TV screen:



The quick backstory: The guy next to me busted on Nevin for not swinging (the usual mild fan banter, nothing crazy at all), at which point Nevin snapped and started calling the guy a pussy and attempted to form the shape of a pussy with his hands, all the while little kids surround us.

Well then of course we had to start throwing back some insults, everything from telling him to sit down and shut up- to saying he should wear a skirt at bat next time. All the usual cheesy goodness. I hadn't really realized we were causing so much of a commotion until a cop came out of the Padres dugout and an usher was telling us to be quiet.

All in all, it was just a typical heckling argument. It wasn't obnoxious by any means, except for Nevin's outbursts. But it made for some extra ninth inning entertainment. If you have MLB.TV, check out the replay.

I'm a little disappointed the Phils continued to give up runs throughout most of the game, but what can you do?

Technically the two runs in the 6th were unearned as Mike Lieberthal was knocked off balance by a runner at the plate, causing him to throw the ball into the outfield. But you can't really say that Hernandez had been pitching well that inning anyway. He was giving out walks like extra french fries in the bottom of a McDonald's bag.

Should we be surprised about that? Of course not. Hernandez has been out for a while, and I surely didn't expect him to come in the game and start blowing batters away.

But the Padres kept hitting away, scoring in all but three innings.

The Phillies took a three-run lead in the 4th inning thanks to a Byrd walk, some good hits by Rollins and Abreu, and yet another homerun by Chase Utley. Utley homered in each of the last three games and knocked in seven runs during that time. He's now hitting .310 and tonight may be the last we'll see of him for a while. This remains to be seen.

But I figured I'd reward Rollins with a GameStar since he went three for five tonight with a double, stole another base, and scored half of the Phillies six runs. The only other Phils who hit more than once tonight were Utley and Perez. Rollins just plain stepped up tonight, and he's now hitting .240, which isn't great, but it's markedly improved.

I'll be watching Sunday's game at CBP, front row behind the visitors' dugout, so look for me with the blue Phils cap. Hopefully, if I can yell enough trash to the Padres, I'll be able to put them in a funk.

Keep clicking Ricky. (He almost had a monster homerun himself tonight.)


Courtesy of MLB.com

As painful as late-game losses can be, come-from-behind wins are just plain delicious. They're like coming home to a Thanksgiving turkey filled with crack-cocaine and hundred dollar bills.

Right. Anyway, the Phils have won four in a row, after rallying tonight in the 7th and 8th to come back from a 3-run deficit against the Padres.

Tasty.

Definite standout player tonight was Chase Utley.

Homerun in the 1st. Double in the 7th. And a single in the 8th to put the Phillies ahead. Altogether, Utley knocked in 3 of the Phils' 5 runs.

And on Sunday, the Phils will probably have no choice but to send him back to the minors as Polanco is reactivated.

And this is truly unfortunate as Polanco, who was hitting .223 with 1 RBI and 1 HR in 112 at-bats, will surely need a few weeks to get back into a hitting groove he never really had in the first place.

As a point of comparison, Utley is hitting .297 with 3 HRs and 13 RBIs in 37 at-bats.

But what can you do?

Polanco will come around eventually, it's just a matter of when. Who would you say is disposable to keep Utley on the roster? What do you guys think?

In the meantime, this homestand looks great so far. Tomorrow night's game could be interesting as two pitchers fresh from the minors head to the mound against each other.


Courtesy of MLB.com

Ah, Friday.

The Phils start yet another series tonight against another good team from the West.

As a point of reference (or useless piece of information), the Padres, who also opened up their own stadium this season (the fabulous Petco Park), consider their new home to be a pitchers' paradise. This makes sense considering the Padres have a team homerun total of 25--the lowest in the league (compare to Phillies' 53).

I scouted a few Padres blogs in hopes of finding some expectations about the series, but alas, all I really was found was one writer who said he would 'be happy' if the Padres took two out of the three games.

Hmm. I guess we'll see about that.

But the Padres do have a pretty good offense, and they've scored 20 runs in the their last three games.

Madson and Cormier should be pretty well rested by now, so as long as our starters pitch well, we should be able to keep runs to a minimum.

The Phils (namely Byrd and Rollins) just need to keep hitting in the first inning. If we can get ahead early, we can surely shut down the Padres with our pitching.

Game time in two hours from this post.

This is Amie, Michael's girlfriend. He made me watch the game tonight. I slept for a little. (Sorry - that must be sacrilegious to some of you fans.)

In any case, the Phillies were just great tonight. I admitted to Michael that I love the sound of the bat hitting the ball, but I really was impressed with the performances of both Brett Myers and Chase Utley. Brett Myers pitched a complete game shut out, allowing only five hits and walking only two players. His fantastic pitching merits a PhilliesBlog GameStar Award.

In addition to being HOT, Chase Utley is quite a talented young player. He hit the game's only home run and did you see that diving catch in the ninth inning?? OUTstanding!

Michael wants me to write that Byrd and Abreu both had good nights too. Byrd hit three times and Abreu had some good hits, stole a base, and is now hitting .300.

I will probably write again in the future. I plan to comment on the hotness of various players for you ladies and then discuss the games in depth for those more interested in serious sports talk. Give Michael suggestions if you'd like to see certain topics "assigned."

Congrats to the Phillies! See you at Citizen's Bank Park! (We'll be there Sunday -- front row seats!)


Courtesy of MLB.com

Poor, poor Hideo Nomo, who had to leave the game with a broken fingernail. Aww.

Well, the Phils have already taken two out of three from the Dodgers, and I must say I am very pleased.

Missing the game last night, I again pulled an all-nighter watching the replay on MLB.TV. And what a game it was.

The hits just kept coming, and thankfully, so did the runs. The Phillies have scored at least six runs in each of their last six games.

GameStar was a tossup between Burrell and Byrd, but I think I have to give it Marlon simply because this kid needs to be rewarded when he does good, so that he continues to do good consistently. Byrd had just a couple hits last night (nothing amazing, but more than he often gets) and knocked in three. (In case you haven't noticed, RBIs are very important to me.) Byrd's been hitting better, but not quite consistently yet ... or, I suppose, not as consistently as some of us would like.

Burrell had his own pair of hits, including a homer, and he also knocked in two. Plus, eighth inning ... fully extended dive to catch the the fly ball off Milton Bradley and end the inning leaving the Dodgers with two men on. Wow. If you didn't catch that play, go find it. I don't know about you, but if I was 6'4" and weighed 225 lbs, I'd probably be in a lot of pain after a dive like that. Burrell makes it look natural.

But I could go on and on about so many players, as they were all star runnerups. Bell, becoming one of my favorites on the team, is now batting .285, hitting twice last night, scoring twice and also knocking in two runs. Abreu too just keeps getting better. Hitting .294 now, he had a couple walks, a single and he scored twice. Rollins also hit twice, stole another base and scored once.

But the thing you have to keep in mind is that the Phils are doing all this (and winning) without Thome, without Polanco, without Hernandez, without Wagner. Yes, I know a couple of these guys aren't favored so well by other bloggers, but the point is that the Phillies are working around the weak spots and simply doing what is necessary to get the wins. When the basehits don't come, the long ball returns. When the homeruns don't come, the baserunning steps up. And on many nights lately, it all just looks good.

Hello, first place.


Courtesy of MLB.com

PhilliesBlog Quoatables:
Inquirer: Consider this: In the club's 121-year history before this season, the Phillies had hit back-to-back-to-back home runs just four times. Yet they have done it twice in the first 15 games at Citizens Bank Park.
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Entering the night, the Dodgers had not allowed a home run in five of their previous six games. They had permitted just three homers in their last 114 innings.
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The Phillies have hit 30 home runs in 15 games at home. They are on a pace to hit 162 homers there, which would obliterate the club record for home homers: 101 in 1977.
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David Bell on defense and errors (Inquirer):"Defense is always the most important thing to me. We're not playing defense the way we should. I'm a big part of that. I know I haven't made the plays I should have. It really bothers me. I'm determined to change it. We can be very, very good. When that happens, we'll really take off."
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READ THE NEWEST ARTICLE ABOUT BULLPEN HECKLERS AT CPB. It's good stuff.

Back-to-back-to-back. Again.

I told you it wouldn't be the last time we'd see this happen this year, and I'm willing to bet we'll see it again.

Balls were just flying out CBP tonight, and I'm just glad that five of them were off Phillies' bats. Burrell, Abreu, Thome, Lieberthal. They all hit hard tonight (or hard enough, apparently), and it's definitely nice to see the long ball return in full force, because it certainly helped the Phils tonight.

GameStar goes to my boy, Pat Burrell. Why? He hit two homeruns and racked up another four RBIs, that's why. Pat's ranked 4th in the league in RBIs with 34.

Sure, basically everyone else had their share of hits tonight, including Abreu with two and Byrd with three. But Burrell is Burrell and Burrell's a star. Another runnerup would be Lieberthal, who we have to thank for a sixth inning blast that put the Phillies ahead for the first time in the game. (Although, I suppose Byrd's hit in the 8th was really just as important, since the Phils let up another LA homer in the 9th.)

I do think Bowa should leave Burrell in cleanup, no matter who is pitching. This has proven to be helpful in a few games now, and with Burrell hitting .323 (and striking out less than Thome) it couldn't hurt to at least try out this lineup for a while.

But we beat the Dodgers tonight, and that is what's important. To come back after a 4-run deficit against a team with the best record in the league is huge. Now, we just need to do it a couple more times.

Said Pat Burrell, regarding CBP, "The park seems to help us quite a bit. For the most part, this has been a hitter's park. We had a great trip playing at Coors, but I like this park better. You hit the ball here and it has a chance to fly out." (Courtesy of this MLB.com article)


Courtesy of MLB.com

On second thought, GameStar goes to Lieberthal. Homerun, single, double, 2 runs, 3 RBIs. You deserve it, Lieby.

Ouch. Well, that was painful, wasn't it?

I really thought we'd win this series, but a 7-3 roadtip is still not bad.

I missed most of the game again today because of work, so I will not award GameStar. However, kudos to Abreu, Burrell, and Lieberthal who continue to hit really well. Utley, too, you are the man. I wish I could say the same for Byrd and Rollins. If these guys hit at least SOMEWHAT consistently, we'd be winning all the time.

But we don't win all the time. And that's what makes our team dangerous this year (in a good way). The Phillies are never going to be perfect or unstoppable this year. Like last year, we might not send anyone to the All-Star game, but we will still be one of the best teams in the league. We're not going to mow down the division, but we're going do what we need to in order to get by.

The Phillies are going to win a shit load of games, but still manage to stay somewhat under the radar, and that's what will make them dangerous.

Or, it's just late, and I have no idea what I'm talking about.

Go Phils. Things will really come into perspective once we play the Dodgers. They are a damn good team, and we need to beat them flat out.

Oh, if you're looking for pessimism, you've come to the wrong place.


Courtesy of MLB.com

Phillies' bats just weren't quite swinging as well today, at least not in the hands of our leadoff men, Byrd and Rollins.

Phillies star of the game was Madson, who pitched a solid two innings and continues to lower his ERA, which is now at 0.38.

Runnerup would be Ledee, who homered, singled, and scored twice.

Not too much to say about this one. It's always painful to lose late in the game, especially after 1) being ahead by three runs early in the game, and 2) losing the lead, being down by three runs, and then getting them back.

First place was nice for a day. We're going to be trading places at the top of the standings all season, no question. But we all know who will finish first.

First place.

Today's game was simply wild, and I hope all of you had a chance to watch at least part of it. The Phillies set new standards, scoring a season-high 16 runs on a season-high 18 hits. How many homeruns? Just one. This is a very good thing.

And look out, but GameStar Jimmy Rollins is now hitting .246, getting four hits today and scoring after each one of them. That's seven hits in the last two games.

Take a look below at Rollins' stats from the last 10 games (courtesy of MLB.com, of course).

During last Sunday's game when Rollins had four hits, ESPN commentators John Miller and Joe Morgan had said the game could be a turning point in the season for Rollins, and I think that prophecy could turn true. In fact, apparently sometime during that game, or perhaps after it ... or before it, I'm not sure, Joe Morgan lent a little batting advice to Rollins, according to the MLB.com article that was written that night.

"He made sure to tell me to stay up on the fastball because if I drop my hands it makes it impossible to get up there," Rollins said.

Well, thanks for the advice, Joe. If indeed Rollins is following your guidance, we all truly appreciate it.

Star runnerup would easily be Abreu, now hitting .273, who doubled, walked, singled, walked, sacrificed for an RBI in the 7th, and homered. Altogether, he had 5 RBIs and scored 4 times. Abreu and Burrell are now tied for 4th place in the National League for RBIs with 30 each. I would have given GameStar to Abreu, but I'm just happy Rollins is doing well. Let's hope it stays that way. Keep clicking Ricky's face, damn it!

Said an Inquirer article about today's game: "The Phillies' clubhouse literally shook afterward. With a speaker in each corner of the visitor's clubhouse, the Phillies had the stereo cranked as Usher's 'Yeah' blared. The bass socked passersby like the Phillies socked Elarton."

First place feels good, doesn't it?


Courtesy of MLB.com

Phew.

Tonight's game was a real nerve-racker, but the Phils pulled through for the win and are now 6-1 on the road. And check out those standings. One game behind first place. ONE GAME. Sure, it's going to be a long season, but if you're not excited yet, you're never going to be and you're a big poopy pants bastard.

Yeah, you heard me.

The most painful moment in the game was when Thome dropped those two easy popups in foul territory. And it wasn't painful because we necessarily needed the out, but because you actually felt bad for Thome. If Thome weren't such a genuine, humble player, I probably would have just been pissed. But when Thome dropped not one, but two popups on two pitches, I was embarrassed myself. I hope you saw the reply though, because Perez made a great--very smart--play immediately after to get two quick outs.

But the star of the game was Pat Burrell.

Burrell walked, had a single, a double, and a homerun in the game ... giving him 4 RBIs and that's really the most important stat. His average is now .316. What else is there to say? He's the man.

Runnerup would be Rollins, who is clearly fighting his way out of the early season funk. Tonight he singled three times, stole two bases and SCORED three times. If he can start doing this consistently, the Phillies are golden, no question.

As you probably know, Wagner is officially on the 15-day DL, but 5 of those days are technically already removed since he hasn't pitched in a while. I just want this guy healthy again, and hopefully this will do it.


Courtesy of MLB.com

So much for that analysis. Apparently chances are good that Wagner will go on the DL anyway.

Groin strain. Groin strain. Thank goodness, just a groin strain.

Wagner wouldn't lie about that, would he? Think about it. Back spasms for some people are reoccuring. They come and they go. I'm in my early 20s and I get some bad ones myself. Wagner, although he says he's never had them as bad as this time, may know that they will go away after a few days. But, if they returned yesterday, he may have said 'groin strain' out of fear that he'd be put on the DL and miss games for a longer period of time had he said 'back spasms' again. Would he care about that anyway? Perhaps, if he was really certain that the spasms would be totally gone in another day or so (although, there really is know way to know).

I'm overanalyzing. I just want to be able to shout out "Wagner Time" again.

First series win in San Fran since 1996.

1996! In 1996 we still had Mickey Morindini and Gregg Jefferies on the roster, among others. In 1996, the All-Star game was held in Veterans Stadium. That was a long time ago, friends.

2004, the Phillies are plowing their way through West Coast teams as they're now 5-1 on this roadtrip, and they've won 7 out of the last 10.

GameStar? Jason Michaels. Just a week or so ago I said I didn't trust this guy at the plate. Hell ... until today I didn't even have a GameStar image made for him because I didn't think I would ever need it. But he proved me wrong and that's what baseball is about. He reached base at every at-bat today, (granted, he hit into a forceout during one of those at-bats) and his homerun was just pure power. OK, so it's not like he did anything incredibly special today, but he certainly proved his worth on the roster for the first time this year.

Runnerup would be Madson, who was called on to pitch somewhat unexpectedly, but got out of a jam to win the save and made it look easy. Madson could throw one pitch in the game and he'd still be a star. He epitomizes talent.

The Wagner issue is getting concerning. For those who missed the game, Wagner was warming up and ready to come in for the save in the ninth, but was replaced by Telemaco at the last second. At the time of this post, it was unknown why exactly Wagner had to sit back down, but chances are good that the back spasms returned. This remains to be seen. I do think the Phillies can do without him for a while, honestly I do. But 1) it's a shame that such talent is going to waste right now, 2) I hate not being able to watch this kid throw the ball, and 3) If the problem persists ... it is a lot of Phillies money being wasted too (the last of my worries).


Courtesy of MLB.com

I was not able to see the game tonight, so I consider myself somehow partly responsible for the loss. I did listen to most of it on the radio, but I am definitely not in a position to give GameStar. Sorry, folks. Don't worry. It won't become a habit.


Courtesy of MLB.com

Another good Bonds vs. Wagner article.

Ladies and gentlemen ... meet the Philadelphia Phillies.

I couldn't be happier with this team right now. And if you're keeping an eye on the standings, you know that we're now only 1 game out of first, as the Marlins seem to be losing some steam.

What to say about tonight's game? Basically every batter got a hit, and four of them were extra bases. Who knew Jim Thome could get to third so easily! The offense tonight was just excellent.

I didn't know who to give GameStar to. But, rather than give it to one of the many productive bats, I think I will give it to Millwood, whose pitching wasn't monumental, but was very solid nonetheless through 6 and 2/3 innings. He did give up three runs, but only on six hits. Again, far from perfect, but still pretty good.

Runnerups were Burrell, who had three hits of his own, scored two runs and brought his average back over .300; and Utley, who never fails to show his potential at bat and in the field. One thing I like about Utley is that he always seems to know what the pitcher is thinking. He takes his time and thinks hard about the next pitch. He never appears to lose confidence.

Props to Marlon Byrd for his 4th inning bases-loaded triple and to Rollins, who has been hitting, and running, and fielding just fine.


Courtesy of MLB.com

A fun article about Wagner and Bonds.

The Philles on Bonds: (all courtesy of Inquirer)

Milwood:

"It's nerve-wracking to face him because he's so good. But at the same time it's a lot of fun to face him because he very well could be the best player ever. That's kind of cool to think about."

"You're definitely more aware of what he can do, but at the same time if you're too careful that can jump up and bite you. You still have to be aggressive and throw your pitches. I believe if you don't you're going to get yourself in a lot of trouble."

Wagner:

"You want to face the best because if you beat the best it means you've proven something."

"He's hit 668 home runs. One more don't mean a hill of beans. He knows what he's getting when I face him. You respect me, I respect you."

Random updates about this Phils that you wouldn't know if you didn't read articles anywhere else (or figure out the stats yourself):

The Phils have won 10 of their last 15, since being swept by the Marlins last month.

Brett Myers shaved his head for "karma." Nice. Maybe I should change the bullseye.

(Nah.)

Mike Lieberthal has hit in 5 of the last 6 games, his average jumping from .181 to .239 during that time. He is 9 for his last 19 at-bats (.473).

The Phillies' 4 stolen bases Saturday were the most in one game since Sept. 9, 2002, against the Marlins.

"In National League parks in the Mountain and Pacific time zones Rollins is a .296 hitter compared with his .254 batting average in other road parks." (Inquirer)

"Jimmy Rollins, Marlon Byrd, Lieberthal and Bobby Abreu, all batting .235 or less entering the series, combined to go 16-for-39 on the trip with Rollins going 4-for-5 last night." (Inquirer)

"I don't think there was any worry with our offense. We've all got track records. Bobby's not going to bat .230. Neither am I. You can't dwell on week to week, game to game." --Mike Lieberthal (Inquirer)

The Phillies sweep of the Diamondbacks was a first since May, 1998.

For those who watched the game on ESPN: It was amusing how Jim Thome became the perfect son as announcer John Miller beat to death (and therefore jinxed, of course) the fact that Jim Thome tries to hit a homerun for his mom on Mother's Day (which he has successfully done in the previous two seasons). After about the 50th time Miller told the story, we got the point. After Thome failed to hit a homerun in five at-bats, he became the worst son a mother could ever, EVER have.


Courtesy of MLB.com

May 9, 2004

Dear Jimmy Rollins,

I see you finally received my letter. In case you weren't sure, tonight you had 4 singles in 5 at-bats with an RBI and a stolen base. I'll expect five hits on Tuesday against the Giants. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Michael

And I see Byrd is also eating his Wheaties. It's always nice to have a leadoff man who actually gets on base once in a while, and barring his first inning homerun, he reached every single time. (Granted, one of those times he was hit by a pitch, buy hey ... whatever it takes, right?)

But let's face it, no matter how many runs we scored tonight (and since some of them weren't the prettiest) Brett Myers was clearly the star of this game. Before tonight Myers hadn't pitched more than 6 innings in a game this season. Tonight, he decided he would really bring on some serious business by going a full -- are you ready for this -- SEVEN innings. Wow. But seriously, Myers gave up only one run on seven hits and struck out five. He walked none. Respectable.

So, where to go from here? To San Francisco, I say! ... where the alternative lifestyles are plentiful and the Giants wins are not.

WAGNER REPORT: For those who didn't hear, Wagner has been having back spasms, which is why he wasn't available last night ... and why he still might not be available next week. He's not on the DL, but from the way Bowa was talking on WPEN before the game, I get the sense the problem is being taken very seriously. But let's hope he's rested and healthy after the off-day tomorrow, because I'm hoping he'll have a chance to pitch to Barry.