The Zo Zone

The Phillies enter June with a 26-27 record, eight games behind the New York Mets in the National League East and five games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL wild-card race.

Forget about the Mets at this point. I can't imagine them being caught.

It's time to worry about the Diamondbacks, Padres and Braves.

Can the Phillies make the postseason? Bob Ford breaks down this team nicely in today's paper.

My opinion remains unchanged: Despite the shortcomings of players like Pat Burrell and Wes Helms, this team leads the National League with 274 runs. It's second in on-base percentage (.349) and second in on-base-plus-slugging percentage (.778). Of course, they're also 5-14 against lefthanded pitchers and that's a serious concern with your two best hitters lefthanded hitters (Ryan Howard and Chase Utley) and a hitter like Burrell hitting just .180 against them. But it's the pitching that ultimately will doom this team to another October of fishing, hunting and golfing trips. The Phillies rank 13th in the National League with a 4.59 ERA. The only teams worse are Cincinnati (4.61 ERA), Colorado (4.65 ERA) and St. Louis (4.67 ERA). Those teams are a combined 23 games under .500.

Those teams have no chance to win, either.

*

Almost forgot ... the Phillies lost last night, 4-3.

*

The Phillies took a look at righthander Troy Percival recently. The Phillies wouldn't say if they are interested, but I take that to mean they are. Why? Because when they watched righthander Dustin Hermanson throw this winter and when lefthander Rheal Cormier became available earlier this month, the Phillies were quick to say they weren't interested. This time they're not talking.

If Percival truly does have his velocity back, the Phillies might as well roll the dice, take a shot and see what they can get from him for the next four months.

If he isn't good, release him.

If he is good, hey, bonus.

There are night's when the game writes itself:

-- Ryan Howard's pinch-hit grand slam May 9 in Arizona.
-- The craziness in Wednesday's 8-7 victory in 10 innings over Florida.
-- The Phillies sweeping the Braves in Atlanta.

But then there are games like last night's 11-5 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. I sat in front of my laptop and cursed to myself, "I have nothing to say about this game. Nothing." Jon Lieber served up the Diamondbacks a five-run lead in the second inning. The offense battered Diamondbacks righthander Micah Owings, but had just one run to show for it after five innigs. They made it 5-3 at one point, but imploded in the eighth. To make matters worse, Howard left the game in the top of the ninth inning with ... a leg cramp.

Not exactly riveting material.

But the loss returned the Phillies to .500 -- maybe this team is meant to hover around .500 -- and fell a season-high eight games behind the New York Mets in the National League East. So what, you say? Well, consider for a second the Phillies (26-26) were 27-25 at this point last season and just five behind the Mets, and the Mets cruised to the division title. The Mets, who have the best record in the National League and second-best record in baseball, look unbeatable at this point. Not to say they're flawless, but they're clearly the class of the National League.

It might be time to start talking wild card. The Mets are on pace to finish 107-55 (.660). Say they hit a serious slump and finish 95-67 (.587). The Phillies would have to play 69-41 (.627) the rest of the season just to finish in a first-place tie. The Phillies are 22-15 (.595) since April 20. So if you thought they have played well since they started the season 4-11, they need to play even better the rest of the season just to finish in this hypothetical tie with the Mets -- if the Mets seriously cool down.

Does this up and down madness feel familiar? You're not alone. Phil Sheridan writes about the Punxsutawney Phils.

*

Perhaps the most interesting thing from yesterday was what Tom Gordon told reporters before the game. Gordon, who is slowly recovering from an upper respiratory infection that put him in the hospital earlier this month, said his shoulder hasn't felt healthy since last summer, which isn't encouraging. He indicated that it might be something he just has to pitch through.

Gordon makes $5.5 million next season with a $1 million buyout for 2009. But the Phillies have to be wondering how much more they can get out of Gordon at this point. Gordon has no timetable for his return, but said he hopes to be back before the all-star break.

Gulp.

MLB released its first voting update for the National League all-star team, and I found one position to be rather surprising.

Chase Utley leads second basemen with 322,590 votes, but that's not the shocker. He's ahead of Houston's Craig Biggio (251,664), Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks (233,593), New York's Jose Valentin (179,952) and Los Angeles' Jeff Kent (161,016).

The shocker is first base. Ryan Howard, the reigning NL MVP, isn't even in the top five. Now I know he's been hurt and his numbers aren't good, but it's surprising he can't even crack the top five: 1) Albert Pujols, St. Louis, 399,706; 2) Prince Fielder, Milwaukee, 291,911; 3) Derrek Lee, Chicago, 224,165; 4) Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles, 222,107; 5) Carlos Delgado, New York, 218,647.

Jimmy Rollins ranks third amongst shortstop and Aaron Rowand ranks 14th amongst outfielders, otherwise no other Phillies player is ranked.

*

The latest Philliescast is up.

You're damned if you do ...

May 7 in Arizona: The Phillies have a runner on second with no outs in the top of the seventh inning. The Phillies trail 2-1. Freddy Garcia is ready to hit. In six innings, he had allowed five hits, two runs and no walks. He has struck out two and thrown just 72 pitches. He has pitched better than he has all season. But Charlie Manuel has Jayson Werth pinch-hit for Garcia. Werth walks and the tying run eventually scores. But Antonio Alfonseca and Francisco Rosario each allow a run in the seventh and eighth innings and the Phillies lose, 4-3.

"Once we had the guy on second with nobody out, I felt like it was time for us to try to win the game," Manuel said that night. "If there were guys on first and second he would have bunted. If there was a guy on first he would have bunted."

I wrote then that I had no problem with Manuel's decision. I thought he made the correct one. I still do.

Of course, Manuel took heat for it.

You're damned if you don't ...

Last night at Citizens Bank Park: The Phillies have the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Phillies trail, 3-0. It's Garcia's turn to hit and this time Manuel lets him. Not covering the game last night, but watching the game on TV (yes, I actually spent my time away from the ballpark watching baseball), I said, "Don't you have to hit for Garcia here?" (I wasn't the only one thinking that.) Doug Davis had been cruising to that point, and I couldn't help but think that this might be their last chance to score off him. But then once I saw Garcia step to the plate I thought, "Well, it is the fifth inning. Do you really want to have the bullpen try to keep the score close through the next four innings?" Manuel must have been feeling the same way.

Garcia bounced into a double play on the first pitch and ended the threat. Garcia pitched three more scoreless innings, Ryan Madson gave up two runs in the ninth and the Phillies lost, 5-4.

I thought Manuel made the right call in Arizona. I'm not so sure about last night.

*

The Phillies Report is back. It's a feature that runs on Page 2 every Tuesday in The Inquirer. After listening to people moan about the abuse Brett Myers has received from the bullpen, I decided to research it. You know, compare Myers to how other top-flight closers have been used over the years.

Guess what? Myers hasn't been abused.

*

Jimmy Rollins is a hard working man.

The last time the Phillies swept the Braves in Atlanta (May 5-8, 1995) ...

... they had Gregg Jefferies in left field.
... they had Kevin Stocker at shortstop.
... centerfielder Lenny Dykstra would play just one more season before retirement.
... Jefferies, Mark Whiten and Charlie Hayes would lead the team with 11 home runs.
... Paul Quantrill would lead the team with 11 wins.

Yeah, that team pretty much stunk.

These current Phillies hope to be better than that. They beat the Braves yesterday at Turner Field, 13-6, to complete a three-game sweep. Ryan Howard hit a couple homers. Greg Dobbs hit a homer, although he would have had two except Andruw Jones made a ridiculous catch at the center field fence. Cole Hamels pitched well. Clay Condrey did not, but it didn't matter. They had a very good weekend after a miserable start to their road trip in Florida. Remember the Rod Barajas tag Wednesday? Remember Dobbs' throw home Wednesday? Remember Brett Myers walking off the field Wednesday? Remember how the Phillies showed fight Thursday before losing the series finale to the Marlins? It couldn't have been much worse, but the Phillies turned it around.

*

The Phillies aren't thrilled that John Smoltz criticized them Saturday. They want him to mind his own business.

*

Bob Ford pretty much sums up Phillies baseball perfectly.

*

The Phillies open a three-game series tonight against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park. Here are the pitching matchups. With a couple lefthanders on the mound for Arizona, I think you'll see Wes Helms back in the lineup with Dobbs starting against the righthander tomorrow.

*

I'm sure most people have seen this, but I haven't so I thought I'd link it. Chase Utley talked with Maxim Magazine last month. The interesting part of the interview? He mentions Myoplex shakes a few times. Why? Probably because he endorses the product. There's a full page ad of him in the current ESPN The Magazine, the one with Barry Bonds' pursuit of 756 on the cover.

*

Enjoy your Memorial Day barbeques.

I spent time in spring training and early this season asking players for stories behind the numbers they wear. The story appears with a full-page graphic in today's Inquirer.

Unfortunately, for whatever reason, none of the graphic appeared online.

So click the link below to see what you missed in the paper. Actually, click the link below for a little bonus. Because of limited space in the paper, we had to seriously trim some comments from players. These are their entire comments ... uncut:

So are these the real Phillies?

Or is this just another tease (see: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)?

The Phillies (25-24) surpassed the .500 threshold yesterday in a 6-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. Like I've said before, I think this offense will be fine. In fact, the Phillies lead the league in runs (249) and are second in on-base percentage (.350). The starting pitching has been better, even though everybody is still waiting for Freddy Garcia to prove his worth before he runs to free agency after the season.

But while Mike Zagurski has been impressive in his first two big-league appearances and Antono Alfonseca picked up his first save since Sept. 13, 2002, I can't help but wonder if the bullpen can hold itself together while Brett Myers and Tom Gordon are on the disabled list? Myers isn't eligible to return until June 8. Gordon hasn't thrown a pitch since May 1.

Myers said he could be back June 8, but I think a return the following week is more likely. Gordon? Who knows? He won't throw a pitch until this week at the earliest.

The Phillies return to Philadelphia after this afternoon's series finale against Atlanta to open a seven-game homestand against Arizona (27-23) and San Francisco (24-24). Then they hit the road to play the Mets (31-17) and Royals (19-31). But the Phillies hit a tough part of their schedule beginning June 11: three at home against the White Sox (24-20), three at home against the Tigers (29-19) and three on the road against the Indians (30-17).

The only cupcake in that entire stretch is Kansas City.

It's tough to think this pitching staff can get through that run without Myers and Gordon.

Or at least Myers.

Agree? Disagree?

*

John Smoltz can't believe the Phillies moved Myers to the bullpen in the first place.

*

Rod Barajas' attempted tag at home plate in Wednesday's loss to Florida remains fresh in everybody's mind. Former Phillies manager Larry Bowa weighs in on the lost art of the tag.

*

Wet Blanket Stat of the Day: Lefthander Cole Hamels, who pitches this afternoon as the Phillies try to sweep their first series of the season, has a 5.92 ERA in 12 career starts during the day compared to a 3.05 ERA in 21 career starts at night.

*

Braves relief pitcher Mike Gonzalez will have Tommy John surgery. The Phillies took plenty of heat for not trading for a pitcher like Gonzalez in the off-season. Now I'm sure the Phillies feel fortunate they didn't overpay for Gonzalez -- the Braves traded Adam LaRoche to Pittsburgh to get him.

That said, it doesn't change the fact that this team still needs to upgrade its bullpen.

*

Non-baseball related, but ...

... Jim Thome might call this karma. I wonder what raced through this man's mind at the last minute?

... cheeseburgers taste good.

Mike Zagurski made sure to stop, look around and savor the moment last night in a 8-3 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.

It's hard to believe that two weeks ago Zagurski was pitching for single-A Clearwater, or that he pitched for double-A Reading just Wednesday in a game in New Hampshire. But after the Phillies placed closer Brett Myers on the disabled list with a strained right shoulder -- the Phillies said yesterday there's no torn labrum or rotator cuff -- they purchased Zagurski's contact to take his place.

"Call him Bronko," Myers said.

Myers, of course, is referring to Hall of Fame football player Bronko Nagurski (who went to my alma mater, by the way).

Nagurski.

Zagurski.

Hey, as long as he gets people out.

Zagurski retired the side in the eighth inning, which is something fans have seen from the bullpen too little this season. But Charlie Manuel certainly showed his confidence in Zagurski when he told him to start warming up with the game tied, 3-3, in the seventh inning.

"I feel like I can do the job they're asking me to do and if they're willing to give me the ball I'm willing to take it and give it a shot," Zagurski said. "(Geoff) Geary made a point to tell me before I ran out there, 'Take a minute after you get out there to step off and take a look around because it'll be your only major-league debut.' When I got out there, my warm-up pitches were a little wild, but then I stepped off and it kind of cleared my head and I went back to work.

"I felt OK. When I threw my warm up pitches I was rushing. Everything was up. So when I stepped off the mound and looked around, I told myself, 'You better get the ball down and figure it out or you might not be here long.'"

There were 35,402 fans in the stands last night, 20 of them Zagurski's family and friends.

There were 3,506 fans in the stands Wednesday in New Hampshire.

"I'm not used to playing in such a nice ballpark," Zagurski said. "(In the bullpen) I was talking to the guys and they were giving me a little advice here and there. And we have scouting reports, so we were going over each hitter. And then when it came time to that point where there were a couple lefthanders I might face, Ramon (Henderson, the bullpen coach) told me what we try to do to guys and I went from there."

*

Ryan Howard returned from the disabled list with a bang last night. He went 1 for 4 with a double, intentional walk, two RBIs and run scored. He hit the ball hard in his first two at-bats with nothing to show for it. Howard replaced Chris Coste, who the Phillies optioned to Reading at his request.

*

If you're curious about the number 23 after Myers' reaction to getting hurt Wednesday, the movie The Number 23 created a number generator to check out.

*

Having had three MRIs in my life, I know what MRI exams look like. You see the shape of the body part being looked at (knee, foot, shoulder, etc.) and that's about it. The rest is just random shadings and shapes inside the knee. So when a reporter asked Myers what his MRI results looked like, I laughed out loud because Myers took the question literally, "I don’t even know. It looked like a shoulder with a bunch of things on it."

Too funny.

The Phillies lost Fight Night last night in a 5-4 loss in 11 innings to the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium.

The teams cleared benches in the top of the fourth inning. It started when Jon Lieber threw behind the back of Dontrelle Willis in the bottom of the second and Willis "returned the e-mail" when he threw behind Lieber in the fourth. The Phillies said the pitch to Willis wasn't intentional.

Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight ... Lieber has excellent control. Excellent.

The inning ended and Willis immediately turned and started looking and shouting into the Phillies dugout.

"The guy hasn't hit anybody the whole year and he didn't hit anybody the rest of the game," Willis said. "I have to defend myself. ... I'm not going to sit down and back down from anything."

Who was he screaming at?

"Everbody."

What was he saying?

"You don't want to know. I play the game with a lot of respect for both sides. He threw at me for whatever reason. I don't know."

Said Phillies catcher Rod Barajas: "I looked over and he was walking off the field, staring in out dugout and yelling. You just don't do that."

*

Third base coach Steve Smith sent pinch-runner Michael Bourn home on a Greg Dobbs double to center in the eighth inning, which proved to be a terrible mistake. Bourn had stopped at second to make sure the ball dropped, so Smith should have held Bourn at third with no outs. But Smith sent him and Bourn was out by several steps.

"I made up my mind too quickly," Smith said. "It was a bad play. Bad play. Terrible. It was a deep gap out there, the ball was carrying and with his speed ... I feel bad for these guys. They played their (rear ends) off and I made a decision like that."

Dobbs scored on a single from Victorino. and scored him on a single to center to make it 4-4. It should have been 5-4.

*

There is so much junk on the left field wall at Dolphin Stadium that from the press box nobody could tell where Miguel Cabrera's ball hit in the bottom of the 11th inning. Could Victorino have caught the ball? Could he have made a play?

Victorino thought Cabrera had homered, so he didn't really pursue the ball.

"I don't think I could have caught it," he said. "I think the ball hit up, where I couldn't have caught it. Maybe I could have played it differently. But I know for a fact there was no way I could have caught the ball."

By the way, Cabrera hit that ball off Francisco Rosario. He's the pitcher most fans wanted to pitch in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday instead of Brett Myers.

*

These are tough times for Manuel and Ryan Howard, who is expected back in the Phillies lineup tonight.

*

As we wrote yesterday, the Phillies have a plan in place if Myers lands on the DL.

Un-freaking-believable, huh?

Where to start?

How about Phillies righthander Brett Myers, who strained his right shoulder in the ninth inning of last night's memorable 8-7 victory in 10 innings over the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium. Myers said he hopes to miss a couple days, but I would bet on a trip to the disabled list. The Phillies can't afford to push Myers too quickly, so they will be cautious. That means righthanders Antonio Alfonseca or Ryan Madson step into the closer's role because Tom Gordon, who is on the DL with inflammation in his right shoulder, has shown no indications he's even close to returning in the near future. Gordon won't even throw a baseball until next week at the earliest.

We will learn more about Myers today.

How about Rod Barajas?

He moved out of his crouch in front of home plate in the ninth inning, and it allowed Hanley Ramirez to score the tying run through the five-hole. Charlie Manuel said, "If he can, he smothers the guy." But Barajas said he wanted to avoid the contact. His explanation: "I caught the ball down low and I wasn't sure what he was going to do. I didn't want to get down low and have him take a good shot at me and maybe knock the ball out. I just wanted to make sure I was in a good position."

I wonder how that explanation will play in Philadelphia, especially after centerfielder Aaron Rowand broke his face making a remarkable catch last season. Rowand's explanation for risking his health to make that catch is played before the Phillies take the field at Citizens Bank Park: "For who? My teammates. For what? To win."

It's a strange thing. Barajas and just about everybody else in the Phillies clubhouse said that home umpire Tim Timmons should have called out Ramirez because the throw from Jayson Werth arrived so early. That must be an unwritten baseball code because I think the tag needs to be made. In my opinion, replay shows Timmons made the right call, although Barajas and others said it wasn't conclusive. But it wouldn't have gotten to that point if Barajas had just blocked the plate.

How about Greg Dobbs? He threw home when there was no play at the plate. Dan Uggla scored to make it 7-6, but Dobbs' mistake allowed Ramirez reach first. What was Dobbs thinking?

"I wasn't," Dobbs said.

"There you go," said Rowand, who was trying his best to pick up Dobbs' spirits. (He even hugged it out with Dobbs at one point.) "And you can quote him."

"Quote it. Print it," Dobbs said. "What was Dobbs thinking? I wasn't."

"Everything slowed down. As I released the ball I went, 'Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy? What are you doing?' Afterward I was so disgusted with myself I just started walking in circles. I still can't grasp what I did."

"The only reason I can laugh at you right now is because you (messed) up and we won," Rowand said. "That's why I can laugh at you right now."

*

Why was Myers in the game? The simple explanation is that because he hadn't pitched since Sunday and already had warmed up before the Phillies scored their third run in the top of the ninth to make it a non-save situation. But there's no question that decision will come under scrutiny today.

I'll have more on that later.

*

Lost in the shuffle after the Phillies survived their ninth-inning meltdown: Chase Utley went 3 for 5 with a triple, home run, two RBIs, two runs scored and a walk, and Michael Bourn finally made his first big-league start. Oh, and Ryan Howard also went deep in a rehab start for single-A Lakewood.

OK, so I've said over and over and over and over again that the Phillies pitching staff has been the culprit in this team's wretched 4-11 start and slow climb to .500.

But lately it's been the offense. The Phillies managed just five hits in last night's 5-3 loss to the Florida Marlins at Dolphin Stadium. Jayson Werth hit two homers. Cole Hamels doubled. The Phillies also received infield hits from Aaron Rowand and Chase Utley. But that's it. Five hits, and nothing out of the infield after the third inning. The Phillies had just four hits in Saturday's 13-2 loss to Toronto. They had just three hits in Friday's 5-3 victory over Toronto. They had just six hits in Thursday's 3-2 loss to Milwaukee.

That's a stretch of games where the offense simply has been MIA.

Ryan Howard can't return to the lineup soon enough, assuming his strained left quadriceps has healed and it allows him to swing the bat like he has in the past.

*

Marlins lefthander Scott Olsen is just wacky enough to get into a fight. Did you see Utley's eyes after Olsen waved his glove and snapped at him after walking him in the sixth inning? Utley had a smirk on his face, but his eyes said, "Please, please, take one step forward and it's on like Donkey Kong." Believe me, Utley would have been ready to roll. He's not afraid to mix it up.

By the way, I can't remember the last time the Phillies got into a good bench-clearing brawl. I'm talking about a good one, too. Not one of those bench-clearing, stand-around-and-glare-at-each-other moments. I remember there was one in April 2004 against Florida at Citizens Bank Park. I think Josh Beckett put David Bell in a choke hold. That's the same day Tim Worrell punched Joe Kerrigan. But am I missing one since then?

*

The Phillies have had four chances to get above .500 this season: opening day and three times in the past week, including last night. They have failed each time. They've got to win tonight to get back to .500 and then hope Jon Lieber can pitch a gem in the series finale Thursday to finally get over. 500.

Mike's Baseball Rants comes up with some interesting numbers about the Phillies' inability to get over that hump.

*

Bummer, dude. Tom Jenkins BBQ is closed this week because Tom apparently is on a family vacation. But the silver lining is this: while the Jenk is closed this week, The Vortex certainly will be open this weekend in Atlanta. Don't let the Web site fool you (or scare you). This place has some of the best burgers you'll ever have.

There is an interesting column in today's Inquirer about Pat Gillick being summoned into Phillies president David Montgomery's office for being too critical about the team's 4-5-6 hitters before its 7-3 homestand.

It begged one question:

Is it bad that Gillick spoke critically?

Gillick, while he tries to keep a low profile, can be refreshingly candid on occasion. One could argue that because he has been in baseball so long and because he has been so successful (he has won two World Series as a GM, while the Phillies have won just one in 125 years) that he has earned the right to speak freely and not worry about hurt feelings and bruised egos. The Phillies had a 15-19 record after a 4-6 road trip through Atlanta, San Francisco and Arizona when Gillick criticized Ryan Howard, Pat Burrell and Wes Helms. Maybe he meant everything he said. Or maybe he's just a shrewd motivator. Players said last season that Gillick's "We Can't Win Until 2008" proclaimation motivated them. Maybe Gillick wanted to light a fire under the heart of the Phillies lineup because he knows improving the bullpen is going to be incredibly difficult and highly unlikely.

By the way, Burrell said publicly that Gillick was right.

Chicago White Sox general manager Ken Williams called his team's play "embarrassing" on Sunday. Will White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf reprimand Williams for his words? It has been written in the past that Montgomery, while he has said he is not involved, is hands on with the baseball operations. Former general manager Ed Wade wanted to fire Larry Bowa before the July 31 trade deadline in 2004, but Montgomery vetoed it despite the fact the baseball people felt the rift between Bowa and the players made it impossible to win. Bowa was fired with two games to play, and by then the Phillies had no chance to make the postseason.

So should Gillick, who is part of management, be more careful with his words? Or should he be allowed to speak as he chooses?

*

The latest Philliescast is up.

*

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick writes about lefthander Cole Hamels, who starts tonight against the Florida Marlins.

*

The Phillies raised a record $720,056 last night at their Phillies Phestival for ALS. The use of Burrell's private suite at Citizens Bank Park received a $5,400 bid, the highest of the night.

*

Rumors spread quickly on the Internet, so I thought I'd squash one before it starts running.

I've gotten quite a few e-mails recently about the availability of Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Troy Glaus, and how the Phillies might make a run at him. The first time I heard this I immediately said to myself, "Now there's a trade that makes no sense." But because I wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something obvious, I asked the same thing of a Phillies official. He had the same reaction, "Huh?"

Here's why:

-- The Phillies need pitching. They have a 4.56 ERA, which ranks 14th in the National League. Their bullpen has a 4.57 ERA, which ranks 15th in the league. The Phillies offense is second in the league in runs scored (220) behind only the New York Mets. Their .349 on-base percentage is second in the league, and their .266 average is third in the league. Their offense is not the problem. If the Phillies can make a trade, they would like to use their trading chips to improve their bullpen. Because in the end, if this team fails to make the playoffs, it won't be because of their offensive production at third. It will be because of their pitching staff.
-- The Phillies already have three third baseman: Helms, Abraham Nunez and Greg Dobbs. Four if you throw in Chris Coste. They have depth there. Gillick has said in the past that you trade from a position of strength or depth. I just don't see the Phillies trading anybody to add another third baseman, even if one of the pieces in the trade is Helms, Nunez or Dobbs.
-- Have you seen Glaus' contract? He makes $10.75 million this season and $12.75 million next season. Some fans were absolutely outraged this off-season when the Phillies didn't sign Ryan Howard to a multi-year contract extension. The Phillies plan to make another run again at Howard this off-season. Now, say the Phillies can extend Howard after trading for Glaus. Now their 2008 payroll already is high, and they haven't had a chance to replace Freddy Garcia and Jon Lieber in the rotation. It makes much more sense to stick with Helms, Nunez and Dobbs at third and invest that money into pitching next season.
-- Is it really necessary? Phillies third basemen are hitting .305 with no home runs and 19 RBIs in 174 at-bats. They have a combined .342 on-base percentage and a .385 slugging percentage. That's not horrendous for a group that hits no higher than sixth in the lineup, although that slugging percentage is low for third base. Glaus is hitting .307 with eight homers and 21 RBIs in 88 at-bats. He has a .419 on-base percentage and a .614 slugging percentage. Would Glaus be a boon to the middle of the lineup? Of course. But at the expense of improving the pitching staff? No way.

The Phillies have won 8 of their last 11 to improve to 22-22.

It's a start.

They're still 6 1/2 games behind the New York Mets in the National League East standings. But, hey, they're only four behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL wild card race. The Phillies open a six-game road trip through Florida and Atlanta tomorrow night against the Marlins at Dolphin Stadium. Nine of their next 16 games are against National League East rivals (the Phillies play the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on June 5-7). The Phillies flopped earlier this season when they played the East. They're just 8-13 against those teams, including a 1-5 mark against the Braves and a 1-3 mark against the Mets.

Obviously, that must change.

The Braves and Mets aren't flawless, but neither are the Phillies. And if the Braves and Mets keep trouncing the Phillies, I can't see how they can win the division or wild card.

*

Righthander Adam Eaton pitched well in yesterday's 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park.

*

The computer doesn't like the Phillies. Baseball Prospectus figures the Phillies have just a 15 percent chance to make the playoffs.

*

The Phillies optioned lefthander Fabio Castro (12.27 ERA in five appearances) to double-A Reading, which means the Phillies have no lefthanders in their bullpen.

Lefthanders? Hey, who needs 'em?

Manager Charlie Manuel hinted that might happen Saturday when he mentioned Ryan Madson, who is expected to be activated before tomorrow night's series opener against the Florida Marlins in Miami, had pitched effectively against lefthanders this season. Sure enough, lefthanders had hit just .219 against him. That's better than Castro, who had allowed three walks and one hit in six plate appearances against lefthanders. That's also better than lefthander Matt Smith, who had allowed six walks and two hits in 11 plate appearances against lefthanders.

Smith is 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA in seven appearances for triple-A Ottawa since the Phillies optioned him last month. In 6 2/3 innings, he has allowed six hits and two walks. Opponents have hit .231 against him.

Regardless of how well Madson has pitched against lefthanders, this bullpen desperately needs Smith to rediscover his 2006 form. Because there will be some situations late in a game in the very near future when a team's top lefthanded hitter is up and the Phillies don't have a good match up against him.

*

Ryan Howard should be back Friday, when the Phillies open a three-game series in Atlanta.

But which Howard will show up? The one who struggled the first few weeks of the season, or the one who won the National League MVP last season? Howard said his strained left quadriceps affected his swing. So if 15 days is what it takes to get Howard back to his 2006 form, it will be well worth it.

*

Chicago White Sox general manager Ken Williams is ticked that his bullpen blew two leads this weekend against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

We understand.

The reaction from fans last night seemed to be the same after the Phillies suffered a 13-2 blowout loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park:

Wow. Who was pitching?

Moyer.

Wow. Moyer? Really?

Yes, Moyer.

Jamie Moyer has been so good for the Phillies since he joined them last August that people had come to expect a good start from him every time he stepped on the mound (although he allowed five runs in six innings in his previous start, he still kept his team close enough to win). The Phillies entered last night 12-4 in his starts. He had pitched six or more innings in 15 starts. But last night wasn't a good matchup. Almost everybody in the Blue Jays lineup had pounded him in the past, and that form held true last night.

Moyer gets a chance to redeem himself Friday in Atlanta.

*

The Phillies started their 10-game homestand against Chicago, Milwaukee and Toronto well -- they even got a buzz back in their skeptical fan base with some late-inning dramatics -- but need a victory today in the series finale against the Blue Jays to win the three-game series and hit the road with a .500 record. It would be a momentum killer for the Phillies to win five of their first six games at home, but lose three of their last four.

It's up to Adam Eaton to help the Phillies finish the homestand 7-3.

*

The Inquirer's Sunday baseball column.

*

In this week's Sports Illustarted, Barry Bonds is on the cover (they got his whole head in the shot), Baseball Prospectus writes how the Phillies have a clear advantage over the New York Mets and Braves this season in interleague play. The Braves' interleague opponents (Twins, Indians, Red Sox and Tigers) have a projected winning percentage of .577. The Mets' opponents (Tigers, Yankees, Twins and A's) have a PWP of .537. The Phillies' opponents (Blue Jays, Royals, White Sox, Tigers and Indians) have a .493 PWP.

In case you have not heard, Chipper Jones isn't happy about this. Funny, didn't hear him complain last season when the Phillies played the Red Sox six times, while the Braves got to play the Devil Rays three times.

You know you've said to your buddy at least once, "Dude, I totally could be a GM."

Of course you have.

But after watching Jon Lieber allow six hits, three runs, no walks and strike out seven in seven strong innings last night in a 5-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Citizens Bank Park, you really have to wonder what baseball's GMs are thinking sometimes. Lieber is 2-2 with a 3.00 ERA this season, and a 2.50 ERA in his six starts since returning to the rotation. The Phillies gladly would have traded him in the off-season for bullpen help. They even talked about trading him to the Blue Jays for Alex Rios. Now, I have no problem with the Blue Jays not wanting to trade Rios for Lieber, but what about every other team in baseball desperate for starting pitching?

It very much surprised me that nobody wanted to take a chance on Lieber. He won 17 games in 2005 and finished last season strong after a horrible start. And he certainly would be motivated pitching in a contract year. A team giving up a bullpen arm for Lieber made total sense to me. But the Phillies got no calls. Nobody wanted him.

That's not an exaggeration, either.

A top executive from another team said this winter it was a red flag that the Phillies picked up Freddy Garcia with Lieber still on the roster. Huh? I never saw it that way. I always looked at it like the Phillies had the opportunity to acquire what everybody considered the top starting pitcher available on the market and moved forward, thinking they could move one of their other starters later.

Now you have to wonder what all those other GMs are thinking.

*

Ryan Madson threw a scoreless inning in a rehab appearance last night for double-A Reading. He will make another appearance tomorrow and is expected to rejoin the team Tuesday in Florida.

*

The Phillies were 4-11 (.267) and the worst team in baseball on April 20. But since Manuel held a team meeting in Cincinnati the next afternoon, this team is 17-10 (.630). That's the third-best record in the National League in that span, a half-game behind the Milwaukee Brewers (17-9) and New York Mets (17-9). So it appears that while the Phillies have been good, they will need to continue to play that way because the Mets and Braves (14-11 in that span) aren't going anywhere.

*

Manager Charlie Manuel said he's OK with Garcia being upset about his perceived quick hook in starts. Didn't I call that?

*

Ozzie Guillen swore at a media member!

Yawn.

*

By the way, I just discovered this on YouTube. (OK, I found it at Randball.) This happened while the Phillies were in San Francisco a couple weeks ago. It was one of the funnier things I've seen in a while. The clip, however, doesn't do it justice. The camera followed this kid for at least an inning or two. The "kill me" look on his face was priceless.

Let's talk about streaking.

The Phillies had their three-game winning streak snapped yesterday in a 3-2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. But the Phillies have won six of their last eight games, which, generally speaking, means they are streaking in a positive manner. If they take two of three this weekend against the Toronto Blue Jays, they will be 22-22 when they leave for a six-game road trip next week in Florida and Atlanta. If they sweep, they will be 23-21.

Now that would some serious streaking.

More serious than what we witnessed before the top of the seventh inning. A man jumped over the left-field fence and streaked across the field before police, security and grounds crew tackled him on the outfield grass near second base.

The nickname of the guy who put the first hit on the streaker? Dingle.

Not only did the guy run naked on the field, but he ran naked on the field holding his pants (or shorts). As he was handcuffed and arrested, one of the security guards actually had the job of trying to hold the pants over the man's stuff as he was hauled away. Somebody give that man a raise. But seriously, in the split second this happened, who made that call?

"Sorry, Timmy, but you've got to do it. You've got to take these pants and hold them as close to him as possible."

"Why me?"

"We don't have time, man! Just do it!"

From a distance the streaker had a beard and moustache, but otherwise resembled Will Ferrell's character in Old School based on his gait and physique. Or maybe he reminded me of Ferrell only because he was pasty. And naked.

I'm sure somebody wasn't happy about his antics. Honestly, good or bad, most of the crowd seemed to enjoy it. (The game had been a downer for Phillies fans up until that point because Brewers righthander Ben Sheets had shut down the Phillies offense.) The crowd was buzzing minutes after he had been hauled away and play had resumed. And afterward in the Phillies clubhouse, players and coaches still couldn't stop laughing and making wisecracks as they thought about it.

"That's a pretty confident move," leftfielder Pat Burrell said.

Confident? Yes. But he faces up to a year in jail or a $2,500 fine.

*

Phil Sheridan tackles Freddy Garcia's displeasure with manager Charlie Manuel. Garcia wasn't happy that Manuel pulled him after 5 2/3 innings. He said he has been around this league long enough and had enough success that he deserved to work out of his sixth-inning jam.

Perhaps. But he probably deserves that chance when he hasn't thrown 114 pitches and loaded the bases in a one-run game. (Geoff Geary came in and worked out of the inning without a run scoring.) Garcia has thrown too many pitches too early in the game too often this season. He hasn't been the horse the Phillies thought they were getting. I'm sure Manuel will say that he's glad Garcia expressed his feelings that he wanted to pitch. But I'm sure he's also thinking, "Then go out there and dominate somebody."

Of course, Garcia might say, "I threw 70 pitches after six in Arizona and you still pulled me."

It looks to me like Garcia, who is a free agent after the season, hasn't enjoyed his time here. If he starts pitching better, maybe that goes away.

*

The latest Philliescast is up.

*

A Citizen's Blog takes a look at the Blue Jays/Phillies series this weekend at the Bank, and how the Phillies have been snake bit while the Braves have been lucky.

*

Thanks to the 700 Level Sports Fanatics at Sports Radio 950. They were broadcasting live from Tony Luke's last night -- and not only did they have me join them, they got me a roast pork with sharp. For my money -- or theirs -- that's the best sandwich in town.

Cole Hamels pitched beautifully in last night's 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, but many fans were left wondering why Charlie Manuel used Brett Myers with a four-run lead in the ninth inning.

Good question.

Manuel said it's because no four-run lead is safe at Citizens Bank Park. He also said he used Billy Wagner the same way in 2005. He's right. He pitched Wagner 15 times with leads of four or more runs in 2005. He also pitched him 12 times when they were trailing, with most of them coming after Wagner hadn't pitched in several days. So it appears Manuel has a precedent for this. He's not alone. Joe Torre had Mariano Rivera earn a two-inning save against the Phillies at the Bank on June 20 last season. He then had Rivera pitch the ninth the very next night in a 5-0 victory over the Phillies.

That Torre is craaaaazy.

But to me the real question is this: Is Myers being overworked?

Myers says no. Manuel says no.

Myers is on pace to make 80 relief appearances this season. He is on pace to throw 94 innings. But add those 94 innings to the 15 1/3 innings he threw as a starter and that's 109 1/3 innings. Too much? Too little? Just right?

Some things to think about:

- Salomon Torres (94), Matt Capps (85), Jon Rauch (85), Bobby Howry (84), Scott Proctor (83), Mike Stanton (82), Todd Coffey (81), Geoff Geary (81) and Chad Qualls (81) each made 80 or more appearances last season.
- According to Baseball Reference, a pitcher has made 79 or more appearances 110 times in baseball history. Fifty-five of them have happened from 2000 through 2006. That's exactly half.
- Looking through that list, it's difficult to say making that many relief appearances definitely hurts a pitcher's career. Anecdotally, pitchers like Jim Brower (2004), Paul Quantrill (2001-04), Rheal Cormier (2004), Billy Koch (2002) and Kelly Wunch (2000) experienced drops in production in the seasons following their heavy workload. But pitchers like Quantrill and Cormier were late in their careers. Others were not. Others like Eddie Guardado, Julian Tavarez, Oscar Villareal and Scott Eyre seems to be doing OK. (Eyre's current ERA notwithstanding.)
- People talk a lot about how Goose Gossage, Bruce Sutter and Rollie Fingers regularly threw 100 innings out of the bullpen. Gossage accomplished the feat four times, but never made more than 75 appearances in any of those seasons. Sutter did it five times, but never made more than 71 appearances. Fingers did it 10 times, but never made more than 78 appearances.
- Interestingly, Dave Righetti told me recently that his arm never felt the same after five years of regular use in the Yankees bullpen.

So what do we really know?

Statistically speaking, Myers certainly isn't the first relief pitcher to be used as often as he has been. But how many of those pitchers pitched more than one inning on occasion like Myers? I still think last night would have been the perfect spot for Geary. The only concern I have is that Myers has never pitched out of the bullpen before. He might feel fine now, but how will he feel come August?

*

Sorry, Phillies fans. Wait until next year.

It feels like it's just a matter of time, doesn't it?

Cole Hamels had a perfect game through six innings last night in a 6-2 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. He lost his quest for perfection when he walked Rickie Weeks to start the seventh inning. He lost the no-hitter a batter later when J.J. Hardy hit a two-run homer to left.

In a little more than a year -- Hamels made his big-league debut May 12 last season -- he has had a no hitter through 6 2/3 innings (in Houston on Sept. 16), six innings (last night) and two more entering at least the fifth inning (May 12 and Sept. 4 last season). I thought it was great when Hamels said afterward that he expects to throw a perfect game or no-hitter at least once a season.

Hey, why not be confident like that?

"The great ones expect it," pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "And this guy has a chance to be a great one. You look at his presence. You look at what he expects from himself. It's a motivation thing to be perfect. That's the way he competes. Sometimes he'll get in his own way trying to be so good. But that's easy to control."

*

Hamels threw a 3-2 changeup to Weeks in the seventh that missed the strike zone. Hamels will throw his changeup -- already considered one of the best in baseball -- in any count in any situation, and he had no plans to change that, even with a perfect game on the line.

"I was just trying to throw it down the plate," Hamels said. "I think when I try to aim, it doesn't go where I want. When I just throw it, it'll definitely go in the general area it needs to go for a strike or a groundout. It just didn't happen."

Dubee had no problem with Hamels throwing his changeup in that count, either.

"He had a perfect game going with (Jeff) Suppan in the sixth and he threw a change up," Dubee said. "This guy has great trust in his fastball. He has great trust in his changeup. And he has a lot more trust in his curveball. He threw 17 tonight, and he threw some real good ones. The ceiling is awful high on this guy with just two pitches, and when he gets his command of the third pitch his ceiling gets higher. His stuff is outstanding."

*

The Phillies (20-20) are .500 for the first time this season.

That's quite a turnaround since they opened the season 4-11. They are 16-9 (.640) since Manuel called a team meeting in Cincinnati on April 21. Only the Milwaukee Brewers (16-8, .667) have a better winning percentage in that span. Unfortunately for the Phillies, the New York Mets (15-9) and Atlanta Braves (14-10) also have played well in that stretch, so the Phillies haven't gained much ground in the National League East standings.

"It's huge," Hamels said. "Our main goal this week was to get back above .500. Because when you're at home, you want to play well in front of the fans and everything. Now we can actually start all over and I think we're definitely getting back to our normal selves. And that's the way we need to play, and that's the way we're going to play. I'm actually really excited about this weekend."

They can get above .500 with a victory this afternoon.

It's Freddy Garcia vs. Ben Sheets.

It's a great opportunity for Garcia to prove his worth.

*

Manuel used Brett Myers last night with a four-run lead, but he has pitched in 15 of 28 games since he moved to the bullpen. That's a lot. But is it too much? Myers thinks he's fine. It's funny, but just a couple weeks ago I got e-mail after e-mail from people telling me that Manuel needs to throw Myers out there for two, three innings at a time. There's obviously a fine line there, but Manuel said he is confident that Dubee has him on the right course.

We'll see.

*

Carlos Ruiz has been a bargain this season. In case anybody is interested, he's making $380,000, which is the big-league minimum. Rod Barajas is making $3 million, which includes a $500,000 buyout for 2008.

*

Braves righthander Mike Gonzalez is on the DL with an elbow problem. Gonzalez had tendinitis in the elbow last season and missed a few days earlier this season with the same problem.

It's raining at Citizens Bank Park, but baseball is expected to be played tonight.

In the meantime, here are a few updates on Tom Gordon and Ryan Howard:

Gordon is expected to be cleared medically Friday, when he will begin a light conditioning program. If everything goes well, he will go to Clearwater, Fla., early next week for a more intensive program. That program includes throwing. But for the moment, it's unknown when he will begin pitching or when he will able to pitch competitively. In other words, it sounds like Gordon won't be back anytime soon.

Howard is showing improvement with his strained left quadriceps. He said he ran today and it felt OK. He will continue his rehab program through Monday. He then will work with former trainer Jeff Cooper on Tuesday. Unless he suffers a setback, he will have a rehab assignment in single-A Lakewood on May 23 and 24. He is eligible to be activated May 25.

*

Closer Brett Myers’ intro music is White Zombie’s “Children of the Grave.” The track, a cover of the 1971 Black Sabbath original, is available on iTunes for 99 cents.

Why White Zombie?

"To get people pumped up," he said. "Doesn't it have that aura about it?"

Carlos Ruiz is not on the All-Star Game ballot for the Phillies.

Rod Barajas is.

Those ballots are made early, and the Phillies certainly thought Barajas would get the majority of playing time this season. They signed him to a $2.5 million contract (with a $500,000 buyout for 2008). He was experienced. Ruiz, while talented, had never played a full-season at the big-league level and that concerned them. But it's May 16, and Ruiz, who hit a game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth inning last night in a 4-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers, has made his presence known. He is hitting .295 with three home runs and 17 RBIs in 95 at-bats. He has a .474 slugging percentage and a .337 on-base percentage. And he has put up those numbers hitting eighth in the lineup, which is never easy.

Manager Charlie Manuel, who said in the spring that the better performer would earn more playing time, has noticed. Ruiz has started 24 of the team's 39 games this season, including the last four.

Barajas (.178, two homers, four RBIs) has started 15.

How do Ruiz's numbers compare to other catchers in baseball?

In the majors, amongst catchers with at least 80 at-bats, he ranks 10th in hitting, seventh in slugging and 11th in on-base percentage. He is tied for eighth in home runs and eighth in RBIs. And it's important to note that most of the catchers ahead of him have at least 100 at-bats.

In the National League, Atlanta Braves catcher Brian McCann is hitting .289 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 114 at-bats. He has a .456 slugging percentage and .357 on-base percentage. Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Russell Martin is hitting .313 with two homers and 23 RBIs in 131 at-bats. He has a .450 slugging and .388 on-base. Milwaukee Brewers catcher Johnny Estrada is hitting .301 with five homers and 14 RBIs in 123 at-bats. He has a .496 slugging and .323 on-base.

I would suspect Martin, McCann, Estrada and Chicago Cubs catcher Michael Barrett receive the most serious consideration for the All-Star Game in San Francisco. Could Ruiz play himself into the discussion? There's no reason why he couldn't, but I don't think he's well enough known to surpass them. (Sometimes that's all it takes.) But he also might not have the at-bats to considered.

Maybe he should.

*

Cole Hamels could get the Phillies (19-20) to .500 for the first time this season with a good start tonight. He's been in the big leagues for a year, and it's been a good one.

This is the 3,456th time I've written about the Phillies bullpen since spring training started, but this afternoon I had a chance to talk with Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. about their chances to improve it.

Amaro would not confirm it, but the Phillies would have been interested in lefthander Ron Villone had he become available. Villone had a clause in his contract that if the New York Yankees didn't promote him from triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre by today he could become a free agent. The Yankees weren't going to just let Villone walk, so they promoted him. So that means there's very, very little left for the Phillies to pursue. Dustin Hermanson? Not interested. Rheal Cormier? Weren't interested. (Cormier signed a minor-league contract Sunday with Atlanta.)

"We're still pushing to try to get some bullpen help," Amaro said. "And we've been looking at every avenue."

But everybody is looking for the same thing.

And the market is dry.

"Oh, it's dry," Amaro said. "You'll see very little movement, unless people are deciding to send two or three of their best prospects in their system for a middle reliever. I don't think you're going to see a lot of movement at all. Because, you know, it's supply and demand. And I think one reason why you won't see much at the trade deadline is there are so many teams that are actually in it. And the teams that are in it are teams that usually have pitching. And those guys aren't going to move pitching. They're looking for more. Now if there are teams that drop out that have some surplus in that area and might be able to gain some prospects or improve in another area on their club, then maybe there will be teams to deal with. But when there are 29 other teams doing the same thing we're doing? And there's probably five or six really solid bullpens in all of baseball? You can do the math."

So how does this trade market for bullpen help compare to previous years?

"It's always been tough," Amaro said. "We had to trade (Placido) Polanco to get (Ugueth) Urbina, which ended up being a great trade for us at the time because we would have never been able to get close to that race. Sometimes you to have give up quality to get quality. We didn't necessarily want to move Polanco. We knew what kind of player he was, but we felt it was necessary at the time. And a lot of these trades are time and circumstance."

Interestingly, the Braves made a similar trade this offseason. They traded Adam LaRoche, who hit 32 home runs with 90 RBIs last season, to Pittsburgh for Mike Gonzalez.

"Pat (Gillick) has talked about that before," Amaro said. "You've got to send quality for quality, and sometimes, especially in pitching, you have to overpay. Now, we didn't have a 30-home run guy that we were going to be able to trade who was not under a huge contract. It just wan't going to happen for us because we didn't have the same resource that Atlanta had at the time."

Will help come? Possibly. But it's more likely to be Ryan Madson and Tom Gordon returning from the disabled list than a stud from somewhere else.

They're so cliche, but the questions are asked anyway:

Can a victory like this be a turning point in a season?

Can it be a momentum builder?

The Phillies beat the Milwaukee Brewers last night at Citziens Bank Park, 8-6. The Brewers, who own the best record in the National League, were 21-0 when leading after seven innings this season. The Phillies were 1-15 when trailing after seven. So the ballpark was rocking and rolling as the Phillies beat Derrick Turnbow, scoring six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. But I guess I'm not a big believer in one game being able to turn around a season. I remember Larry Bowa always saying that momentum depended on the next game's starting pitcher.

I believe there is truth in that.

Phillies righthander Adam Eaton (3-3, 7.43 ERA) faces Brewers righthander Claudio Vargas (3-0, 2.65 ERA) in the second game of this four-game series tonight. Will last night's victory ensure Eaton throws seven quality innings like last week in Arizona? You know, because of the momentum?

Hardly.

The Phillies were 4-11 (.267) when Charlie Manuel held a team meeting in Cincinnati on April 21. They are 14-9 (.609) since. People thought Manuel's meeting might be the turning point in the season because the Phillies won five-straight games and seven of their next nine. But then the Phillies lost six of their next nine. What happened to the momentum? The bullpen imploded. The offense stalled.

The Phillies simply need to be more consistent if they expect to make the postseason, and it's unlikely one victory will springboard them into making that happen. Consistent teams win games like last night's on occassion. Inconsistent teams win games like this far less.

The Phillies have had consistent starting pitching recently. If that continues and their offense continues to score runs, they could make things interesting once Ryan Madson and Tom Gordon return to the bullpen -- assuming Gordon gets healthy and can pitch effectively. Momentum? Season altering games? It's talent. It's production and performance. If the Phillies have it, they will continue to win. If they don't, they will continue to frustrate.

*

Brewers manager Ned Yost explains why he started the fatal eighth inning with Brian Shouse rather than Turnbow. I'm still not sure why Yost left in Turnbow so long after it became clear he practically had abandoned his splitter and was going to throw mostly fastballs.

*

The Phillies snapped their streak of seven-consecutive quality starts. Still, Jamie Moyer, who allowed five runs in 6 1/3 innings, has been one of the biggest bright spots in the Pat Gillick Era.

*

This week's Sports Illustrated -- Cleveland's Grady Sizemore is on the cover -- surveyed 11 high-ranking big-league talent evaluators. They asked them to pick their dream rotation of pitchers with less than a year of big-league service time.

Boston's Daisuke Matsuzaka received eight first-place votes and finished first for 46 total points.

Cole Hamels received two first-place votes and finished second for 40 total points.

Yankees prospect Phil Hughes finished third with 25 points.

Interesting, huh?

*

We Should be GM's points out that Turnbow looks like Boober from Fraggle Rock. My Lord, what an old-school reference. I watched that show as a kid, but I couldn't name one character from there. Nice work.

"I think one of the most interesting things about Milwaukee is that it's the only American city to elect three Socialist mayors."

"Does this guy know how to party or what?"

-- Wayne's World

The Phillies open a four-game series tonight against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citizens Bank Park, and unlike previous seasons the Brewers aren't a laughingstock.

They're actualy the best team in the National League.

Well, they at least have the best record.

How? It's pretty simple. Good hitting and pitching. They have scored 185 runs, which is second in the league only to the Phillies (187). They also have a 3.38 ERA, which is the fourth-best ERA in the league behind the Dodgers, Mets and Padres. (The Phillies rank 14th with a 4.50 ERA.) The Brewers bullpen has a 3.09 ERA, but their back end is enough to make Charlie Manuel green with envy. The Brewers have blown just two of 18 save opportunities. That 89 percent success rate ranks best in the league. Closer Francisco Cordero has a 0.54 ERA and 15 saves in 15 appearances. Setup man (and former closer) Derrick Turnbow is 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA and one save in 16 appearances.

The Phillies would love to have a 1-2 punch like that at some point. Perhaps that happens when Tom Gordon returns from the disabled list. We'll save the should-Gordon-be-the-setup-man-for-Myers question later. But clearly the Brewers have a tremendous advantage by being able to shorten the game to seven innings.

*

The latest Philliescast is up.

*

Isn't that the old Brewers logo to the right? Yes, it is. It's the logo they had the last time they made the playoffs ... in 1982. The Phillies have been to two World Series since then. So maybe it's not that bad being a Phillies fan.

Not that it's easy, but it could be worse.

Right?

*

The Phillies offense went silent in yesterday's 4-1 loss to the Chicago Cubs. The offense will be pinned for that one (even though Jimmy Rollins wasn't particularly impressed with Ted Lilly), but I think if the starting pitching continues to pitch as well as it has -- the Phillies have seven-consecutive quality starts -- this team eventually should hit the .500 mark. Of course, that's assuming the offense holds up without Ryan Howard in the lineup -- even though he struggled he had a presence that changed the way opposing managers managed -- and the bullpen can hold itself together until Ryan Madson and Gordon return.

*

I heard Brett Myers might not have been available after throwing two innings in Saturday's victory over the Cubs. That meant Manuel couldn't use Geoff Geary when the Phillies were trailing by a run in the top of the ninth inning. Manuel went to Antonio Alfonseca instead, and he continued to struggle as the Cubs tacked on two more runs in the ninth. Lefthander Fabio Castro has been no better than lefthander Matt Smith. He walked the only batter he faced.

By the way, Smith is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in four appearances for triple-A Ottawa. In four innings, he has allowed five hits, two runs and two walks. He has struck out three and opponents have hit .294 against him. That's actually an improvement from where he was with the Phillies. He had an 11.25 ERA in nine appearances, walking 11 in just four innings.

*

The Phillies had no interest in lefthander Rheal Cormier, who just signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta. Why? Well, there were some durability issues with Cormier last season. He simply couldn't pitch as often as Manuel needed him, which often put Manuel in a bind. They also must not think he's that much of an improvement over Castro or Smith.

Time will tell.

*

The Washington Nationals are bad, but not as bad as Teddy Roosevelt in the President's Race at RFK Stadium Teddy has never won a race. He talks about it.

Kind of.

Chris Coste rejoined the Phillies today at Citizens Bank Park because the Phillies placed Ryan Howard on the disabled list after last night's 11-7 victory over the Chicago Cubs.

Facts about Coste:
- He made his big-league debut May 26 last season, becoming the oldest player (33 years, 111 days) to make his big-league debut with the Phillies since Izzy Leon (34 years, 168 days) on June 21, 1945.
- The Phillies went 61-54 (.530) the rest of the way.
- The Phillies are 8,720-9,921 (.468) in franchise history without Coste.

Just sayin'.

*

The Inquirer's Sunday baseball column.

*

Happy Mother's Day!

"Oh, you were finished? Oh, well allow me to retort." - Jules Winnfield

Pat Gillick criticized the middle of the Phillies lineup in yesterday's Inquirer, and Pat Burrell responded with two home runs in last night's 7-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Citizens Bank Park.

Burrell has three home runs this season.

He said afterward he wasn't aware of Gillick's comments.

"I didn't know," he said. "I try not to read the papers around here. If that's the case, [the criticism] is true. You have to look at the production of the middle of the lineup and guys have to pick it up. I have no problem with that."

Did Burrell truly not hear Gillick's comments? Maybe. Maybe not. In my experience, word travels fast, especially if that information is critical. But seriously, that doesn't matter. What matters is that Burrell came up big at the beginning of a big homestand. While I think the inconsistent pitching has played a larger role in the Phillies' struggles than the production from Ryan Howard, Wes Helms and Burrell, I think the middle of the lineup needs to play big while Tom Gordon and Ryan Madson are on the disabled list. Burrell actually has hit fairly well with runners in scoring position (.333 with two homers and 14 RBIs) while Helms (.158, 10 RBIs) has struggled. If Howard can get back on the field -- he might not play this afternoon as he continues to recover from a sore left quadriceps (nobody with the Phillies has ruled out a stint on the DL) -- and Burrell and Helms pick up the pace, they could start outslugging some teams. And that would be nice while the pitching staff tries to get healthy and more consistent (i.e. Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton).

*

Here's another look at Howard's grand slam Wednesday in Arizona.

*

Phil Sheridan wonders if it's possible to envy and feel sorry for Burrell at the same time?

*

Forgot to mention yesterday that the latest Philliescast is up.

*

This isn't baseball related, but as a native Wisconsinite I thought this was pretty funny.

It's time to get going.

The Phillies open a 10-game homestand tonight at Citizens Bank Park with a 15-19 record. They would need to go 7-3 against the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Bue Jays at home to reach .500 for the first time this season. If they finish the homestand at 6-4 (a two-game swing) there's a good chance they won't be .500 before they enter June. Consider for a second that this team barely missed the playoffs in three of the last four seasons (2003, 2005 and 2006). They were 19-15 at this point last season and in 2003, while they were 15-19 in 2005.

So what's the cure?

Pat Gillick said it's time for the middle of the lineup to get its act together. Pat Burrell and Wes Helms have a combined one home run this season. One. Ryan Howard has struggled. There's no question the Phillies' four, five and six hitters have been a disappointment in terms of driving in runs, but in my mind the bullpen and struggles from Freddy Garcia and Adam Eaton have played a bigger factor. The Phillies are third in runs scored, but maybe what Gillick is saying is that because there's no chance to upgrade the pitching this is the only way this team can get on the right track.

Phil Sheridan writes about Charlie Manuel's job status. Should he stay? Should he go? Sheridan writes that firing Manuel probably won't solve much becuase this team is seriously flawed. I agree. Like I wrote in a post last week in San Francisco, I would love to see Lou Piniella or Jim Leyland try to win with this bullpen.

By the way, Gillick said, "Yep," when asked if he still is happy with Manuel's performance.

I don't think Manuel is going anywhere anytime soon.

I had somebody e-mail me recently about the Phillies bench and how badly they could use Jeff Conine or David Dellucci.

The Phillies traded Conine (aka Niner) in the off-season because they acquired Jayson Werth, and as a personal favor to Conine, who wouldn't play nearly as much as he had last season, they traded him to the Cincinnati Reds. Dellucci was miserable in Philadelphia and wanted an opportunity to play regularly, so he signed with the Cleveland Indians. He wasn't coming back.

Conine is hitting .259 (15 for 58) with two home runs and 13 RBIs for the Reds. He has a .297 on-base percentage. Dellucci is hitting .250 (20 for 80) with one homer and three RBIs for the Indians. He has a .310 on-base percentage. How does that compare to the Phillies' fourth and fifth outfielders? Werth is hitting .273 (9 for 33) with three RBIs and a .385 on-base percentage. Michael Bourn, the team's fifth outfielder, is hitting .278 (5 for 18) with one RBI, but has been a contributed as a late-inning replacement for Pat Burrell. Bourn also has a .381 on-base percentage. Conine has knocked in 13 runs, but also has more at-bats than Werth and Bourn combined.

One of my criticisms of Charlie Manuel is that he could play his bench players more. He often says that it's hard to play his bench players when the team is losing. But then when the team is winning he says it's hard to take his starters out because they need to keep winning (or it's late in the season). I understand that. But Greg Dobbs, who is hitting .200 (7 for 35) with one homer and nine RBIs, could have maybe had an extra start or two. Werth could have picked up a couple more starts in left field with Burrell struggling. And sometimes I wonder if Manuel ever will give Bourn a start?

Maybe I'm wrong, but looking at the numbers I don't think the absence of Conine or Delllucci has aboslutely killed this team, although I certainly am not saying the Phillies couldn't use Conine's bat off the bench. They could. They absolutely could. But nobody knows how Manuel would have used Conine here. My guess is that he would have about the same at-bats as Werth. And as any pinch-hitter will tell you, it's terribly difficult to be productive in that role without regular work.

*

After looking up the numbers for Conine and Dellucci, I thought I would see how some other Phillies from last season's team are doing:

- Randy Wolf, Dodgers: 3-3, 4.61 ERA in seven starts
- Mike Lieberthal, Dodgers: .222 (4 for 18) and one RBI with a .222 OBP.
- Rick White, Astros: 1-0, 1.54 ERA in eight appearances. He's on the DL.
- Bobby Abreu, Yankees: .250 (34 for 136) with one homer and 18 RBIs. He has a .325 OBP.
- Ryan Franklin, Cardinals: 1-0, 1.20 ERA in 14 appearances.

Uh, where was that production from Franklin last season?

The Phillies boarded a plane for Philadelphia last night, ready to enjoy their first real day off since April 10.

That's a good thing.

"It seemed like we had a lot of things going on," said manager Charlie Manuel, referring to the team's just completed 10-game road trip. "We had injuries. Missing people. Not having our lineup. Not having our bullpen. There was a lot going on, but at the same time I felt like we dealt with it pretty good. Right now we're trying like hell to get to .500. I feel we get to .500 and we can take off and get back in the race."

They begin a 10-game homestand tomorrow night against the Chicago Cubs.

Is that a good thing? The Phillies, who beat Arizona 9-3 yesterday at Chase Field, play three this weekend against the Cubs, who have won eight of their last 10. They are the hottest team in the National League right now ... other than the Milwaukee Brewers. The Brewers have won 9 of 10, own the best record in baseball and roll into town for a four-game series next week. The Phillies close the homestand against the struggling Toronto Blue Jays.

The Phillies are 15-19, so they would need to go 7-3 on the homestand to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season. That seems to be much to ask of a team that is maddeningly inconsistent and has Tom Gordon and Ryan Madson on the DL and Ryan Howard battling a sore left quadriceps.

*

Howard said before yesterday's victory that he hoped to return to the lineup tomorrow night against the Cubs. It will be interesting to see because the Phillies face a pair of lefthanders this weekend: Rich Hill tomorrow and Ted Lilly on Sunday -- and Howrd has struggled miserably against lefthanders this season. Is it possible the Phillies rest him through the weekend? I very much doubt it, but I wouldn't be totally shocked if it happened.

*

Howard is 3 for 21 (.143) in May.

His three hits are home runs.

*

Everybody can relax. Brett Myers threw a two-inning save last night against the Diamondbacks.

*

Shane Victorino, on Randy Johnson's early dominance. Johnson struck out the first six batters he faced and had a three-hit shutout through six innings: "Randy came out with all that he had. He was painting on the inner half at 94, 95. His slider was working. For the most part everything was going well. Sometimes I felt like I should have gone up there without a bat."

I'm sure everybody heard Curt Schilling's crazy comments about Barry Bonds.

Well, he apologized.

Schilling at least acknowledged his hypocrisy. He constantly talks about his strong Christian faith, yet often doesn't practice what he preaches. Maybe this will humble him.

Somehow I doubt it.

*

Just as I suspected, the talking heads on ESPN (and other networks I will assume) say stuff just to say stuff, not because they believe it.

*

The Phillies open a 10-game homestand Friday against the Chicago Cubs. The Milwaukee Brewers come to town next week for a four-game series. The Brewers have the best record in baseball.

The. Best. Record. In. Baseball.

Who knew?

Brewers fans are so excited about this they're looking for volunteers to, well, just check out this site.

*

Win a date with Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer? Is it just me or could somebody in Hollywood turn this into a really crappy movie? Uh, nevermind. But let's get back to this whole idea. Finding a date for Joe Freakin' Mauer? Isn't that like holding a charity fundraiser for Lindsay Lohan's next bender in New York? This guy can't need help. I refuse to believe it.

Now this guy can use some help.

I can hear the fury from my hotel room in Scottsdale.

Charlie Manuel found himself in a familiar situation in last night's 3-2 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, and this time he went the other way. In the top of the seventh inning in a tie game, the Phillies had runners on first and third and two outs. Manuel had Adam Eaton hit for himself rather than use one of his available hitters on the bench: Ryan Howard, Wes Helms or Jayson Werth. Eaton grounded out to end the inning and the Phillies wouldn't have another base runner the rest of the night. Eaton allowed a solo homer to Tony Clark with two outs in the bottom of the inning to lose it.

In Monday's 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks, Manuel pinch-hit for Freddy Garcia with a runner on second and no outs in the top of the seventh inning. The Phillies trailed at the time and Manuel said he wanted to try to win there with the top of the lineup coming up, despite the fact Garcia was pitching well, having thrown just 70 pitches and allowed just two runs in six innings. The Phillies tied the game, but the bullpen allowed a couple runs to lose it.

So Monday, Manuel pulls Garcia when he is pitching well and the bullpen loses it.

So Tuesday, Manuel keeps Eaton in when he is pitching well and he loses it.

Good calls that backfired? Bad calls?

The Phillies lost both games, so those decisions certainly will receive serious criticism. But did Monday's bullpen failures influence Manuel's decision-making process Tuesday? He wouldn't say that, but I'm sure it entered his mind.

Update: The more I think about it, the more I think Manuel allowed Eaton to hit because he simply has little faith in the bullpen. Manuel said afterward that if he had pinch-hit Howard for Eaton that the Diamondbacks probably would have intentionally walked Howard. If so, so what? That would have sent Aaron Rowand to the plate with the bases loaded and Rowand is hitting .407 with runners in scoring position and .538 with runners in scoring position and two outs this season. I would have taken my chances there. But I'm sure Manuel feared that if the Phillies would not have scored his bullpen would have been unable to hold the tie.

"Our biggest thought was that Eaton had pitched real good and he had the bottom of the order coming up (in the seventh)," Manuel said. "I definitely felt he had a lot left to get through that inning."

There's no guarantee Howard, Helms or Werth would have knocked-in the go-ahead run. But Manuel knows he opened up himself to second guessing because he went the other way after pulling Garcia the night before.

*

Not sure if Eaton misspoke, but he said when pitching coach Rich Dubee visited him in the bottom of the seventh inning when Clark pinch-hit for Micah Owings that Dubee asked him if he had faced Clark before.

Eaton told us he had.

But he never did.

*

Phillies lefthander Jamie Moyer faces Diamondbacks lefthander Randy Johnson today in the series finale.

*

Antonio Alfonseca is struggling lately, but Manuel thinks he's fine.

*

Camden Riversharks manager Joe Ferguson was behind the plate when Hank Aaron passed Babe Ruth.

*

When will the Phillies lose their 10,000th game? Balls, Sticks, & Stuff wants you to guess. For a couple prizes, too.

Charlie Manuel put on his brave face after last night's 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

"We need somebody to step up and get a job," he said of his depleted bullpen.

But I will bet this: Manuel knows his team is in serious trouble while Ryan Madson and Tom Gordon are hurt. Consider for a second the combined ERA for closer Brett Myers and setup man Geoff Geary: 1.38 (four earned runs in 26 1/3 innings). Then consider the combined ERA for Antonio Alfonseca, Fabio Castro, Clay Condrey, Yoel Hernandez and Francisco Rosario: 6.06 (22 earned runs in 32 2/3 innings).

In other words, Manuel only has two consistent, reliable options in the bullpen at the moment. (Condrey has a 2.25 ERA in three appearances earlier this season, but the Phillies outrighted him at one point.) He can't burn Myers and Geary every night, so that means he's left to use inexperienced pitchers like Rosario and Hernandez in key situations.

"Those are tough spots in the game," Manuel said. "Yeah, it's a lot to ask somebody who hasn't done it."

He just has no choice.

*

Manuel said he went with Rosario in the eighth inning instead of Geary because "we figured Geary for the ninth and if the game kept going he would give us at least two innings and then we had Myers back to close. It didn't come out good."

*

But at least Freddy Garcia pitched very well. In six innings, he allowed five hits, two runs and no walks. He struck out two.

He threw just 70 pitches.

Garcia could have pitched at least eight innings if he could continued to pitch as economically as he had. But the Phillies had to pinch-hit for him in the top of the seventh inning, when they scored two runs to tie the game.

"I didn't want to take Freddy out of the game," Manuel said.

Neither did Garcia.

"I wish I could have gone one more inning," he said. "It's really tough for me because in a game like this in the American League I could go seven, eight, complete game. I had to be aware because we're trying to win the game. But I wasn't surprised. That's the way they play here. That's the way the National League goes. That's the decision for the manager and he's trying to do what's best for the team. I respect that."

*

Some have wondered why Manuel didn't let Garcia hit for himself in the seventh with Carlos Ruiz on second, no outs and the Phillies down a run. Garcia potentially could have sacrificed Ruiz to third, leaving Jimmy Rollins or Shane Victorino to score Ruiz.

Of course, that'a assuming Garcia could execute the sacrifice. And that's assuming Rollins and Victorino could get the ball out of the infield (both of them grounded out to second base in the seventh and the balls were hit hard enough that Ruiz wouldn't have scored.)

But here is Manuel's explanation anyway.

"Once we had the guy on second with nobody out, I felt like it was time for us to try to win the game," he said. "If there were guys on first and second he would have bunted. If there was a guy on first he would have bunted."

Frankly, I have no problem with the call. Obviously, you would have preferred to keep Garcia in. But mark my word: if Manuel had let Garcia hit and the Phillies had lost 2-1, he would be ripped today for not pinch-hitting for Garcia with a runner on second, no outs and down a run in the seventh. Guaranteed.

*

More on Ryan Howard's problems this season.

*

The Phillies need Adam Eaton to pitch well tonight to give this team a chance to go 5-5 on this 10-game road trip. He hasn't pitched well so far.

*

Phil Sheridan writes about how Barry Bonds is just the tip of the iceberg.

The Phillies just announced that Ryan Howard won't be in the starting lineup this week against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field because of a sore left quadriceps that has been bothering him since spring training.

Howard, manager Charlie Manuel and athletic trainer Scott Sheridan met today and decided that the injury is enough of a concern that he shouldn't play. Howard, who took batting and fielding practice before tonight's game, will be examined by team physician Michael Ciccotti on Friday in Philadelphia.

Howard is hitting .200 with five home runs and 19 RBIs this season.

"In a couple of days hopefully it'll feel better," Howard said. "If not ..."

The disabled list?

Freddy Garcia will start tonight against Arizona. He bruised his left shin yesterday running into a maintenance cart at AT&T Park in San Francisco.

That's good news, despite the fact Garcia is 1-2 with a 6.05 ERA in four starts. If couldn't start, the Phillies probably would have had to use the bullpen, something they can ill afford.

Garcia hasn't lasted more than five innings this season. It's unclear if his bruise will prevent him from pitching deep, regardless of how effective he is.

*

A Citizen's Blog breaks down Adam Eaton's troubles.

Eaton starts tomorrow night.

*

The latest Philliescast is up.

... Giants rookie righthander Tim Lincecum bears a resemblence to Cameron Frye in Ferris Bueller's Day Off?

*

Shane Victorino had a heck of a series against the Giants. He hit .588 (10 for 17) with one double, one home run, four RBIs, seven runs scored, six stolen bases and one walk. Victorino was upset Wednesday in Atlanta because Charlie Manuel benched him for the second-straight day.

So did Manuel motivate Victorino?

Or did the rest simply help?

*

Cole Hamels (4-1) didn't have his best in last night's 8-5 victory, but that's what makes him so much fun to watch. He didn't dominate, but he gutted out a win anyway. In seven innings, he allowed eight hits, five runs (three earned runs) and two walks. He struck out nine.

Because Hamels pitched the seventh, it allowed Manuel to go directly to Geoff Geary and Brett Myers in the eighth and ninth innings.

That was sorely needed, especially if Freddy Garcia can't pitch tonight and Manuel needs somebody from the bullpen to start.

Freddy Garcia is cursed.

Or maybe it's just the Phillies.

In my five years covering the Phillies, I have never seen an injury like the one I saw yesterday at AT&T Park. Garcia (his voodoo doll is pictured at the right) ran into a grounds crew maintenance cart stopped on the warning track in center field during batting practice. He suffered a contusion to his left shin -- contusion is a fancy word meaning "bruise" -- and might not make tonight's start against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

Now wouldn't that be a ... ?

“There’s no fracture of any kind,” Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said before last night's 8-5 victory over the San Francisco Giants. “We’ve got him iced down. We just think we’ll have to wait and see how he feels after the game and how he feels tomorrow. Basically, it could stiffen up over night and get sore over night so we’ll have to see how much soreness is there tomorrow.”

The driver actually stopped the cart on the warning track because Ryan Howard had batted a ball to center field and he didn't want to get hit.

Isn't that ironic?

“The guy stopped the cart right in front of him,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “Damn, use that head for something besides a hat rack.”

"Who expects to get hit by a cart during batting practice?" Garcia said

Who expects to get hit by a cart, period?

Who expects a cart on the field during batting practice, period?

To make matters worse for Garcia, he had to be carted to the visitor’s dugout by the same cart that caused the injury.

Gillick said Garcia is not headed to the DL, so if he can't start I'm not sure what the heck Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee will do.

Panic? Hunt down the driver?

"We're suing!" Brett Myers said.

Charlie Manuel has taken quite a beating since he became Phillies manager.

Larry Bowa never would have done that ...

Jim Leyland never would have done that ...

Lou Piniella never would have done that ...

I'm not saying Manuel is baseball's greatest tactician, but I would be interested to see Bowa, Leyland, Piniella, Connie Mack, Casey Stengal, Earl Weaver or Sparky Anderson try to win with the Phillies' current bullpen. The Phillies just placed Tom Gordon and Ryan Madson on the disabled list. That leaves Manuel with Brett Myers, Geoff Geary and Antonio Alfonseca in the back and Francisco Rosario, Fabio Castro, Yoel Hernandez and Clay Condrey in the front.

The Phillies entered the season with a thin bullpen.

They're Olsen twins-thin today.

Manuel is terribly shorthanded. Take a look at what happened in yesterday's 9-4 loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park. Manuel used Rosario, Castro and Hernandez in situations they never would have been used just a couple days ago. But because of the injuries, because Alfonseca was unavailable and because he wanted to keep Geary and Myers in his pocket in case the Phillies tied or took the lead, he had little choice.

Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said Thursday that the trade market is cold right now. Pitchers are dropping like flies and pitching is a precious commodity. So don't expect any outside help anytime soon.

In the immediate future, it's hard to pin this team's troubles on Manuel.

*

Ryan Howard is hitting .198 with four home runs and 17 RBIs. In 91 at-bats, he has struck out 37 times (40.7 percent of his at-bats).

*

The Phillies' four, five and six hitters -- Howard, Pat Burrell and Wes Helms -- have just five home runs.

*

The Phillies have taken heat for using Gordon, despite the fact he never was 100 percent to start the season. The beat writers (asking the tough questions) asked Manuel why they didn't go to Myers earlier if they knew Gordon wasn't at his best.

"We were trying to get him to the point where he got completely healthy," Manuel said. "That's what we were trying to do. We felt that if we monitored him right that he was going to get there."

*

The Inquirer's Sunday baseball column.

*

Thanks to Mills Chapman, who suggested Yuet Lee in Chinatown. Good stuff. I'm on the road quite a bit, so if anybody has some good restaurant suggestions, feel free to post them. But as somebody who sees fried, greasy foods in the press box on a regular basis, something a little more -- how should I say? -- healthy would be nice. That said, if it's really good -- the word's greatest deep friend Oreos, for instance -- I'll check it out. Maybe.

The Phillies today placed righthander Ryan Madson on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique.

They recalled righthander Clay Condrey (2.25 ERA in three appearances) to take his place.

Madson (0-2, 3.63 ERA in 12 appearances) said the oblique has bothered him since spring training, but not until Thursday did it affect the way he pitched. Madson allowed two hits, one run and two walks in 1 2/3 innings in the 9-7 victory.

"It actually affected the way I threw Thursday, and that's when I knew I might need to stop before I hurt my arm or something else," Madson said.

Madson said he expects to be back in 15 days, although he said is is getting the muscle scanned Monday in Philadelphia.

"It sucks," he said. "But the way I pitched the other night, I can't go out there and pitch like that and affect the outcome of the game just because I'm trying to pitch through something. I've got to get it fixed.

"We all play hurt. We don't feel 100 percent all the time, but it finally got to the point where it was affecting the way I was throwing. I was cutting a lot of balls off. I can't hurt the team. Before I wasn't hurting the team because I was throwing the ball fine. Now I'm not able to throw the ball right."

*

Ryan Howard isn't in the lineup this afternoon against San Francisco Giants lefthander Noah Lowry. Howard has struggled miserably against lefthanders this season, hitting just .135 (5 for 37) with two homers and eight RBIs. But he also has struck out an eye-popping 21 times.

"He'll play tomorrow," manager Charlie Manuel said. "I want him to rest."

I asked Manuel if Howard's problems are mental or physical? His swing certainly looks out of whack, while he clearly is looking more and more frustrated with every at-bat.

"Mental," Manuel said. "He's handled this better than anybody I've ever seen, but the expectations are high. He's trying and he's trying hard. He's trying hard for his team. He's trying hard for everything. We need to clear his mind a little bit."

In another example that numbers sometimes mean little, Jamie Moyer and Adam Eaton each have three wins this season.

Moyer is 3-2 with a 2.85 ERA in six starts. He has pitched absolutely beautifully at times, and has been the Phillies' most consistent starter so far this season. He had thrown six shutout innings in last night's 6-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park when he allowed a bases-clearing double to Eliezer Alfonzo with two outs in the seventh to hand the Giants a one-run lead.

He deserved better.

Moyer has had a quality start every time he has stepped on the mound this season, while Eaton is 3-3 with a National League-worst 8.18 ERA.

*

Dave Righetti talks about his experiences moving from the rotation to the bullpen, and why he thinks Brett Myers will do a great job.

*

Righthander Antonio Alfonseca allowed three runs in the eighth inning. He has allowed seven earned runs in 3 2/3 innings in his last four apperances to raise his ERA from a miniscule 0.75 to 4.60.

Manager Charlie Manuel said afterward that Alfonseca is OK and isn't worried about him.

*

Manuel didn't criticize third base coach Steve Smith for sending Ryan Howard home from second on a single to center in the sixth -- Howard was out, so the Phillies had runners on first and second with one out instead of the bases loaded and no outs -- but you got the feeling that he at least was a bit puzzled.

Manuel said afterward that he has seen Howard, who missed three games last month with a left tib-fib sprain, run better.

*

Jon Lieber can relate to Moyer a bit. In three starts, he is 1-0 with a 1.45 ERA. Lieber faces Giants lefthander Noah Lowry this afternoon.

*

The Food Network named Citizens Bank Park as the place with the best ballpark food in baseball. I can't argue. Tony Luke's, Planet Hoagie, crab fries at Chickie's and Pete's and the Schmitter are top notch (I think Bull's BBQ is overrated). But AT&T Park is right at the top with the lobster and crab rolls available in center field and garlic fries. There's plenty of good food here.

My Lord, baseball finally is recognizing one of the world's best.

The Altoona Curve, the double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, is hosting Cinco de Estrada night tomorrow night.

Yes, Erik Estrada will be in the house.

Ponch.

From CHiPS.

I'm thinking double-A Reading needs to jump on this retro promotion. A few suggestions: 1) The oldest son from Mr. Belvedere. 2) The cast of Just the Ten of Us. 3) Alf.

Don't want to be a drag, but ...

... the Phillies spotted Adam Eaton a seven-run lead in last night's 9-7 victory over the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park, but he could not hold it. In fact, he could not finish the sixth inning. In five-plus innings, Eaton allowed eight hits, six runs, three walks and one hit batter. He struck out five.

Eaton is 3-2 with an 8.18 ERA, which is the worst ERA in the National League.

"He had a tough sixth inning," manager Charlie Manuel said.

The fact that he is pitching like this after signing a three-year, $24.5 million contract must be a little unsettling for the Phillies front office and coaching staff. Because if he continues to pitch like this -- and Freddy Garcia continues to struggle like he has -- it's going to be difficult for this team to get on a sustained winning streak like they had in the past.

"This guy has good stuff," Manuel said of Eaton said. "Everybody talks about his stuff. He has trouble sometimes when he gets in jams, he has trouble getting out. I think that's just a matter of command. I think his command is his biggest problem. He needs to throw quality strikes."

*

Now that Brett Myers is the closer, the Phillies need a new setup man.

*

The Phillies have won 11 of their last 13 games against the Giants, and seven of their last 10 at AT&T Park.

*

Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino went a combined 5 for 9 with two triples, four RBIs and four runs scored. Rollins, who leads the National League in multi-hit games, has reached base in 24 of 28 games.

*

Everybody knows Ryan Howard pulls a ton of ground balls, but how often does he pull fly balls?

*

Former Phillies pitcher Josh Hancock was drunk Saturday when he died in a car crash.

The Phillies officially placed Tom Gordon on the 15-day disabled list today with inflammation in his right rotator cuff. Because the Phillies backdated the move to May 2, Gordon is eligible to be activated May 17. But Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said Gordon won't be able to throw until May 11 at the earliest, so it might be difficult for Gordon to get back that quickly.

The Phillies purchased the contract of triple-A Ottawa righthander Yoel Hernandez to take his place. Hernandez, 27, was 1-0 with a 3.68 ERA and three saves in seven relief appearances this season. But after allowing four runs in his season debut, he had pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings.

The Phillies were high on Hernandez in the recent past, but he pitched in just nine games last season for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre because of a strained right shoulder. (He had a 1.74 ERA and six saves in nine appearances wheh he went down.) The Phillies must see some of what they liked in him before he got hurt last season to get the call.

Brett Myers finished his warm up pitches in the top of the ninth inning last night at AT&T Park.

And then he waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"I was ready to go," Myers said after he picked up his first career save in a 9-7 victory over the San Francisco Giants.

Myers threw a 1-2-3 ninth, which is something Tom Gordon had done just once in nine appearances this season. Myers said he felt no different as he walked to the mound as the team's closer.

"Maybe at home it will be," he said. "But on the road it's not any different. Like I said, it's still just getting people out."

*

Michael Bourn pinch-ran for Shane Victorino in the sixth because Victorino's back stiffened up. But Victorino, who went 3 for 3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, said afterward it wasn't bad and he wanted to continue to play.

*

It's 2:44 a.m. and I just left the clubhouse, so I will post more later. I'm beat.

Manny Ramirez Asks Red Sox If He Can Work From Home

Manny is being Manny again.

Pat Gillick said before tonight's game in San Francisco that Tom Gordon is expected to be placed on the 15-day disabled list tomorrow with right rotator cuff inflammation. Gordon had an injection in his shoulder today in Philadelphia. Gordon will be reevaluated Monday or Tuesday by team physician Michael Ciccotti.

But Gordon won't throw for at least eight days.

He won't be back anytime soon.

Gillick said Gordon's name didn't appear on the team's injury list until April 23, when he first complained of shoulder soreness. He told manager Charlie Manuel before yesterday's loss to Atlanta that he couldn't pitch. But pitching coach Rich Dubee never really was 100 percent at any point, which certainly would explain his early season struggles.

But, hey, why not just read the story?

*

The latest Philliescast is up.

Tom Gordon is hurt.

Charlie Manuel announced after last night's 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field that Gordon has a sore right shoulder. So while the Phillies flew to San Francisco to open a four-game series tonight against the Giants, Gordon is headed to Philadelphia to see team physician Michael Ciccotti.

That means Brett Myers is the closer.

Last night's announcement begs the question: was Gordon ever healthy to begin with? Gordon flew to Philadelphia in March for what the Phillies termed a "routine exam." But Manuel said last night that Gordon had some stiffness in his shoulder at the time, which is the real reason he flew home. It's worth noting that the only reason anybody knows of this exam in the first place is because an Inquirer reporter and Daily News reporter just happened to be at the Tampa airport at the same time as Gordon.

"Uh, why is Tom Gordon at our gate?"

I remember that day vividly. I talked with numerous Phillies front office officials, Manuel, pitching coach Rich Dubee, etc., about Gordon's surprise trip to Philadelphia. Lots of people.

"Everything is fine," assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said.

"Seriously, there's nothing wrong there," Manuel said.

"Tom Gordon is doing fine," Dubee said. "Flash? I'm fine with Flash's health. "

But according to Manuel last night, everything wasn't fine with Gordon's health.

I think the most anybody said that day is that Gordon has his usual spring training tightness in his forearm and elbow. Definitely not the shoulder. The Phillies might not have wanted to tip their hand because they were trying to trade Jon Lieber for bullpen help. Certainly any chance they had to make a deal would have become impossibly difficult if teams learned Gordon had a bad shoulder.

Gordon had the exam in Philadelphia on March 12 and returned to the mound March 17. Everything seemed OK. But then Gordon wouldn't throw his curveball and the Phillies moved Myers into the bullpen, something that had been kicked around for months. I thought at the time that it meant the Phillies were more worried about Gordon than they had let on.

It turns out they probably were.

But then Gordon (1-1 with a 4.87 ERA and three blown saves in eight opportunities) said something that struck me April 20 in Cincinnati after he blew a save in a 2-1 loss to the Reds.

"I've been able to get a lot better strength-wise," Gordon said that night. "I'm still battling it a little bit, but not as much as I thought I would be. I'll get there eventually. I'm just hoping that it happens very soon."

Wha ...?

It was April 20 and Gordon still wasn't at full strength?

Now we know why.

Hopefully, we'll learn more today.

*

So far Freddy Garcia has looked nothing like the pitcher they thought they acquired in December for Gio Gonzalez (4-1, 1.91 ERA for double-A Birmingham in five starts) and Gavin Floyd (1-2, 3.94 ERA in five starts for triple-A Charlotte).

Could this be another Kevin Millwood/Johnny Estrada situation: a trade that looked promising at the time but never fulfilled the hype?

*

Shane Victorino didn't start for the second-straight night, and he' s not happy about it. I'm sure he will be in the lineup tonight.

*

The Phillies continue their march toward 10,000 losses. It's Phillies righthander Adam Eaton (2-2, 7.71 ERA) vs. Giants righthander Matt Cain (1-1, 1.54 ERA). How in the world does Cain have just one win? He has pitched no fewer than six innings in any of his five starts, and hasn't allowed more than one run in his last four.

Meanwhile, Eaton has allowed fewer than four runs in just one of his five starts.

A reader informed me on my Q&A forum that May's arrival means it's OK to wear white again.

Uh, thanks?

I'm not sure white jeans are my thing. In my mind, May means it's time for the Phillies to continue their climb to .500 after another losing April.

April has been a horrible month for the Phillies. Here are some of last month's higlights. Next season Charlie Manuel should avoid preaching the importance of a fast start. He should just say, "Listen, we're going to start the season slowly. And when I say slowly, I mean we're going to dig ourselves a big hole. But the good news is that we seem to play much better in May."

The Phillies opened May last night with a 6-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field.

They have finished 11-14 (2007), 10-14 (2006), 10-14 (2005) and 10-11 (2004) in their last four Aprils. They have finished 17-11 (2006), 15-13 (2005) and 17-11 (2004) in their last three Mays.

I'm not sure why they continue to start slowly, but play better in May.

But I'm pretty sure it has nothing to with being able to wear white.

*

A year ago May 1, Manuel blew up at his team in the visitor's dugout at Dolphin Stadium in Miami. It sparked a 13-1 run.

*

It looks like former Phillies pitcher Josh Hancock might have been drunk early Sunday when he died in a car crash. Tony La Russa doesn't like the fact some of the details are coming out. Interesting because La Russa was arrested in spring training on suspicion of DUI. Phil Sheridan weighs in on this.

*

This week's Sports Illustrated (it has De La Hoya and Mayweather on the cover) has a story about the ridiculously talented shortstops in the NL East: Jimmy Rollins, Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez.

It will be interesting to see who makes the all-star team. I'm guessing Reyes is voted in, with Rollins and Ramirez also making the squad.

*

The pilot of Cory Lidle's plane simply made a mistake.

*

I will keep this blog as Phillies centric as possible, but every once in a while you'll see a little tangent. Like this. I think Snoop says everything I have to say about hockey.

The Phillies had their moments in last night's 5-2 loss to Atlanta at Turner Field. But I think the most interesting thing that came out of yesterday's series opener in Atlanta were details from the team meeting Charlie Manuel called in Cincinnati on April 21. It provides a good look at what went on for nearly 80 minutes behind closed clubhouse doors.

The highlight: Jamie Moyer said, "We're playing like a bunch of (wimps)."

Only he never said "wimps."

Bench coach Jimy Williams criticized the team for being too concerned with style. First base coach Davey Lopes said it made him sick to see players hug and laugh and joke with the other team before the game.

"Lopes told the team that in his playing days, players spent the time before games plotting ways to beat the other team, not greet it."

Wes Helms had described the meeting that night in Cincinnati as a "Thanksgiving dinner." That still seems accurate. Families can get serious at the dinner table (although, not mine). But it sounds like Moyer's words stood out from the rest and might have had the greatest impact on his teammates. How can you not listen to the guy? How can you not respect him? He's a pro. He's here to win. He's not here to look cool. (Style? Other than Manuel, he is the only guy who still wears stirrups.)

*

This certainly isn't the way the Phillies wanted to start their 10-game road trip. It's just another late-inning loss in a season already full of them:

- Ryan Madson allowed two runs in the 10th inning in a 5-3 loss to the Braves at Citizens Bank Park on Opening Day.
- Tom Gordon blew a 2-0 lead in the ninth against the Braves on April 4. The Phillies lost in 11 innings, 3-2.
- The Phillies had a 5-4 lead in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium on April 9, but the Mets scored seven runs off Geoff Geary and Jon Lieber to win, 11-5.
- On April 18, the Nationals beat the Phillies in 13 innings at RFK Stadium, 5-4.
- On April 20, Gordon blew another save in a 2-1 loss in 10 innings to Cincinnati at Great American Ball Park.

*
Antonio Alfonseca wouldn't talk to reporters afterward. He served up the hanging slider to Andruw Jones, who crushed the pitch for a three-run home run in the ninth inning to win it. Alfonseca has refused to talk before. He actually walked past reporters after a poor performance ... in spring training. Interestingly, he has talked when asked about how well he has pitched this season. And before last night, he has pitched well.

*

Chase Utley was named National League player of the week.

*

Sal's Pals live on.

*

I think Rich Eisen did some baseball highlights once or twice, so I will throw this in here.

MLB Credits Hank Aaron With 50 Lost Home Runs

The Phillies play four games in San Francisco later this week, so I will try to get reaction from Barry Bonds about this shocking revelation.