The Zo Zone

"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.

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The latest Philliescast is up.

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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?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.