The Zo Zone

Cole Hamels has suffered a setback and will not start Sunday against the Marlins at Dolphins Stadium.

Hamels felt discomfort in his left elbow in his last bullpen session yesterday. They will shut him down from throwing for the next six days and progress him accordingly. The Phillies think he can be pitching competively again in seven to 10 days, but 10 days seems a safer bet.

Hamels has not pitched since August 16 at Washington.

Adam Eaton will start Sunday in Hamels' place.

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The team also traded Russell Branyan to the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named.

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The Phillies optioned Geoff Geary to triple-A Ottawa and purchased the contract of righthander Kane Davis to take his place. Geary will rejoin the team in Atlanta next week when rosters can expand.

They're not there yet.

But the Phillies are making the journey a fun one. Everybody knows yesterday's dramatic 11-10 victory over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park completed a four-game sweep and moved the Phillies within two games of first place in the NL East and NL wild-card races.

It's hard to believe they were seven games back in the division after Saturday's loss to San Diego.

It's hard to believe they looked cooked.

Buckle your seatbelts, folks.

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The latest Philliescast is up.

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Jim Salisbury writes about how a week of remarkable victories is giving the Phillies a feeling that something special is happening.

Salisbury talks more about the Phillies and the wild-card race.

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Not to be Debbie Downer, but Jimmy Rollins wants everybody to take a deep breath.

He knows the Phillies have been in this situation before. The Phillies held the wild-card lead with eight games to play in 2003 but finished 1-7 to lose the berth to the Florida Marlins. They held the wild-card lead with 16 games to play in 2005 but finished one game behind the Houston Astros. And last season, they held the wild-card lead with seven games to play but finished 3-4 to lose the berth to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

They're two back in both races this time, and 29 games is a looooooong time.

I still have concerns about this team's pitching. If they can get consistent pitching for the next 29 games, I think they have a great shot. If they don't ...

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Here are the pitching match ups for this weekend's series in Florida.

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Freddy Garcia had season-ending surgery yesterday. Yes, he earned $10 million for one win.

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Got on the phone last night and talked with Harry Mayes and Jamie Yannacone (aka The 700 Level Sports Fanatics) on Sports Radio 950. Listen to the podcast here.

Mayes streaked last night because he didn't believe the Phillies could sweep the Mets.

Thankfully for him, it wasn't cold out last night.

We're trying something different today on The Zo Zone. Like most of you, a bunch of people in the Inquirer newsroom are sitting at their desk watching this afternoon's Phillies-Mets game. So we thought we'd open up the blog and let them throw in their thoughts while the game goes on. You'll hear from departments across the paper over the course of the game. So sit back, follow the game with us, and have your say in the comments section.

Tony Fitts, Inquirer Online Desk
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Yes, the offense is looking great at the moment with homers by Howard, Burrell and Rowand, but what I'm excited about is how well Kyle Lohse has pitched since arriving here from the Reds. That could turn out to be a real steal of a deal; especially with Eaton and Moyer having been so inconsistent the past couple months.

Barry Zukerman
Inquirer Features

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These businessperson's specials remind me of grade school. Even where I grew up, in Nebraska, we sometimes got to listen to the World Series at school - back in the day when they played only day games. We didn't miss any school because we were staying up to the early hours of the morning watching a night game, but sometimes we didn't get a lot done because a baseball-fan teacher would have the radio on. Sometimes even a television.

Tony Fitts

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I think maybe Lohse figures he can get guys out more or less permanently by striking them with pitches. Oh-- Lastings is up and we know he has a sore knee already!

Susan B.
Features Copy Desk
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I think I put the kiss of death on Lohse. No sooner do I talk him up, and boom, he gives up a few runs and gets pulled from the game.

Barry Z.
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It wasn't your fault, Barry. Chris Wheeler jinxed him by hoping aloud that Lohse would shut down the Mets after the Phillies got it to 5-0.
Dave Boyer

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I'm being a good worker. I have the sound turned down and the captioning on. Which means I don't have to listen to Chris Wheeler. But of course I am really doing it so as not to disturb the other hardworking Inquirer reporters and eidtors. ...

Tony

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Ugh. Ryan Howard is a demi-god, but he has a toast-R-oven for a glove.
Dave
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What a catch by Rowand off the vexatious Jeff Conine! And Burrell gets lots of style points for the way he thrust both arms in the air exultantly in admiration of a play he couldn't possibly make himself.
Dave
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Clay Condrey gives two scoreless innings. Swarms of locusts to follow....
Dave
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Does Alfonseca understand that the white, five-sided object is his target?
Dave
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I think he looks like a very graceful, big egret. Of course, if we lose because of him, I'll have to add an "r" to that description.

Susan

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Three months ago, I hated Pat Burrell more than rice pudding. Now I would volunteer to be his reflexologist.
Dave
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Sweep nirvana!
Dave

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Yessssssss!

Susan B.

Rule 6.05(m): "... The objective of this rule is to penalize the offensive team for deliberate, unwarranted, unsportsmanlike action by the runner in leaving the baseline for the obvious purpose of crashing the pivot man on a double play, rather than trying to reach the base. Obviously this is an umpire's judgment play."

It's hard to believe that last night's ending could top Tuesday night's ending, but I think it did.

Ryan Howard hit a game-winning two-run homer in Tuesday's 4-2 victory over the Mets.

Been there. Done that.

(Kidding.)

But then C.B. Bucknor called intereference on Marlon Anderson to end last night's 3-2 victory over the Mets. If Bucknor had not ruled interference, the tying run would have scored and who knows what would have happened next? The victory moved the Phillies within three games of the Mets in the National League East and put the Phillies in position to sweep the four-game series this afternoon. This is the biggest game of the season, in my opinion. And for obvious reasons. The Phillies win, they're two games back with 29 to play. They lose, they're four game back with 29 to play.

Big difference.

But back to The Call.

Shawn Green hit a slow chopper to Jimmy Rollins, who flipped the ball to Tadahito Iguchi for the force at second.

Game's tied.

No way the Phillies could turn that double play, no matter how slow Green might be. Green just didn't hit the ball hard enough to give Rollins and Iguchi a chance. But then out of nowhere, Anderson crashes into Iguchi.

Holy cow. They're going to call interference on him.

They did.

"Marlon Anderson went after the second baseman to break up the double play and did not, and could not, reach the base, which is what he argued," crew chief Joe West said. "C.B. made a gutsy call, and he didn't back down from the call at all."

"As far as I know, as long as I've been playing in the major leagues, that's a pretty routine slide there," Anderson told reporters afterward. "You come hard. I played second base. Guys come in hard all the time. It's part of the game. As long as you can touch the bag, pretty much, you don't do anything wrong."

But Bucknor thought he did, which is all that matters.

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Jim Salisbury writes about the big plays that have helped the Phillies take the first three games from the Mets. Chase Utley's return Monday. J.D. Durbin. Aaron Rowand's 40-foot single to score the tying run in the eighth inning Tuesday. Howard's bomb. Shutout baseball from the bullpen. Pat Burrell. Jimmy Rollins. Bucknor.

Salisbury wrote:

"The Phillies have played in meaningful games down the stretch the last two seasons and not always handled themselves well. They led the wild-card race on Sept. 5, 2005, then blew the lead by losing three straight. Last season, they led it with seven to go and lost three of four.

"Now, they're coming through in the big games.

"The experience we've gotten the last two years has really shown up," manager Charlie Manuel said. "The more experience you get in this environment, the better you handle it next time."

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Rollins is trumpeting Manuel for NL manager of the year.

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Nobody has spoken with Adam Eaton about his fate in the rotation. The Phillies obviously will have six starters once Cole Hamels returns Sunday.

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The Phillies will have the following players in the Arizona Fall League: catcher Lou Marson; third baseman Mike Costanzo; outfielder Greg Golson; lefthanders Joe Savery, Josh Outman and J.A. Happ; and righthanders Joe Bisenius and Scott Mathieson.

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You always hear hitters say they see more fastballs when they have a base stealer on first base, but is that really true? John Dewan's Stat of the Week discovers there's not much of a difference.

The challenge tonight is keeping it going.

The Phillies moved within four games of the New York Mets in the National League East with last night's dramatic 4-2 victory in 10 innings at Citizens Bank Park. Aaron Rowand hit a ball 40 feet up the third-base line in the eighth inning to score the tying run, while Ryan Howard hit a ball 396 feet to left-center field in the 10th inning to score the winning run.

It might have been their best victory of the season.

So they don't want to come out tonight and lay an egg. Jamie Moyer faces Oliver Perez in Game 3. Moyer is 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in his last two starts, but is 0-1 with a 3.46 ERA in two starts this season against the Mets. Perez threw seven shutout innings in his last start against the Dodgers, but had a 7.06 ERA in his four starts before that. In his only start against the Phillies this season, he walked seven and allowed three runs in 2 2/3 innings.

The Phillies could move within three games of the Mets with a victory tonight. They lose and they're five back again and in danger of the dreaded series split, which basically knocks them out of NL East contention.

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Bob Ford writes that the best news yesterday wasn't Howard's homer. It was Cole Hamels throwing a bullpen session without pain in his left elbow.

Hamels is expected to start Sunday in Florida.

So who gets bumped from the rotation? Adam Eaton or J.D. Durbin? Eaton, who has a three-year, $24.5 million contract, allowed five hits and two runs in 5 2/3 innings last night. Durbin, who is making the league minimum $380,000, is 5-2 with a 4.22 ERA in seven starts.

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There has been some recent speculation about Brett Myers' future. Starter? Closer? It depends on how much the Philllies improve their rotation or bullpen in the off-season. Myers likely will go wherever the Phillies have the greatest need. And Myers said he is fine with that.

Of course, Myers prefers to close.

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I wrote in yesterday's Phillies Report that Myers had struggled in non-save situations. He had a 0.61 ERA in 13 save opportunities since he became the closer May 3, and an 8.68 ERA in nine non-save opportunities. That included a 12.27 ERA (five earned runs in 32/3 innings) in four appearances when he entered with the score tied.

But last night Myers threw two scoreless innings with the score tied to pick up the win.

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ESPN's Jayson Stark found this interesting note about Jayson Werth, who went 5 for 5 Sunday and 4 for 4 Monday before he struck out looking in the second inning yesterday to end his chance to tie the NL record for hits in 10 consecutive at-bats:

According to baseball-reference.com’s Play Index, Werth is just the second player – and first National Leaguer – in the last 50 years to have a 5-for-5 game and a 4-for-4 game back-to-back. The other: Bernie Williams. He accomplished the feat Aug. 15-16, 2002.

The Phillies lineup looks a little better with Chase Utley in it, huh?

He went 3 for 5 with a double, home run and two RBIs in last night's 9-2 victory over the Mets.

He's hitting second this week because the Mets have some lefthanders in the bullpen and Charlie Manuel doesn't want to stack Utley next to Ryan Howard. It worked last night, so if Manuel's words hold true, expect Pat Burrell to remain in the No. 3 hole for the immediate future. That's not the worst thing in the world. Burrell is hitting .351 (13 for 37) with four home runs and 11 RBIs in his last 10 games.

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But how about Jayson Werth? He went 5 for 5 Sunday and 4 for 4 with a walk last night. He needs a hit in his first at-bat tonight to tie the National League record with hits in 10 consecutive at-bats.

The record is shared by nine other hitters: Matt Diaz, Bip Roberts, Ed Delahanty, Kiki Cuyler, Chick Hafey, Joe Medwick, Woody Williams, Buddy Hassett, Ed Konetchy and Jake Gettman. Delahanty accomplished his feat with the Phillies in 1897, which also makes that the franchise record.

Werth played well in Shane Victorino's absence, and has continued to play well once he returned from the DL. Werth is hitting .403 (29 for 72) with three home runs and 18 RBIs in 23 games since Aug. 1.

A teammate taped "W. Pipp" over Victorino's nameplate in his locker.

That person also must have taped "P. Rose" over Werth's nameplate.

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Jim Salisbury writes that Adam Eaton needs to step up and earn his paycheck in a big game tonight.

If not, does he remain in the rotation? Or does J.D. Durbin stay in there? Durbin is 5-2 with a 4.22 ERA in seven starts for the Phillies.

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Regular Zo Zone readers might recognize some of the numbers in this week's Phillies Report. I look at why a split this week against the Mets basically kisses the NL East goodbye, Brett Myers' struggles in non-save situations, Ryan Howard's recent home run drought and Padres players hating Phillies fans.

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Freddy Garcia could have surgery tomorrow, if James Andrews recommends it.

My bet? Garcia has it. He's clearly not pitching very well -- his fastball hovers around 84 mph -- so it's in his best interests at this point to have the surgery. I mean, it's not like he'd make a couple more rehab starts and bump somebody out of the rotation for the final couple weeks of the season.

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Pictures from last night's game.

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Righthander Andrew Carpenter threw a seven-inning perfect game last night for single-A Clearwater.

"There's no doubt it's a big series. It's time to put up or shut up. We have 33 games left. We have to step up and leave it all out there." -- Aaron Rowand.

So the Phillies beat the San Diego Padres yesterday at Citizens Bank Park, 14-2.

Big deal.

There's no question the Phillies have come up terribly small in this terribly important 10-game homestand. (Phil Sheridan likes to call that big-game shrinkage.) But they will try to salvage the homestand beginning tonight in a four-game series against the Mets, who have a six-game lead over the Phillies in the NL East. They absolutely must take at least three of four to put them in a semi-decent position heading into the final 29 games of the season.

Because here's the deal:

Say the Phillies and Mets split the series.

Say the Mets then finish the season at 15-14 (.517).

The Phillies would need to play 21-8 (.724) the rest of the way just to tie the Mets.

The Phillies haven't put together a stretch of quality baseball like that all season. They had a 17-9 (.654) stretch from July 8 through Aug. 8, and a 16-9 (.640) stretch from April 21 to May 16. They certainly haven't come close to playing better than .700 baseball for an entire month. So if the Phillies could take 3 or 4 it would at least make their chase a little more reasonable. If the Mets finish 15-14, the Phillies would need to play 19-10 (.655) the rest of the way to tie. That still is terribly tough -- there's certainly no guarantee the Mets would play .500 for the final month of the season -- but at least they can feel they still have something to play for.

But more and more it's looking like the Phillies will have a lot of late nights in September, staying up and watching the scroll at the bottom of the screen on ESPN to see how the Padres are faring on the West Coast.

The Padres hold a three-game lead over the Phillies in the NL wild-card race.

It looks like it's wild card or bust.

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The latest Philliescast is up.

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Chase Utley is expected to be back in the lineup tonight.

Yeah, that should help.

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Cole Hamels is scheduled to throw a bullpen session tomorrow.

Yeah, he would help.

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Pitching match ups for this week's series.

"You don't want to add pressure to yourself or anything like that. But everybody knows what's at stake. Everybody knows what's going on. I think it's going to be more of a test for us, to see where we are as far as being able to step up after something like (back-to-back losses to Pittsburgh)." -- Ryan Howard talking last Sunday about the team's 10-game homestand.

It's safe to say the Phillies have not stepped up.

No, they've come up terribly, terribly small in the biggest of situations.

The bullpen blew a one-run lead last night in a 4-3 loss to the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. If the Phillies lose today, they will enter their series against the New York Mets with a five-game losing streak, 1-5 on the homestand and 1-7 in their last eight games. Charlie Manuel held a team meeting before the game, but that could not prevent Tom Gordon from giving up a game-tying home run in the eighth inning and Brett Myers from giving up two home runs in the ninth inning.

The Phillies need to beat the Padres today to avoid a sweep. They also need to beat the Padres from falling five games behind them in the NL wild-card race, and from potentially falling eight games behind the Mets in the NL East.

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Myers is 2-3 with a 3.03 ERA (11 earned runs in 32 2/3 innings) and 12 saves in 13 opportunities in 30 relief appearances this season. From the time he picked up his first save May 3 to officially annoint him the closer, Myers has pitched in nine non-save situations. In those games, he has an 8.68 ERA (nine earned runs in 9 1/3 innings). Four times he has entered in a tie game. He has a 12.27 ERA (five earned runs in 3 2/3 innings) in those situations.

That means in his 13 save opportunities, Myers has a 0.61 ERA (one earned run in 14 2/3 innings).

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Bob Ford says Manuel should be National League Manager of the Year.

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Jim Salisbury's Sunday baseball column discusses an interesting possibility: Chase Utley winning the NL MVP, despite missing a month of the season with a broken right hand. Check out Extra Bases, Tale of Two Trades, On Deck and Stats 'N' Stuff.

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Cole Hamels threw yesterday. He says he's OK. Unfortunately for the Phillies, they could be buried in both races by the time he's back.

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Utley made another rehab appearance last night for double-A Reading.

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A Citizen's Blog announces its retirement after 2008. In my opinion, this is one of the best Phillies blogs out there. That's because blogger Michael Berquist comes up with his own analysis, crunches his own numbers and finds his own interesting takes, etc.

It's hard to remember, but exactly a week ago today the Phillies woke up tied with the San Diego Padres for the National League wild-card lead and just three games behind the New York Mets in the NL East.

They got there because from July 20 through Aug. 20, they went 18-8. And that happened because they pitched well. In that 26-game stretch, the Phillies had a 3.65 ERA. In 234 1/3 innings, they allowed 227 hits, walked 88 and struck out 154. Opponents hit .256 against them. Charlie Manuel was talking about how he liked the way his bullpen finally was beginning to take shape. He liked the way Cole Hamels anchored his rotation, and the way rookies Kyle Kendrick and J.D. Durbin had pitched.

But after last night's 14-3 loss to the Padres at Citizens Bank Park, the Phillies woke up this morning three games behind the Padres and six games behind the Mets.

How?

The pitching. The Phillies have an 8.37 ERA in the last six games. In 43 innings, they have allowed 57 hits, walked 28 and struck out 21. Opponents have hit .333 against them. Needless to say, if that continues the rest of the weekend against the Padres and next week against the Mets, the Phillies will bury themselves in both races.

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Phil Sheridan talks about how the Padres rose to the challenge after the Carlos Ruiz-Marcus Giles dust up in the fourth inning, and how the Phillies did not.

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Updates from Reading, where Chase Utley and Adam Eaton made rehab appearances.

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Ryan Howard continues his pace to the single-season strikeout record.

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The fans have spoken: Howard is the face of the Phillies.

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Balls, Sticks, & Stuff is frustrated about the poor pitching lately. We Should Be GM's wake up from their dream to see last night's nightmare.

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The Phillies need Ryan Howard more than ever this weekend.

They opened their 10-game homestand by losing two of three to the Dodgers, which certainly is no way to make the postseason. The Phillies now need to go 5-2 against the Padres and Mets to finish the homestand with a winning record. But with their pitching crumbling before them they need as much as offense as they can get. That's where Howard comes in. Howard has been stuck in a terrible slump since Chase Utley broke his right hand July 26. He is hitting just .187 (17 for 91) with four home runs and 14 RBIs in that stretch. He has struck out 40 times. That includes a 0 for 3 effort with two strikeouts in yesterday's 5-2 loss to the Dodgers.

Howard is swinging at bad pitches, whether he's ahead or behind in the count.

Is he pressing? Probably. Charlie Manuel seems to think so, anyway.

But whatever the reason, the Phillies have just 36 games to play and they need the NL MVP to play better than he has. Because if the Phillies pitching staff continues to struggle like it has recently, it could be a long week. And possibly a fatal one.

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The latest Philliescast is up.

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Jim Salisbury writes about the importance of these next seven games.

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Utley begins a rehab assignment tonight in a doubleheader for double-A Reading. He is expected to play second base in Game 1, and be the designated hitter in Game 2. He will play second base again tomorrow for Reading.

And Sunday?

He could be playing second base ... for the Phillies against the Padres.

If he's not back Sunday, he certainly should be back Monday to face the Mets.

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Adam Eaton is throwing 40 pitches in a rehab start tonight for Reading. He said he expects to be activated for Tuesday's game against the Mets. I'd bet on that since the Phillies just optioned lefthander Fabio Castro to triple-A Ottawa and recalled righthander Brian Sanches.

There will be 31 games to play after Tuesday, which means Eaton could get six more starts -- assuming he remains in the rotation. It's hard to remember, but Eaton had an eight-start stretch from May 8 to June 17 when he went 4-2 with a 3.38 ERA. If Eaton can pitch like that the final month of the season, it would be a huge boost as this team fights to make the playoffs.

Can he do it? He was 2-4 with a 7.96 ERA in his last 10 starts before the Phillies put him on the DL.

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Bugs & Cranks finds baseball's best TV commercials on YouTube. Check out 11-20 here. Check out 1-10 here. Mike's Baseball Rants takes a look at Pat Burrell's season, and discovers he's more valuable than fans think.

Bugs & Cranks also finds Mythbusters busting the The Natural wide open (aka knocking the cover off the ball).

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Philadelphia Councilman Juan F. Ramos today will honor Abraham Nunez for his community service accomplishments and work with the youth of Philadelphia.

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Got on the phone last night and talked with Harry Mayes and Jamie Yannacone (aka The 700 Level Sports Fanatics) on Sports Radio 950. Listen to the podcast here.

Hey, it could've been worse.

It could've been 30-3.

The Phillies were half as bad as the Orioles last night in a 15-3 loss to the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park. J.D. Durbin pitched OK in his first three innings before he allowed four runs in his final three. Derek Lowe had his sinker working, which stifled the Phillies offense. And Jose Mesa and Clay Condrey each got shelled to turn an easy five-run victory for the Dodgers into a laugher.

The Phillies could have used Cole Hamels, huh?

Hamels is eligible to be activated Sept. 1, which would be the following Saturday in Florida. He is confident he will be ready by then after learning he has no ligament damage in his injured left elbow. But you have to wonder what lefthander Fabio Castro is going to give the Phillies in the series finale this afternoon against the Dodgers.

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Jim Salisbury tries to figure out how in the world the Phillies are a game behind the San Diego Padres in the National League wild card standings.

I like how Jimmy Rollins explained that Tuesday: "Duct tape and Motrin."

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Adam Eaton will make a 40-pitch rehab start tomorrow for double-A Reading. I'm betting he will pitch next week against the Mets. He's eligible to be activated Monday.

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Wouldn't you know it? Baseball Tonight's Eric Young agrees with me: The Phanatic is the face of the Phillies.

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Remember when the Phillies' rotation was supposed to be filled with proven veterans? Yeah, not so much today.

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Shane Victorino is back and Chase Utley is taking batting practice.

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Photos from last night's debacle.

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John Dewan's Stat of the Week looks at the pitchers with the best and worst run support.

It's good news for Cole Hamels.

The Phillies' ace has no structural damage in his left elbow, after undergoing an MRI today. The ligament is fully intact.

The Phillies are calling it a "very mild" elbow strain and have placed him retroactively on the 15-day disabled list. Hamels said he believes he will miss just two starts and can be activated Sept. 1.

Fabio Castro will start tomorrow afternoon against the Dodgers. The Phillies also activated Shane Victorino from the disabled list. He will bat sixth tonight and start in rightfield.

So what possibly could happen next?

It seems just about everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Phillies. And yet they wake up today tied with the San Diego Padres for first place in the National League wild card race. The Phillies beat the Dodgers last night at Citizens Bank Park, 5-4, but news that Cole Hamels could miss up to three weeks with an elbow injury overshadowed that.

Understandibly, so.

Hamels is their ace. He's an all-star. But Hamels seems pretty confident that the injury is not serious. An elbow injury limited him to just four starts in 2004, and he thinks it happened because he kept quiet and tried to pitch through it. He said this time he is being cautious. He expects to miss two starts, but no more than that. Of course, he's no doctor. We will know more today when the Phillies announce his MRI results.

If it's three weeks, that's a major blow.

But the Phillies are confident they can get through another injury to another key player.

"We have heart, man," Brett Myers said. "I think this team has that edge. Teams that have been here the past four years haven't had that edge. . . . No disrespect to those other guys, but it just seems that will to win is here more this year than it has been in the past."

But how far can heart take the Phils?

"You've seen those feel-good movies," Myers said. "In Rudy, it took him all the way until the end and he got to play in a game, right? That's a true story, right? Heart takes you a long way, man. That's how you get off the canvas."

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J.D. Durbin starts in Hamels' place tonight.

So who pitches tomorrow night? The Phillies could move everybody up a day, which means they wouldn't need a fifth starter until Sunday against the Padres. Regardless, Fabio Castro is a possibility. He made six starts for triple-A Ottawa and went 1-4 with a 4.23 ERA. His turn in the rotation would be tomorrow, so that could make sense. Lefthander J.A. Happ is 2-0 with a 1.99 ERA (seven earned runs in 31 2/3 innings) in his last six starts for Ottawa. But he just pitched Monday, which means he wouldn't be available until Saturday. Carlos Carrasco, the team's No. 1 prospect, threw a rain-shortened no-hitter in six innings last night for double-A Reading. But in 12 starts for Reading, he is 5-3 with a 4.85 ERA. He's not ready.

Interestingly, Freddy Garcia is scheduled to pitch again tomorrow. But he pitched just two innings Saturday for the rookie-level Gulf Coast League Phillies. He doesn't seem to be stretched out enough to help the Phillies at the moment.

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Phillies doctor Michael Ciccotti said there's no reason Chase Utley can't be back for next week's series against the Mets, if he continues to feel great while swinging the bat. Utley seems pretty confident about that, too. But he's shooting to be back before the end of the weekend.

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New rule: Nobody on the Phillies can leave the clubhouse without being wrapped in a protective bubble.

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Here's some other injury news: Shane Victorino (strained right calf) and Rod Barajas (strained right groin) made rehab appearances last night for double-A Reading. Ciccotti said Victorino could rejoin the Phillies as early as today, if the Phillies think he is ready. ... Michael Bourn (left ankle sprain) is at least a week away from a rehab assignment, and could be back with the team in two to three weeks. … Mike Zagurski (strained right hamstring) suffered a tear and is likely lost for the season. … Ryan Madson (strained right shoulder) has not started to throw. Based on a strength test, Madson said his shoulder is about 50 percent. "He's a good ways out yet," Charlie Manuel said. Ciccotti said if Madson returns, it could be for the final week to 10 days of the season. … Adam Eaton (strained right shoulder) will throw a bullpen session today. … Yoel Hernandez (strained right shoulder) won’t throw for at least a week, possibly two weeks. He likely is out three to four weeks. ... Jimmy Rollins said he has some tendinitis in his knee, but said it's something he has every year at this time. He doesn't seem to be too concerned.

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Randy Wolf and Mike Lieberthal are back in town, but you won't be seeing much of them this week. Wolf is hurt, and Lieberthal isn't expected to be in the lineup with Russell Martin getting to start.

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Do the Phillies feel a little like MacGyver (or maybe it's MacGruber), trying to piece together a team without its key parts?

"Duct tape and Motrin," Rollins said.

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Balls, Sticks, & Stuff compares Castro to Happ. Eric Grissom from PhilliesFlow.com picks Ryan Howard as the face of the Phillies.

In a season of major injuries, this could be the worst.

At a time they can least afford it, Cole Hamels will miss tomorrow night's start against the Dodgers because of a mild medial strain in his left elbow. He will have a precautionary MRI tomorrow.

J.D. Durbin will start tomorrow night for the Phillies instead.

"His treatment and how much time he misses will be dependent upon how he feels and that MRI," team physician Michael Ciccotti said.

Ciccotti said Hamels has had some elbow soreness since before he last pitched Thursday in Washington. Hamels, who is 14-5 with a 3.50 ERA, has thrown 167 1/3 innings this season. He threw a career-high 181 1/3 innings last season at four different levels.

"He pitched in Washington, though," Ciccotti said. "And he felt fine while he was pitching, but it's just persisted and today he brought it to our attention. And as I said, his exam shows a mild medial elbow strain. We'll see what the MRI shows. Obviously, he's going to miss tomorrow. And any time that he might miss subsequent to that will be dependent upon the MRI findings and how quickly his mild pain resolves."

Ciccotti said Hamels could miss a week to three weeks.

OK, that's clearly an exaggeration, but there's no question the Phillies' 10-game homestand is a big one.

4-6 or worse? Sound the alarms.

5-5? Treading water.

6-4? They must at least finish this homestand with a winning record.

7-3 or better? Ideal.

There's no better way to move up in the standings than to beat the teams directly in front of you. The Phillies have that opportunity when they play the San Diego Padres this weekend and the New York Mets next week.

But first it's the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are just behind the Phillies in the NL wild-card race.

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The latest Philliescast is up.

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Chase Utley can start swinging a bat again, so the Phillies have that going for them. They hope he's back for next week's series against the Mets. And Shane Victorino could be back at some point this week.

The Phillies currently have 12 players on the DL. I have to believe that's some sort of team record. How the heck did Yoel Hernandez get hurt?

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In this week's Phillies Report, we look at Jamie Moyer's season, Ryan Howard's slump, the las time the Phillies scored nine runs in a three-game series and the bittersweet homecoming for Randy Wolf and Mike Lieberthal.

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I picked the Phanatic as the face of the Phillies. Crazy? I don't think so. When ESPN asked me to contribute they simply asked me who I considered the face of the Phillies. I basically could interpret that question any way I chose. So to me the question was: What do you think of when you think of the Phillies? (Besides 10,000 losses.) Jayson Stark chose Chase Utley, which was a fine choice. I immediately thought of Mike Schmidt. He embodies the Phillies. But I started to ask around and when I asked people, "What do you think of when you think of the Phillies?" I got quite a few people to say the Phanatic. While baseball fans, and especially Phillies fans, might pick Utley or Schmidt or Ryan Howard, I think the average person knows the Phanatic better than anybody.

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The Diamondbacks lead the NL West despite being outscored this season. Ken Rosenthal thinks run differential isn't an absolute truth.

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Is the Phillies' pitching really that bad? A Citizen's Blog examines.

Good news for Chase Utley.

He can start swinging a bat immediately. Utley, who received the OK today from hand specialist Randall Culp, can swing depending on his tolerance level. He also can continue his throwing program without wearing a splint. Utley said Saturday in Pittsburgh that if he feels no pain while swinging this week, he thinks he could be back in time for next week's series against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park.

In other injury news, Shane Victorino (strained right calf) and Rod Barajas (right hamstring groin) continue their rehab tonight at single-A Lakewood. Mike Zagurski (right hamstring strain) and Yoel Hernandez (sore right shoulder) both had MRIs today. Zagurski went on the DL on Saturday. Hernandez, who replaced Zagurski on the 25-man roster, went on the DL today.

I'm not sure what happened with Hernandez.

Get the feeling this could have been one of those weekends that haunts the Phillies come October?

They lost 2 of 3 to the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park, including yesterday's 8-4 loss. It dropped the Phillies five games behind the Mets in the NL East and one game behind the Padres in the NL wild card.

"Right now, you just want to want to figure out what happened and go home and try to right the ship," Ryan Howard said.

They must. They can't afford to stumble in their upcoming 10-game homestand against the Dodgers, Padres or Mets. Losses like the ones they suffered against the Pirates -- the Phillies held 4-0 leads in both losses -- could bury them in a hurry.

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Who is the face of the Phillies franchise? ESPN.com asked me to pick my face of the Phillies a couple months ago. Its project is going online today. Jayson Stark picked Chase Utley as his face of the Phillies. Great choice. Utley's blue-collar nature fits perfectly with Philly. Every fan I know loves him.

But Utley wasn't my choice. I went ... in a different direction.

(My choice will be posted tomorrow, so check back then.)

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Should Charlie Manuel have pulled Kyle Lohse one batter earlier? The Pirates had a runner on first with two outs in the seventh inning when Lohse loaded the bases with a single and a walk. But Manuel let Lohse pitch to Matt Kata, and Kata doubled to left-center field to clear the bases and make it 4-3.

Bad call?

"I thought about it," Manuel said, asked about having lefthander J.C. Romero face Kata instead. "I think Kata is a better righthanded hitter. I still thought Lohse had enough left to get him. He had two outs. If you want to know the truth, I liked him on Kata. That's why I left him in there."

Kata is a .216 hitter on the worst team in the National League, which Manuel took under consideration. He also thought Lohse had pitched well to that point, and wasn't out of gas. The only part of his explanation that didn't add up is when he said he considers Kata a better righthanded hitter than a lefthanded hitter. Kata, who is a switch-hitter, is hitting .270 (16 for 63) against righthanders this season and just .132 (5 for 38) against lefthanders. But before everybody goes crazy, keep in mind Kata's 2007 splits come from a very small sample size. Take away three of Kata's hits against righthanders and he is hitting .206 against them. Give Kata three more hits against lefthanders and he's hitting .211 against them.

I think the better gauge here are his career splits. In that case, Kata is a .249 hitter against righthanders and a .233 hitter against lefthanders. That's not a huge difference.

Simply put, Kata is not a good hitter from either side of the plate.

Reading between the lines in Manuel's explanation, I get this: He simply thought Lohse was pitching well and had a very good chance to get the weak-hitting Kata out.

It didn't work out.

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Manuel pulled Russell Branyan for Abraham Nunez after he hit a three-run homer in the sixth inning. He pulled Pat Burrell for Jayson Werth and Greg Dobbs for Chris Robreson in the seventh. At the time I thought it might be a little early with a four-run lead and the Pirates still having nine outs to go. But this is the way Manuel has worked his defense for most of the season, so he's been consistent in that regard.

"That’s kind of how we’ve been playing," Manuel said. "We've got a four-run lead. We’re cruising. We've got two outs out, one guy on and all of a sudden we can’t get the third guy out. That’s not good."

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Branyan has had five at-bats with the Phillies. He has two home runs and three strikeouts, pretty much how Pat Gillick described him last week in Washington.

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So what happens when my hometown Brewers don't make the playoffs?

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Anytime I read about how terrible the Philadelphia airport and US Airways are, I can't help but nod in agreement. I say this after another lengthy delay last night flying back from Pittsburgh.

Charlie Manuel bristled at talk yesterday about the Phillies taking a share of the lead in the National League wild-card race.

His theme:

It don't mean jack.

It certainly doesn't. The Phillies held the wild-card lead with eight games to play in 2003 but finished 1-7 to lose the berth to the Florida Marlins. They held the wild-card lead with 16 games to play in 2005 but finished one game behind the Houston Astros. And last season, they held the wild-card lead with seven games to play but finished 3-4 to lose the berth to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Phillies have 40 games to play following last night's ugly 11-6 loss to the Pirates. It dropped the Phillies four games behind the Mets in the NL East. The Padres lost, however, which means they still have a share of the wild-card lead.

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I wrote The Inquirer's Sunday baseball column and examined the Phillies' competitors in the NL East and NL wild card races. I'm not sure which four teams will make the playoffs. There are 40 games to play, so anything can happen. Anybody can get hot. And everybody has flaws. But for the moment I think the Mets and Cubs are good bets. If the Mets don't win the NL East, they will win the wild card. And I think the Cubs will win the NL Central by default. That leaves the NL West runner-up (Padres or Diamondbacks) competing with the NL East runner-up (Phillies or Braves) for the wild card.

Also check out Extra Bases and The Other Record.

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Chase Utley hopes to be back next week for the four-game series against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park.

Think the hometown crowd will be fired up for that?

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Jamie Moyer's Camp Erin opened yesterday in Bucks County.

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John Dewan's Stat of the Week takes a look at which spot in the lineup gets the most fastballs.