The Zo Zone

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.