The Zo Zone

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.

*

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.

*

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.

*

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.

*

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.