On Jamie Moyer:

You can't tell me that watching Jamie Moyer, who was born in 1962 and has been in the majors since '86, doesn't remind you of Eddie Harris (played by the great Chelcie Ross) in the movie Major League. Really, where's he hiding the Crisco? Did anyone spot a jar of Jalapeno in the dugout?

"What's that shit on your chest?" - Rick Vaughn
(wiping his finger across Vaughn's chest) "Crisco." - Eddie Harris
(wiping it across Vaughn's waist line) "Bardol." - Eddie Harris
(wiping it along his head) "Vagisil. Any one of them will give you another two to three inches drop on your curve ball. Of course if the umps are watching me real close I'll rub a little jalapeno up my nose, get it runnin', and if I need to load the ball up I just... (wipes his nose)" - Eddie Harris
"You put snot on the ball?" - Rick Vaughn
"I haven't got an arm like you, kid. I have to put anything on it I can find. Someday you will too." - Eddie Harris

We made our way to the gates, got free Marlins bags, and then I got to take a photo with Kevin Gregg. I was having a blast until we got to our seats and the horrendous Florida sun attacked me with all it's might. If anyone is considering moving to Florida, please don't. I lathered myself with SPF 45 sun block on four different occasions and STILL got sunburn. I quickly forgot about the sun when I heard some idiot Philly fan taunting Dan Uggla. "Hey, how many 'E's in Uggla?". Uggla just smiled. "That's a good one." Uggla definitely took it better than me. I would never last at Yankee Stadium. I get too defensive too easily, and nearly killed a few Philly fans. The game came and went. There was a softball home run derby, Ryan Howard impressed, and Cantu saved us in the 11th inning, giving the Marlins and Doug Waechter the win.

Despite the Phillies losing the game, the majority were very kind and signed. Taguchi signed for a good 10 min, as did Joe Blanton, and Jamie Moyer. Moyer cursed a few fans for complaining and completely ignored my multiple requests for a photo. Ah well, at least he signed. All in all, I was very happy with how the day went.

Doug Waechter and I
Karma took care of him after taking some time to pose for a photo.

Kevin Gregg and I

Dan Uggla is awesome :)

This man is obnoxious

Autographed softball by Home Run Derby winner, Brett Helmer

J.J. !!!!!

A swing...

And a miss.

He was being camera shy. :)

Reynel Pinto

Mr. "Boo? F*ck ya'll" himself

Attempting to shield myself from Hell

"My name is Cole Hamels and I'm gonna strike this guy out."

"Here we go. Get ready!"

"Alright, now watch this!"

"Oh God damn it."

So Taguchi: The Silent Signer

Mr.Moyer: signing tons of baseballs that you can now find on Ebay,
but rejecting a photo with a sincere fan.

    The Philadelphia Phillies square off tomorrow against their biggest division rival the New York Mets.  The Phillies have the newly aquired right hander Joe Blanton (4.96 ERA) taking the mound against the Mets' ace Johann Santana (3.10 ERA) .  Blanton has yet to give up a run in 15 career innings against the Mets organization.  On Wednesday opening day starter Brett Myers (5.84 ERA) will make his return back to the Phillies after his 4 minor league starts in Lehigh Valley, Reading and Clearwater against John Maine (4.22 ERA).  Myers was sent to down to help regain confidence in his fastball and reacquire his swagger in which he believes he has accomplished.  There is probably no other team that will test Myer's resolve better than the Mets.  He is already setting the stage telling the reporters that he does not like the Mets so, be prepared for a battle.  Jamie Moyer (3.90 ERA) will finish off the 3 game series at Shea looking for double digits in his win column against Oliver Perez (4.36 ERA) which has had some shaky outings.  The Phillies need to regroup offensively and get back to basics by getting on base and manufacturing runs by moving the  runners into scoring position via sac bunts, flys or stealing bases.  They need to win 2 out of 3 in every series in the 2nd half of the season to be in contention for the post season.  I would not rely of the wild card with as well as the central division is currently playing.  Go Phightins !!

     Last night the ageless Jamie Moyer accrued his 9th win of the season by stringing up the fish.  The Florida Marlins were once again perplexed by Jamie Moyer in which he allowed 4 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk with 3 strikeouts over 6 innings.  Brad Lidge was able to come in last night and toss the anchor over to solidify the Phillies on top of the N.L. East with his 21st consecutive save.

     Ryan Howard picked up where he left off prior to the All Star break by crushing the 2nd pitch of the 2nd inning out of Dolphin Stadium.  Also, Geoff Jenkins was able to connect to a homerun ball that exited in the deepest part of the stadium in center field.  The Phillies offense as a whole looked as the though the 4 day lay-off help to right their ship.  The Phillies strung up 8 hits in their 4-2 win against the Marlins.  Some other offensive notables were Chase Utley going 2-3 and Geoff jenkins hitting 2 out of 3 against the Righty Ricky Nolasco.

     The Phillies were able chum up the Marlins which places them alone ontop of the N.L. East with the Mets succumbing to the Reds ending their 10 game winning streak.  Jimmy Williams the Phillies bench coach received the win last night since Charlie Manuel was ejected after disagreeing with a call which led to Shane Victorino getting plugged at the plate while showing a bunt.

     Tonight the Phillies sinker ball pitcher Kyle Kendrick (4.47 ERA) takes the mound also in search of his 9th win against the Marlins Scott Olsen (3.77 ERA).

1.  My starting rotation would look like the following:

1. Cole Hamels
2. Brett Myers
3. Jamie Moyer
4. Kyle Kendrick
5. J.A. Happ

     Trade Adam Eaton or make him another righty in the bullpen to replace Tom Gordon.  Tom Gordon should no longer be in the Phillies future.  He is no Jamie Moyer . . . . .

2.  I would either trade off Carlos Ruiz or reassign him to AA or AAA.  Then bring up Lou Marson as a replacement.  If he is not ready bring up Jason Jaramillo from the Iron Pigs.

3.  Geoff Jenkins needs to be traded off for another lefty to platoon with Jayson Werth in right field.

4.  So Taguchi is an absolute waste and needs to be outright released and can be replaced by Snelling or someone else from the Iron Pigs. (Not T.J. Bohn) !! 

    None of this is rocket science, but all I hear about is getting another starter.  Why?  Okay we do need another lefty in the bullpen, but do not sacrifice our future for it by trading Carrasco or Marson.  If they focus on fixing our current issues like Jenkins, Taguchi, and Ruiz we will be solid enough to go in the post season.  If the front office would not be so proud we could have come back and counter offered Kyle Lohse before he was picked up by the Cardinals.  We would be in excellent shape since we acquired Chad Durbin.  With all of this being taken into consideration I'm sure they will most likely do the exact opposite of everything that I've stated.  I'm glad that this is Pat Gillick's last year with the organization . . . . .

We ordered pizza last night for the first time since we moved to Rhode Island.

"New York-style" pizza, in fact. This apparently means "thin-crust."

It was pretty good. I dug the thin crust, especially since I am trying to maintain my sleek figure (that is, reduce my beer belly). I drank it down with an ice -cold 'Gansett, which is a trusty summertime brew around here. It's $4.99 for a six-pack of pounders, and it gives you roughly the same experience as a Pabst Blue Ribbon. As in, you really don't want to drink 12 of these at a sitting.

(Don't worry, I have a few cases of the far superior and eminently drinkable Yuengling Lager, which is tailor-made for those long, hard-drinking nights, stockpiled from my last visit to Philly. You can't get Lager up here. So I treat each precious bottle like gold or fine wine. I never want to waste one.)

At this pizza joint we patronized, you could also get what they call "The Big Rhody," which is a 28-inch monstrosity of a pie.

Anyway, we're still ashamed that we were lazy enough to order a pizza. But all of this "New York-style" and "Big Rhody" business got me thinking. Why isn't there a "Philly-style" pizza? There's "New York-style" pizza, "Brooklyn-style" pizza (is that different from "New York-style" pizza?), "Chicago-style" pizza, "California-style" pizza, hell, there's even "St. Louis-style" pizza and "New Haven-style" pizza. So why don't we have our own?

If you google "Philly-style pizza," you get some hits, but most are about a Center City pizzeria with that name. The most hilarious links are to recipes that are clearly from non-Philadelphians that basically propose making a cheeesteak pizza, but with other stuff like green peppers. These undoubtedly are the people who walk into some restaurant in Denver and ask for a "Philly steak and cheese sandwich." These undoubtedly are the kind of people who make me laugh.

Back to our main topic. I'll be honest, I've never been aware of any definitive pizza style we called our own, and I lived in Philly almost my whole life. (Unless you count "Wildwood Boardwalk-style" pizza, which consists of greasy cheese that slides off the minute you lift the slice and stains your clothes.)

This lack of a signature style is weird, because for decades, pizza has been a consistent staple of the Philly diet. It's a go-to meal on the go or by default for all kinds of Philadelphians, across all races, creeds and economic classes. So why don't we have a pizza we truly call our own? Maybe we've been concentrating too much on steaks and hoagies and other sandwiches to devote much time to pizza. That's right, we've got better things to do, right?

Some may say "white" pizza or "Sicilian" pizza are ours. But are they? I don't know, you tell me, cuz.

The old man and the V(ictory): Jamie Moyer worked his magic again yesterday. After sprinkling seven hits and one run over seven innings, our 45-year-old wonder now has a jaw-dropping eight wins for the Phightins and an ERA under 4. Personally, I hope he never stops, because he is a craftsman of the highest order, and he clearly is a great teacher for our young pitchers (did you see him patiently but sternly lecturing J.A. Happ in the dugout the other night?).

[wp_caption id="attachment_41" align="alignleft" width="201" caption="Jamie Moyer's 1987 baseball card, back when Dire Straits and Def Leppard and Ronald Reagan and Bill Cosby were at the height of their powers."][/wp_caption]

Jamie has been toeing the rubber in the majors since 1986. We all have our frames of reference, depending on how old each of us is. But if you haven't already, just reflect on how crazy it is that this guy has been pitching, and pitching extremely well, for 22 years now. There are some major leaguers that weren't yet alive when he made his first start!

And he has done it all so quietly, so humbly and with such little fanfare. Someone needs to do the definitive Jamie Moyer article. Maybe even a book.

Maybe it's been done already. Let me know if it has.

Oh, and Ryan Howard? 27 HR and 83 RBI now? Still not on the All-Star roster? Come on now!

This three-team race in the NL East is officially heating up. Go Phils!

Paul Maholm vs. Mike Mussina -- Don't adjust your monitor, you're seeing this correctly. I'm recommending you pick up a starter on the Pirates, against the Yankees. No, I didn't hit the crack-pipe (yet) either.

Maholm's rockin' a 2.74 ERA over his last 7 starts (6 of which were quality starts), and he's been dominating powerful offenses like the Reds and Brewers during this stretch. The Pirates' southpaw hasn't lost since the 20th of May, and with lefties hitting just .171 against him this year, Joe Girardi will probably stack his lineup with scrubby right-handed bats, giving Giambi and Abreu the night off. Look for Maholm to toss a gem in Pittsburgh tomorrow (he's 4-1 with an ERA under 3.5 at home this year), and scoop him if he's still available in your league. He opposes Mike Mussina, who is absolutely due for a vintage Moose shelling. I stood in for some warm-up pitches against Maholm last year out in the bullpen, and this guy is pretty nasty.

• Josh Johnson vs. Chan Ho Park -- Speaking of being due for a shelling, enter Chan Ho Park. Not only have I been hyping up JJ all week, but I refuse to accept that Chan Ho Park has revitalized his career in LA, as he shows (brief) flashes of his own "Mr. Splitty" that somehow landed him a $65 million deal in Texas 7 long years ago. It's Johnson's first start in more than a year, but he should be able to go 5 innings and get you a W as long as he can control the early inning jitters.

• Jamie Moyer vs. Braden Looper -- After winning 5 straight decisions, the Phillies' Jamie Moyer has lost his last 3 dating back to the middle of June, but don't be fooled by the losses -- he's pitched extremely well. The 45-year-old southpaw still has some mileage left in the tank. He hasn't allowed more than 3 earned runs in each of his last 6 starts -- unfortunately, the Phils offense has scored fewer than 2 runs a game for him over his last 4 starts. Look for the Phillie bats to bust out against Fruit Loop and the Cards tomorrow, and Moyer to win his 8th game of the season.

Other guys I like to win (but not as much as the above 3) include:

• Dave Bush at home vs. the Rockies
• Andy Sonnanstine on the road vs. the Indians (btw, I love Sonnanstine)
• R.A. Dickey on the road vs. Oakland (how can you root against a knuckler named Dickey!? not to mention he's got a 1.86 ERA over his last 3 starts, dominating the Mets, Jays, and Tigers)

Check back tomorrow for Friday's spot-starters...

Last night was the most important night of the season.

Not only did the Marlins get within 1.5 games while the Mets are all of the sudden back in the race at 2.5 games back, but it showed the true state of the pitching staff.

In Philadelphia, we saw Adam Eaton take the Phillies out of the game early with a dismal outing.  Yet, the resilient Phillies offense brought them back to life before falling just one run short of a miracle comeback.  This offense, especially in this park, is never out of a game.  The starter just needs to give the lineup a chance.  Eaton did not deliver.

Sixty miles away, in the Lehigh Valley, the Phillies Opening Day Starter, Brett Myers was pitching well.  The only problem?  It was for their AAA team.

Cole Hamels is an ace.

Moyer is a steady veteran.

Kendrick is a solid young righty who always gives the team a chance to win.

Now, all you need is two more starters.  Honestly, I think Myers can be one of the answers.  After the All-Star break, I think he will come 'Back with a Vengeance' like his orange and black South Philly brethren.

For those keeping score at home, we're 4/5 of the way there.  The Phillies need one top starter to really make a run at October glory in 2008.

A.J. Burnett?

Erik Bedard?

It's your last trading deadline, Pat Gillick.  Make a splash (not in a little puddle).

     Last night the young Phillies phenom J.A. Happ was able to keep the Phightins in the game long enough for their offense to win it.  J.A. Happ pitched against Johann Santana which has lost his past 6 starts with the Mets.  Happ hurled for 4-2/3 innings while allowing 4 walks, 3 hits, 2 runs and striking out 3.  He was pulled in the 5th inning after a poor call was made when Happ had struckout David Wright.  Chad Durbin came in and struckout 6 out of the next 7 that approached the plate.

     The Phillies offense accrued 8 hits over 9 innings with no longballs to manufacture run support.  Some notables were Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth both going 2-4 off of Johann Santana.  In the 9th inning with the score tied 2-2 the Mets brought in Duaner Sanchez that allowed Pedro Feliz to hit a double going into left field.  Next at bat would be Shane Victorino who was hitless all night long against Santana, but was able to connect on a walk-off single hit into right field bringing in Pedro Feliz from 2nd base to score.  This ended the game with a final score of 3-2 with the Phillies once again pushing back on their division rivals to trailing 5.5 games in the N.L. Eastern Division.

     Tonight Jamie Moyer (4.13 ERA) takes the mound in search of his 8th win against John Maine (3.86 ERA).  The ageless Moyer is looking to extend the Phillies winning streak to 5 games.  The Marlins lost again last night against the Colorado Rockies which makes the eastern division look as follows:  Phillies (1st), Marlins (2nd-3.5 GB), Mets (3rd-5.5 GB), Braves (4th-7.0 GB), Nationals (5th-15.5 GB).

Image from phillies.com

 The Philadelphia Phillies won last night while hornswaggling the Texas Rangers in a 8-6 showdown.  The Phillies were able to match bat for bat against the Rangers that lead the majors in runs and RBI's.  Also, Cole Hamels pitched his 8th win of the year while Brad Lidge was able to close the door on 19/19 saves.  Chase Utley and Ryan Howard smoked the longball out of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, TX.  This ties Chase Utley (23 HR) with Dan Uggla (23 HR) from the Florida Marlins with the most homeruns in the majors in 2008.  This surpasses last year's 22 HR produced by Utley and we are only 82 games into the season.

     The Phillies pull  ahead in the N.L. standings with the eastern division all losing in yesterday's games.  The Florida Marlins fall back to 2 games behind the Phightins with losing Dan Uggla to an ankle sprain.  The Braves and the Mets fall back to 4 games with the Mets losing the last 2 games during their subway series with the Yankees.  The Washington Nationals bring up the rear of the division with being an inflated 12 games in the defecit.

     The Phils are still trying to determine what they will do with Brett Myers and his starting rotation position.  They have considered moving Chad Durbin into the rotation and placing Myers in the bullpen.  There is always the option of J.A. Happ or Kris Benson that is pitching for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs today in a rehab assignment.  They may even consider to move to a temporary 4 man rotation until a determination can be made.  With those decisions looming veteran Jamie Moyer (4.09 ERA) takes the mound against the Rangers Eric Hurley (4.24 ERA) in the series finale and the end of interleague play for the year.

Image from phillies.com

    The Philadelphia Phillies lost again tonight against the Oakland Athletics in a 5-2 final.  Jamie Moyer pitched an exceptional 1 hit game up to the 6th inning.  He then proceeded to drop another 4 hits in the 6th inning with 1 of those hits being a 3 run homerun.  So, you ask yourself why would would Charlie Manuel allow a 45 year starter who probably pitched some of the best 5 innings of his career to continue?  The Phillies Bullpen is well rested and they also rank # 1 in the Majors for ERA.  The Phillies need a win bad to break through this slump and though Moyer pitched well he is no Cole Hamels with longevity.  Tonight's DH was Geoff Jenkins since Charlie had another one of his mystical feelings that he was going to do well with his .244 batting average.  Hey Charlie, Here's a news flash - Jenkins went o-4 tonight . . .

     In addition to the need for starting pitching and a lefty in the bullpen, I hope the Phils are looking to improve upon their catching and right field position.  Carlos Ruiz and Geoff Jenkins are just not playing to the level needed to move us into World Series contention.  I will not reiterate my thoughts on So Taguchi, but I do feel that they are under utilizing Eric Bruntlett.  The Phightins have dropped 6 games in a row and somehow they remain in 1st place in the N.L. Eastern Division.  That says a lot about our competition this year.  Non-Existent . . . . .

Tonight Kyle Kendrick (5.06) takes the mound against Oakland's Greg Smith (3.51) in hopes of accrueing his 7th win and the Phillies 1st win in 6 games.

Starting pitching on the market

Relief pitching on the market

Catchers on the market

The Philadelphia Phillies have the night off to prepare for the upcoming barrage of teams that they must face for the next 22 games until the All Star game.  The Series are as follows:

1. Angels
2. A's
3. Rangers
4. Braves
5. Mets
6. Cardinals
7. Diamondbacks

This is by no doubt a difficult task, but If you research some of the stats it should ease some of your concern.  The Phils also rank in the top 5 in the Major League in Runs, RBI's, HR, and SLG %.  Even with our most recent slump offensively we are well prepared for the road ahead . . . . .  Go Phightins!

The top 5 Batting Averages for regular position players are as follows:

1. .294 - Chase Utley
2. .289 - Jimmy Rollins
3. .280 - Pat Burrell
4. .278 - Shane Victorino
5. .268 - Jayson Werth

The top 5 players for RBI's:

1. 63 - Ryan Howard
2. 62 - Chase Utley
3. 47 - Pat Burrell
4. 33 - Pedro Feliz
5. 28 - Jayson Werth

The top 5 ERA for starting pitchers:

1. 3.23 - Cole Hamels
2. 4.09  - Jamie Moyer
3. 4.57 - Adam Eaton
4. 5.06 - Kyle Kendrick
5. 5.58 - Brett Myers

The top 5 OBP for regular position players:

1. .421 - Pat Burrell
2. .385 - Chase Utley
3. .353 - Jimmy Rollins
4. .351 - Jayson Werth
5. .347 - Shane Victorino

The top 5 HR for position players:

1. 22 - Chase Utley
2. 19 - Ryan Howard
3. 18 - Pat Burrell
4. 09 - Jayson Werth
5. 08 - Pedro Feliz

Red Sox Nation [red soks ney'-shuhn] Noun
1. An imaginary tool used by the Boston Red Sox organization for marketing purposes.
2. A synonym for the annoying band of bandwagon-jumpers who adopted the Red Sox as their team after the 2004 World Series title. E.g.: Citizens Bank Park was invaded by Red Sox Nation, all of whom have been diehard fans for almost four years.
3. A gimmick that sickens true Red Sox fans.

[Note: the faux dictionary entry has nothing to do with the rest of this post. But it did make me feel better.]

I'm in a bad mood after watching the Phils drop their third series in a row, so you'll have to forgive me if I'm a bit pessimistic as I look at the big picture. I realize it's not all doom and gloom, as evidenced by the following:

• The Phils are in first place in the NL East
• Chase Utley is probably the early season MVP
• The bullpen has been the best in baseball thus far
• Ryan Howard might -- just might -- be coming around

So the Phils certainly have the inside track to the playoffs as of right now, and given the way they've started most seasons, I can't be too upset about it. But if the ultimate goal really is to win a World Series, then there's a long, long way to go to get to that point.

Case in point: this Red Sox series. Despite missing David Ortiz and Kevin Youkilis for the entire series, and despite starting an overweight, over-the-hill Bartolo Colon on Monday, the Red Sox managed to take two out of three at Citizens Bank Park. Not to read too much into a midseason series, but if you're into "measuring sticks" and things of that nature, then the Phils failed this test miserably.

Watching Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick struggle against a patient Red Sox lineup cemented in my mind the one move the Phils need to make if they want to compete in October...

The Phillies need to add a top-flight starting pitcher.

Now I grant that every team can stand to add a good starter, but here's the thing with the Phils: it's really all they need. Their lineup doesn't have any holes, the bullpen's in good shape (if a LOOGY is needed, there's several candidates within the organization, as we talked about in this month's MMLBRC), and with J.A. Happ in AAA and Kris Benson still hoping to make it back this year, it's not like the Phils are short of quantity in the rotation.

But what the Phils have in quantity, they lack in quality. Moyer, Kendrick, and Adam Eaton -- if they keep their ERAs under 5.00 -- are certainly good enough to get the team through the regular season, but I fear for them come October. They all get by by nibbling with okay stuff, which is not a recipe for success against playoff-caliber lineups. I know it's cherry-picking a bit, but let's look at the records of those three against teams that appear playoff-bound (Cubs, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox).

Moyer: 1-1, 4.23 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 19 H, 6 BB, 11 K in 17.0 IP (vs. Cubs, D'Backs, Red Sox)
Kendrick: 0-1, 9.00 ERA, 2.11 WHIP, 16 H, 3 BB, 6 K in 9.0 IP (vs. D'Backs, Red Sox)
Eaton: 0-1, 13.50 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, 5 H, 3 BB, 1 K in 4.0 IP (vs. D'Backs)

The Phils are 2-4 in those games (they're 3-1 against those teams when either Cole Hamels or Brett Myers start). Yes, it's a small sample size, but it also reaffirms what we see when we watch these guys pitch.

So who's available?

Well, we won't know for certain until closer to the deadline. MLB Trade Rumors gives a rundown of the possibilities, and I'd stress that the Phils should be looking for something better than what they've already got. A couple of names that interest me: Erik Bedard, Zack Greinke, A.J. Burnett, and Ben Sheets. C.C. Sabathia would require a boatload in prospects and likely won't be worth it. Bedard and Greinke are under team control past this year and would be preferable to the other two, but it's not certain they'll be available (though the odds are better concerning Bedard now that Mariners GM Bill Bavasi has been canned).

As we get closer to July 31, we'll check back in and see who's actually available -- and whether the Phils have a chance to get something done. In the meantime, they'll lick their wounds on their day off and try to rebound against the AL West-leading Angels on Friday.

I don't how to describe him anymore - old, wise, crafty. All cliches. Let's just say: 8 innings, 2 hits, 3 strikeouts, 1 walk. And a no-hitter into the 6th. Moyer has 237 career wins. I don't think he's a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but I bet he makes it in eventually. He's a great guy, and I think he deserves it. Never underestimate a player's personality and how that affects voters.

The Phils offense just wasn't getting the breaks against he Marlins. 22 men left on base last night! 12 on Wednesday and 14 on Tuesday. Considering the explosion they had the week before, I'll let it slide. But I hate streaky teams. Consistency is key to success. Explosive or anemic won't take you very far.

Scott Olsen pitched great for the Marlins. But his best play of the night was probably breaking up Moyer's no-no with a liner off of Chase Utley's glove.

Brad Lidge pitched a much more Lidge-like save, only letting one man on base. Make that 18/18. What's that Billy?

-Greg Berlin

Tonight the ageless Jamie Moyer pitched 8 innings allowing only 2 hits and 1 walk while bedazzling the Marlins into a Phillies victory.  Moyer was able to clinch his 7th win of the season improving his record to 7-3 which ties him for 8th place with the likes of Johan Santana and Kyle Lohse in the N.L. for wins in 2008.  The Phillies offense tonight started to show signs of life once again with 11 hits, but they left 10 runners on base (L.O.B.).  The Phils were able to capitalize 2 runs on a pitch thrown in the dirt in the 6th inning by the Marlin's starter Scott Olsen with the final score being a shutout 3-0.  Brad Lidge was able to record his 18th save with a scoreless 9th inning while improving his ERA to 0.93.  I would also like to thank the Marlin's fans on brightorangeseats.com , waxheaven.com , and fortheloveofbaseball.com for dealing with my banter over the past several days.  The Phillies are now headed off to St. Louis to play the Cardinals in a 3 game series with Kyle Kendrick (4.87 ERA) taking the mound against Todd Wellemeyer (2.93 ERA).

Don't forget to vote for Pat "The Bat" Burrell at MLB.com or Phillies.com.  Let's not forget to also talk up Jamie Moyer for the All Star game remember he is 45 yrs old with a lot of heart . . . . . .

The Philadelphia Phillies lost tonight 6-2 against the Florida Marlins by a walk-off grand slam issued by Tom Gordon.  Cole Hamels recorded a season high record of 13 strikeouts, but was denied a win due to the longballs and Tom Gordon's inability to shutdown the Marlin's offense.  He entered the game in the 9th inning and surrendered 2 walks along with 2 hits including the monsterous drive by Florida's 2nd baseman Dan Uggla whom currently went 0-3 against Hamels.  Gordon has now raised his ERA to 5.19 as the set-up man in Phillies bullpen.  The Phillies offense tonight was silenced by the young Florida southpaw Andrew Miller who gave up 4 hits over 7 innings and only 1 earned run.  The Phils did make a run for it in the top of the ninth inning were they tied the game and had a opportunity to seal the deal until Jayson Werth put on a squeeze play with 2 outs and bases loaded.  Unfortunately he was unable to place the bunt closer to the 3rd baseman and was thrown out at 1st base ending the game by Kevin Gregg the Marlin's closer.  Tonight the Phils crafty left hander Jamie Moyer (4.56 ERA) will take the mound in search of his 7th win against Florida's Scott Olsen (3.44 ERA).  Next the Phillies are headed off to St. Louis to have a 3 game series against the Cardinals whom are missing Albert Pujols.

On the first Monday of each month we roll out our Monthly MLB Report Card (forever to be known as MMLBRC) for the Mets, Phillies and Yankees. We’ll still check in from time to time with short posts to quickly take the pulse of each team, but think of the MMLBRC as an in depth physical (anal probing not included). Truthfully, a month is probably too small of a sample size to make overarching claims like we will attempt to, but dammit, you want content! So rather than write well-reasoned quarterly updates, we’ll make rash decisions based on far too little data. Next up: your first place Phillies.

I like to think I'm a self-aware person, and I recently came to a realization: I have the wrong temperament to be a baseball fan. You have to keep an even keel over a 162-game season, and I'll be the first to admit that I ride the roller coaster too high during the good times and too low during the bad times.

Let that serve as your warning as you read the second Phillies MMLBRC. The Fightins find themselves in sole possession of first place in the NL East after beating the Marlins yesterday, so I'm particularly bullish about their chances right now. Let's take a look at a couple of reasons why the Phillies are where they are right now...

1. The bullpen. It may seem like ages ago, but in reality it was only last season that the Phils were using guys like Yoel Hernandez, Kane Davis, Brian Sanches, and Anderson Garcia out of the pen. Now the roles are well-defined: Brad Lidge is the closer, Tom Gordon is the 8th inning guy, J.C. Romero is the go-to lefty, Rudy Seánez and Ryan Madson pitch the 7th, and Chad Durbin pitches anytime, anywhere. The result is a bullpen ERA of 2.74 -- the best in baseball. And with a number of lefties --veteran Steve Kline, the erratic but hard-throwing Stephen Randolph, junkballer R.J. Swindle, and prospects Josh Outman and Fabio Castro -- standing by in the minors to audition for a bullpen spot, there should be no need to make a panicky Turk Wendell type trade to bolster the pen.
2. The top of the lineup is back to normal. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are back from their DL stints and are setting the table effectively. Chase Utley is hitting like an MVP candidate -- and in fact, ESPN rocket scientist Steve Phillips named him his early season MVP in a segment I saw yesterday. And while Ryan Howard's average still hovers just above the Mendoza Line (.208), he's started to come around (.934 OPS, 10 HRs in May). All told, even with the early season injuries and the struggles of Howard, the Phils lead the majors in HRs and are second in runs scored behind only the Cubbies.
3. Oh, and the rest of the lineup is dangerous, too. Everyone's been hitting lately (even Pedro Feliz!). Pat Burrell, Jayson Werth (now on the DL), Chris Coste, Geoff Jenkins, Greg Dobbs, Feliz -- they're making pitchers work hard from 1 through 8 in the Phils lineup, and not just 1 through 4. For example: of the 60 runs the Phils scored in that torrid 5-game stretch from May 25 through May 30, spots 5 through 9 knocked in 30 of those. The bottom line: the lineup is deep and balanced, and no pitcher in his right mind wants to face the Phils when they're mashing like they are now.

The one thing I haven't touched on is the Phils' starting pitching, an area which I think requires some special attention.

David Murphy argued in his blog High Cheese the other day that the Phils have all the starting pitching they need to get them to the playoffs. He may very well be right, but let's assess what we have anyway...

• Cole Hamels, despite two poor outings over the past week, is a capable staff ace. As long as he stays healthy, he should be fine going forward.
• He's been disappointing thus far, but Brett Myers showed signs on Friday night of coming out of his funk (8 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 11 K). The velocity still isn't back to where it was, but if he can continue to locate his fastball as he did Friday, he can slot in as the dependable No. 2 starter we all hoped he'd be.
• I'll deal with Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick under the same heading: innings eaters. Moyer will have his off days but will generally use his knowhow and scalding 82 mph fastball to keep the Phils in games, while Kendrick continues to pound the strike zone (only 2.81 BB/9), keep the ball in the yard (0.78 HR/9), and use the defense behind him to post quality starts. If the Phillies can get an average of 6 innings per start and a mid-4 ERA from this duo, they'll be more than happy.
• Ahhh, Adam Eaton. Just when it looked like he could be headed to another DL vacation, the Eatonator responded with two solid outings and notched his first win of the year. Personally, I'm done expecting anything from Eaton, but if he can find a way to keep his ERA under 5 (it's at 4.99 now), I'll take it.

The phrase "solid but unspectacular" was invented to describe that group (I think). Murphy may be right in saying that quintet may get the Phils into the playoffs, but that doesn't look like a championship caliber rotation to me.

But do you want to hear the good news? Both the lineup and bullpen are in good shape, so the Phils can afford to focus all of their attention on obtaining a difference-making starting pitcher. They have the chips to do it (as we discussed in last month's MMLBRC), and there should be some decent starters available (unlike last year), so this is a storyline well worth keeping an eye on. As the division races continue to shape up over the next few weeks, we'll start to take a look at some potential deals in more detail.

That's all for now. Be sure to check out the Mets and Yankees MMLBRCs, and for your Phillies fix, we'll be back later in the week with some info before the MLB Draft on Thursday.

The greatest show on Earth has just rolled into town.  No, I am not referring to the circus, but the endearing Philadelphia Phillies.  Tonight the Phillies once again claimed their righteous spot on the throne on top of the N.L. East chart ahead of the floundering Florida Marlins.  The Phils trebbled their way through to claim 2 out of 3 from the Marlins with help tonight from Jenkins and Utley's longballs.  Pat Burrell also contributed with a 2 run double which clinched it for the Phillies in the 7th inning.  Jamie Moyer claimed his 6th victory of 2008 by keeping the Phils in the game long enough for the clinch hitting offense to kick into gear.  Brad Lidge was his usual "Light's out Lidge" tonight claiming his 13th save for the Phightins.  The Phillies are going into tommorow with a 4 game series against the Reds to finish the 10 game homestand at Citizen Bank Park.  Go Phils !

It's the bottom of the lineup truly carrying the Phils though.  Pedro Feliz, Geoff Jenkins, and even Carlos Ruiz (and of course Chris Coste) are contributing.  Time to take it into June.

-Greg Berlin

The thing about runs though is that they have a way of clouding up the memory banks. It actually might be one of those cases where one cannot see the forest save for the trees.

Or something like that.

The point is that beneath an avalanche of runs and, the nice little ancillary benefit called wins, has been some pretty decent pitching outings. In last night's 7-4 victory over the Rockies, Kyle Kendrick turned in a career-high 7 1/3 innings, which ended up being the most important performance of the game. For one thing, Kendrick kept the Rockies from inching back into the game when the Phillies' bats finished scoring for the evening.

For another, Kendrick gave the bullpen a break. After all, the relievers had to turn in five, solid innings to keep the Astros in check last Sunday when ace Cole Hamels turned in an atypical poor outing. As a result, the bats rewarded Chad Durbin and the gang with 15 runs and some not-so strenuous situations on Monday and Tuesday nights.

After the game Kendrick explained how pitching with such a big lead actually helped him last night. While the Phillies scored seven runs before they had even registered five outs, Kendrick said he could relax, settle in and go to work.

"That's big," Kendrick said about the early support. "When you take the mound, it's your job to give your team a chance to win."

More importantly to the guys behind him, Kendrick pitched quickly, threw strikes and got them back into the dugout reasonably quick. According to Jimmy Rollins, those traits are a sign of Kendrick's maturity, which is saying something considering the young right-hander had all of 12 starts above Single-A before joining the Phillies last season.

"He got up there and he pounded the zone, and got ahead of hitters," Rollins said about Kendrick. "He's keeping us in the game. That's all you ever ask of any starting pitcher. He's starting to rediscover his confidence."

Perhaps some of that comes from the tutelage of the sage-like, 45-year-old starter Jamie Moyer. Kendrick regularly chats with Moyer for advice and guidance on pitching and baseball, which makes a lot of sense. After all, Moyer was finishing up his first professional baseball season when Kendrick was born. Plus, there are very few situations that Moyer has not seen - or been directly involved in - during his 22-season Major League career.

So watching Moyer work through his seven-inning stint during the 20-5 victory over the Rockies on Monday might have been the perfect primer for Kendrick.

Though pitching with such a large lead is difficult for some pitchers because they claim they have difficulty directing their focus, Moyer kept the Rockies to just six hits and four runs with just one walk and seven whiffs while the offense piled on the runs.

But falling back to his old mantra of "Keep it simple, stupid," Moyer says his focus was on keeping the Rockies from scoring as many runs as he was given. As long as the Rockies never matched his teammates, Moyer was satisfied.

"I was just trying to stay away from the crooked numbers," Moyer said. "To me it's just about winning, not the numbers."

A good offense is certainly is a nice luxury to have. But then again, what good are scoring runs if there is no one to stop the other team?

Tuesday was a big night for the Phillies.  They had their highest-scoring game since 1999, beating the Colorado Rockies 20-5

On Tuesday, Jamie Moyer won his 235th game.  But that's not the only milestone from that night...

He became the oldest Phillie to get a hit at the age of 45.  But that's not the most of it...

Jamie Moyer, who will be turning 46 in November, has officially beaten every team in Major League Baseball.

It must be that 73 mph fastball, right?

Do you see any resemblance?  No, well both of them have the ability to unleash their bats and cause untold havoc on their opponents . . . .   Utley was back in his rare form yesterday when belted in 6 RBI's against the Colorado Rockies.  The Philadelphia Phillies as a team knocked in 20 runs on 19 hits and rung the bells from Philly to Gotham.  Jamie Moyer was able to collect his 5th win of the season thanks to his unrivaled offensive barrage by his teammates.  Chase Utley went 3 for 6 with a 3 run homerun in the 1st inning to answer back to Ryan Spilborghs 3 run homer in the top of the 1st.  Chris Coste and So Taguchi both had a 3 hit game along with Pedro Feliz going 4 for 6 at the plate.  The Phillies have had an incredible streak over the past 2 games having slugged 35 runs scored on 35 hits.  Maybe this is just a little payback from last year's post season?

Brett Myers lived up to his words tonight. He threw "doo-doo" like usual. 6 innings, 4 ER, 8 hits, 4 BB, 2 SO. Something needs to happen. I don't care if it's a trip to the phantom DL or a stint in the minors or a trade. This can't continue. The Phillies are not going to compete for the division with Jamie Moyer as our second best pitcher. Myers is losing trade value daily. He's still most attractive as a closer, and many teams could use him.

Ryan Howard is a Beast. He moon shot to right-center propelled the Phils to a 3-2 lead in the 3rd. But Myers couldn't hold back the 'stros. Carlos Lee's second RBI hit of the night (3 total) tied the game in the bottom of the 5th and Mark Loretta's single in the bottom of the 6th gave the Astros the lead. That would be all for the night for both teams.

In the 9th, the Phillies squandered a great opportunity to tie the game - for the second night in a row. Tonight, with the bases loaded and one out, Shane Victorino hit a shallow fly ball to left. Pedro Feliz was sent after the catch. A perfect throw by Darren Erstad completed the double play and ended the game (upon which point I promptly stormed out of the stadium.)

I don't agree with sending Feliz - not with Chase Utley on deck. Feliz does not have great speed and Utley had a good chance of getting a hit or walk of his own. Being aggressive is admirable, but the Phillies have had a history of being way too aggressive on the base paths in the past several years. Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell and Pedro Feliz are not Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino. Third base coach Steve Smith should not have sent Feliz, not in that situation. Still, it's 20/20 hindsight.

As for the park, I thought Minute Maid was beautiful. Air conditioning for a game is wonderful. Plenty bright, even with the windows closed. Great crowd, amazing food. Excellent sight lines. I was pleasantly surprised. Definitely not expecting such a good stadium. The playing field is MASSIVE though. 436 to center and 326 in the corners! Quite the shocker coming from CBP. I guess everything really is bigger in Texas.

-Greg Berlin

What a game last night. The Phils blogosphere was bashing Ryan Howard unendingly yesterday. I didn't think the verbal punishment was necessary, and last night Howard stood up for me. He went 3/5, he two homers and a double, and knocked in four. Howard is now hitting .269 for the week with 4 dingers and 8 RBIs. Those are the kind of numbers to expect out of the big man. Last week I said Howard was back. I'm sticking by words.

Jamie Moyer continued to defy reality last night. He pitched 6 innings and allowed no runs and 7 hits. Cole Condrey contributed with a 3 inning save. But the pitching wouldn't even matter last night. Evidently, the team decided they were sick of all the talk of slumps and followed Howard's lead. Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz combined for 3 hits a piece, and Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Chris Coste all had two hits. Pat Burrell didn't get the memo, he was O for 4.

Oh, the Nats? Matt Chico was out after 5. He only let up 4 of the runs. Jesus Colome was put in to endure a beating of his own. He let up 6 earned runs in the 6th inning. Chris Schroder let up two himself in relief of Colome.

-Greg Berlin