Everyone Contributes

Better to be lucky than good.

The Phils got a few breaks Sunday from the umpires and the Giants themselves as they took two out of three games from San Francisco, both in their last at-bats, to finish the home stand 4-2.

The Phils faced two of the weakest offensive clubs in the NL during the home stand but still struggled to prevail in part because they faced some tough pitching and in part because their own offense disappeared. Other than Chase Utley and Pat Burrell, no one is hitting consistently. On the other hand, they are exhibiting one quality of all successful clubs: a new person steps up each day to be the hero. Once every man on the roster feels he can and will contribute, the feeling spreads and the momentum builds.

That momentum will be sorely tested in the next several days as the Phillies wing their way west to Arizona and a rematch with the Giants in San Francisco. Arizona is one of the best teams in baseball right now, especially with its potent starting pitching. To hope that the bulk of the Phillies' Mendoza-line treading starters will break out in the desert is a lot to ask.

[Editor's note: I am off to Spain today so posts will be suspended as I visit the haunts of my student youth. Back to Granada and Sevilla for the first time in 40 years.]

Magic Carpet Ride

Pat Burrell is on some kind of magic carpet ride. So is Chase Utley.

Aaron Rowand tried drafting both of them last night in his first game back at Citizens Bank Park since signing with the Giants, but Burrell shook him off at the end. Pat the Bat is in some kind of groove, hitting for average, power and in the clutch. The only issues I have with his performance last night are minor quibbles indeed: he concluded his walk-off homer with one of the lamest cap tosses at home plate ever seen in these parts. It almost seemed to be an after-thought. Then, he seemed to emerge from the pummeling adulation of his teammates gathered at home plate with a strange glad-that's-over-with-and-I-survived look. Finally, in his post-game interview with Tom McCarthy he didn't exactly seem to be enjoying his moment.

Whatever, as they say. He's being paid to hit not preen.

Meanwhile, Utley is putting together an extraordinary ride. He leads or is near the top of virtually every offensive category in the major leagues. He has turned around his early-season fielding woes. He is constantly talked about by current and former major league players as one of the best in the game today. Utley is well on his way to earning a perpetual pass to ride the carpet.

Ryan Madson is not on a magic carpet ride. In fact, he's either got a thread-bare tire that's as good as blown out or he has nothing on his pitches. When he comes into a game he's more likely to pour gasoline on the fire, not in the tank. The Phillies keep talking about adding a left-hander to the pen but another right-hander wouldn't hurt either.

JC Romero has been on a magic carpet ride all season, albeit bumpy at times, and last night's home run ball to Rowand can be excused on three counts: he'd worked four straight games; he was closing, not setting up; and see "drafting" above. One suspects Rowand was going to hit one out no matter who was pitching.

Ryan Howard can't decide whether or not he's on the carpet or off. His vaunted "seeing the ball better" phase of the trip lasted one or two short legs at most. Last night he was back to befuddlement, striking out in key situations and bitching and moaning about his futility sufficiently to get himself tossed in a tight game. Not too smart, Ryan.

Jayson Werth has temporarily left the magic carpet ride he was on. He continues to look bad at the plate as his average sinks daily. Lately, he has put together some of the worst swings seen around here in a long time.

Jimmy Rollins doesn't even have firm reservations for the carpet ride at this juncture. No one seems to know (or at least no one wants to say) whether or not he is getting closer, further away or somewhere in between in his recovery from an alleged ankle sprain. I say "alleged" because I suspect there is more damage than originally thought...or admitted.

Through it all, the Phillies have ridden to the top of the NL East. Their chief rivals have had all kinds of injury problems themselves and the Marlins have surprised everyone with their performance to date, everyone, that is, except the good people of South Florida who continue to stay away in droves.

In No Particular Order

In no particular order....

The Phillies are a better team when Shane Victorino is in the starting lineup. Yes, he made mistakes last night, especially the base-running gaffe when he was doubled off first on a line drive out to centerfield. And, yes, he has that hitch in his swing. But he is a much better centerfielder than Jayson Werth and he's a sparkplug on a team with little other speed (especially with Jimmy still out.) There were several scouting reports lately suggesting his arm lacks strength and consistency from centerfield, less from right. He hasn't played centerfield long enough for those conclusions to be reached.

Jayson Werth has looked absolutely terrible at bat since the last game of the Pittsburgh series. Bad swings. Tied up often. He simply lacks consistency. If anyone should be platooned, it is Werth, not Victorino.

Everyone in the world knows Pedro Feliz is a complete sucker for a first pitch fastball and for the high fastball in general. Everyone, that is, except Feliz himself. Last night Gary Matthews predicted a strikeout on a high fastball and, bingo, Feliz obliged.

Speaking of Matthews, he might be the worst "color" analyst to come down the pike in decades. And I offer this opinion despite hitting the mute button for 75% of his appearances. He is both master of the obvious and platitude. Tom McCarthy isn't much better. He's dull and canned. Once Harry takes a break from the mike it's easier to just turn off the sound and imagine he's still there.

Ryan Howard may indeed be emerging from his funk. He hit the ball the other way again last night (or at least he didn't pull it dead to right every time) and blasted the game-winning home run. Howard claims he is seeing the ball better. His manager claims he is waiting longer on the ball. Whatever it takes, if he starts hitting the Phils lineup will be that much more dangerous. Now, we just need J-Roll to come back and get on base ahead of him, Chase and Pat.

Brett Myers has relented and is soft-tossing. However, he is still very defensive about his weight and overall conditioning. Look, Brett, no one is asking you to plunge your arm into a barrel of rice for god's sake, but anyone who continues to cite his weight and insist it isn't a problem is just kidding himself, not us.

Operator: We'd Like A Wakeup Call At 7:05 PM!

[Editor's note: don't bother reading the following in you are already in a lousy mood.]

So much for Pat Gillick's vaunted team "intensity".

For the second time in three games most of your 2008 Philadelphia Phillies looked like they'd missed their wakeup call as they went down meekly to the San Diego Padres, 4-2. Only Chase Utley and Geoff Jenkins seemed ready to play. Maybe the Phils should watch tapes from the Flyers series versus Montreal if they want to learn something about intensity. Or maybe they should just return their paychecks for games missed.

Compounding their misery, the Phillies continue to butcher the baseball with their gloves and arms. Though only charged with two errors on the night, they really committed at least three, two (one official) by substitute shortstop less-than-extraordinaire Eric Bruntlett. A first inning throw in the dirt was generously scored a hit. Ryan Howard was unable to scoop the throw either though the official scorers hardly ever charge the first baseman with the error. Bruntlett has now started 20 games for the Phils and with the exception of one or two of them done little to impress. Bruntlett's poor showing coincided with the return to the local scene of Jimmy Rollins. Unfortunately, after testing his injured ankle Rollins announced he still feels pain when turning on it, pushing back his return to the lineup to who knows when. Why do we have the sinking feeling his ankle is going to be imaged again with a different result in the offing?

Jayson Werth, who looked terrible at the plate, also made an error when he dropped a fly ball. Of course the regular centerfielder, Shane Victorino, was still on the bench getting ready to pinch hit as Charlie Manuel continued to juggle [read: misuse] his lineup.

Local sportswriters and the manager also noted that while Ryan Howard went 0-3, he "hit the ball hard". Even in this era of stats inflation there isn't one for hard-hit outs...at least not yet.

Pepper Allowed

Charlie Manuel has always maintained a player doesn't lose his starting job due to injury but as of this morning Shane Victorino appears to be the exception to the rule. Too bad, really, because the Phillies are better team with Victorino in the lineup.

Jayson Werth has earned a starting role on merit, but the platoon of Geoff Jenkins and So Taguchi have not. Victorino belongs in centerfield with Werth moving to right, Manuel's hunches be damned.

* * * * * * * *

Greg Maddux made a career of living on the edges of the plate but last night he was a little too far outside to get those calls and was forced to come back more to the middle. The Phillies made him pay though not so dearly he deserved to lose. Take Ryan Howard's rbi single in the first inning, for example. It was the best argument yet for not employing the shift every time the struggling first baseman comes to bat. The ball was not hit hard and would have been a routine ground out had the shortstop been remotely near his normal position. As it was, the third baseman would have been in the right spot even in the shift had been on had not a runner been on second at the time. Maddux labored in the first inning but he would have emerged unscathed had the Padres employed a normal defensive alignment.

After the game, Maddux was asked if the defeat, his latest failure to reach the 350-win plateau, had not been a big disappointment. "'It doesn't weigh," Maddux said. "It's not a milestone. It really isn't. Trust me, I've been on extra credit for five or six years now. I've stopped pitching for results. I'm just going out there to see how long I can do it.'"

Interesting take from such a fierce competitor, who threw his glove down in disgust after surrendering a hit last night to Cole Hamels.

* * * * * * * *

Ever since he his early-season troubles throwing the ball and making the pivot, Chase Utley has been a one-man highlights reel, diving, scooping and otherwise shining at second base. It seems those early miscues were an aberration. He isn't the most graceful second baseman by a long stretch, and he has a definite hitch in his throw, but Utley, who simply wills himself to excel, never takes off a moment at bat or in the field.

It's worth reminding ourselves every day we are watching a once-in-a-lifetime sort of player.

Gillick Speaks

The GM has spoken:

It seems like we've just picked it up. In spring training and the first 10 to 15 games of the season, we didn't play worth a darn, so I think we've got better intensity than we had before.

Pardon me for asking, Pat, but were you detained at a late brunch on Sunday? Surely you couldn't have watched the same team the rest of us saw sleep walking through the series finale in Pittsburgh. Intensity? I'd say it was difficult to detect a collective pulse in them on Sunday except, perhaps, for Ryan Howard, whose expletive reverberated from the three rivers out west to the Schuylkill in the east.

The GM continued:

I'd have to say we're pleased with the rotation. I wouldn't say we're satisfied. We're probably more satisfied with the bullpen.

C'mon, Pat. Do you have to hedge every statement these days? "Pleased" with the rotation? Myers is sinking fast; Eaton has sunk. Hamels has pitched very well overall. Moyer is Moyer, that is to say serviceable. Kendrick seems to have straightened himself out but still has an ERA over 5.

".... probably more satisfied with the bullpen"? "Probably"? They've been phenomenal. Eliminate Flash Gordon's Opening Day meltdown and you have the best ERA in the majors. As it is, they are best in the NL and trail only Tampa Bay overall. No one expected this kind of performance from the pen.

* * * * * * * *

More than a few commentors around the blogosphere are suggesting Brett Myers' shoulder may be ailing. It's the same one he strained last year, landing him on the DL. Myers hasn't said anything, but clearly he has lost several feet on his fastball. Mistrust of the Phillies when it comes to all things medical runs so deep it would be hard to discount the possibility that something is amiss with Myers, but it seems unlikely he would keep silent about it. Myers isn't exactly known for his discretion.

Others are wondering whether his two straight poor outings are a not-so-subtle reminder to the Phils' alleged brain trust that he wants to close, not start. That is preposterous. He isn't about to replace Brad Lidge and he knows it.

Myers & Howard: Imperfect Together

Brett Myers a number one or two starter? Only on a staff that includes Adam Eaton. He sure as hell isn't out-pitching Hamels, Moyer or Kendrick these days.

Myers produced one of his typical desultory Sunday afternoon performances yesterday, highlighted by walking his opposite number before surrendering the second of two home runs on the day to Nate McLouth. We can always count on Myers to follow a few Phillies' victories with the sort of half-baked effort we saw in Pittsburgh against a lineup that included more guys hitting below the Mendoza line than that of the injury-depleted Phils themselves. Does this guy even possess a fast ball any longer? It seems to just meander up to the plate. Rich Dubee thinks he should soft toss more to strengthen his arm. Myers demurs, of course. From where I'm sitting it looks like Myers is putting on weight, which means he simply may be having trouble getting his arm around his belly. The tell-tale sign is the more baggy uniform.

Given the lack of command of his curve and splitter and the absence of a fastball with any velocity or movement, Myers is just another run-of-the-mill starter in a league full of them. Don't let those five strikeouts in innings two and three fool you; the Pirates were helping him out as much as anything else during that stretch. The Phillies have long boasted of Myers' stuff, but right even guys hitting below .200 are routinely teeing off on him. Where is Dallas Green when we need another of his famous "he's killing us" lines?

* * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, Ryan Howard's partial reprieve from playing every day ended and he doesn't look like the 2/3 to 3/4 days off did him any good. Frankly, thinking about his problems isn't going to help. He's pulling off the ball and has virtually no sense of the strike zone any longer. He's either going to have to play through it or resign himself to being the mediocre hitter, strikeout king and occasional slugger he's been all season. A year ago I would have said he has the makeup to work through these difficulties, but now I see a guy who whines, groans and shouts expletives after every strikeout. What a mess!

Stick With The Program, Charlie

There are plenty of other places to read about the details of the Phillies' last two victories. I'd rather concentrate today on Charlie Manuel's approach to giving players days off for various reasons.

The handling of the Jimmy Rollins injury was very bad, using him on four different occasions as a pinch-hitter when it was clear to all his sprained ankle was hampering his batting as well as fielding. Finally and belatedly, the Phillies decided to put Rollins on the Disabled List. He is now in Florida rehabilitating the ankle. Due to come off the DL on May 5th, reports are he might not be ready to play by that date.

Ryan Howard, slumping very badly and looking completely lost at the plate, was benched for the last two games to give him time to reflect and decompress. Manuel admitted Howard needed some relief from pressing, saying the big first baseman was trying to "get ten hits in every at bat". So what does Manuel do on Thursday in Milwaukee? Sends in Howard to pinch hit, leaves him in the game to play first, and watches as the struggling slugger strikes out not once but twice. I'm sure his performance went a long way to easing his mind.

Howard was on the bench for last night's series opener in Pittsburgh with Chase Utley getting the start at first base and, incidentally, starting a 3-6-3 (pitcher covering) double play with a throw Howard struggles to make consistently. But in the bottom of the eighth inning, Manuel again sent Howard up to pinch hit and, surprise surprise, he struck out feebly on the same breaking stuff away that lies at the root of his .176 batting average.

Memo to Charlie: if you are giving a player the day off, GIVE HIM THE ENTIRE DAY OFF!

Who's Running The Show?

The retinue that thinks Charlie Manuel cannot handle a pitching staff have new fuel for their fire following last night's tough 5-4 loss to Milwaukee.

The game matched a tired bullpen and a relatively rested one. Brewers' manager Ned Yost was reluctant to use his worn out group but gave in after starter Dave Bush yielded a home run to Pat Burrell to give the Phils a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning. His decision turned out well. Manuel had options but allowed Cole Hamels to take the mound in the bottom of the eighth inning having already thrown 110 pitches and both paid for the decision as the lefty yielded a lead-off double to Ryan Zaun and a two-run shot, his second of the game, to Prince Fielder. That was it.

Afterwards, Hamels talked of finishing games he starts.

"This is something I wanted to do all last year, and I wasn't given that opportunity. Now I've been given that opportunity, and I haven't been able to succeed, so it kind of probably makes it harder for [Manuel] to make that judgment the next time."

"You want to be able to finish off your games. It's something I'm going to work toward, but it's something I haven't been able to do the last couple of games."

For his part, Manuel told the press afterwards, "I wanted him out there. I feel like he's ready for that."

Ready for what, exactly? Complete games? Nice as they are, for better or worse they really aren't the way the game is played any longer for the most part and especially with a young guy who has had his share of health problems. It was one thing to leave him in to face Zaun and quite another to face Fielder, lefty vs. lefty notwithstanding. We need only look back to the first inning when the same match-up produced a similar poor result.

Manuel's decision also smacks of allowing Hamels to dictate policy. The Phillies' alleged brain trust in general doesn't appear to know how to handle Hamels. The lean lefty can be petulant and demanding, accusing the team of failing to pay him enough or of providing adequate healthcare professionals on its staff.

While Hamels was dominating in innings two through seven, striking out ten and yielding two hits and a walk, the double to Zaun should have been the red flag Manuel apparently never saw or looked for. Moreover, Hamels has a strong tendency to give up the long ball and Fielder, struggling most of the season but not in the first inning last night, has a tendency to hit them! It should be noted Hamels finished with 121 pitches last night, a career high. He clearly threw one too many and his manager, who should but doesn't know better when it comes to pitching, couldn't or wouldn't see it coming.

Unfortunately, the 24 other guys on the team paid the price.

Two Straight In The Rockies

Let's go right to the tape....

How wonderful was the scene of Ryan Howard, all 255 pounds of him, breathing down Chase Utley's neck as the two crossed the plate in rapid succession in the ninth inning of last night's win over Colorado? To make matters even more beautiful, the big guy just beat the throw by a hand and jumped up signaling "safe" in case the ump needed help.

The two followed So Taguchi as all three of them scored on Pat Burrell's game-winning, bases-clearing double. Burrell, tied with Utley for the team lead in batting average at .357 each and neck-and-neck with him homers and rbi's, is having a glorious April. It should be remembered that Burrell has started off hot before only to cool off in mid-season, but it should also be noted he has been on quite a tear since the middle of last summer.

If he keeps this up the Phils are going to face quite the difficult decision regarding whether or not to re-sign a guy who has experienced quite a few highs and lows during his career in Philadelphia. On more than one occasion over the last year or so Burrell hinted he'd like to remain here, but can the Phillies afford him if he stays hot? It would be the ultimate irony if the Phils made an effort to keep him after openly trying to move him in the past two off-seasons all the while licking their chops at the prospect of finally shedding his big contract.

Meanwhile, Brett Myers hardly produced a quality start last night, yielding six earned runs, eleven hits (two of them homers) and two bases on balls in seven innings last night. This is Myer's pattern and we might as well get used to it. Last night he didn't look like he had much on his fastball and his curve didn't have its best bite. No matter, the game more or less followed the pattern predicted for this club in the pre-season as the offense picked up the slack.

Apart from Burrell and Utley, Jayson Werth is making the best of his starting opportunities, hitting his third home run of the year while raising his average to an even .300. Greg Dobbs continues to hit in his limited role, but no one else is doing much with the bat. If Howard ever gets untracked (far from a certainty judging from his mostly feeble AB's again last night) and the Phils get back a healthy Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino, this team will score enough runs to withstand the up-and-down performances of its starting pitching.

Why We Love NY Sports

These were the headline and opening lines in today's NY Times regarding the Mets:

Playing a Top Team, the Mets Fall Short

By Ben Shpigel

CHICAGO — The Mets had played 14 of their first 17 games against teams in the rough-and-tumble National League East, teams they will see again and again and again over the next five long months. They face the Cubs twice this week and not again until September, in the final week of the regular season, a series that may prove critical.

Still, it is never too early for the Mets to gauge themselves against a fellow contender.....

I guess that leaves the Phillies out as contenders, at least as far as Shpigel is concerned. Having taken eleven of the last fifteen games played between the two teams apparently was not sufficient to elevate their status to "top team".

* * * * * * * *

It takes a lot to outdo George Steinbrenner when it comes to meddling and even more when it comes to using the press to discredit management or players, but son Hank is living proof the apple is still on the tree let alone fallen nearby. Steinbrenner fils opined the other day that "you have to be an idiot" not to use Joba Chamberlain as a starter, which of course is not the role the young fire baller is currently filling.

GM Brian Cashman was diplomatic in his response, saying he thought everyone was in agreement on how to bring along Chamberlain, but you can be sure he is already polishing up his resume. Not mentioned in all of this public mismanagement was the role, if any of manager Joe Girardi in deciding when and where Chamberlain is used.

Former Yankee skipper Joe Torre always said Cashman was the point man for the family Steinbrenner's displeasures and it appears nothing has changed with the new regime.

All Hail Utley...Again!

Break up Chase Utley!

The Phillies wonderful second baseman hit a home run for the fifth straight game, his major league leading ninth overall, and made a stupendous defensive play to prevent the Rockies from blowing the game wide open early as the Phils came from behind to beat Colorado 9-5 at Coors Field. What a way to begin a tough road trip.

As we said last week, Utley's defense may not be his strong suit but one area with the glove where he excels is getting to the ball. His gem -- a flat out dive and toss to begin a double play -- had teammates searching for superlatives after the game. Naturally, Utley himself downplayed the glove save.

We all bitch and moan (yours truly with the best of 'em) about the Phillies' failure to put everything together in April, but it is difficult to ignore their resilience in the face of adversity, having lost their heart and soul in Jimmy Rollins along with another spark plug, especially in the field, in Shane Victorino. While Utley is deservedly getting most of the bytes for his torrid hitting, the most unsung hero of the season thus far has to be Pat Burrell, who continues to get on base and deliver the big blows when most needed. His two-run homer last night brought the Phils back from a 3-0 deficit and set the stage for the later heroics of Utley, Jayson Werth, who hit an inside-the-park home run, and struggling Carlos Ruiz, who drove in the winning runs. (Rockies' center fielder Willie Taveras, who can go get the ball, unfortunately cannot throw it once he does. A pitiful 50-foot relay throw to the cutoff man, on one bounce, aided Werth immensely.)

On a ongoing sour note, the Phils committed three more errors last night. Their atrocious fielding remains a big mystery.

All Hail Utley

There were plenty of heroes in last night's dramatic 5-4 win over the Mets but none stood out more than Chase Utley, whose two home runs produced the bulk of the Phillies' scoring. Pedro Feliz' pinch-hit homer provided the winning margin and Eric Bruntlett's great pickup and throw and Ryan Howard's scoop preserved the victory.

The home town team needed this one badly to prevent the Mets from taking their fifth straight win and more important to stop the New Yorkers from [legitimately] crowing to be in the Phils' collective heads a mere few weeks after having fended off the same claim when the Phillies won the season opener and their ninth straight victory over their hated rivals.

The largest three-game crowds ever to see a series at Citizens Bank Park and a national television audience for the second straight day were treated to a hitting clinic by the best second baseman in baseball. Utley's sweet, short stroke nailed two long home runs into the teeth of a fairly strong wind. Commentator Joe Morgan, a fairly good second baseman in his own right (but still an absolutely annoying color man), said Utley "had a chance to be the best hitting second baseman in the history of baseall." No further comment is needed.

The Phils remain a game under .500 with slightly more than a week left in April. They will attempt to climb over the hump during a tough three city road trip beginning in the toughest place of all, Denver. Given how long they've played without their heart and soul, Jimmy Rollins, it's amazing they are only a game under.

Speaking of Rollins, he will not make the trip with the team and thus avoid being bombarded with boos by the Rockies' faithful who believe their man, Matt Holliday, should have been the MVP last year. Jimmy was finally placed on the disabled list long past the point when he should have been. The club's feeble excuse, that they listened to him insist he was close to being ready, and manager Charlie Manuel's even more lame excuse that he used J-Roll 4 different times as a pinch hitter instead of resting him because he wanted to win, speak volumes about how inept and incompetent the organization is when it comes to handling injuries. Jimmy doesn't seem too pleased about the situation either, abruptly cutting off any further questions from the press. For the talkative, jovial Rollins this marks the second time he has turned off the press in the last few weeks, uncharacteristic to say the least. It's hard to say with whom he is angry but suffice it to say this first trip to the DL in his eight year career is not going down well for the reigning NL MVP. As usual, the sporting public has little inkling as to what is going on behind the scenes.

On another note, Ryan Howard has had a pretty lousy year at the plate and in the field, but last night he made three terrific plays, all of which could be said to have been game-saving. He made a great stop and throw to Adam Eaton covering in the fourth inning, a key catch of a wind-blown foul pop off of David Wright, and the game ending scoop of Bruntlett's throw in the ninth. For one night, at least, hands of stone were as soft as the smoothest kid gloves.

Alive And Well

The Reverse Curse is Alive and Well.

Mere hours after lamenting the Phillies' silent bats, they unleashed a barrage of home runs en route to a 10-2 victory over the Astros.

I had thought about writing this AM that Ryan Howard looked more comfortable at the plate last night than I'd seen him appear all season. He hit the ball hard a few times including a solid poke up the middle. He didn't try and pull everything thrown within his zip code and though he struck out looking in his last AB, he went down on a tough pitch.

Today he continued to look like he might be emerging from his season-long funk, stroking his fourth homer of the year and second in three games.

Meanwhile, not to be outdone on the RC front, Brett Myers, this writer's favorite whipping boy, threw a second consecutive strong game, upping his record to 2-1 and lowering his ERA below 4 runs per game.

All Pitch No Hit

It's official....for now: the Phillies can pitch but they cannot hit.

For the third time this season the Phils wasted a fine effort by a starting pitcher when they lost to the Astros last night, 2-1. Kyle Kendricks, about whom everyone (yours very truly included) was worried, provided a genuine quality start last night, going seven innings while allowing two earned runs on four hits, but his mates continued their flailing ways at the plate, including five strikeouts in their last six at-bats.

The winning margin came on a pretty good inside pitch to light-hitting ex-Phillie Michael Bourn, who plunked it down the right field line off the good side (if you call Texas home) of the foul pole. Everyone had to be heartened by Kendricks' outing.

No one, on the other hand, can be happy watching the Phils make successive Houston hurlers look like Cy Young. Last night they faced Roy Oswalt, an outstanding pitcher who nonetheless entered the game with an 0-3 record and an ERA of 9.00. Nothing quite remedies an ailing hurler's stats better than an appearance against these 2008 Phillies. There were several hard hit outs early, but in the end the Phillies could manage only six hits against Oswalt and two relievers as they fell below .500 again.

* * * * * * * *

The Phillies alleged brain trust including the medical staff are a bunch of idiots in their handling of Jimmy Rollins. Unable to move laterally in the field without pain according to no more reliable a source than J-Roll himself, the ailing shortstop also acknowledged he feels some pain in his injured ankle when he swings in the batter box. Nevertheless, Charlie Manuel used him as a pinch hitter for the third consecutive game. Rollins delivered a crisp single and as he rounded the bag at first clearly favored his ailing ankle, limping back to the bag. The Phillies seem determined to prolong his injury as long as possible. Stupid! There is no other word to describe their approach.

With A Little Bit Of Luck

At least one missing element in the Phillies' 2008 season Version 4.1 has been found and installed: last minute heroics.

The Phils improbable ninth inning comeback against the Astros had a little bit of everything: a pinch-hit home run by recent call-up Chris Snelling; another round-tripper from a rejuvenated Pat Burrell; a strikeout/passed ball that gave second life to Geoff Jenkins; Jenkins running through a stop sign at third base to score the winning run all the way from first base on a double by Pedro Feliz; and last but not least, a call that went the Phillies' way on a play at the plate.

Good teams need luck to go with their pluck and the Phils had a little bit of each last night as they awakened from their eight inning slumber to rally from three runs down, beat the Astros and even their season's record at seven wins and seven losses.

Lost but not forgotten in the win was another solid outing by Adam Eaton, his third straight "quality start" as defined in the new millennium. Eaton got no decision for the third straight time as well, but neither he nor his teammates will be complaining. With Cole Hamels pitching lights out, Brett Myers see-sawing between competent and disappointing, the steady performances of Eaton have been critical. With two weeks left in April there is still plenty of time for the Phils to banish the cruelest month's curse. Now, if only they could stay healthy, their bats would wake up and their gloves would turn from stone to leather, this team might take advantage of the overall mediocrity in their division and start to make a move early rather than late.

Speaking of health, the loss of Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino has taken a serious toll at the top of the order which has been largely unproductive since the two spark plugs went down. Rollins has pinch hit in two straight games but still complains of pain when he moves laterally in the field. When he first injured his ankle the reports suggested it was nothing serious. Five games later he still isn't able to start. On a team whose medical staff has little or no credibility with the sporting public, Rollins' absence only confirms our worst fears, namely, he might be out longer than originally suggested. We have gotten spoiled by Jimmy's own Iron Man history; even one or two absences is hard to accept let alone adjust to. Meanwhile, Victorino was put on the 15-day DL Sunday, raising yet again the question of whether he can ever remain healthy enough to play a full season. Part of his problem is that he plays all out. Like his predecessor in center field, Victorino only knows one speed. Some times, throttling back a little is a better approach, personally and for the team.

No Defense

The Phillies defense has been atrocious thus far this season and no one has been having a tougher time in the field than Chase Utley. Yesterday's throwing error on a double play contributed mightily to the Phillies' loss. That said, it is unseemly to turn on Utley for his defensive failings all of a sudden because, frankly, ever since his arrival in the big league's he's always had a reputation as an average fielder at best whose weak arm and difficulties turning the double play are his greatest (and only) liabilities.

Utley always gives 100 per cent. At bat and on the base paths that is more than enough; in the field, it isn't. He has worked hard on his defense and can be counted on to get to nearly everything hit his way. His problems after that are well known, but to think he isn't hustling or is suddenly less than "perfect" as some who are leaping from the bandwagon have suggested is not worthy of further comment.

Utley's problems mirror an overall feeling that this club is playing tight and is still trying to find its rhythm. The losses of Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino have forced Charlie Manuel to juggle his lineup and the platooning of outfielders Jayson Werth and Geoff Jenkins and de facto platooning of catchers Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste have contributed to the lack of stability. The Phillies were expected to be an offensive powerhouse but to date they have collectively failed to deliver with few exceptions, Pat Burrell being the most notable one.

If there has been a pleasant surprise it has been the bullpen, which has acquitted itself admirably in the main. The starting pitching has been erratic, as expected, but generally also somewhat better than anticipated. The Phils would have a winning record were they able to catch and throw the ball. No one expected them to be so bad at those skills.

Sputtering

Adam Eaton continues to surprise to the upside and Tom Gordon continues to disappoint to the downside. Eaton pitched another quality start last night in an important game no less and all he got to show for it was a no decision. Having watched the Mets end the Phillies nine-game hex the night before, Eaton went out and did his best to begin a new one. Unfortunately, the offense behind him wasn't on the same page. Still, they rallied late and had their chances to break things open, but their bats fell silent and the Mets won in 12 innings. Gordon took the loss.

Having used Brad Lidge in the ninth inning, the Phillies had little choice but to go to Gordon, and for the second time this season the result was a crushing loss -- the other was to Washington -- after his mates had rallied late. But make no mistake, this one was again on the offense, which sent six guys to the plate last night who are hitting below the Mendoza line. Twice they wasted excellent scoring opportunities in regulation time and as is almost always the case, their ineptitude came back to haunt them.

While their pitching has been erratic at times, the big problems have been defense and a feeble attack. Pedro Feliz homered for the first time as a Phillie and Ryan Howard crushed his second home run of the season, but they are two of the regulars batting under .200. The Phillies aren't clicking on all cylinders ten games into the season, having now lost series to the Nationals and the Mets. The run into a hot Cubs team tonight at Citizens Bank Park with Brett Myers vowing to go the distance and get his team back on track. We've heard bravura from him before; right now, I'd settle for a win.

Here We Go Again

We knew the pitching would be suspect, but all along we figured they'd at least catch the ball and hit a ton. Not so.

Through nine games the Phillies' fielding has been atrocious. Last night they committed four more errors, two by backup shortstop Eric Bruntlett (making his debut), one by Chase Utley, his third of the season, and another by Carlos Ruiz, his second this year. The sloppy play killed them and the Mets scored eight runs on a mere five hits and nine walks, six of them courtesy of starter Kyle Kendrick. With each outing Kendrick more and more resembles the inexperienced hurler he is. His line for the night was four hits and those six free passes in 2.1 innings. Little matter that only one of the seven runs he yielded was earned; he hardly did himself much credit.

Meanwhile, the alleged offensive juggernaut managed two runs. Three of the starting eight position players -- Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino -- are hitting below the Mendoza line. A fourth, Pedro Feliz, sits right on the line.

The Phillies look like a tentative team in every facet of their game. One third of the way through the cruelest month, their record reflects that quality.

Someone's Got Someone's Number

Just when nearly everyone, yours truly included, was about to write off Jamie Moyer, the wily, crafty, savvy (pick all three) 45-year old veteran pitched a fine game against the Mets in the New Yorkers' final season opener at Shea Stadium. The win was the Phils' ninth straight against their biggest rival.

Moyer did get off to a somewhat shaky start giving up some long, loud outs, especially a deep fly ball by David Wright and a booming home run in the second by Carlos Delgado, his eight career homer off of Moyer. The veteran southpaw then settled down and held the Mets to one more run before the bullpen nailed down the victory.

For their part, the Mets were cruising behind Oliver Perez but when he exited the wheels came off. A throwing error by Delgado was the critical error as the Phils clawed their way back. Former Phillie Billy Wagner, always good for a dispassionate analysis of all things Philadelphia, said his ex mates didn't have the Mets number; rather, his current team just keeps "shooting ourselves in the foot." Whatever you say, Mr. Wagner.

Chase Utley was named player of the game for getting plunked three times by pitches, a major league record for one game, and being hit by Delgado's errant throw on the front end of an aborted double play. He also drove in an insurance run with a double in the eight inning. But the real hero of the game from where I sat 100 miles away in front of a television (when I probably should have been earning a living) was Shane Victorino who made several superb catches in deep center field, one after colliding with a much bigger Jayson Werth. Victorino made at least 1-2 grabs that the former occupant of his station, Aaron Rowand, would not have even gotten to. Rowand, who always played too shallow and took circuitous routes to many balls, may be missed for his clubhouse presence, but Victorino is his superior in the field. It remains to be seen if Victorino can get untracked at the plate, however.

The victory evened the Phils' season record at 4-4. A win today would put them over .500 for the first time this year.