Aug. 23 -- COULD'VE BEEN WORSE

Quick turnaround today, but I guess that's good for the Phillies. Less time to think about the 15-3 drubbing they took last night against the Dodgers. Hey, at least they were only half as bad as the team to the south, which allowed 30 runs last night at Camden Yards. That's hard to fathom. To put that in perspective, the Ravens haven't allowed 30 points since Nov. 25, 2005. But I digress ...

Back to the Phillies. The theme last night is the same as today's: Pitching, pitching, pitching. With Cole Hamels on the shelf, J.D. Durbin took the mound last night and was, well, not very good. He also took exception to a heckler who wants him to run out routine ground balls, but you can read about that in the game story. And, now, to win this three-game series, the Phillies are pinning their hopes to Fabio Castro, a rookie left-hander who has been a starter and a reliever for triple-A Ottawa.

"Don't be surprised, whatever happens," catcher Chris Coste said.

And, so, it has come to this. Like Forrest Gump's mama used to say, "The Phillies' rotation is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're going to get." Well, that wasn't exactly what she said, but you get the point. Durbin, Castro, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Lohse and Kyle Kendrick don't exactly inspire confidence for a long winning streak, do they?

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Have no fear: Adam Eaton and his 6.36 ERA are close to rescuing the Phillies. Also within the notebook, there's news of a seemingly accelerated recovery for Chase Utley, and Ruben Amaro Jr. explains (kind of) why the Phillies chose Castro over J.A. Happ for today's start.

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Stuff that didn't make the paper: Charlie Manuel said Antonio Alfonseca aggravated his injured left ankle last weekend in Pittsburgh. Alfonseca is able to pitch, but maybe only to a batter or two and definitely no more than one inning. ... Shane Victorino only slightly favored his strained right calf last night as he went 0-for-4 in his return from the disabled list. ... As you know, Ryan Howard stole his first base Tuesday night and found the base in his locker Wednesday, courtesy of Victorino. Taped to it was a piece of paper with the words, "I am the greatest." That's what Rickey Henderson said when he broke the all-time stolen-base mark. ... Disappointing to hear the mixed reaction (more boos than cheers, I thought) for Mike Lieberthal last night. Is that any way to treat a guy who has caught more games than anyone in Phillies history?

Day game today, so if y'all are unable to sneak out of work and get to a TV, I'll try to post some in-game updates here. More later.