Aug. 28 -- PROVING HIS WERTH

On any other night, the spotlight would have shined exclusively on Jayson Werth -- and for good reason.

After going a career-best 5-for-5 Sunday against the Padres, Werth went 4-for-4 with a walk in last night's 9-2 win over the Mets. Between the two games, his batting average has skyrocketed from .270 to .312. His 9-for-9 streak also is one shy of tying the Phillies and National League records, accomplished by 10 players, including former Phillies Dick Sisler (1950), Eddie Watkins (1950) and Dave Philley (1958-59).

But Chase Utley dominates the headlines today with a rousing return from a broken hand. Werth's performance didn't go unnoticed, though. When he walked over to his locker after the game, a strip of tape with the name "PETE ROSE" had been placed over his nameplate. Across the room, atop Shane Victorino's locker, a strip of tape read "W. PIPP." Victorino, of course, has been hobbled by a muscle strain in his right calf, a lingering injury that has allowed Werth to stay in the lineup. In so doing, Werth has proven that he can be an everyday player.

A year ago, that didn't seem possible.

In spring training, I wrote about how Werth nearly retired last summer because his left wrist injury wouldn't heal. Unable to swing a bat and destined to miss the entire 2006 season, he returned to his Springfield, Ill., home. One day last May, he was walking to the mailbox when a neighbor suggested he go to the renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. Werth went to see Dr. Richard Berger, a specialist at Mayo, who diagnosed the injury as a split tear of the ulnotriquetral ligament. Werth underwent surgery, signed a one-year contract with the Phillies worth $400,000 plus incentives and set out to regain his 2005 form, when he had 16 homers and 47 RBIs in just 290 at-bats for the Dodgers.

It took him a while. Playing behind Pat Burrell, Aaron Rowand and Victorino, Werth made only four starts in April, six in May and eight in June. When he went on the DL June 28 with a strained left wrist, he had only 85 at-bats and was batting just .235. But Werth was a first-round pick of the Orioles in 1997. He's an excellent outfielder, with a strong arm and good range. His athletic ability is obvious. And, although he thought he'd be rusty Aug. 1 when he came off the DL to replace Victorino, Werth is batting .403 (29-for-72) with three homers and 19 RBIs.

Assuming the Phillies don't re-sign Rowand, what would you think of a Burrell-Victorino-Werth outfield next season?

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Within the notebook, there's news that Freddy Garcia may finally have surgery on his balky right shoulder. He'll find out Thursday when he sees Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala. Garcia hasn't pitched since June 8 in Kansas City. You may recall that Andrews suggested rest and rehabilitation would heal Garcia's shoulder. That doesn't seem to have happened. His velocity in his rehab starts hasn't climbed much higher than 85 mph. For the record, Garcia's agent, Peter Greenberg, told me in June that he thought Garcia would need surgery.

Also, Adam Eaton returns from the disabled list tonight to face the Mets. Could he be the key to the Phillies making the playoffs? And there's mention of Cole Hamels, who will throw a bullpen session today. I'll update The Blog with details of how it goes.

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Utley, by the way, looked like his usual self. Curiously, Charlie Manuel batted him second. Why? Well, Manuel said he wanted to split up his left-handed hitters against the Mets, who have three lefties in their bullpen (Billy Wagner, Pedro Feliciano, Scott Schoeneweis). With Burrell hitting well, he thought Burrell could bat between Utley and Ryan Howard.

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Here's how the game looked through Ginger Wall's camera.