May 6 -- HOME RUN DERBY

PHOENIX -- OK, here's how this newspaper thing works when the Phillies (or any of our local teams) are on the West Coast. Because of the late start times, and our need to get that ink-stained paper to your door by a certain hour each morning, I (or any of the reporters covering a West Coast game) must write what we call a "plug" feature that, basically, holds the space in the paper where the game story usually goes. Then, in the very latest editions, that feature is replaced by a game story.

So, depending on where you live, your paper today may contain a "plug" about how the Phillies' offense has been dependent on the home run. With Jimmy Rollins (sprained left ankle) and Shane Victorino (strained right calf) sidelined for much of April, the Phillies were missing their speed at the top of the lineup. Needless to say, it's been difficult to manufacture runs. Luckily, the Phillies lead the majors with 48 homers, and (stat of the day alert) Chase Utley and Pat Burrell have combined to hit more homers (22) than eight entire teams.

Entering last night's game, 70 of the Phillies' 150 runs (46.67 percent) had come via homers.

That figures to change once Rollins returns (more on that later), and history shows it had better if the Phillies want to keep winning. Homers are great, but through 2006, only eight teams in baseball history had finished a season with home runs accounting for more than 46 percent of their runs. Only the 1961 Yankees -- with Roger Maris, Mickey Mantle and their epic chase to surpass Babe Ruth's single-season homer record -- reached the playoffs.

"You're going to have games where you blow teams out, they blow you out," Geoff Jenkins told me yesterday. "But those one-run, two-run games, the difference is getting that bunt down, getting that guy over, manufacturing a run. It's the hugest part of the game offensively, if you ask me."

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If you stayed up late to watch the game, you know Jamie Moyer stole the show on a night that was supposed to belong to flame-throwing D-Backs rookie Max Scherzer. For what it's worth, Moyer thinks Scherzer is going to be pretty good. "He's a young kid, and he's got a big arm," Moyer said. "It's just a matter of him figuring things out. It's him trying to figure out, 'What can I do at this level?' As long as he stays in his character, he'll be fine. He wouldn't be here if he didn't have a lot of talent."

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We mentioned this yesterday on The Blog but it bears repeating: Rollins went 4-for-4 yesterday in an extended spring-training game and may still be on track to return to the Phillies' lineup by this weekend in San Francisco. That's the sort of Mother's Day present he wants to give his mom, who lives in nearby Alameda. Also, within the notebook, updates on the health of Scott Mathieson and Kris Benson.

More later from Chase Field.