May 20 -- PROGRESS FOR MOYER

BY SCOTT LAUBER

CINCINNATI -- It wasn't a win, but it was progress.

Jamie Moyer was credited with the loss tonight in a 5-1 setback to the Reds that ended the Phillies' five-game winning streak. But he also allowed only three runs on nine hits, including at least four bloopers, in six innings, meeting the criteria for a quality start and silencing the doubters (at least temporarily) who wondered if he could still pitch effectively at age 46. In particular, Moyer said he was pleased to be able to throw strikes and force contact. Of the 105 pitches he threw, 70 were strikes. He threw a first-pitch strike to 15 of 25 batters.

"I did some things I wanted to do, but we ended up losing," Moyer said. "That's what it all comes down to. Was it a bad night? No. But am I happy that I threw decently and we lost? No, not at all."

Judging by the e-mails I've been getting over the past week (and comments on our live chat yesterday), many of you are concerned that Moyer is finished. Before the game, Rich Dubee talked a little about that perception. (It should be noted that Dubee believes Moyer can pitch until he's 50, although it was ESPN.com's Jim Caple, not Dubee, that came up with this hilarious mock Hall of Fame plaque that shows Moyer pitching through 2030.)

"The guy's got 249 [career] wins," Dubee said. "If he was 32 years old, what would you say? He's in a slump. He's not pitching well. He's 46. Now, oh, has the time come? Well, who the hell knows when the time's going to come. ... You don’t think he's lost games or had bad outings before or been on a bad stretch? Hell, if it wasn't for Charlie [Manuel] and I, if the public had a vote, last year he probably wouldn't have pitched in the World Series."

So, what do you think? Is Moyer on the right track? Are you any more confident in him today than you were before tonight's start?

***
Raul Ibanez hit his team-leading 14th homer in only his 145th at-bat. Here's a look at when Ibanez reached 14 homers in each of the past eight seasons and how many homers he finished with during each season:

2009 -- 145 at-bats, May 20, finished with ??? homers
2008 -- 390 at-bats, July 23, finished with 23 homers
2007 -- 420 at-bats, Aug. 20, finished with 21 homers
2006 -- 285 at-bats, June 22, finished with 33 homers
2005 -- 379 at-bats, July 28, finished with 20 homers
2004 -- 324 at-bats, Aug. 21, finished with 16 homers
2003 -- 386 at-bats, July 24, finished with 18 homers
2002 -- 255 at-bats, July 21, finished with 24 homers

***
Tomorrow comes quickly when a 12:35 p.m. game follows a 7:10 p.m. game. More in the morning from Great American Ballpark.