May 31 -- MOYER WINS 250, AT LAST (UPDATED)

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, in his sixth try, Jamie Moyer finally earned his 250th career victory, beating the Nationals, 4-2. And, after the game, the Phillies surprised him in the clubhouse with a champagne toast. The vintage, which came in bottles marked by "250," was Armand de Brignac (Shane Victorino tells us it's the champagne promoted in commercials by Jay-Z). Here's a picture of the bottles, captured by Philled In's high-quality camera phone.

Moyer is only the 44th pitcher all-time to reach 250 career wins -- and, at 46 years and 194 days, he's also the oldest. He allowed one run on a homer by Josh Willingham in six walk-free innings. He set down the final seven batters he faced and allowed only three hits against a Nationals offense that entered with the National League's fourth-highest batting average (.268) and third-most home runs (55). The Nats may be a joke, but their lineup -- featuring Nick Johnson, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn and Willingham -- certainly is not.

After posting a 13.86 ERA in three starts from May 2-13, Moyer has a more manageable 4.00 ERA in his last three starts.

More on Moyer here, and even more later.

(Updated, 8:13 p.m.): You might think May was a rough month for Moyer, and after today's game, he admitted he's happy that June has arrived. But, compared to some of the adversity tackled by Moyer during his 23-year career, a 13.86 ERA in three starts against the Mets and Dodgers was like a vacation. Early in his career, Moyer was released three times in 2-1/2 years. He has been traded three times. And, in 1992, he was told by the Cubs -- not to mention his father-in-law, Notre Dame basketball coach Digger Phelps -- to retire and go into coaching.

"As usual, I didn't listen to him because I'm not a basketball player," Moyer said today. "And I'm assuming a lot of his basketball players didn't [listen] either."

Needless to say, 17 years later, Moyer wasn't about to listen to the masses who have been wondering if, now 46 and the oldest player in the majors, he's finally finished. Suffice it to say, he's not. Today's effort -- and, to a larger degree, his 4.00 ERA in his last three starts -- indicates that he has plenty of starts left, and with Brett Myers likely out for the rest of the season, the Phillies need Moyer more than ever.

"He's one of those guys where you really want to watch him throw so you can learn how to pitch," Brad Lidge said. "There's maybe one or two other guys ever that have done what he's done post-30, 35. It's hard to imagine how long his career has been, how successful he's been, as he's gotten older."

Well said.

(Updated, 10:21 p.m.): Some fun with numbers: The Phillies are 10-2 against the Nats this season, 18-18 against everyone else. ... At 13-36, the Nats have matched the 1962 Mets' record through 49 games. Those miserable Mets, of course, set a major-league record for futility at 40-120. ... On July 27, 2007, John Lannan broke Chase Utley's right hand with a high-and-inside fastball. Since then, Utley is 8-for-15 with two homers and five RBIs against Lannan. How's that for payback? ... Finally, the Phils are about to open a 10-game road trip. Their three opponents -- the Padres, Dodgers and Mets -- are a combined 52-20 at home. Good thing, I suppose, that the Phillies have the majors' best road record (16-6).

All for now.