June 8 -- BACK IN BUSINESS

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- Hello, all. Long time, no speak.

As you may (or may not) know, I was on a company-mandated furlough last week, taking my turn to help save Gannett some cash in these difficult economic times. I wasn't allowed to write for The News Journal, answer your e-mail, and worst of all, blog at Philled In. So, what did I do with my abundant idle time? Well, I cleaned my apartment (had to be done), caught a few movies (Mickey Rourke was great, but overall, "The Wrestler" was not), saw family in Jersey and friends in Boston, where, among other things, I took in a game at Fenway.

Through it all, I watched almost every pitch (live or on tape) of the Phillies' last seven games, even sneaking a few Twitter tweets. Honestly, it was a tough time to be on the sidelines. Aside from my selfish desire to spend a week in SoCal, the Phillies played extremely well in San Diego and Los Angeles, going 5-2 (they could've been 7-0) and taking a three-game lead in the NL East with a big showdown against the second-place Metropolitans looming tomorrow at Citi Field. Much more on that later. For now, a few observations from the week that was:

1. Yes, Brad Lidge blew back-to-back saves Friday night and Saturday at Dodger Stadium, and yes, he's 0-3, 13-for-19 in save opportunities and has an unsightly 7.27 ERA. But before y'all think about pitching yourselves (or Lidge) off the Ben Franklin Bridge the next time he enters a close game in the ninth inning, consider this: Last weekend proved nothing except how incredible Lidge's streak of 47 consecutive saves really was. He pitched well Friday night, recording two quick outs before Casey Blake singled and James Loney walked. But he still would've (and should've) saved the game if usually sure-handed Pedro Feliz had fielded Russell Martin's grounder. Instead, Feliz booted it, two runs scored, and Lidge had himself a blown save. Tough luck. Amazing, too, that nothing like that happened to him last season. On Saturday, Lidge made one bad pitch, and Rafael Furcal hammered it for a pinch-hit, game-tying homer. He threw a few bad pitches last season, too. Of course, opposing hitters missed them. Overall, I tend to agree with Lidge: He's throwing the ball pretty well. He just isn't getting any luck, and right now, that's what he needs most. He also needs Charlie Manuel's devotion, and it appears he has that in spades.

2. I'm not sold yet on Antonio Bastardo as a starter. I know, I know, he's 2-0 in place of Brett Myers. But I watched both games, just like you did, and I haven't seen enough of a breaking ball to make me think he'll be consistently effective as a starter. Right now, Bastardo has a surprisingly hard fastball (who knew he threw in the mid-90s?), an above-average changeup and a still-developing slider. To me, that repetoire would suit him for relief duty, and it's easy to imagine him becoming another J.C. Romero. Of course, Kyle Kendrick won 21 games in the majors with primarily one pitch, so why can't Bastardo?

3. Not sure what was worse: Jimmy Rollins' .194 average (6-for-31) during the seven games or the small army (20 runners) that he left on base. Either way, Rollins had an awful week, and even after his two hits last night, he's batting only .222, his lowest average this late in the season during any of his nine full major-league seasons. Next worst: 2002, when he bottomed out at .235 on Aug. 4.

4. At the risk of overhyping this week's series in the Big Apple, these three games are H-U-G-E. Yeah, I realize it's only June 8. But the Phillies lead the Mets by three games. Their largest lead of the season last year was four games on June 13-14. The Phillies were about to head into two weeks of interleague play, during which they went 3-11 and had their first-place lead shaved to one game. So, my point is, with two weeks of interleague play looming, the Phillies can create some serious distance from the Mets with a three-game sweep. It won't be easy, though. Here are the pitching matchups:

Tomorrow: LHP J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.48) vs. LHP Johan Santana (7-3, 2.00)
Wednesday: LHP Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.40) vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-2, 4.85)
Thursday: LHP Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.27) vs. RHP Tim Redding (0-2, 6.97)

5. Speaking of pitching, the Phillies' starters (Happ, Hamels, Moyer, Joe Blanton and Bastardo) have allowed only 10 runs on 38 hits in 53 innings over the last eight games. That's a 1.70 ERA. They've also walked only six batters and struck out 35. It's no wonder the Phillies are 6-2 in that span.

6. Because they signed Type A free agent Raul Ibanez last winter, the Phillies don't have a first-round pick in tomorrow's amateur draft. Instead, their first pick will be No. 75 overall. And while that isn't particularly high, keep this in mind: The Braves got Yunel Escobar with the 75th pick in 2005. In 2000, the Expos took Grady Sizemore at No. 75. Tino Martinez was the 75th overall pick by the Red Sox in 1985. Point is, there will be plenty of talent still on the board when the Phillies make their first selection.

Good to be back. More later today.