July 1 -- WERTH: 'WE'LL BE ALL RIGHT'

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- So, June is finally over, and for the Phillies, that's a good thing. They went 11-15 in June, their first losing month since, well, last June, when they went 12-14. Last night's loss to the Braves was particularly deflating. They led 4-3 in the eighth inning after back-to-back homers by John Mayberry Jr. and Pedro Feliz, only to have Ryan Madson cough up the lead in the eighth and Martin Prado win it with a single in the 10th against Chan Ho Park. Yet, somehow, they're still in first place, 1-1/2 games ahead of the Marlins and three up on the free-falling Mets.

Just imagine if they were actually, you know, playing well.

"We've got to turn this thing around and get back to playing the type of baseball that made us champs last year," Jayson Werth said from a quiet clubhouse. "It seems like anything we can do to lose a game right now we're doing it. Both sides of the ball. We're still really good. I still feel like we're the best team in baseball. We've just to find a way to start winning games. We'll be all right."

Are you as convinced as Werth is?

***
When Jimmy Rollins batted in the ninth inning, a chant rose from a segment of the crowd at Turner Field.

".208! .208!"

That was Rollins' batting average before he struck out on a check swing. In his highly anticipated return to the lineup after last week's four-game benching, J-Roll went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts, deepening his offensive malaise to 0-for-24 (and 7-for-61). He has the worst on-base percentage (.250) among all players who are eligible for either league's batting title. Charlie Manuel has tried just about every remedy, from individual hitting sessions and video study to dropping him in the lineup and benching him for an extended spell.

But what if, as I wrote in today's News Journal, Rollins is just having one of those years? Like, you know, when Pat Burrell batted .209 in 2003. Manuel already seems to be allowing for that possibility.

"There's been a lot of guys that have been elected to the Hall of Fame that have had terrible years," Manuel said before last night's game. "Everybody goes through that. That's a part of the game."

***
On June 16, I wrote this feature on Madson. At the time, he was 2-1 with four saves, one blown save, 13 holds, a 1.95 ERA and had allowed only 33 baserunners (24 hits, nine walks) in 32-1/3 innings. But, since June 16, Madson is 0-2 with no saves, three blown saves, one hold, a 9.52 ERA and has allowed 16 baserunners (nine hits, seven walks) in 5-2/3 innings.

If I had anything to do with that, I apologize.