Phillies

July 9 -- PEDRO TO PHILLIES? (UPDATED)

2009-07-09T17:09:00.009-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Ruben Amaro Jr. hasn't divulged many details about what the Phillies thought of Pedro Martinez when he pitched a simulated game for them Tuesday in the Dominican Republic.

Indications are they were impressed.

It's believed Martinez's fastball velocity topped out at 93 mph, and Phillies scout Robinson Garcia told ESPNDeportes, "The decision to sign him depends on the front office, but as far as we are concerned, we saw a Pedro Martinez ready to help a team. I am surprised, I didn't think he would be in such good shape. His fastball was good, between 88 and 91 miles, and all his breaking pitches were moving very well.

"Pedro won't have problems throwing his fastball at 93 miles per hour. He really had a great session with us."

Stay tuned.

(Updated, 5:30 p.m.): According to a report in the Dominican Republic, Pedro will be in Philly tomorrow for a physical. The deal would be for $4 million. Still no word yet from Amaro or anyone in the Phillies' front office.

(Updated, 5:55 p.m.): Amaro said Pedro has not been signed. That said, the Phillies typically don't announce free-agent signings until after a player passes a physical. Asked if Pedro is en route to Philly for a physical, Amaro said, "No comment."

(Updated, 6:05 p.m.): Still waiting for a call-back from Pedro's agent, Fernando Cuza, but Martinez has told the Associated Press that Cuza is in negotiations with the Phillies. "The Phillies saw me this past Tuesday in a simulated game and I felt very good with my fastball and all my pitches," Martinez told the AP. "I feel the best I have for some time."

July 9 -- LOPEZ'S SHOULDER; STAIRS ON HALLADAY

2009-07-09T01:51:00.007-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Lost in the "Vote For Victorino" hoopla and Roy Halladay trade talk, there was another, fairly notable, development last night at the Bank:

Rodrigo Lopez injured his shoulder.

Now, Lopez insisted it isn't a big deal and said after the game that he already was feeling better. He said he felt some "tightness" (his word) in his right shoulder, and rather than risking additional problems, he thought it best that he leave the game after the fifth inning. But, according to Charlie Manuel, Lopez (left, AP photo didn't say anything until Rich Dubee approached him after noticing such a sharp drop in his velocity that he mistook fastballs for changeups.

The initial diagnosis is "right shoulder inflammation," and for now, the Phillies haven't scheduled an MRI or any other tests. Because of the All-Star break, they won't need Lopez to pitch again until July 20 when the Cubs visit the Bank for the opener of a three-game series, and Lopez said he should be ready.

"So far, I don't think it's something bad," he said. "I think I can pitch by the 20th. It's a good thing for me that the break is coming because that will give me some more time, but I think I can pitch."

Stay tuned.

***
Matt Stairs teamed with Halladay for two seasons in Toronto, and during that time, they got to be close friends. Stairs said they would even sit together in the dugout and give each other tips. So, after batting practice yesterday, I asked Stairs if, should the Phillies and Jays work out a deal (a huge "IF," by the way), Halladay might waive his no-trade clause to come here.

"I can't answer that," Stairs said. "He's been there for so long [12 seasons], and he has such a good routine, it would probably be hard for him to leave. And I understand that. But he'd be successful wherever he is. If the right opportunity came up and he was going to the right situation where he enjoyed being around good guys, would he waive it? Maybe."

***
On tap today: Raul Ibanez will play in what the Phillies hope will be his final minor-league rehab game at Class AAA Lehigh Valley. If that goes well, he could be activated Friday, and if that happens, he'll be able to start for the NL in the All-Star Game on Tuesday night in St. Louis.

Speaking of which, Shane Victorino finally will learn today if he has won the online voting for the final NL roster spot. As of yesterday, he was trailing Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, although we can't tell you the exact deficit because MLB doesn't release vote totals. That's a pet peeve of ours here at Philled In. If MLB wants people to take this "final vote" contest seriously, and not just regard it as a marketing ploy to drive additional traffic to MLB.com, it should provide actual numbers with its daily voting updates. Vaguely telling us that Sandoval leads in a "closely contested race" is akin to a television network not providing the score of a game during a blowout in order to keep viewers tuned in.

And, by the way, if Victorino doesn't win the vote, he still stands a good chance to make the NL team. Carlos Beltran won't play next week because of a bruised right knee, and because he was picked by the fans, Manuel doesn't have to replace him with the next-highest vote-getter in the player balloting (Matt Kemp had more votes than Victorino in the player balloting). So, if Manuel wants to pick Victorino, it's believed that he'll be able to do so.

***
Finally, in an utterly shocking move, the Blue Jays released erstwhile closer B.J. Ryan yesterday. In 2005, Ryan had 36 saves for the Orioles. He had 38 saves for the Jays in 2007. Just last season, he had 32 saves and a 2.95 ERA. Sure, Ryan has struggled this year (6.53 ERA), but something tells us it won't be long before he finds work, especially since any team that signs him will be responsible only for a prorated portion of the major-league minimum salary ($400,000). The Jays will foot the bill for the approximately $15 million remaining on his contract this season and next.

July 8 -- AMARO WON'T BET FARM ON HALLADAY

2009-07-08T16:42:00.007-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Will the Phillies stop at nothing to get Roy Halladay?

Not according to Ruben Amaro Jr.

With the Blue Jays confirming yesterday that they'll listen to offers for Halladay -- and with the Phillies making a well-stated, aggressive push for another starter -- Amaro spoke to the media for nearly 20 minutes in the Phillies' dugout. Now, Amaro isn't allowed to discuss specific players on other teams' rosters, so he wasn't able to comment directly about Halladay or anybody else. But the biggest revelation to come from the Q&A session was that there are certain playerse in the farm system that the Phillies absolutely won't trade.

"There are some untouchables in our system," Amaro said. "We feel like we're building a pretty strong farm system, which puts us in a decent position. That said, we have to be prudent about what our future's about. It's important for us to win now, and we have to understand the importance in that. But that said, there are players that we'd like ot keep for our future, and I'd say they're not as touchable as others."

So, if Amaro was faced with acquiring, well, the best pitcher in baseball, are there prospects he wouldn't trade?

"There are," Amaro said.

Charlie Manuel, whose in the business of winning immediately, is less hesitant to mortgage the farm system, but even he has limits. "It'd be tough for me to trade Drabek," Manuel said. "I like Drabek because he's strong in his legs and his hips and he's a drop and drive kind of pitcher. I'm not a pitching coach but I like his mechanics and I like where he comes from and he's a strong-bodied kid, like a Tom Seaver-type or a Bartolo Colon, and he's got that kind of stuff. And he's young, and I think he has a big upside to him."

Later, Amaro added, "As Paul Owens said and Dallas Green after that, they are prospects, and if moving one of them can help us improve our club to help get us in the playoffs and perhaps make a run at winning another championship, then we have to keep the lines open."

A few other highlights:

--Amaro didn't divulge much information on special assistant Charley Kerfeld's reports on Pedro Martinez's simulated game yesterday in the Dominican Republic: "I don't really want to comment much about it other than that we're trying to do what we can to add to our club. If we feel at the end of the day that Pedro is going to help us, then we'll make a run at him. ... I think if Pedro were to be on our club it would be more as a starter than anything else."

--The Phillies' payroll stands at a club-record $133 million, and they already have $95.5 million invested in 11 players for 2010. "We have some flexibility," Amaro said. "A lot of it depends on the player that we're talking about. But we have some flexibility. It's not unlimited."

--Amaro said he tends to agree with Pat Gillick's philosophy of not giving a pitcher more than a three-year contract. (Halladay, a free agent after the 2010 season, may be seeking an extension before he waives his no-trade clause, although Halladay's agent, Greg Landry, hasn't returned calls from Philled In today.) "I think that any time you get past three years, especially with free-agent pitchers, you put yourself in position where the productivity will drastically change the ability for that player to be productive or healthy," Amaro said. "Some teams have had success with that. Some teams have been burned. When you start talking about real long-term contracts, one of two things happen: You either get less production than you hoped, or the player feels like he wasn't paid enough for the production that he has. There's plusses and minuses for doing long-term deals, and then, there's times when maybe you have to bend your rules a little bit."

--Entering last night's games, 17 teams were within five games of a wild-card spot or a division-lead. But Amaro said he has seen the trade market begin to take shape, with buyers and sellers falling into their various roles. "There's just not going to be that much movement," he said. "That's just the nature of the beast. It's just too hard to make trades."

--Regarding the elusive search for another right-handed bat for the bench, Amaro said it may be possible to fill that need after the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline. Remember: Last year, the Phillies traded for Matt Stairs in August.

July 8 -- TAKING A HALLADAY?

2009-07-08T01:34:00.010-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, if I'm Ruben Amaro Jr., and I read the comments made yesterday by Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi, I immediately do a few things:

1. Put Ricciardi on speed dial.
2. Keep calling until I work out a deal for Roy Halladay.

Halladay is, quite simply, the best pitcher in the American League. No offense to Josh Beckett or CC Sabathia or Zack Greinke or Justin Verlander or anybody else, but none of them are Halladay, who will take a 10-2 record, a 2.79 ERA, 98 strikeouts in 116 innings and three complete games to the mound tomorrow night at Tampa Bay. And it isn't just this season, either. Since 2002, Halladay has a 3.16 ERA and 40 -- 40! -- complete games. In five of the last seven seasons, he has pitched at least 220 innings. He won the Cy Young Award in 2003 and finished in the top five in 2006 (3rd), 2007 (5th) and 2008 (2nd). He's only 32, and he's never had significant arm trouble (though he did spend time on the disabled list last month with a groin injury). And, although the Jays play in the AL East and face the Red Sox and Yankees almost 20 times per season, he's 123-51 since 2002.

Charlie Manuel says he wants a horse. Halladay is the Secretariat of pitchers.

So, when Ricciardi said yesterday that he's "willing to listen" to offers for Halladay, it suddenly spiced up a previously bland trade market. Of course, the Jays won't give away Halladay, and if they're wise, they'll shed the necessary portion of their $81 million payroll by moving the long-term contracts of Vernon Wells and/or Alex Rios rather than their ace pitcher. But if Ricciardi is willing to listen, Amaro must be willing to bend his ear, and all indications are that he will. (Bet on the Phillies having at least one scout at each of Halladay's starts between tomorrow night and July 31.) Here, though, are a few things to consider:

a) Halladay has about $23 million remaining on his contract (approximately $7 million more this season and $15.75 million next year) before becoming a free agent. The Phillies' payroll has reached a franchise-record $132 million, and they already have about $95.5 million committed to only 11 players for 2010. How much higher can their payroll go?

b) Halladay has a full no-trade clause. Would he waive it to come to the typically weaker National League? Absolutely. Would he waive it to come to Citizens Bank Park? Hmmm.

c) The Jays most likely would want a package that includes a top prospect (think right-hander Kyle Drabek), a few mid-level prospects (think slugging outfielder Michael Taylor or catcher Lou Marson), and perhaps even a player on the major-league roster (think J.A. Happ or Antonio Bastardo). They're also looking for a shortstop, and the Phils may be able to sell them on Jason Donald, who has played two rehab games in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League after having minor knee surgery last month. It's believed the Phillies regard Drabek, touted outfielder Dominic Brown and Class A right-hander Jason Knapp as "untouchables," but might they change their mind if Halladay is on the table? Should they?

One thing seems certain: If the Phillies trade for Halladay, it would have to be one of those five-for-one, Von Hayes-style swaps, and the cost will be steep. For Halladay, though, it may be worth it. Just think about a rotation that features the righty-lefty punch of Halladay and Cole Hamels, with Joe Blanton, Happ and Jamie Moyer picking up the rear. And if Drabek (pictured) is the bait, well, the Phillies would still have Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Joe Savery, Vance Worley, Michael Stutes, Yohan Flande and other promising arms in the farm system.

So, how much would you give up for Halladay?

***
Seattle lefty Erik Bedard made his return to the mound last night with mixed reviews. Limited to 72 pitches in his first start back from a shoulder problem, he allowed two runs on two hits, walked one and struck out eight, but lasted only four innings. If the Mariners join the ranks of the sellers, both Bedard (5-2, 2.58) and Jarrod Washburn (5-6, 3.08) will draw the Phillies' interest.

***
In the seventh inning last night, Manuel made the eyebrows-raising decision to pinch-hit .147-hitting Eric Bruntlett. Manuel later explained that, with runners on the corners in a tie game, the Phillies needed only a hit, not a home run, and he felt Bruntlett had a better chance of making contact than Chris Coste or John Mayberry Jr.

I disagree. But, really, the fact that we're debating the various merits of Bruntlett, Coste and Mayberry just hammers home the point that the Phillies sorely need another right-handed bat off the bench, doesn't it?

July 7 -- HAMELS, HALLADAY & HISTORY

2009-07-07T14:34:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Before we get to last night's historic performance, a few notes:

1. After allowing seven runs on nine hits in only 4-2/3 innings last Wednesday night in Atlanta, Cole Hamels talked to us for nearly 10 minutes about why he'd been struggling since his complete-game shutout June 4 at Dodger Stadium. The conversation provided little insight, mostly head-scratching, but Hamels said he would search for answers by watching video. Turns out, a video session revealed a slight mechanical flaw in which Hamels was "leaking," pulling off before he released the ball. He concluded he was giving hitters a longer, better look at the pitch he was about to throw. He worked to correct the problem during his between-starts bullpen session last weekend, asking catcher Mick Billmeyer to set up farther behind the plate than usual. The idea: Hamels wanted to "throw through the target," extend his follow-through and his delivery and work out the problems. But, given a 10-run lead last night, he was able to make in-game adjustments, too. And after Johnny Gomes' opposite-field leadoff homer in the second inning, Hamels retired 11 consecutive batters and 17 of 18 to finish seven walk-free innings. "You've got so many runs to work with, you can just focus on what you need to do," he said. "It was perfect timing for us to put up so many runs while I'm trying to work on some things."

2. So, Charlie Manuel isn't overly excited about the prospect of signing Pedro Martinez. I'll bet he would be more excited about Roy Halladay. Well, Halladay (pictured) is available, Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi told the well-sourced Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. Of course, he won't come cheap. For the Blue Jays to trade Halladay, they'll ask for at least two, maybe three, top prospects. I'm not sure who they'd want from the Phillies, but I'm certain Ruben Amaro Jr. will find out. Halladay is signed through 2010, and he'll make $15.75 million next season. That's a big financial commitment for the Phillies, whose payroll already has climbed above $130 million. But if they foot most of the bill for Halladay, the cost in talent won't be as great. If the asking price is Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown, would you do it?

3. The Phillies scored more runs last night (22) than in any game they hve ever played at Citizens Bank Park, but really, that's not a big deal. The Bank has only been open since 2004. The more impressive stat: By beating the Reds, 22-1, the Phillies achieved the most lopsided win in modern franchise history, surpassing a 19-run, 26-7 throttling of the Mets on June 11, 1985 at the Vet. It also was the third-most runs they'd scored in a nine-inning game in modern franchise history, trailing only that 26-run eruption against the Mets and 23-run outbursts June 13, 1900 at Pittsburgh and Aug. 25, 1922 at Chicago.

More in a bit.

July 6 -- MANUEL ON PEDRO

2009-07-06T21:06:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

If Charlie Manuel could have Pedro Martinez, circa 1999, he'd take him. Who wouldn't? Back then, Pedro was positively dominant, and at the height of his dominance, he threw 10 scoreless innings against the Indians in the AL Division Series. In the decisive Game 5, he even tossed four shutout innings of relief on only four days' rest.

"Back then," said Manuel, then the Indians' hitting coach, "he was throwing great against everybody."

A decade later, Martinez is out of work and a shell of his future Hall of Fame self. And although Ruben Amaro Jr. has changed his mind about Martinez's potential to help the Phillies (the nearly non-existent trade market probably has done more to change Amaro's mind), Manuel isn't so sure. With the Phillies set to dispatch special assistant Charley Kerfeld to the Dominican Republic to watch Martinez's workout Tuesday, Manuel doubts whether Martinez would qualify as an upgrade.

"He can give you five, six innings, probably," Manuel said today. "His fastball is going to be 86 to 90. He's still got a good changeup. He's got a good feel for pitching.

"When I talk about getting a starter, I think of a top-of-the-rotation guy. I'm talking about a [No.] 1 or 2, a guy who can take you seven, eight innings. When he goes out there to pitch, you've got a good chance at beating somebody that day. Five-inning pitchers, I think you can find those guys."

Count that as a vote against Pedro.

July 6 -- HOWARD TO COMPETE IN HR DERBY

2009-07-06T18:50:00.007-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Ryan Howard said yesterday that he would compete in the Home Run Derby next Monday night in St. Louis if MLB asked him to.

Well, MLB asked him to.

And Howard, as expected, accepted the invitation. So, it will be Howard, Albert Pujols, Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder -- four slugging first basemen -- competing in the Derby for the NL. No word yet on the AL participants. It will mark the sixth consecutive season in which a Phillies player has competed in the Derby: Jim Thome (2004), Bobby Abreu (2005), Howard (2006, 2007, 2009), Chase Utley (2008). Abreu won in 2005, while Howard won in 2006.

(Updated, 12:30 a.m.): Regarding the comment posted by Anonymous, it should be noted that Howard never has been negatively affected by participating in the Home Run Derby. (Generally speaking, I tend to agree with Jim Leyland, who said this last week about the idea that hitters can mess up their swing by competing in the Derby: "That's the biggest bunch of BS in the history of baseball.") Anyway, check out Howard's splits:

2006
Pre-Derby: .278, 28 HR, 71 RBIs, .923 OPS
Post-Derby: .355, 30 HR, 78 RBIs, 1.259 OPS
2007
Pre-Derby: .256, 21 HR, 67 RBIs, .933 OPS
Post-Derby: .280, 26 HR, 69 RBIs, 1.016 OPS

***
If you follow Philled In on Twitter, you already know this, but Raul Ibanez (strained left groin) played five innings in left field for Class AA Reading today and went 0-for-2 with a walk and a run scored. He will play for Class AAA Lehigh Valley tomorrow night, take a day off Wednesday, then play for Lehigh Valley again Thursday. It's possible he could rejoin the Phillies before Friday night's game against the Pirates.

***
In the early returns, Shane Victorino ranks second in the All-Star final vote, trailing the Giants' Pablo Sandoval. Victorino said Mayor Michael Nutter went knocking on doors in South Philly today to help campaign for him.

Here's a look at the stats for the final-vote contenders, entering tonight's games:

Shane Victorino (Phillis): .300 AVG, 5 HR, 35 RBI, .447 SLG, .363 OBP
Pablo Sandoval (Giants): .333 AVG, 12 HR, 44 RBI, .566 SLG, .388 OBP
Matt Kemp (Dodgers): .305 AVG, 10 HR, 44 RBI, .474 SLG, .369 OBP
Mark Reynolds (Diamondbacks): .269 AVG, 24 HR, 61 RBI, .568 SLG, .354 OBP
Cristian Guzman (Nationals): .318 AVG, 3 HR, 21 RBI, .429 SLG, .333 OBP

July 6 -- PITCHING FOR PEDRO?

2009-07-06T12:18:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Less than 10 days ago, the Phillies looked like a last-place team in an ugly, Friday-night loss in Toronto. So, they called a 20-minute, closed-door meeting to discuss their issues. The following day, J.A. Happ tossed a complete-game shutout, and once again, everything was wonderful in the Phillies' universe. It was at that point that I decided to channel my inner-James Carville and come up with a slogan to explain what had just transpired.

"It's the pitching, stupid."

Now, here we are, fresh off the Phillies' three-game sweep of the Mets and talking about Jimmy Rollins' revival, Brad Lidge's flashback to 2008, and whether Raul Ibanez will be ready to play in a major-league game before the All-Star break. But, really, the reason for the Phillies' successful weekend was the same as it always is whenever they're playing well.

"It's the pitching, stupid."

From 33-year-old retread Rodrigo Lopez's surprising results Friday night, to Jamie Moyer's 6-1/3 quality innings Saturday, to Joe Blanton outdueling the great Johan Santana for 7-1/3 innings yesterday, the Phillies' weakest link was their tone-setting strength against the free-falling Mets. In the past four games, Happ, Lopez, Moyer and Blanton have combined to allow five runs on 22 hits in 27 innings for a 1.67 ERA. Tonight, it's Cole Hamels' job to keep that going against the Reds.

"That's exactly what we want to see," Charlie Manuel said.

Which brings us to this morning's rumblings that the Phillies are planning to scout out-of-work future Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez in the Dominican Republic this week. For months, Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies weren't interested in Pedro. But when your starting rotation has the worst ERA in the National League (5.09), and you fancy yourself a World Series contender, and there's little pitching available with the trade deadline only 3-1/2 weeks away, you do whatever it takes to upgrade your staff.

That said, let's put this into context:

The Phillies will be scouting A LOT of pitchers between now and July 31. A source with knowledge of the Phillies' front office told me over the weekend that the Phillies will have a scout at each of Erik Bedard's starts before the trade deadline to determine if the Mariners lefty is healthy enough to help a contender. If there's a deal to be made for Cleveland's Cliff Lee (right now, there isn't), Amaro & Co. will know about it. If Jason Marquis suddenly becomes available (right now, he isn't), someone with the Phillies will be dialing Denver. They'll get an up-close look at Aaron Harang tomorrow night, but as long as the Reds are hanging around in the wild-card race, they're not selling either.

And, as a source told me this morning, if Pedro Martinez is healthy and effective enough to pitch in the majors, the Phillies certainly won't rule him out.

But Amaro has said, over and over, that the Phillies want to acquire a pitcher who will be a clear upgrade over what they have. It's hard to imagine that Pedro, who went 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA last year with the Mets and hasn't pitched at all in 2009, would be an upgrade over Lopez. But I haven't seen him throw lately. Neither have the Phillies, which is why they'll watch him work out this week in the Dominican. And, for now, that's all this is, a mission to make certain they're doing their due diligence.

Something else to keep in mind: In April and May, Martinez reportedly wanted to be paid $5 million this season, a sum that was too rich for the Phillies. But now it's July, almost the All-Star break, and he remains unsigned. Perhaps his demands have come down. Perhaps they haven't. But when pitching is in such short supply, you want to keep your options as open as possible, and that's exactly what the Phillies are doing, no more, no less.

***
Here's your preview for the four-game series against the Reds:

REDS (40-40) at PHILLIES (42-37)
Tonight, 7:05: RHP Johnny Cueto (8-4, 2.69) vs. LHP Cole Hamels (4-5, 4.98)
Tomorrow, 7:05: RHP Aaron Harang (5-8, 3.86) vs. LHP J.A. Happ (5-0, 2.96)
Wednesday, 7:05: RHP Homer Bailey (1-0, 5.94) vs. RHP Rodrigo Lopez (1-0, 2.84)
Thursday, 7:05: RHP Micah Owings (6-8, 4.48) vs. LHP Jamie Moyer (7-6, 5.72)
Hot: Reds 1B Joey Votto is batting .419 (18-for-43) with two homers and eight RBIs in his last 10 games; Reds CF Willy Taveras is batting .400 (14-for-35) in his last eight games; Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins is 7-for-15 with one homer, five RBIs and a .556 on-base percentage since breaking his career-worst 0-for-28 slump; Phillies CF Shane Victorino is batting .349 (53-for-152) in his last 38 games.
Not: Reds SS Paul Janish has two hits in his last 19 at-bats, dropping his average from .278 to .233; Reds RF Jay Bruce is batting only .217 despite leading the team with 18 homers; Phillies C Carlos Ruiz has seven hits in his last 60 at-bats (.117); Phillies 1B Ryan Howard, named to the All-Star team Sunday, has one hit in his last 11 at-bats.

July 5 -- IS HOWARD DERBY-BOUND?

2009-07-05T21:22:00.007-04:00

(To read/comment about the Phillies' All-Stars -- Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, and possibly, Shane Victorino, please click here. To read more about Ibanez's rehab appearance Monday night at Class AA Reading, please click here.)

By SCOTT LAUBER

So, thanks to Charlie Manuel, Ryan Howard is headed to the All-Star Game on July 14 in St. Louis, his hometown.

But will he compete in the Home Run Derby?

"If they ask me to, I'll probably hop in there and do it," Howard said. "I think it would be fun to do it in my hometown."

Howard, of course, won the Derby in '06 in Pittsburgh. He was invited back in '07 in San Francisco, even though he wasn't selected to play in the All-Star Game, and finished seventh. The Phillies have had a player in the Home Run Derby in five consecutive years: Jim Thome (2004), Bobby Abreu (2005), Howard (2006, 2007), Chase Utley (2008). Abreu and Howard are Derby winners.

How much fun would it be to see Howard and Albert Pujols square off in the Derby? The local kid against the Cardinals star. Wonder who St. Louis would root for?

July 5 -- IBANEZ TO PLAY TOMORROW ... FOR READING

2009-07-05T17:05:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Following today's All-Star announcement, perhaps the biggest question is this: Will Raul Ibanez, on the disabled list with a strained left groin since June 18, be able to play in his first All-Star Game?

The answer: He'll try.

Ibanez will play about five innings in left field tomorrow night for Class AA Reading. Beyond that, the Phillies don't have a schedule for Ibanez. But both Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. said last week that Ibanez needs to get 10-12 at-bats in the minors before he's ready to be activated. That's about three games. So, if Ibanez plays tomorrow night, feels good, and plays two more games, that would put him in line to be activated Thursday or Friday.

"I think we kind of knew that [the rehab assignment] was going to be early this week last week," Ibanez said. "The only time you feel nothing in this sport is the first day of spring training. It's a 162-game season. You're always feeling something. You just try to grind through it, and you know the difference between something that's not good and something you can fight through."

So, how will Ibanez know if he's healthy enough to play in the All-Star Game?

"Getting ready for the All-Star Game has zero influence [on when he'll be ready to play]," Ibanez said. "These guys are not going to let me go out there and play for the Phillies if I can't do it. So, if I can't do it here, I'm not going to go out and do it there. The only way they're going to turn me loose is if I can play, period."

More from Ibanez and other Phillies players later at Philled In and tomorrow in The News Journal.

July 5 -- UTLEY, IBANEZ, HOWARD ARE ALL-STARS; VICTORINO, TOO?

2009-07-05T13:03:00.010-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez were voted by the fans to start for the National League in the All-Star Game.

No surprise there.

The real drama on Selection Sunday (All-Star version) was whether Ryan Howard would make the team. It's not that Howard wasn't worthy. I mean, 20 homers and 60 RBIs are nothing to sneeze at. But, in the NL, first base is an ultra-talented position. Albert Pujols (.336/.460/.744, 31 HR, 82 RBIs through Saturday night) was voted to start, and deservedly so. No NL player has been as good as Pujols, an MVP candidate every year. Howard had an ally in the manager's office (Charlie Manuel is skippering the NL team this year), but it was impossible to ignore the candidacies of Prince Fielder (21 HR, 75 RBIs) and Adrian Gonzalez (24 HR, 50 RBIs).

And, really, how many first basemen can one team, even an All-Star team, have?

In the end, though, they all made it.

Gonzalez was selected in the player balloting, conducted last weekend. (Actually, Pujols, the fans' pick, got the most player votes with 650, and Gonzalez was second with 356.) Howard and Fielder, meanwhile, were picked by Manuel, who had eight selections, including three position players. Howard will be appearing in his second All-Star Game and first since his 2006 MVP season, and in all likelihood, he'll participate in the Home Run Derby, too. Howard won the Derby in 2006 in Pittsburgh and was invited back in 2007 in San Francisco, although he didn't win. This will be a special All-Star Game for Howard, considering it will be played in his hometown of St. Louis.

For Ibanez, it will mark his first All-Star Game, although he has been on the disabled list since June 18 and it's uncertain if he'll be able to play in the game. In addition to finishing second in the fan balloting with 4,053,355 votes (Ryan Braun had 4,138,559 votes), he finished first in the player balloting with 670 votes, more than any player in either league. Utley, who won the fan balloting with 5,027,029 (second overall in the NL to Pujols' 5,397,734), has been an All-Star starter for the past four seasons.

Interestingly, both Ibanez and Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran are injured. Beltran almost certainly won't play in the All-Star Game. Makes you wonder if Shane Victorino, batting .304 entering today's game, could be selected as an injury replacement.

(Updated, 2:09 p.m.): Victorino has been named to the Final Vote ballot, meaning fans can still send him to the All-Star Game in a special voting to be held this week. His competition: Cristian Guzman (Nationals), Matt Kemp (Dodgers), Mark Reynolds (Diamondbacks), Pablo Sandoval (Giants).

Details to follow.

July 5 -- J-ROLL DOES THE TWO-TAP (AND THE MOONWALK?)

2009-07-05T00:06:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Jimmy Rollins tried everything else to break out of the worst slump of his career.

So, at last, he listened to his hitting coach.

For about a month, as Rollins' batting average plummeted and his on-base percentage sagged, Milt Thompson advised him to revert to the "two-tap," a timing mechanism in which he steps twice with his front leg as he strides toward the plate. Rollins used the technique in 2007, when he was crowned NL MVP, but as his slump deepened over the past two weeks, he resisted Thompson's suggestion.

"He was stubborn," Thompson said yesterday.

But Rollins' slump grew to 0-for-28, and finally, before last Thursday night's game in Atlanta, he relented. He inched closer to the plate and stepped twice with his front leg, giving himself a longer look at the pitch. The result: A two-hit game against the Braves, followed by another two-hit game Friday night against the Mets. And yesterday, he reached base three times (two walks, two-run double). Rollins has five hits in his last 12 at-bats.

"When you hit rock bottom," Thompson said, "usually you figure it out."

Said Rollins, "At times I get away from [the two-tap] because it's just not working. A stride is just a stride. It's a move forward to me. That's what I really lost. I've been able to find something, so hopefully, I can hold it."

***
Within the game story, we look at the most positive element of yesterday's 4-1 win over the Mets: The five-up, five-down performances of Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge.

***
For the past two days, Rollins has been using some of Michael Jackson's greatest hits, specifically "Billie Jean" and "Smooth Criminal," as his walk-up music before each at-bat. And while that's a perfectly nice tribute to the King of Pop, I humbly suggest that Rollins step it up a notch today by moonwalking to the plate. Or, perhaps, he can wear a silver sequin batting glove? Could be a good, new look for J-Roll, don't you think?

***
Wondering about Raul Ibanez's status? Join the club. Ibanez was supposed to start a rehab assignment Wednesday at Class AA Reading, but that was pushed to Thursday. On Thursday, it was pushed to Friday, and on Friday, it was delayed indefinitely. Meanwhile, the Phillies continue to say that Ibanez's strained left groin is improving, and an examination by team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti confirmed that.

So, what gives?

"The big thing with a situation like this is you're trying to not have it reoccur," Ibanez said yesterday. "They have a big-picture mentality, and so do I. That's what we're striving for, to make sure I stay on the field, not just for a couple weeks or a month. We're thinking about three months."

Asked if he expects to play in minor-league games this week, Ibanez said, "I hope so."

***
Reserve catcher Paul Bako, who has started three of the last four games, said something interesting yesterday: "I'm just giving Chooch [Carlos Ruiz] a break. Once Chooch gets feeling good again, I'm sure he'll be in there. I'm just here to help out and complement him, if you will."

So, is there something wrong with Ruiz?

Through a team spokesman, Ruben Amaro Jr. said Ruiz is physically fine. He is, however, batting .123 (7-for-57) since June 7.

***
Big day today, with the AL and NL All-Star rosters slated to be announced at 1 p.m. We know Ibanez and Chase Utley will start for the NL, but will Ryan Howard be selected to play in the All-Star Game in his hometown of St. Louis? Will Shane Victorino make the team? Within our Sunday MLB notes, Charlie Manuel said he will give strong consideration to his own players.

Please check back here later for a full list of 2009 All-Stars, and most of all, enjoy your Sunday.

July 4 -- RELYING ON RODRIGO?

2009-07-04T11:57:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Over the past few weeks, Ruben Amaro Jr. has expressed doubt about whether the Phillies will be able to deal for a starting pitcher before the July 31 trade deadline. And that's reasonable. I mean, the market isn't exactly flooded with sellers. So many teams are contending for a playoff spot (or have tricked themselves into believing they're contending) that the buyers greatly outnumber the sellers.

Still, every scout I've spoken to over the past few weeks is convinced the Phillies will come up with someone. Two weeks ago, in fact, a National League scout with knowledge of the Phillies' front office told me they may even get two pitchers. So, Rodrigo Lopez's performance last night, while it was a nice story of triumph after a long comeback from Tommy John elbow surgery, may be long forgotten by the time the season is over.

Then, again ...

Within the game story in today's News Journal, Martin Frank wondered if Lopez could be the 2009 version of Kyle Kendrick, circa 2007. Nobody thought Kendrick would be around for more than a few starts, but he pitched well enough to stay in the rotation, even after the Phillies dealt for Kyle Lohse at the trade deadline. Kendrick was so good that he's widely credited with saving the Phillies' season. And with Jimmy Rollins looking more like his MVP self, there was a decidely 2007 feel last night at the Bank.

Lopez pitched very well for 6-1/3 innings, even if it was against a Mets lineup that, minus Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes, wasn't much better than any he saw in Class AAA. But, considering he hadn't started a major-league game since July 26, 2007, and might've asked for his release and returned to Mexico last month if he hadn't been talked out of it by Lehigh Valley pitching coach Rod Nichols, Lopez gave the Phillies far more than they could've expected.

He'll get another chance Wednesday against the Reds. Beyond that, who knows? Maybe, like Kendrick in '07, he'll stick around longer than anyone could imagine. Or, maybe, Amaro will make a deal that will turn Lopez's performance last night into a footnote from a long season.

***
Within the notebook, the latest on Raul Ibanez, who took batting practice, shagged fly balls and saw team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti yesterday.

***
Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, have a great Fourth of July.

July 3 -- TASCHNER OUT, LOPEZ IN

2009-07-03T15:44:00.005-04:00

(To read more about the struggles of Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson in the back of the Phillies' bullpen, please scroll down to the next post or simply click here.)

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Travel day for me, so Martin Frank is filling in at the Bank for tonight's series-opener against the Mets. And Martin chimes in with this nugget: To make room for tonight's starter, Rodrigo Lopez, the Phillies have designated lefty reliever Jack Taschner for assignment.

Can't say I'm surprised. Taschner, it seemed, had nine lives with the Phillies despite clearly lacking the confidence of either Charlie Manuel or Rich Dubee. He was 1-1 with a 5.20 ERA in 21 games, but consider this: Even though the Phillies' bullpen has been stretched thinner than Ally McBeal by injuries and overuse, Taschner pitched only twice since June 19. Sergio Escalona, the most frequent rider on the Lehigh Valley-Philly shuttle, made the same number of appearances during that span. For me, that was an indictment of how little faith the Phils have in Taschner compared to, say, Tyler Walker, who has just as much major-league experience and a 2.00 ERA in seven outings since being called up last month.

***
So, what can we expect from Lopez tonight?

That's exactly what I asked Sam Perlozzo, one of the Phillies coaches who knows Lopez best. Perlozzo was the Orioles' manager during the second half of 2005, when Lopez won 15 games, and in 2006, when Lopez lost 18. And while he hasn't been around Lopez since he underwent elbow ligament replacement (Tommy John) surgery in August 2007, he offered this anecdote and scouting report: "He'd get in trouble and it looked like you might have to use your whole 'pen, and he'd say, 'I'll get you four or five more [innings].' And I'd say OK, and son of a gun, he'd go out and do that and pitch his butt off and save your 'pen. ... I know he's been on the comeback trail, but when he was healthy, he was a great competitor. He knows how to pitch. He's a veteran guy. He knows how to hit his spots, and when he does, he's good. I hope he's close to being where he was before. If he's like that, then he will help us."

July 3 -- LATE AND NOT-SO-GREAT

2009-07-03T00:21:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- If there was one area, above all others, that separated the Phillies from everyone else last season, it was the bullpen. More specifically, it was the back of the bullpen, the setup men and the closer, who safeguarded late-inning leads like the Secret Service protects the President.

When the Phillies led after seven innings, they were 65-9, thanks in extra-large measure to Ryan Madson (right, AP photo). He took over in late August for injured setup man Tom Gordon, threw with unprecedented high-90s velocity and posted a 0.63 ERA in his last 14 regular-season appearances.

And, when the Phillies led after eight innings, they were 79-0, making them one of three teams (the Yankees were 77-0, the Giants were 60-0) to remain undefeated in such situations. Brad Lidge, of course, was most responsible for that, going 41-for-41 in regular-season save opportunities and posting a miniscule 1.95 ERA. He had, quite literally, the perfect season.

This year, Madson and Lidge haven't been so perfect.

The Phillies are only 29-6 when leading after seven innings, 4-4 when tied after seven, 31-6 when leading after eight and 4-2 when tied after eight. Last night, at Turner Field, Madson allowed three eighth-inning runs on Brian McCann's leadoff single, Matt Diaz's one-out RBI double and Garret Anderson's two-run homer into the Atlanta bullpen, turning a 2-2 tie into a 5-2 Phillies loss and a Braves' three-game sweep.

As they return to the Bank tonight to open a three-game series against the Mets, the Phils are in a first-place tie with the Marlins, one game behind the third-place Mets and only two games behind the fourth-place Braves. Suddenly, it's anybody's game (well, anybody's except Washington) in the NL East. And while there's plenty of blame to go around in the Phillies' clubhouse (.209-hitting Jimmy Rollins and a starting rotation that doesn't pitch deep enough into games deserve their fair share), the fact is that if Madson and Lidge were having merely mediocre seasons, the Phillies might be leading the division by four or five games.

Instead, Lidge is 0-3 with a 7.57 ERA and six blown saves in 20 chances. Madson, meanwhile, after getting off to a great start, is 0-3 with a 10.80 ERA and three blown saves since June 16.

That's worth repeating: Between them, Madson-post June 16 and Lidge all season are 0-6 with nine -- nine! -- blown saves.

"You can't continue to lose games in the eighth and ninth inning," Charlie Manuel said last night.

This season, the Phillies certainly do. And while the late-inning struggle for Madson and Lidge might make for great drama on "The Pen," the relievers' six-episode reality TV show on MLB Network, it too often has been the root of the Phillies' demise.

July 2 -- MANUEL NOT PANICKING ABOUT HAMELS

2009-07-02T17:37:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- So, over his past two starts, Cole Hamels has allowed 11 runs on 17 hits in 8-2/3 innings for an 11.42 ERA. In five starts since his five-hit, complete-game shutout June 4 at Dodger Stadium, he's allowed 44 hits in 27-2/3 innings and has a 6.18 ERA.

That's not good, obviously.

But Charlie Manuel isn't worried either. Manuel spent a good part of his afternoon watching pitch after pitch from Hamels' start here last night against the Braves and concluded that the problem was poor location. Too often, Hamels missed his spot, and when he did, he missed up in the strike zone. Major-league hitters hit those pitches, regardless of whether they're thrown by Hamels or, well, Adam Eaton.

"I couldn't tell a whole lot of difference in his pitching, really," Manuel said. "He was up. A lot of times when he missed, he missed up. That was the case. But his stuff looked to me like it was pretty good. I sat there and watched the whole time he pitched. His selection was good. I thought he made some real good pitches. It seemed like every one they hit, especially the fastballs and changeups, was up. That's kind of what I saw. It looked to me like his stuff was there. If anything, he was just missing. It goes back to his command.

"But I see the same guy. It's just a matter of him getting in a groove and getting going. What is he, 4-5? Believe me, it's just a matter of him getting it together."

Manuel indicated that Hamels' slow start could be attributed to his increased workload last year. Before last season, Hamels' career-high innings total in the majors was 183-1/3 in 2007. Last year, he threw 227-1/3 innings in the regular season, then 35 more in the playoffs.

That said, Hamels says he's healthy. Manuel and Rich Dubee haven't seen anything to make them think otherwise. So, before long, they expect that Hamels will be Hamels again, and on Manuel's list of worries (Jimmy Rollins' slump, Raul Ibanez's groin, a starting rotation that doesn't pitch enough and a bullpen that pitches too much), Hamels is barely a blip.

"This guy was used to throwing 180 innings. When he threw 262, or something like that, that's a jump," Manuel said. "Also, the season's longer, and his winter was shorter. The rest, during the winter, that comes into play. All that can affect you. All that's mental. It's a process of learning how to get through, if that makes sense. He had a long [2008] season to get to the end, and then, he had a short winter. That might have something to do with it. But also, when I look at it, I see the same guy that I've seen pitch good. I know he can pitch good. I don't worry about it. As long as long as healthy, I don't worry too much. I expect him to pitch a good game each time."

***
Spoke by phone with Ruben Amaro Jr., and he insists Ibanez has not had a setback with his strained groin. Amaro said the reason Ibanez hasn't started playing is, quite simply, that he isn't ready yet. Groin injuries have a tendency to linger or worsen if they don't heal properly, so the Phillies want to be sure he's 100 percent before throwing him into a game.

"He's actually progressing real well, just not to the point where he's ready to go," Amaro said. "Just like hamstrings or any other muscle pull, you do not want to put a player at risk to have a setback. Frankly, his progress has been pretty steady, but you'll never know how he truly feels until he gets in a game, and even then, it'll be tricky."

July 2 -- IBANEZ STILL ON HOLD

2009-07-02T12:49:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- Although they continue to insist Raul Ibanez hasn't had any setbacks with his strained groin, the Phillies have once again pushed back the start of his minor-league rehab assignment. A short time ago, we received word that Ibanez will work out for a third straight day at Class AA Reading but will not play in a game. The Phillies are "hopeful," according to a team spokesman, that Ibanez will play in a minor-league game tomorrow night.

Clearly, then, Ibanez won't be ready for this weekend's series against the Mets. A return next week remains a possibility.

***
Also, the Phillies announced that Brett Myers will begin a throwing program in two weeks after undergoing right hip surgery last month. Myers, though, is still a long shot to return to the Phillies before the end of the regular season.

More in a bit from Turner Field, a.k.a, The Ted.

July 2 -- KING COLE, J-ROLL & THE SLUMPING PHILS

2009-07-02T00:49:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- Well, that was ugly, wasn't it?

If you hadn't heard (or if you wisely changed the channel before the last out was made), the Phillies were crushed last night, 11-1, by the Braves at Turner Field. And, for me, the story of the game started with the starter, Cole Hamels, who was roughed up for a second straight outing. Hamels gave up nine hits (seven singles), walked two, yielded as many runs (seven) as he did in five postseason starts last year, and didn't record an out in the fifth inning, marking his shortest non-injury-interrupted start since April 10 at Colorado. His fastball velocity, usually in the low-to-mid-90s, averaged in the high-80s, but before you ask, no, he isn't injured.

"I feel healthy," Hamels said, and after covering him for the past four years, I believe him (Hamels is one athlete who raises his hand and tells Charlie Manuel, Rich Dubee and the trainers when he feels something out of the ordinary). "My body feels good."

OK, fine. But, quite obviously, something is amiss. Over his last two starts against the Blue Jays and Braves, Hamels has allowed 11 runs on 17 hits in 8-2/3 innings for an 11.42 ERA. In five starts since his five-hit, complete-game shutout June 4 at Dodger Stadium, he has allowed 44 hits in 27-2/3 innings and has a 6.18 ERA.

"I'm not giving up hard hits," Hamels said when it was noted that he's allowed only 10 extra-base hits in his last five starts. "It's tough because I've been making good pitches. They've just been putting enough on it to get it through the hole or in the gap. That's the positive. I'm not getting crushed. I'm only a hair away from nine innings, complete-game shutout."

So, what is it then?

Hamels doesn't really know. Lately, he's been doing a lot of head-scratching, and before his next start, he said he intends to incorporate some video-watching, too. Regardless, it hasn't been smooth-sailing for Hamels since his World Series MVP performance last autumn. In spring training, he suffered an elbow injury that kept him from making his first career opening-day start. In April, he was knocked out of back-to-back starts after getting struck in the shoulder by a line drive and spraining his ankle while fielding a bunt. And now, this.

"It's a rough year. It's a challenging year," Hamels said. "You're put on a big pedestal when you win, when you win awards, and you expect more of yourself that you'll be able to do it every year. But you have those years where you kind of learn who you are and what you're going to be capable of."

In some ways, that's been true of the entire Phillies team. As much as winning the NL East -- and, ultimately, winning the World Series -- wasn't easy last season, the Phillies managed to avoid crippling injuries. They've already had one of those (Brett Myers) and enough nagging maladies (Brad Lidge, Raul Ibanez, Scott Eyre, Clay Condrey, Antonio Bastardo) this year to cause headaches they were able to avoid for most of last season.

But, before y'all begin to worry too much, consider this: On this date last year, the Phillies led the NL East by only 1-1/2 games. This year, despite their 4-13 record since June 11, they still have a half-game lead over the Marlins and a two-game lead over the Mets. So, yes, the Phillies have been rotten for the past three weeks, but the situation isn't dire. Not yet, at least.

***
Jimmy Rollins' self-assessement last night: "I got a walk. Stole a bag."

Hard to believe, but lately, that qualifies as a decent night for the 2007 NL MVP, whose slump has officially reached career-worst proportions. Rollins is 0-for-27, surpassing an 0-for-25 slump from June 18-24, 2002. He hasn't gotten a hit since June 18, and honestly, if that elusive next hit comes tonight, I may ask the organist who sits behind me in the press box at Turner Field if he knows the Hallelujah Chorus.

July 1 -- LOPEZ TO START FRIDAY NIGHT (UPDATED)

2009-07-01T15:38:00.002-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- Rodrigo Lopez is listed as the Phillies' starter for Friday night. More in a few minutes after the clubhouse opens.

(Updated, 5:41 p.m.): So, we just finished talking to assistant GM Benny Looper, and he offered this explanation for why the Phillies chose Lopez instead of Carlos Carrasco or Drew Carpenter.

"We just thought with Rodrigo, the experience he has, he pitched very well on Sunday when I saw him, it was time to give him a chance to see how he'll throw," Looper said. "You have to consider everything, and [experience] is one of the factors you think about."

Lopez was a two-time 15-game winner with the Orioles (he also lost 18 games for Baltimore in 2006). But he's a different pitcher now, after undergoing elbow ligament replacement (Tommy John) surgery in August 2007. "He doesn't have the arm he used to have, but it's still good enough," Looper said. "He commanded his fastball and slider really well [Sunday], and he did a good job of pitching."

***
Looper said Raul Ibanez will work out with double-A Reading again today with the hope of playing tomorrow. The Phillies still believe he needs to get at least 10-12 at-bats in the minors, which would likely rule him out of the series this weekend against the Mets.

July 1 -- FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

2009-07-01T15:03:00.000-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- OK, when it comes to the Phillies' starting rotation, this much we know: Cole Hamels will pitch tonight, followed by J.A. Happ tomorrow.

But Friday night remains a mystery.

Talked to assistant GM Benny Looper before last night's game, and he said the Phils are "pretty close" to deciding on a starter for the opener of a three-game July 4 weekend series against the free-falling Mets at the Bank. Looper said the front office and coaching staff have held several conference calls over the past few days to weigh their options at Lehigh Valley, putting an emphasis on recent performance and overall experience, and the candidates have been narrowed to three right-handers.

Carlos Carrasco: He has the least experience (21 career Class AAA starts, none in the majors) but the best stuff. And in his last two starts, the 22-year-old has allowed two runs in 13-1/3 innings. Every major-league pitcher gets their first start sometime? His time may be now.

Drew Carpenter: Unimpressive in a May 16 spot start in Washington (five runs on eight hits in 4-1/3 innings), the 24-year-old is 6-1 with a 1.50 ERA at Lehigh Valley ever since. It doesn't get much better.

Rodrigo Lopez: Once upon a time, he was a hard-throwing, 15-game winner for the Orioles. At age 33, he's lose some zip on his fastball, Looper said. He's 3-0 with a 0.86 ERA in his last three starts at Lehigh Valley, but unlike Carrasco and Carpenter, he can't be sent back to the minors without clearing waivers, a lack of contract flexibility that may work against him.

One thing is certain: With Antonio Bastardo on the disabled list and restricted from throwing for at least two weeks because of a left posterior shoulder strain, and the trade market still ice cold, whichever pitcher the Phillies choose will make at least two starts before the All-Star break and perhaps more during the season’s second half.

"I wouldn't consider this a spot start," Looper said. "It's a performance business, and if he performs, he's got a chance to stay there for a while. A lot of factors come involved -- do we make a trade, do we not make a trade, does somebody else get hurt? But I wouldn't term it a one-start thing."

OK, you make the call: Who should start Friday night?

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

2009-07-01T01:11:00.008-04:00

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.

June 30 -- ON IBANEZ, HAPP, FRIDAY NIGHT

2009-06-30T18:57:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- A few notes before Jimmy Rollins takes his highly anticipated first swing here tonight:

1. Raul Ibanez has left the team to begin working out with Class AA Reading. It's possible, Charlie Manuel said, that Ibanez could play in a game for Reading tomorrow. Assistant GM Benny Looper, who is on this trip with the team, said Ibanez likely needs 10-12 at-bats in the minors before he's ready to play. So, it's unlikely that Ibanez will be back by Friday night's game against the Mets, but a weekend return isn't entirely out of the question. Of course, the Phillies won't rush Ibanez either, and groin injuries can be tricky. If he needs a few extra days to make sure he's OK, he'll get them.

2. As we Tweeted earlier today, J.A. Happ will start here Thursday night on his regular rest. Jamie Moyer could start on normal rest Friday night, but the Phillies "most likely" will give him an extra day and start him Saturday. That means they'll need a starter for Friday night. ...

3. ... which brings us to the ongoing storyline of who that starter might be. Looper said the Phillies are "pretty close to making a decision." Carlos Carrasco and Drew Carpenter remain the frontrunners, but it's possible they could opt for veteran Rodrigo Lopez, a solid starter for the Orioles once upon a time. Lopez has one thing working against him: He's out of minor-league options, so if the Phillies choose to send him back to Lehigh Valley, he'd be exposed to waivers. Carpenter and Carrasco can be shuttled between the majors and minors without that risk. Looper said Antonio Bastardo will be shut down from throwing for at least three weeks, so the Phillies aren't considering Friday night's game a spot start. That said, I think they may bring Carrasco here and let him make a few starts. If he pitches well, who knows, maybe it will make it less urgent for them to trade for a starter. If he doesn't, well, he'll just go back to the minors and get more seasoning. Regardless, we may know something more definitive tomorrow.

So, that's the latest. Enjoy the game.

June 30 -- FIRST UP, J-ROLL RETURNS (UPDATED)

2009-06-30T10:56:00.007-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ATLANTA -- So, we've touched down in the Deep South (strange, isn't it, that the Phillies haven't been here yet this season, and it's nearly July?), and when things get started tonight at Turner Field, there will be intrigue from the very first pitch.

Jimmy Rollins will be at the plate.

Unless he has changed his mind since Sunday evening in Toronto, Charlie Manuel will write a lineup that features Rollins at the top. Rollins, of course, hasn't played since last Wednesday night at Tampa Bay. The four-game, five-day sabbatical was Manuel's idea, a seemingly last-ditch effort to shake Rollins loose from a three-month offensive funk. Rollins is hitless in 19 at-bats, 7-for-56 since June 9, and batting .211 overall in 68 games. His .254 on-base percentage isn't only the worst among regular leadoff hitters in the majors, but it's the worst among all players with enough at-bats to qualify for either league's batting title.

Clearly, the Phillies need Rollins to be better than that. Significantly better. And, it seems, they need him to do it from the leadoff spot. For all the armchair managers who have been clamoring for Manuel to drop Rollins in the lineup, Manuel has a pat answer: If not Rollins, who should lead off? Shane Victorino is the Phillies' next-best leadoff option, and with Rollins on the bench last week in Tampa and Toronto, Victorino went 2-for-15 with a .222 on-base percentage. Jayson Werth? It's a thought, sure. But Werth generally is too streaky to be a reliable table-setter, and he's the Phillies' only legitimate right-handed power threat, making him valuable in the middle of the lineup.

So, it would seem the Phillies are stuck with Rollins in the leadoff spot, for better or worse. And, after benching him for the past four games, they certainly hope it's for the better.

***
Another storyline we'll be following today: With Antonio Bastardo going on the disabled list late last night, the Phillies officially need a starter for Thursday night's game. Pitching coach Rich Dubee said last week the Phillies usually call up the pitcher/player who has been pitching/playing the best recently. According to that criteria, the choice will come down to Lehigh Valley right-handers Carlos Carrasco or Drew Carpenter. Rodrigo Lopez, who has major-league experience with the Orioles and Rockies, is also in the mix.

It's possible the Phillies won't make a decision (or announce their decision) until tomorrow, although I'm thinking (hoping) we'll know something today. So, please check back later for any updates.

(Updated, 3:32 p.m.): J.A. Happ has been listed as Thursday night's starter, which means the Phillies won't use Carrasco or Carpenter or Lopez until Friday night in the opener of a three-game series against the Mets. Should know more after the Phillies' clubhouse opens to the media in about 8 minutes, so please check back or follow me on Twitter for the latest info.

***
Kyle Drabek won't get the call this week and probably won't be a candidate to pitch for the Phillies until next year. But old friend Ken Mandel has a story about Drabek in today's News Journal. It's a good read, if you're inclined to check it out.

***
I've never been a particularly vocal opponent of inter-league play. Frankly, I think it's a nice change of pace in the middle of the season to see some American League teams. But here's something to consider: The Phillies went 6-12 in inter-league play. The Rockies went 11-4. If they wind up battling for the NL wild-card spot, the Phillies faced the ultra-competitive AL East in inter-league play (Red Sox, Yankees, Rays, Blue Jays), while the Rockies played the far less difficult AL West.

***
Finally, any trip to Atlanta wouldn't be complete without a trip to the Vortex, home of the best Buffalo burgers and tater tots I've ever had. Hoping to make it over there sometime this week. Meanwhile, here's your Phillies-Braves preview:

PHILLIES (39-34) at BRAVES (35-40)
Tonight, 7:10: RHP Joe Blanton (4-4, 5.06) vs. RHP Derek Lowe (7-6, 4.53)
Tomorrow, 7:10: LHP Cole Hamels (4-4, 4.44) vs. RHP Jair Jurrjens (5-6, 2.93)
Thursday, 7:10: TBA vs. RHP Javier Vazquez (5-7, 3.04)
Hot: Phillies RF Jayson Werth is 9-for-19 (.474) with three homers, five RBIs and a .593 on-base percentage over the last six games; Phillies 2B Chase Utley is batting .333 (18-for-54) in his last 14 games; Braves SS Yunel Escobar is 10-for-28 (.357) with three runs and four RBIs over his last six games; Braves LF Garret Anderson is batting .385 (15-for-39) with eight RBIs in his last 10 games.
Not: Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins, hitless in 19 at-bats and 7-for-56 since June 9, will return to the leadoff spot tonight after a four-game benching; Phillies 3B Pedro Feliz is 7-for-37 (.149) with three RBIs in his last 12 games; Braves 3B Chipper Jones has one hit in his last 13 at-bats; Braves RF Jeff Francoeur has one home run in his last 80 at-bats.

June 29 -- BASTARDO TO DL

2009-06-29T23:23:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, Antonio Bastardo saw team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti earlier today, and late tonight, the Phillies have placed Bastardo on the 15-day disabled list with a posterior shoulder strain. There's no word on the extent of the injury or how long Bastardo will be sidelined.

Lefty reliever Sergio Escalona has been recalled from Class AAA Lehigh Valley and will meet the team in Atlanta. It marks the fifth call-up for Escalona, who is the most frequent traveler on the Turnpike between Allentown and Philly.

Still no word on which pitcher will take Bastardo's spot in the rotation and start Thursday night, but Carlos Carrasco and Drew Carpenter remain the top candidates. Last season, when J.A. Happ made a late-season start against the Braves, he wasn't alerted until the day before because the Phillies didn't want him to think too much about a big start. Chances are, they'll do the same with Carrasco or Carpenter, but my guess is the Phillies will make a decision tomorrow.

More tomorrow from Atlanta.

June 29 -- POLICE: ROMERO HIT FAN 'WITH OPEN HAND'

2009-06-29T15:34:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Just talked by phone with St. Petersburg Police Department spokesman George Katjsa, who read details of the report on the incident involving J.C. Romero and a Rays fan after last Thursday night's game at Tropicana Field.

The officer who received the complaint has classified it as "simple battery," a misdemeanor in Florida, Katjsa told The News Journal. The case has been turned over to the Pinellas-Pasco State Attorney's Office to determine whether prosecutors will charge Romero.

According to Katjsa, the report indicated that Romero was walking from the bullpen to the dugout (along the third-base line) after the game when he initially ignored Robert Eaton's request for an autograph. Eaton "verbally instigated" the situation, Katjsa said, although police can't confirm what he actually said because it's still under investigation. Regardless, what he said angered Romero, who "came back and the two got into a shouting match. At one point, the player hit the victim with an open hand along his face and neck," Katjsa said.

Police weren't able to interview Romero, Katjsa said, because the Phillies left for the airport to catch a charter flight to Toronto. Eaton, however, refused treatment and didn't have any visible injuries, Katjsa said.

Asked about the incident over the weekend in Toronto, Romero initially had no comment before saying, "I'm trying to be professional. I don't really want to get into that. Don't make a story out of nothing."

More in tomorrow's News Journal.

June 29 -- VOTING UPDATE

2009-06-29T14:01:00.006-04:00

(To read more about the Phillies' pending decision on Thursday night's starter -- Drew Carpenter or Carlos Carrasco? -- please click here or scroll down to the next post.)

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Jimmy Rollins, it appears, won't start the All-Star Game.

In the final update before the All-Star voting results are released Sunday, Rollins has slipped farther behind Florida's Hanley Ramirez, the far more deserving shortstop candidate. Ramirez has widened his lead over Rollins to 254,257 votes, after leading by 154,016 votes last week. Of course, Rollins spent most of last week on the Phillies' bench, part of Charlie Manuel's plan to help him clear his mind before he raises his .211 batting average.

But while Rollins is fading (voting ends Friday), Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez continue to lead at their positions. Utley has 3,510,082 votes, well ahead of the Dodgers' Orlando Hudson (1,277,348) among second basemen and second-most to Albert Pujols (3,602,765) overall. Ibanez, meanwhile, leads outfielders with 2,970,139 votes despite being on the disabled list since June 18. He's comfortably ahead of Milwaukee's Ryan Braun (2,654,061), the Mets' Carlos Beltran (2,085,028), the Cubs' Alfonso Soriano (1,916,598) and Phillies teammate Shane Victorino (1,642,248), who needs some serious help from Hawaiian voters to climb into the top three.

Elsewhere, Ryan Howard continues to run a distant second at first base behind Pujols with 1,644,971 votes. Pedro Feliz (1,132,441) remains fourth among third basemen, where the Mets' David Wright is leading, and in proportion to his batting average, Carlos Ruiz has dropped out of the top five among catchers, a position still led by the Cardinals' Yadier Molina.

***
Also, the Phillies have promoted lefty Yohan Flande to double-A Reading. Flande, 23, was 7-1 with a 2.52 ERA at single-A Clearwater and will pitch in the Futures Game next month in St. Louis after making the considerable leap this season from the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

June 29 -- CARRASCO OR CARPENTER?

2009-06-29T05:42:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

TORONTO -- So, here we sit, at Gate 160 in the US Airways terminal at Pearson International Airport. Having cleared customs and made it through security, there's nothing left to do but watch the sun rise, await a boarding call, and well, since I'll be traveling for most of the morning, give y'all a new blog post to start your week. Here at Philled In, we're all about customer service.

Anyway, we could rehash yesterday's game, including Brad Lidge's white-knuckle save -- hey, at least it was a save, right? -- and Charlie Manuel's postgame announcement that Jimmy Rollins will start, and bat leadoff, tomorrow night in Atlanta. (For more on that, please click here.) Instead, we're going to look ahead, three days into the future, and talk about Thursday night, when the Phillies will need a starting pitcher for the series finale against the Braves at Turner Field.

Who will it be?

A few days ago, after Antonio Bastardo strained his left shoulder during a start at Tampa Bay, we ran down a few of the many possibilities at Class AAA Lehigh Valley. But Rodrigo Lopez threw 90 pitches last night, likely taking him out of consideration, and Gustavo Chacin is listed as tonight's starter against Norfolk. That leaves Kyle Kendrick, Drew Carpenter and touted right-hander Carlos Carrasco (right, AP photo). About the only things Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee will say on the matter are a) a decision hasn't been made yet and b) call-ups often come down to which pitcher is throwing the best.

Let's take a look, then, at the candidates' recent starts:

Kendrick: 2-3, 4.56 ERA, 53.1 IP, 54 H, 15 BB, 28 K in last 10 starts
Carpenter: 6-1, 1.50 ERA, 54 IP, 51 H, 11 BB, 38 K in last 8 starts
Carrasco: 4-2, 3.67 ERA, 44.2 IP, 37 H, 14 BB, 40 K in last 7 starts

In his last three starts, Carrasco has allowed six earned runs in 19-2/3 innings and has held opponents to two runs or fewer in five of his last seven starts. Thus, it's a safe bet that the Phillies will call on either Carpenter or Carrasco. They saw Carpenter last month, in a spot start in Washington, and he wasn't overly impressive (4.1 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K). They haven't seen Carrasco since spring training, when he was impressive at times and raw at others.

So, while I travel today, pretend you're Manuel and Dubee, enjoying your off-day in Atlanta and likely discussing what to do about Thursday. Which starter would you pick?

June 28 -- MANUEL: ROLLINS TO LEAD OFF TUESDAY

2009-06-28T17:11:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

TORONTO -- Jimmy Rollins' break is nearly over.

Following today's 5-4 win here over the Blue Jays, Charlie Manuel said Rollins will start -- and bat leadoff -- when the Phillies open a three-game series Tuesday night in Atlanta. Rollins hasn't played for the past four games as part of Manuel's plan to give the slumping shortstop a mental break.

"He's going back in the lineup, and he's going in the leadoff hole," Manuel said.

Rollins, hitless in his last 19 at-bats and 7-for-56 en route to dropping his average to .211, didn't get a pinch-hit at-bat over the past four games, and until today, he hadn't even been taking batting practice.

"I felt like it was very important to let him sit over there and get a clear mind," Manuel said. "He's fresh. He's starting over. I talked to him a whole lot yesterday. I think it helped. That's why I wanted to do it. We'll see the way that he performs and the way that he goes about playing the game. We'll see."

Eric Bruntlett was 1-for-15 in Rollins' absence.

Please check tomorrow's News Journal for more.

June 28 -- IT'S THE PITCHING, STUPID

2009-06-28T09:29:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

TORONTO -- So, I'm a child of the '80s. Ronald Reagan, heavy metal, New Coke, Michael Jackson's moonwalk -- these are indelible images from my youth. But it wasn't until the '90s that I truly became aware of what was happening in the world. I was a sophomore in high school in 1992 when Bill Clinton ran for president against George H.W. Bush, and the catchphrase he used throughout his campaign still strikes a chord today.

"It's the economy, stupid."

Well, when it comes to the Phillies' ability to sustain success, Charlie Manuel and Ruben Amaro Jr. might as well have their own catchphrase. It applied in the 10-0 rout over the Blue Jays here yesterday, and it will continue to apply whenever the Phillies finally put together a another winning streak.

"It's the pitching, stupid."

Sure, it was nice that they pounded 14 hits and scored 10 runs yesterday and that Jayson Werth belted only the 14th home run ever hit into the fifth deck at 20-year-old Skydome/Rogers Centre. But they also were facing Brad Mills, a rookie lefty whom they knocked around 10 days earlier at the Bank and who, after yesterday's game, was sent all the way back to double-A.

No, the reason to be optimistic about yesterday's victory was the sight of J.A. Happ still standing on the mound, still throwing bullets, at the Jays hitters in the ninth inning. It marked Happ's first-ever complete-game shutout (he didn't have any in 97 career minor-league starts), and it rivaled Cole Hamels' June 5 shutout at Dodger Stadium for the title of best start for the Phillies this season. Happ is now 3-0 with a 3.25 ERA as a starter this season, cementing his status as a reliable member of the rotation.

"I'm paranoid anyway, but that's something I think about a lot, earning the manager's confidence and trust and the general manager's confidence and trust," Happ said. "Games like this are a step towards that."

Now, the Phillies still have a gaping hole in their rotation thanks to Brett Myers' likely season-ending hip surgery, and as we've written in The News Journal, Amaro is racking up his cell-phone bill in the pursuit of another starter. Which pitchers are the Phillies tracking? Quite simply, all of them. They have at least some interest in Jason Marquis and Brad Penny and Aaron Harang and Erik Bedard and Brian Bannister and too many other pitchers to list, and while they'd likely make a move to acquire any of them, they also want to be certain that the guy they obtain is an upgrade over anything they have in their farm system.

So, the search will continue, probably all the way until the July 31 trade deadline. Last weekend, a scout with knowledge of the Phillies' front office told me he's certain Amaro & Co. will come up with someone, maybe even two someones, before July 31 because they know, more than anything, "it's the pitching, stupid," that wins championships.

***
Lots of baseball in your Sunday News Journal. We've got the latest on J.C. Romero's altercation with a fan in Tampa after Thursday night's game. Within the Phillies notebook, we find out if Jimmy Rollins will return to the lineup today (don't count on it, Manuel said) and speculate about which pitcher will take Antonio Bastardo's spot in the rotation Thursday night in Atlanta. And, within the Sunday MLB notes, Kyle Drabek tells us that he'd be surprised if the Phillies call him up next week. I would be, too.

***
Don't forget to follow me -- and Philled In -- on Twitter. Time to scoot downstairs to the clubhouse. More in a bit from Rogers Centre. Enjoy your Sunday.

June 27 -- ROMERO INVOLVED IN ALTERCATION WITH FAN (UPDATED)

2009-06-27T12:59:00.009-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

TORONTO -- Still in the process of gathering information about this, but evidently, lefty reliever J.C. Romero got into an altercation with a fan after Thursday night's game at Tropicana Field. The police reportedly were involved. The story was initially reported by the St. Petersburg Times.

Just received this statement from the Phillies:

"We are disappointed to learn about the alleged incident with a Rays fan and one of our players following Thursday night's game at Tropicana Field. We are in the process of gathering all of the details surrounding the situation. Until such information is provided, it would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time."

More later.

(Updated, 2:28 p.m.): According the St. Petersburg Times, Romero allegedly assaulted a Rays fan after Thursday night's game at the Trop. Robert Eaton, a Rays fan from New Port Richey, Fla., told the newspaper that Romero, who didn't pitch Thursday night, grabbed him by the neck and pushed him after Eaton said something like, "How about you get me some juice?" Romero was suspended for 50 games for taking an over-the-counter supplement that trigged a positive test for the steroid androstenedione. According to the article, Eaton has retained a lawyer.

A message from The News Journal to the St. Petersburg Police Department hasn't been returned, and Romero, obviously, won't be available for comment until after the Phillies finish playing here today.

(Updated, 4:44 p.m.): Romero issued what amounted to a no-comment about the alleged incident, although he didn't deny that something happened Thursday night. "I'm trying to be professional and I don't really want to get into that. Don’t want to make a story out of nothing," he said.

Stay tuned.

June 27 -- WAS THIS ROCK BOTTOM?; ROLLINS OUT AGAIN

2009-06-27T12:22:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

TORONTO -- So, for nearly 20 minutes after last night's game, the door to the Phillies' clubhouse here remained shut.

The time had come, at last, for a little chat.

What was said -- and by whom -- stayed behind that door. But 27 players, a staff of coaches and Charlie Manuel were present. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. even left his two daughters with a team official and joined the meeting after the Phillies fell for the 11th time in 13 games, 6-1 to the Blue Jays on a night in which they were no-hit for six innings by a rookie pitcher and their World Series MVP ace was ejected after lasting only 4-2/3.

And when it was over, and players began quietly milling about their cramped quarters, Chase Utley stood at his locker and summed up the mood.

"There are a lot of mentally tough guys on this team," he said. "This is not going to get the best of us."

Quick turnaround here today, which is probably good for the Phillies. Less time to dwell on another dreadful loss in a string of dreadful losses this month. Less time for us, too, to analyze every little aspect of that loss. That said, on The Day After, Jimmy Rollins remains on the bench. For the third straight game, Eric Bruntlett is the shortstop. Manuel, still married to the lefty-righty matchups, has righty-swinging John Mayberry Jr. (LF) and Chris Coste (DH) in the lineup instead of lefty-hitting Matt Stairs and Greg Dobbs. With another lefty on the mound for the Jays tomorrow, it figures to remain that way.

The Phillies need to score some runs today, sure. And they should, considering they're facing Brad Mills, whom they knocked around 10 days ago at the Bank. But, as always, the way out of this mess starts with starting pitching, and the Phillies desperately need a quality start (or better) from J.A. Happ.

***
The Phillies endured a nearly identical swoon last June, also against AL opponents. They went 3-9 against the Red Sox, Angels, Athletics and Rangers from June 16-29 and had their division lead cut from four games to one. A year later, they’re 2-11 against the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and Rays, and their NL East lead has shrunk from four games on June 14 to a half-game this morning.

Last night, Shane Victorino made the point that the June woes ended on the first week of July when the Phillies ceased inter-league play and traveled to Atlanta for a three-game series. Well, guess where they're going Monday after inter-league play ends?

Yep, Atlanta.

"I don't think we're trying to mimic anything," Utley said. "I believe we have a very good team. Right now, we're definitely not playing good baseball, all-around. No one's happy in here, but definitely no one's giving up."

June 26 -- BASTARDO TO SEE TEAM DOC MONDAY

2009-06-26T18:21:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

TORONTO -- Quick update on Antonio Bastardo: He'll fly back to Philly over the weekend and see team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti on Monday to undergo tests on his strained left shoulder. Presumably, those tests will include an MRI to determine if there's structural damage to the shoulder.

The Phillies haven't officially scratched Bastardo from his next start, scheduled for Wednesday in Atlanta. But if he's first seeing Ciccotti on Monday, it's doesn't seem likely he'll pitch Wednesday. Of course, with the day off Monday, the Phillies don't absolutely need a fifth starter until next Saturday (July 4). So, if Bastardo gets a clean bill of health from Ciccotti, I suppose the 23-year-old lefty could start July 4 against the Mets.

No word on whether this injury is related to the left shoulder inflammation that sidelined Bastardo for nearly two months last season at double-A Reading.

***
As expected, Jimmy Rollins isn't in the lineup again tonight. But Charlie Manuel said he hasn't decided if Rollins will start tomorrow. That decision may not come until after the game or until Manuel gets to the ballpark tomorrow.

June 26 -- OH, CANADA

2009-06-26T14:55:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

TORONTO -- When I worked at my previous paper, in what often seems like a past life, I covered the American Hockey League. So, I made numerous road trips to Canada, mostly to Hamilton and Ottawa. But in 2004, during the NHL lockout, I came to Toronto to cover two games between the AHL affiliates of the Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, and I saw firsthand what so many people had told me in advance of my visit: Toronto is a very cool town.

It's home to the CN Tower, the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, which stands directly beside the retractable-roofed ballpark formerly known as SkyDome (now Rogers Centre). (Imagine a ballpark built alongside the Empire State Building, and you get the picture.) Former Phillies GM Pat Gillick is an icon here after building a pair of World Series champions, and for that, he's a member of the "Level of Excellence," a ring-of-fame-style feature at Rogers Centre. Toronto also boasts one of my favorite steakhouses, which happens to bear the name of the greatest hockey player of all-time. Speaking of which, Toronto is the mecca of hockey. The Hockey Hall of Fame is here. So is Maple Leaf Gardens at the corner of Carlton and Church, one of the hockey's old-time shrines and now, sadly, little more than a warehouse for a food supplier. The people here are friendly. The city is clean. It's only too bad the Phillies don't come here every year.

That brings us to the series at hand, a three-game set between the Phillies and Blue Jays, which is hardly the biggest sporting event in Canada this weekend. The NHL Draft starts today in Montreal, and everywhere you look, there's wall-to-wall coverage, not only of what the Maple Leafs will do on draft day, but also what may happen all across the NHL. But we're here to talk baseball, so here goes.

PHILLIES (37-33) at BLUE JAYS (40-35)
Tonight, 7:07: LHP Cole Hamels (4-3, 4.24) vs. LHP Ricky Romero (4-3, 3.59)
Tomorrow, 1:07: LHP J.A. Happ (4-0, 3.47) vs. LHP Brad Mills (0-0, 9.82)
Sunday, 7:07: LHP Jamie Moyer (5-6, 5.97) vs. LHP Brian Tallet (5-4, 4.36)
Hot: Phillies CF Shane Victorino is batting .362 (42-for-116) with 10 RBIs in his last 29 games; Phillies 2B Chase Utley was 4-for-12 (.300) with one home run and four RBIs in the three-game series against the Rays; Blue Jays 3B Scott Rolen has a 14-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .433 (26-for-60); Blue Jays CF Vernon Wells has an eight-game hitting streak, during which he's batting .357 (15-for-42).
Not: Phillies 3B Pedro Feliz snapped an 0-for-18 slump in the first inning Thursday night; Phillies C Carlos Ruiz is in a 4-for-39 (.103) slump; Blue Jays RF Alex Rios is hitless in his last 11 at-bats; Blue Jays LHP Brad Mills has allowed four runs in 3-2/3 innings.

June 26 -- ON BASTARDO, MENTAL MISTAKES & MORE

2009-06-26T05:17:00.006-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

TAMPA, Fla. -- Greetings from Terminal E at Tampa International. It's 5 a.m., and I'm about 45 minutes from boarding a flight to Chicago, where I'll have a short layover before my flight to Toronto. So, yeah, I'm loading up with a mocha from Starbucks and hoping it'll help me stay awake through the end of tonight's game at Rogers Centre.

Anyway, wanted to touch on a few things that transpired last night at the Trop:

1. Already reeling after Brett Myers' likely season-ending hip surgery, the Phillies' rotation received another potential blow when Antonio Bastardo left in the fourth inning with "tightness" (his word, not mine) in his left shoulder. Bastardo will be re-evaluated today in Toronto by athletic trainer Scott Sheridan, but last night, he sounded very much like a pitcher who doesn't think he'll make his next start. "I felt it before, but not as much as I did tonight," Bastardo said through a translator Raul Ibanez. "Sometimes you feel something, but not like I did tonight. I felt it much more." Obviously, as soon as we know anything more about Bastardo's situation, we'll pass it along.

2. So, what will the Phillies do if Bastardo can't make his next start? Well, thanks to a day off Monday, they won't absolutely need a No. 5 starter until July 4 against the Mets at the Bank. Ruben Amaro Jr. already has been racking up his cell phone bill in the quest to obtain more pitching, and he'll undoubtedly keep dialing his fellow GMs. But, assuming Amaro can't come up with someone by the Fourth of July, the Phillies' internal options would seem to consist of four pitchers at triple-A with major-league experience (Kyle Kendrick, Drew Carpenter, Rodrigo Lopez, Gustavo Chacin) and, perhaps, Kyle Drabek at Reading. It's not the Phillies' style to rush a top prospect, especially one who hasn't yet been to triple-A, but you have to wonder whether, if Bastardo is out for a while, they may consider throwing Drabek into the mix.

3. All of a sudden, the rotation is only one of the Phillies' problems. They've lost 10 of 12 games, dropped four consecutive series, and had their NL East lead over the Mets shaved from four games on June 14 to only a half-game this morning. Through it all, they've played sloppy and made the sort of brain-cramping mental mistakes they've generally been immune to throughout the past few seasons. Last night, for instance, Pedro Feliz seemingly forgot there was only one out and got doubled off first base on Eric Bruntlett's routine fly ball. At the same time, Matt Stairs didn't exactly sprint to the plate after tagging up at third base and was unable to score before Feliz was thrown out. "It was an error," Feliz said last night. "Mental mistake."

4. It wouldn't shock me if Charlie Manuel calls a team meeting before tonight's game. Asked last night if he thought he needed to address some of the crippling mental breakdowns the Phillies have suffered lately, Manuel sounded like Mount Vesuvius on the verge of an eruption. "If I'm going to go in and address that, there's a lot of other crap I have to address," he said. "I don't know where I go from there. It's building up. The dam bursts and you get it all [out]. ... We play like that right there, there’s a good chance we're going to lose some more. I don't think anybody in there will tell you that was a very good play. We've made some mental mistakes, mistakes that you're not supposed to make."

5. Ben Zobrist is a pretty good hitter, and his wife, Julianna, can sing. She performed the national anthem before last night's game, and it was a stirring rendition. We're told Julianna (left, AP photo) is a Christian rock singer, and in January, she released her debut CD.

6. Within today's Phillies notebook, there's more on Jimmy Rollins' benching and what Manuel hopes to achieve by giving the slumping shortstop a few days off. Also, Scott Eyre has a rehab schedule, there has been a minor change to the order of the Phillies' starting rotation, and one-time prospect and all-around good guy Scott Mathieson tossed two scoreless innings yesterday in a Gulf Coast League game, his first game action since undergoing his second "Tommy John" elbow ligament replacement surgery in May of 2008.

OK, almost time to board. Talk to y'all from Toronto.

(Updated, 1:03 p.m.): So, I've arrived in Toronto, one of my favorite cities in North America (more on that later), but I just read a comment from this morning and wanted to add to our information about Bastardo. As the anonymous commenter mentioned, Bastardo did, in fact, have shoulder problems last season. He was on the disabled list at Reading for nearly two months with left shoulder inflammation, and the injury cropped up right around this time (June 15). Once again, I hope to have more on Bastardo in a few hours after the clubhouse opens at Rogers Centre.

June 25 -- ROLLINS BENCHED (UPDATED)

2009-06-25T19:01:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Pressed for time today, but for those who aren't yet following Philled In on Twitter, Jimmy Rollins isn't in the Phillies' lineup today. He won't start tomorrow either, as Charlie Manuel wants to give him a mental break. Eric Bruntlett is filling in at shortstop. Rollins didn't take batting practice today, per Manuel's suggestion.

Rollins is 0-for-19, 7-for-56 and batting only .211 overall this season.

More later.

(Updated, 8:49 p.m.): Rollins didn't offer any comment on his benching, but here are some words from Manuel, who talked at length about it before batting practice: "I've been noticing now for a while that Jimmy's trying to do [too many] things instead of being relaxed. He's definitely thinking about helping our team. I think that's bothered him. I think he sees something during a game where he thinks, now is a good time to help our team, and all of a sudden, he's not getting it done and that makes it worse for him. ... I want him to sit down. I want him to kind of get away for a couple days and sit and watch and hopefully just relax."

This isn't the first time Manuel has rested Rollins as a way of getting him going. Rollins didn't start on back-to-back Sundays early in the season, and both times, the rest provided a short-term jolt. On April 19, he slugged a pinch-hit homer against the Padres, then returned to the lineup two days later and recorded two hits against the Brewers. After not starting April 26 in Florida, he notched a three-hit game the following night against the Nationals.

And while there's no way of knowing how Rollins will respond to the most recent benching, one thing is almost certain: When he returns to the lineup, Manuel said he'll most likely be in his familiar leadoff spot. "He's our leadoff hitter," Manuel said. "To me, we've got to get Jimmy right. That's the whole purpose of sitting him. I don"t see moving him around in the lineup helping him one bit at all, if you want to know the truth. I don't understand that. I don't see it. I've been around him for about five years, and he's our leadoff hitter. For us to get our offense going, the big thing is trying to get him going."

June 25 -- DRABEK, FLANDE TO PITCH IN FUTURES GAME

2009-06-25T15:19:00.004-04:00

(To read about Jimmy Rollins struggles, please click here or check the post below.)

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ST. PETERSBURG -- Not to distract from the previous post, but wanted to pass along an announcement from MLB: Phillies pitching prospects Kyle Drabek and Yohan Flande will participate in the annual Futures Game on July 12 in St. Louis.

For Drabek, 21, it's a just reward for a terrific first half of the season after missing most of last year while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery. He has emerged as the Phillies' top pitching prospect, going 7-1 with a 2.36 ERA in 14 games (13 starts) between Class A Clearwater and Class AA Reading. Drabek has struck out 91 batters in 87-2/3 innings. Typically, the Phillies are careful about moving their prospects too fast too soon, but it's possible, if he continues to pitch well, that Drabek could be called up before the end of the season. Otherwise, he'll be a candidate to make the team next year during spring training.

Flande, 23, is still a relative unknown to most fans. After three seasons in the Dominican Summer League and one in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League, Flande has made the considerable leap to advanced Class A Clearwater and gone 7-1 with a 2.52 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 82 innings over 13 starts.

More in a bit from the Phillies' clubhouse here at the Trop.

June 25 -- WHAT TO DO ABOUT J-ROLL?

2009-06-25T02:01:00.002-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- So, Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-4 again last night, leaving him hitless in his last five games (0-for-19), 7-for-56 since a three-hit game June 9 at Citi Field in New York, and batting .211 for the season.

That isn't good.

But the most costly mistake Rollins made was, uncharacteristically, a mental miscue on defense. With two outs in the eighth inning, and the Rays leading 2-1, Pat Burrell hit a slow roller to Rollins. Now, we all know how slow-footed Burrell is, and even if we didn't, you don't have to be a two-time Gold Glove shortstop to know that, with two outs, the easiest play is always to first base. But instead of merely tossing the ball to first, Rollins tried to tag second base, where speedy Carl Crawford slid in safely. It allowed a run to score and opened the door to a five-run Rays rally that put the game out of reach.

"Usually, I just pick up and go to first automatically, because the ball is hit soft toward the middle and I'm over on the pull side," Rollins said. "I don't know why I went to second. I don't know. It's an automatic play to go to first."

It was a rare lapse for Rollins, who has emerged as the best defensive shortstop in the NL. But, with Rollins in the most protracted slump of his career, it makes you wonder whether his offense is starting to affect his defense. It also makes you wonder if Charlie Manuel finally must do something different with the Phillies' lineup.

Now, I'll preface what I'm about to suggest by saying this: I believe the Phillies' lineup is designed to have Jimmy Rollins at the top, and if Rollins doesn't snap out of his funk, the offense simply will not be as productive. Also, I tend to agree with Manuel that Rollins, even when he isn't going well, is the Phillies' best option to bat leadoff. But while Shane Victorino is still hot, and while the Phillies are still playing inter-league games in American League ballparks, I'd consider putting Victorino in the leadoff spot and batting Rollins ninth. Perhaps the change will be the jumpstart he needs to finally begin hitting with some consistency.

OK, let's hear from you. What would you do about J-Roll?

***
As I noted in the game story in today's News Journal, Jayson Werth leads all NL hitters -- and ranks second in the majors -- with 4.42 pitches per plate appearance and has seen more pitches (1,303) than any NL player. He rarely swings at a first pitch, even when it's a meaty fastball down the middle.

Patience is Werth's calling card.

So, it was a head-scratcher in the fourth inning last night when Werth swung at a first-pitch fastball from Matt Garza, who had just walked the bases loaded without recording an out. Werth hit a grounder to Evan Longoria, who threw home to start a rally-killing double play. Now, ordinarily, that wouldn't be considered smart baseball, but Manuel wants Werth to be more aggressive early in the count. All the time, he tells Werth to swing at a first pitch if it's in the area of the strike zone where he wants it, and in this situation, Werth got the inside fastball that he was anticipating. Problem was, he hit it in the wrong spot.

"I have no problem with him swinging at a fastball there," Manuel said. "I'd like to see him swing at more first-pitch fastballs, if you want to know the truth. I'm sure he wasn't trying to hit a ground ball to third. There and back to the pitcher were probably the worst places he could hit it."

***
Dining guide: Three days in Clearwater have given me a chance to hit up a few of my favorite spring-training spots, like this one, and this one. Unfortunately, the famous Frenchy's Cafe is closed this week for summer cleaning, but if you like seafood, check out this place the next time you're in St. Petersburg. Highly recommend the shrimp alfredo pasta.

June 24 -- LIDGE TO BE ACTIVATED TOMORROW

2009-06-24T17:54:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Those of you who follow Philled In on Twitter already know this, but for those who don't (what are you waiting for?), Brad Lidge will be activated from the disabled list before tomorrow night's series finale here against the Rays.

Why not tonight?

"I think, for him, it's just a good idea just to give him another day of down time to be sure that nothing comes up tomorrow," Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "But we feel pretty confident that he'll be ready to go."

After consulting with athletic trainer Scott Sheridan, Amaro and Charlie Manuel said there won't be any unusual restrictions placed on Lidge. So, if the Phillies have a save situation on back-to-back nights, Lidge will be able to pitch the ninth inning.

***
In other injury news, Scott Eyre threw from the bullpen mound for the first time since straining his left calf June 11 at Citi Field. He threw 26 pitches and reported no pain. Eyre is eligible to come off the disabled list Saturday, but it's unlikely he'll be ready until sometime next week.

***
Ryan Howard is DH'ing again tonight. Greg Dobbs will play first base and Matt Stairs will be the left fielder against Rays right-hander Matt Garza.

June 24 -- DONALD DUCKS TRADE RUMORS

2009-06-24T12:21:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- One of the best things about being in the Tampa area this week is that we're close to the Phillies' training facility in Clearwater. In fact, my hotel (also known as the traveling headquarters of Philled In) is about 2 miles from Bright House Field and the Carpenter Complex. So, I went over there this morning to see what's what, and sure enough, ran into a few familiar faces, namely Jason Donald and Scott Mathieson.

Donald has been here for about a week, rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Chatted with him for a few minutes, and while I want to save some of this for the pages of The News Journal, I'll pass this along: Donald isn't sweating being the subject of trade rumors. In fact, he claims to be oblivious to the trade talk.

"I don't even pay attention to it," Donald said, laughing. "I really don't. If it's something that happens, it happens. Certainly, I want to be part of this organization, but I understand that there's a business side of it. The big club is going to do what they can to better themselves."

Surely, though, he must've heard about the Brad Penny rumor that circulated a few weeks ago.

"There were a couple people that mentioned it," Donald said. "It is what it is. It's a rumor. I never put much to it. I don't go on the Internet and look at that stuff. I don't read the papers. The only paper I read is USA Today. No offense."

(Hey, none taken. USA Today and The News Journal are owned by the same company.)

Mathieson, you'll recall, is the hard-luck pitcher who has undergone two Tommy John elbow surgeries in the past three years. He has been here, going through the long rehab process, for about 13 months, and tomorrow, he's scheduled to make his 2009 debut by pitching two innings of relief in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

More in a bit from the Trop.

June 23 -- LIDGE THROWS SCORELESS INNING (UPDATED)

2009-06-23T21:31:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Meanwhile, about 20 miles away in Tampa ...

... Brad Lidge just completed a scoreless eighth inning for Class A Clearwater against the Yankees' Florida State League club at Steinbrenner Field. He allowed a one-out walk to Kevin Smith but got Matthew Cusick to pop out and Luis Nunez to ground out, ending the inning.

More in a bit, hopefully with information on how Lidge's right knee felt.

(Updated, 10:35 p.m.): According to Ruben Amaro Jr., Lidge threw 12 pitches (8 fastballs, 4 sliders). Pro scout Del Unser watched Lidge and gave Amaro a positive report. "He did pretty well, and I think he was pretty pleased with his outing," Amaro said. "We'll reconvene tomorrow morning to decide if he'll go out there for another stint or not."

June 23 -- MORE ON HOWARD, CONDREY/LIDGE, IBANEZ

2009-06-23T17:38:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- Lots going on here today, so let's get right to it:

1. As we Twittered a few hours ago, Ryan Howard has rejoined the Phillies and will be in the lineup tonight. Initially, he was slated to play first base, but Charlie Manuel opted to use him as the designated hitter and put Chris Coste at first. Howard said his commercial flight arrived at about 12:30 p.m. (about two hours after mine). He said doctors put him at ease Saturday when they said he didn't have the flu (or swine flu). Instead, he was diagnosed with acute sinusitis. He's still taking antibiotics, but he says he's feeling about 75 percent better than he was over the weekend, when he felt pretty awful. Howard said he has felt that sick only two other times: In spring training 2006, when he had the flu, and in May 2006, when he was stricken with food poisoning in Cincinnati.

2. Clay Condrey said his oblique strain began two weeks ago as lower back pain. It didn't bother him as much last Tuesday night against the Blue Jays as it did two days later. He didn't pitch at all last weekend, and the Phillies figured it was best to put him on the disabled list to avoid the chance that he could make it worse.

3. More and more, it's sounding like Brad Lidge will be activated tomorrow if everything goes well in his eighth-inning appearance tonight for Class A Clearwater. "I think the quickest we can get Lidge back and get him on the mound rolling, that's what I want us to do," Manuel said. "Lidge has got talent. He has a good slider, he has a tremendous fastball, and he's got talent enough to strike you out. The fact of who he is and everything and how we're going to use him, he plays a very critical part in our bullpen. Do we want the Lidge of last year? Of course. But at the same time, I've never looked for Lidge to be perfect like he was. Somewhere along the line, someone's going to score a run off him. When Lidge comes back, I just want him to pitch good and be healthy, and I think his talent will take care of itself."

4. Caught up with Raul Ibanez for a few minutes. In addition to taking early batting practice (he'll take BP with the rest of the team, too), Ibanez did some jogging to test his strained groin. The result: "It's gotten way better," he said. "It's definitely way better than it was [Sunday]. I couldn't do anything I did today." Ibanez doesn't have a rehab schedule yet, but he said he's still optimistic that he'll be able to return from the disabled list on (or close to) July 3.

5. Tonight's lineup against Rays LHP David Price:
SS Jimmy Rollins (.217/6/27)
CF Shane Victorino (.304/5/32)
2B Chase Utley (.297/15/45)
DH Ryan Howard (.257/20/54)
RF Jayson Werth (.256/12/38)
3B Pedro Feliz (.294/3/35)
LF John Mayberry Jr. (.300/2/4)
1B Chris Coste (.244/2/7)
C Carlos Ruiz (.260/3/13)

Consider yourself caught up. Check back later for an update on Lidge's outing.

June 23 -- IS "THE PEN" CURSED?

2009-06-23T15:24:00.002-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- If you're following Philled In on Twitter, you already know this, but Clay Condrey officially has been placed on the disabled list with a left oblique strain. And if you're counting, that's three Phillies relievers who have gone on the DL (Brad Lidge and Scott Eyre are the others) during the same month that "The Pen," a reality TV show about the Phillies' bullpen, premiered on MLB Network.

So, I ask this: Is "The Pen" cursed?

Your thoughts?

***
Condrey will be replaced by left-hander Sergio Escalona, who is back from the minors again.

***
Lidge, meanwhile, is scheduled to pitch the eighth inning tonight for Class A Clearwater at nearby Tampa. If all goes well, Lidge is going to lobby to be activated from the disabled list tomorrow. It's possible, perhaps even likely, though, that the Phillies will want him to make one more minor-league appearance here Thursday before being activated for the weekend series at Toronto.

***
Raul Ibanez is here, and he took batting practice a few minutes ago. No sign of Ryan Howard yet, though. In about 10 minutes, when the Phillies' clubhouse opens to the media, we'll get an update on Ibanez's strained left groin and Howard's travel plans.

Stay tuned to Philled In and Twitter for updates throughout the afternoon.

June 23 -- AMARO IS MAKING HIS PITCH

2009-06-23T00:06:00.002-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, before last Saturday night's game, I was talking to a National League scout who has some knowledge of the Phillies' front office. The scout said he's pretty certain the Phils will acquire "at least one, maybe two" pitchers before the July 31 trade deadline.

Ruben Amaro Jr. isn't as sure.

Not yet, at least.

I talked to Amaro on the phone yesterday, and while he said that upgrading the starting rotation remains his "main focus," he said he doesn't yet have any willing trade partners. The problem, evidently, is two-fold: a) Some of the pitchers who ordinarily would be on the market (Jake Peavy, Erik Bedard, etc.) are injured; b) Some of the teams that were expected to be trade-deadline sellers (Rockies, Reds, etc.) haven't completely dropped out of contention.

"No one's out there dealing anybody or wanting to part with anybody because the pitchers who are available are, one, hurt, and two, pitching for teams that don't think they're out of the race yet," Amaro told Philled In. "I know because I've asked about every one of them."

But July 31 is still more than a month away, so I asked Amaro if he anticipates the numbers of sellers will increase over the next 5-1/2 weeks. Usually, that's how it happens, he said, although he's not counting on it. He's also not banking on being able to find a starting pitcher who is appreciably better than either of the two rookie left-handers presently in the Phillies' rotation.

"Depending on what's going to be available," Amaro said, "[J.A.] Happ and [Antonio]Bastardo may be better solutions for us based on quality."

In the Sunday MLB notes in The News Journal, I suggested that Jason Marquis may be a nice solution for the Phillies. Marquis is 9-4 with a 3.71 ERA and making a strong case for his first career All-Star Game selection. He's gone at least seven innings in nine of his 14 starts. And he's a free agent after the season, so if the resurgent Rockies decide they aren't wild-card contenders, they'll be more likely to deal Marquis.

Brad Penny, who appeared to be a possibility a few weeks ago, looks like he'll be staying with the Red Sox, especially while Daisuke Matsuzaka is on the disabled list. And while the Reds may eventually deal either Aaron Harang or Bronson Arroyo, they haven't entirely fallen out of the playoff race, either. Bedard remains an option, and the Phillies will undoubtedly dispatch scouts to some of his starts after he comes off the disabled list early next month. And if the Indians decide they want to trade Cliff Lee (doubtful, I think), the Phillies would almost certainly be interested.

So, pretend you're Amaro. Do any of those options appeal to you? If so, what would you give up to get them?

***
Sounds like Clay Condrey may be placed on the disabled list before tonight's game. Charlie Manuel said last week that Condrey has had a bad back, and the right-hander has been icing his midsection after games. He also has made only two appearances since June 13 and allowed six runs in one-third of an inning, hiking his ERA from 2.14 to 3.71.

***
The Phillies held their 20th annual festival to fight ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) last night at the Bank and raised a record $867,670, surpassing last year's total by more than $100,000. Since 1984, the Phils have raised more than $11 million for ALS research. A live auction raised $107,600, breaking the previous high of $79,175 set in 1995, and the silent auction raised a record $42,065, surpassing the previous mark of $41,366 in 2007. A set of two baseballs signed by the 1980 and 2008 Phillies received the top bid in the live auction ($8,000), and Ryan Madson's game-used 2008 World Series jersey fetched $6,750. In the silent auction, Ryan Howard's exhibition-game-worn St. Patrick's Day jersey received the top bid of $1,600. Chase Utley's 2009 home-opener jersey went for $1,100.

***
I have to hop a flight to Tampa in a few hours, but while I'm en route, check out this interesting story in the St. Pete Times. Evidently, some of the Rays -- even Pat Burrell -- are still wondering what could've been last October.

June 22 -- J-ROLL SLIPS BEHIND HAN-RAM

2009-06-22T12:48:00.005-04:00

(For the latest update on Ryan Howard's condition, please check the previous post.)

BY SCOTT LAUBER

If it's Monday, it's time for your weekly NL All-Star balloting update, courtesy of MLB. The headline here, of course, is the close vote at shortstop, where Florida's Hanley Ramirez has shot by Jimmy Rollins. Ramirez, who was second to J-Roll for the past two weeks, has a 154,016-vote lead. Chase Utley still leads at second base, although he has dropped behind Albert Pujols for the overall vote lead, and Raul Ibanez still leads among outfielders, even though he went on the disabled list last week.

Here's a look at the position-by-position vote leaders:

First base: Pujols (2,934,794); Ryan Howard (1,393,546); Prince Fielder (1,155,529).
Second base: Utley (2,922,796); Orlando Hudson (1,082,248); Rickie Weeks (832,870).
Third base: David Wright (1,698,366); Ryan Zimmerman (1,148,054); Chipper Jones (1,104,485); Pedro Feliz (954,945).
Shortstop: Ramirez (1,648,482); Rollins (1,494,466); J.J. Hardy (1,051,309).
Catcher: Yadier Molina (1,496,285); Brian McCann (1,180,312); Ivan Rodriguez (1,002,882); Jason Kendall (995,633); Carlos Ruiz (980,164).
Outfield: Ibanez (2,465,539); Ryan Braun (2,178,144); Carlos Beltran (1,779,344); Alfonso Soriano (1,639,664); Shane Victorino (1,371,362); Manny Ramirez (1,162,507); Mike Cameron (1,140,167); Rick Ankiel (1,011,527); Jayson Werth (1,008,256).

June 22 -- HOWARD HAS SINUSITIS

2009-06-22T11:42:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Just got off the phone with Ruben Amaro Jr., and here's the latest on Ryan Howard, straight from the GM:

As expected, earlier this morning, Howard saw team physician Dr. Marc Harwood, who confirmed the diagnosis of "acute sinusitis." Howard is being treated with antibiotics. and his fever is gone, Amaro said. He isn't scheduled to fly on the team charter tonight to Tampa Bay, but instead will fly tomorrow morning (perhaps he'll even be on my US Airways flight). It's possible, Amaro said, that Howard could be in the lineup tomorrow night against the Rays, although a determination won't be made until he arrives at the Trop and evaluates how he's feeling.

Regardless, it's good news for the Phillies, who desperately need Howard back in the lineup. They batted only .184 (18-for-98) and scored eight runs in the three-game series against the Orioles. Raul Ibanez (strained groin) missed the entire series, while Howard got only one at-bat -- and hit a pinch-hit three-run homer -- in the final two games. Subtract that home run and the Phillies scored three runs in the last two games against Baltimore.

June 21 -- VICTORINO: "WE'LL BE FINE"

2009-06-21T21:41:00.004-04:00

"We'll be fine. We're defending champs, and we're not defending champs for no reason.

At the end of the day, I'm walking out of this place,

and we're still in first place. That's how you've got to look at it."
-Shane Victorino

BY SCOTT LAUBER

What you witnessed earlier today was the Phillies' season-high sixth straight loss, 2-1 to the Orioles, and the capper of a 1-8 homestand that was their worst since a 1-9 stretch from Aug. 9-19, 2004. In the three games against bottom-feeding Baltimore, the Phils batted .184 (18-for-98) and scored eight runs. Overall on the homestand, they batted .248 (80-for-323), posted a 5.96 team ERA and were outscored, 57-38.

So, are you worried?

Shane Victorino isn't.

Standing in front of his locker in a nearly empty clubhouse 90 minutes after today's game, Victorino sounded a confident tone that the Phillies will, sooner than later, break free from this funk. Like Greg Dobbs and Cole Hamels before him, he said he takes solace in still being in first place in the NL East (thanks, Mets!) and believes the Phillies will be able to handle their first significant adversity of the season.

"Times like this, we went through it last year," Victorino said. "The year before, we went through stuff like this. Right now, of course, we're the defending champs, so everyone's going to say, 'What's going on? What's happening here?' But you know what, at the end of the day, where are we? We're about to get [Brad] Lidge back. We're about to get our guys back. We already got J.C. [Romero] back. That's how you've got to look at it. Yeah, we're frustrated. I am. I'm mad every night that we lose. The last few nights, it hasn't been physical mistakes. It's been mental mistakes. That's when you kick yourself in the ass. Everybody needs a mental check. We'll be fine. We're defending champs. We're not defending champs for no reason. At the end of the day, I'm walking out of this place, and we're in first place."

So, that's the glass-is-half-full viewpoint, and clearly, there's merit to what the Flyin' Hawaiian said. If all goes well Tuesday night in his outing for Class A Clearwater, Lidge could return by Wednesday, meaning Ryan Madson goes back to pitching the eighth inning, Romero to the seventh, and so on. There's a chance Scott Eyre could be back by the end of the upcoming road trip, bringing even more stability to the bullpen. Ryan Howard won't be sick forever, and the Phils are optimistic Raul Ibanez's groin strain will be healed by early July.

But there's still reason for concern, especially when you break down the Phillies' 36-31 record like this:

--26-29 against teams other than the woeful Nationals, and they don't play Washington again until September.

--1-22 when they score three runs or less (bonus points for anyone who can pinpoint the one win), which indicates the offense and pitching have rarely been in sync.

--and, of course, 13-22 at the Bank, the third-worst home record in the NL behind only Arizona (14-23) and aforementioned Washington (12-23).

Everyone knows the Phillies need to bolster their starting rotation (more on that tomorrow). But, after the past nine games, what's your level of confidence that they'll be able to win the NL East and return to the World Series with the rest of the team constituted as it is right now?

June 21 -- HOWARD HOSPITALIZED (AGAIN); LIDGE UPDATE

2009-06-21T12:38:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

If you're following Philled In on Twitter, you already know a lot of this. If not, a couple of notes before today's Phillies-Orioles series finale:

1. Ryan Howard was re-admitted to the hospital after last night's game. According to a team spokesman, he has been released, but it's unclear if he will be in uniform today. The Phillies' clubhouse closed to the media about give minutes ago (12:35 p.m.), and there still was no sign of the big first baseman. Howard checked into the hospital at 3:30 a.m. Saturday with flu-like symptoms and a fever of 103.9. He checked out at about 10:30 a.m., came to the ballpark, and although he wasn't in the starting lineup, he belted a pinch-hit, three-run homer in the seventh inning to give the Phillies a 5-3 lead in their 6-5 loss. As I wrote in today's News Journal, Howard had done something like this before. On May 14, 2006, he spent a night in a Cincinnati hospital with food poisoning, then came off the bench to hit two home runs, including the game-winner in the 12th inning, against the Reds.

2. Talked to Brad Lidge for a few minutes this morning. He'll fly to Tampa with the Phillies and pitch Tuesday night for Class A Clearwater at Tampa. If that goes well, it's possible he'll be activated Wednesday or Thursday. It's also possible Lidge could make one more rehab start for Clearwater on Thursday before being activated before Friday night's series-opener in Toronto. Lidge said he felt absolutely no pain in his right knee during last night's appearance at Class AA Reading. The guess here is, barring any setbacks Tuesday, he'll be activated before the Phillies leave Tampa. He's eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday.

3. In the Sunday MLB Notes in today's News Journal, I wrote about what the Phillies miss most by not having Brett Myers: They miss his ability to log innings. We'll discuss this in greater detail in a later post, but clearly, the Phillies need what Charlie Manuel calls "a horse," a pitcher who can throw at least seven innings per start and give the bullpen a break. Jason Marquis likely will be available, and in today's Boston Globe, baseball writer Nick Cafardo mentions that the Reds are dangling Bronson Arroyo, who is 8-5 with a 5.16 ERA but has averaged 6.36 innings in his 14 starts. Arroyo is making $9.5 million this year and will make $11 million in 2010. He has an $11 million club option (or a $2 million buyout) for 2011. So, what do you think? Does Arroyo appeal to you?

Today's lineup vs. Orioles RHP Jeremy Guthrie (4-7, 5.42):
SS Jimmy Rollins (.220/6/27)
CF Shane Victorino (.300/5/32)
2B Chase Utley (.300/15/45)
LF Matt Stairs (.279/3/11)
RF Jayson Werth (.260/12/38)
1B Greg Dobbs (.210/3/8)
3B Pedro Feliz (.297/3/35)
C Carlos Ruiz (.267/3/13)
LHP Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.48)

June 20 -- MADSON ON CLOSING

2009-06-20T23:20:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

In late April, when Brad Lidge was shut down for five days after getting his first cortisone injection in his balky right knee, I asked Ryan Madson if there's a discernible difference between pitching the eighth inning with a one-run lead and pitching the ninth. After all, we know there are many times when a setup guy mows down the middle of a lineup in a save situation, and the closer gets the easy task of facing the bottom of a lineup. Anyway, here's what Madson said:

"There's definitely a difference in pitching the ninth inning. Like Billy Wagner used to say, if I don't have it that night, there's no cavalry behind me. You're kind of the last-man standing. It's an overall sense of finality. It's a mentality that you have to get used to, and I think I can do that."

So, tonight, after allowing Gregg Zaun's solo homer and the game-winning, two-run shot by Brian Roberts (on a two-out, two-strike fastball) in a deflating 6-5 loss, Madson stood in front of his locker and refused to blame the defeat on his having to get accustomed to the closer role. And while that's noble (none of Madson's teammates wanted to hear excuses after a loss like this), it's reasonable to believe that Madson, as a fill-in novice closer, is in a tough spot.

By all accounts, Madson's problem tonight was pitch location. The pitch to Roberts, in particular, was up and over the plate, and it was hit hard. Pitch selection may have been an issue, too. Madson threw 22 pitches tonight, 19 fastballs. He threw only two of his signature changeups, both to Roberts. But based on our previous conversations about closing, I asked Madson if he makes a pitch differently when he's in trouble in the ninth inning. Knowing there's no safety net if he allows a run in the ninth, is he more careful (too careful?) when he gets in trouble?

"No," Madson said. "You just try to stay aggressive. I thought I did a good job throwing first-pitch strikes and getting ahead of the guys. I just couldn't put them away tonight."

In case you're wondering, Madson will be back on the mound tomorrow if the Phillies have the lead in the ninth.

"Madson's our closer," Charlie Manuel said.

June 20 -- LIDGE UPDATE

2009-06-20T18:55:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Brad Lidge just completed a scoreless first inning for Class AA Reading against Harrisburg.

After allowing a leadoff double to Ian Desmond, Lidge struck out Edgardo Baez. Desmond stole third before and was thrown out at home on a grounder to third base by Joel Guzman. Lidge ended his inning by striking out Matthew Whitney.

No information yet on how Lidge's knee responded. Hoping to have an opportunity to talk to Lidge after the Phillies play tonight.

(Updated, 8:06 p.m.): We're told that Lidge threw 15 pitches (11 strikes). According to assistant GM Benny Looper, who watched the outing, Lidge "felt very comfortable" on the mound. No word yet on if/when Lidge will make another minor-league appearance. He's eligible to be activated from the disabled list before Tuesday night's game at Tampa Bay.

June 20 -- HOWARD SICK

2009-06-20T17:15:00.007-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

At 342 games, Ryan Howard has the longest active consecutive games streak in the majors. So, when he wasn't listed in the starting lineup here today, against Orioles rookie right-hander Brad Bergesen, something was clearly amiss.

"Hi, guys. Bye, guys," Howard said as a few reporters approached his locker.

Charlie Manuel offered an explanation. According to Manuel, Howard came down with the flu after last night's game, and things got so bad that he even checked into the hospital with 104-degree fever. (Update: The Phillies said Howard checked into the hospital at 3:30 a.m., checked out at about 10:30 a.m., and had a fever of 103.9.) Thus, Howard's consecutive-game streak may come to an end tonight. The last time he didn't play in a game was May 24, 2007, at Florida, his final game on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quadriceps.

Without Howard in the lineup, Manuel had to get creative. So, here's what he came up with for tonight's game vs. the O's:

SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
2B Chase Utley
LF Matt Stairs
RF Jayson Werth
1B Greg Dobbs
3B Pedro Feliz
C Paul Bako
LHP J.A. Happ

***
A few other things:

--Even Manuel is banged up. He has a brace on his left wrist, the result of having his wrist jammed a few days ago when a player bumped into him in the dugout.

--Scott Eyre just told me he's planning to travel with the Phillies on next week's road trip, although he said he hasn't been given a rehab schedule for his strained left calf. He has long-tossed four times and said his calf is feeling "much better."

--Brad Lidge is still on schedule to pitch one inning tonight at Class AA Reading.

More later.

June 19 -- LIDGE TO PITCH SATURDAY; NO SURPRISES FOR IBANEZ

2009-06-19T16:47:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Just a few quick notes to pass along from Martin Frank, our man at the ballpark tonight:

1. Brad Lidge (left) will make a rehab appearance tomorrow at Class AA Reading. If that goes well, and he has no problems with his right knee, he could make another appearance early next week for Class A Clearwater before rejoining the Phillies in nearby Tampa Bay. Lidge is eligible to be activated from the disabled list before Tuesday night's game against the Rays at the Trop.

2. An MRI exam on Raul Ibanez's strained left groin showed nothing inconsistent with the original diagnosis, which would seem to be a good sign. If the injury is simply a strain (not a tear), Ibanez can begin his rehabilitation. His return remains contingent upon how his groin responds to treatment, but at least the MRI didn't reveal any surprises.

June 19 -- MAYBERRY'S GREAT ADVENTURE

2009-06-19T15:02:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Well, that was an eventful return for John Mayberry Jr., wasn't it?

Mayberry, the slugging outfielder, was recalled from Lehigh Valley yesterday to fill injured Raul Ibanez's spot, and Charlie Manuel put him to work right away, giving him the start in right field. At times, Mayberry looked good (he hit a solo homer in the fifth inning and threw out Vernon Wells at the plate in the eighth). And, at times, he looked bad (he took an extra step in his spin after picking up Scott Rolen's seventh-inning single, allowing Rolen to take an extra base, and popped out to second the game).

Overall, though, it's going to be fascinating to watch Mayberry over these next two weeks and maybe longer, depending on the results of Ibanez's MRI exam (we should get some information on that later today). Mayberry will get a chance to play, and the Phillies should have a better idea of his major-league readiness. He's 4-for-14 (.286) with two homers in the majors. In 52 games at Lehigh Valley, he was batting .257 with eight homers and 41 RBIs.

"You definitely realize the opportunity in front of you, but at the same time, I don't think you're going to do yourself any good by putting added pressure on yourself," Mayberry said. "So you just try to stay within yourself, keep the same approach that you did all year, and hopefully the results will be there."

***
Here's an often-overlooked aspect of the Phillies' 2008 championship season: After May, only one everyday position player (Pedro Feliz) and one pivotal relief pitcher (Tom Gordon) spent time on the disabled list. It was a remarkable run of good health (and good fortune) that allowed them to win the NL East.

A year later, it's mid-June and Brett Myers (hip), Brad Lidge (knee), Scott Eyre (calf) and Raul Ibanez (groin) on the DL.

June 18 -- BREAKING NEWS: IBANEZ TO DL (UPDATED)

2009-06-18T10:33:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Well, we have our answer about Raul Ibanez.

The official announcement came about 30 minutes ago. Ibanez, quite clearly hobbling as he ran last night, has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with what the Phillies are calling a "strained left groin." John Mayberry Jr. has been recalled from Class AAA Lehigh Valley and is in the lineup today in right field. (Jayson Werth moves to left.)

As y'all know, Ibanez has been bothered by a sore left Achilles', the result of an uncomfortable pair of new spikes. He didn't play Sunday but said the problem was "no big deal." Last night, though, Ibanez was noticeably hobbling to first base after hitting a double-play grounder in the fourth inning.

More on Ibanez in a little bit.

(Updated, 11:06 a.m.): From Ruben Amaro Jr.: The groin strain is unrelated to the Achilles' problem and has been bothering Ibanez on and off since April, although he only made the Phillies aware of the injury last week. Ibanez will undergo an MRI exam later today, and it's possible, Amaro said, that he could miss more than 15 days.

"There was no reason for him to talk me out of [putting him on the disabled list]," Amaro said. "If he was clearly hurting, he can hurt himself even more if he continued to play."

June 18 -- IS IBANEZ HURT?; PARK STILL UPSET

2009-06-18T00:12:00.001-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Tough week for Raul Ibanez.

The Delaware Valley's favorite left fielder blasted a game-winning, three-run homer in the 10th inning last Thursday night at Citi Field. Since then, he is 3-for-17, including an 0-for-3 performance in last night's 7-1 loss to the Blue Jays. Making matters worse, he's been bothered by a sore left Achilles' that was caused by, of all things, an uncomfortable pair of new spikes. After sitting out Sunday, Ibanez downplayed the problem, claiming it wasn't a big deal. But if you saw him hobble to first base on a fourth-inning double-play grounder last night, you could tell it's a concern.

Ibanez was unavailable for comment after the game (I'm guessing he was getting treatment from athletic trainer Scott Sheridan). We'll try to get y'all an update today.

***
This isn't exactly news, but to me, it's newsworthy: Chan Ho Park still prefers to be a starting pitcher.

That's significant because Park is emerging as a valuable part of the Phillies' bullpen. As the season gets longer, as the innings pile up, as the arms grow more weary, it's Park, trained as a starter, who can help ease the burden on the Clay Condreys and the Chad Durbins. But Park's heart remains in the starting rotation, any starting rotation.

"The No. 1 thing for me," he said yesterday, "is I want to be a starter."

Before last night's game, Charlie Manuel reiterated something he has said often over the past month since J.A. Happ replaced Park in the rotation. He said he believes Park's stuff plays up better for two or three innings at a time, and the stats back that claim. In seven starts, Park had a 7.59 ERA. In eight relief appearances, his ERA is 3.21.

"Sooner or later, a guy's got to accept where he belongs, or what the team wants him for," Manuel said. "To me, Chan Ho Park's stuff plays up big [as a reliever]. I listen to what he says. He's saying things about staying focused more. His arm's better at two innings than it is at five or six."

When I asked Park if he concurs with that assessment, he said, "No, I don't agree. I think I can start. A bad month or a bad week or a bad game happens to everybody. But they saw last year how I helped the Dodgers so much in being a reliever. Starting is much easier for me, but I've got to do whatever to help the team. Maybe, in a way, it'll get me back to where I want."

If it helps the Phillies win, nobody will care about his motivation.

***
Infield prospect Anthony Hewitt, the Phils' 2008 first-round draft pick, has been assigned to short-season Williamsport of the New York-Penn League, which opens its season tomorrow night. Should be interesting to track Hewitt's progress. He has seemingly boundless athletic ability, but after signing with the Phillies last summer, he batted only .197 with 55 strikeouts in only 117 at-bats in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League.

***
Stat of the week: Phillies relievers have thrown 248 pitches -- 248 pitches! -- in the last seven games.

June 17 -- FOR STARTERS, MANUEL WANTS A STARTER

2009-06-17T19:36:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, during our live chat today at www.delawareonline.com, some of you asked if the Phillies prefer to acquire a starter or a reliever before the July 31 trade deadline. Based on the conversations I've had with people close to the team, I offered my best guess (a starter). But what kind of beat writer would I be if I didn't take your question to Charlie Manuel before tonight's game.

Manuel's answer: Both.

"I think if we can get a starter and a bullpen piece, I think that makes us better," Manuel said. "Getting better is what counts. I don't want the same thing that we have. I want somebody that can help us."

And that's fine. Manuel's job depends on wins and losses, so he has a right to get greedy about his personnel. But, realistically, it's difficult to make one trade, as Ruben Amaro Jr. often reminds us. Making two is even tougher. So, if Manuel can only have one, I asked if he'd prefer a starter or a reliever.

"I'd say a starter," he said. "But what I'm talking about is a horse. I'm not talking about a guy who's just going to fill out our rotation."

Translation: Manuel wants a Jake Peavy (if he wasn't injured, of course) or a Roy Oswalt, not another No. 4 or 5 starter. Amaro has about six more weeks to find one.

June 17 -- CHAT WRAP

2009-06-17T15:15:00.000-04:00

Phillies chat #8

June 17 -- THREE UP, THREE DOWN

2009-06-17T01:39:00.008-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

First things first: If it's Wednesday, it's time for our weekly live chat about all things Phillies. So, please join me at noon today by clicking on the link at www.delawareonline.com.

OK, now that that's out of the way, here are a three random things that captured my attention during last night's 10-inning, 8-3 Phillies loss to the Blue Jays:

1. We've always known that Ryan Howard is a much better hitter against right-handed pitching than against lefties, but a closer look at the Big Man's splits -- prompted by his three whiffs against Jays lefty Ricky Romero -- are borderline ridiculous.

vs. RHP: .298/.371/.702/1.073, 16 HR, 38 RBI, 42 K
vs. LHP: .194/.263/.350/.613, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 39 K

Of the Phillies' left-handed, middle-of-the-lineup sluggers, Howard's righty-lefty splits are by far the most lopsided. In fact, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez have hammered lefties almost as hard as they've pounded right-handers.

Utley vs. RHP: .323 AVG, .467 OBP, .615 SLG, 1.082 OPS, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 22 K, 130 AB
Utley vs. LHP: .299 AVG, .410 OBP, .529 SLG, .939 OPS, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 16 K, 87 AB
Ibanez vs. RHP: .325 AVG, .390 OBP, .669 SLG, 1.058 OPS, 14 HR, 35 RBI, 21 K, 154 AB
Ibanez vs. LHP: .301 AVG, .346 OBP, .656 SLG, 1.002 OPS, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 26 K, 93 AB

Howard has played in each of the Phillies' 62 games, and while I'm not suggesting he sit against tough left-handed pitchers (although, maybe he should), Charlie Manuel certainly may want to consider dropping Howard from the cleanup spot when the Phillies face lefties. Just a thought.

2. It isn't easy starring in a reality TV show, but lately, that's the least taxing part of the Phillies relievers' jobs. Since last Wednesday, the Phils have played four extra-inning games and endured a rain delay Saturday night that forced the bullpen to log eight innings. Through it all, Brad Lidge (knee) and Scott Eyre (calf) have landed on the disabled list, putting even more pressure on the rest of the group.

Here's a look at a busy week for the Pen Men:

Wednesday (Taschner, Durbin, Eyre, Romero, Park, Madson): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 112 pitches
Thursday (Condrey, Durbin, Eyre, Madson): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 41 pitches
Friday (Park, Romero, Madson, Condrey, Kendrick): 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 103 pitches
Saturday (Durbin, Taschner, Escalona, Condrey, Romero): 8 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 8 BB, 172 pitches
Sunday (Park, Madson): 3-1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 70 pitches
Tuesday (Durbin, Romero, Madson, Condrey, Walker): 4 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 8 BB, 112 pitches

The Phillies were sure Cole Hamels would give them at least seven innings last night. He lasted only six, and afterwards, he was rather critical of himself. "You're supposed to be the guy that can go seven, eight innings, and when you're not able to do that, it puts a lot of stress on the bullpen," he said. "Being a top-tier pitcher, you're supposed to give the bullpen a break. I'm not living up to my caliber, I guess." And with Jamie Moyer starting tonight, it figures to be another busy night for the 'pen. Moyer has completed seven innings only once in 12 starts.

3. Everyone's looking for reasons to explain why the Phillies are 13-17 at home compared to 23-9 on the road. And while I don't have any answers, the numbers certainly reflect the records.

Offense at home: 30 G, .250 AVG, .340 OBP, .450 SLG, 40 HR, 148 R
Offense on road: 32 G, .273 AVG, .344 OBP, .471 SLG, 51 HR, 192 R
Pitching at home: 30 G, 5.30 ERA, 303 H, 169 R, 163 ER, 128 BB, .278 OPP BA
Pitching on road: 32 G, 4.15 ERA, 284 H, 137 R, 133 ER, 97 BB, .259 OPP BA

June 16 -- LIDGE THROWS FROM MOUND, FEELS FINE

2009-06-16T17:54:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

As expected, Brad Lidge threw 30 pitches from the bullpen mound today. But Lidge had no idea what to expect from his balky right knee. So, after being able to put pressure on his back leg and throw without pain and without altering his mechanics, Lidge declared his first major test to be a success.

"I'd consider today pretty successful," he said a little while ago. "I went down to the bullpen and completely pushed off my back leg without any pain at all. That's more than I've done for a while. We have to make sure that it doesn't start feeling bad tomorrow. I don't think it will. Being able to push off like that, for me, that's the good part."

So, what's next?

Lidge said he'll throw from the bullpen mound again Thursday. If that goes well, he may pitch in a minor-league game Saturday. He's eligible to come off the disabled list next Tuesday (June 23), and although he isn't guaranteeing that he'll be ready by then, he hopes it won't take longer than that.

What, exactly, was wrong with Lidge's knee?

Well, it's a condition called "synovitis," in which fluid builds up in the synovial membrane that surrounds the knee joint. Lidge received a cortisone injection in late April, and the Phillies' medical staff was hoping it would reduce the inflammation. But, after getting the shot, Lidge didn't give his knee the proper rest. He pitched a few days later, and the knee flared again. This time, after receiving an injection last week, he didn't even play catch for about five days.

More on Lidge in tomorrow's News Journal.

June 16 -- MADSON IS SET UP TO SUCCEED

2009-06-16T00:06:00.001-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, the way Ryan Madson tells it, Scott Boras visited his South Jersey home a few weeks after the World Series. Lugging volumes of statistical data, the high-powered agent sat in the living room and presented all the pertinent information. One season from his first crack at free agency -- and fresh off a postseason in which he emerged as a dominant eighth-inning reliever, Madson had two options:

a) He could've authorized Boras to negotiate a multi-year contract extension with the Phillies, a choice that would bring instant financial security for him and his wife, Sarah, but perhaps sacrifice some of his maximum earning power.

b) He could've elected for one last round of arbitration, a process that would bring an annual raise from his $1.4 million salary in 2008, and pressed his luck for a larger, longer-term payday (and, possibly, a job as a closer) on the free-agent market.

Boras offered his opinion, as always. Ultimately, though, the decision belonged to the Madsons.

They chose Option A.

Six months later, Madson believes -- nay, he knows -- it was the right one. In January, he signed a three-year, $12 million extension, meaning he should have no trouble sending his three children to college someday, and he'll still be able to test the open market after the 2011 season, when he'll still be only 31. But without the specter of free agency looming this year, he told Philled In he has been able to relax and shrug off bad outings. Honestly, though, I can't recall Madson having any of those. In 33 appearances, he has a 1.95 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 32-1/3 innings, and hasn't allowed a run since May 16, a span of 14-2/3 innings. If he isn't the best setup man in the majors, he's in the top five, and with Brad Lidge sidelined until at least next Tuesday with inflammation of the right knee, he has filled in as the closer and gone 2-for-2 in save opportunities.

"I don't think I'd be having this much success if I had all the pressure sitting on this year right now, if I was saying, 'I better get it done this year or else who knows?'" Madson said Sunday. "I definitely give a lot of credit for my success to signing that contract."

But, as I wrote in today's News Journal, Madson owes a great debt to Tom Gordon, too. It was Gordon who took him last May to see Keith Kocher, a physical therapist in Tempe, Ariz., and it was Kocher who prescribed a daily exercise routine that has strengthened Madson's shoulder. The result: His fastball velocity has climbed into the upper-90s, making his already nasty changeup even nastier.

Now, these days, eyebrows get raised when a 28-year-old pitcher in his sixth major-league season experiences a velocity spike. But Madson, 6-foot-6 and only 200 pounds, said he never considered using performance-enhancing drugs, and if he ever was accused, well, his spaghetti arms would seem to prove his innocence. Madson explains his faster fastball thusly: He's finally healthy, and Kocher's program has made him stronger.

"Early on, I said, 'If I'm going to make it, I'm going to make it the right way, and I don't care what anybody else is doing,'" Madson said. "Who knows how many guys did or didn't? I don't know. I never paid attention to it because I just knew, if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. I'm not going to cheat. For that to be a question, it's just society, in general right now."

***
Here's your Blue Jays-Phillies series preview. Back with more later today.

BLUE JAYS (34-31) at PHILLIES (36-25)
Tonight, 7:05: LHP Ricky Romero (3-3, 3.71) vs. LHP Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.62)
Tomorrow, 7:05: RHP Scott Richmond (4-3, 3.90) vs. LHP Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.11)
Thursday, 1:05: RHP Casey Janssen (2-3, 6.23) vs. RHP Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.17)
Hot: Blue Jays 3B Scott Rolen, who played for the Phillies from 1996 to 2002, has 11 hits in his last 22 at-bats (.500); Blue Jays RF Alex Rios is 8-for-16 (.500) with two homers and four RBIs in his last four games; Phillies 2B Chase Utley is 35-for-102 (.343) with five homers and 20 RBIs in 27 games since May 15; Phillies 3B Pedro Feliz has hit safely in 16 of his last 19 games, batting .361 (26-for-72) with 12 RBIs.
Not: Blue Jays CF Vernon Wells is hitless in 17 at-bats, 4-for-45 (.089) and hasn't homered in 137 at-bats, the longest drought of his career; Blue Jays OF Adam Lind is hitless in eight at-bats; Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins is 7-for-44 (.159) with a .174 on-base percentage in the last 10 games; Phillies C Carlos Ruiz has two hits in his last 15 at-bats after a torrid 16-for-39 stretch.

June 15 -- ALL-STAR UPDATE

2009-06-15T12:24:00.002-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Hate to distract from the previous post (still want your thoughts on the Phillies' last 10 games), but if you'll pardon the interruption, it seems y'all continue to stuff the ballot boxes in the NL All-Star voting. Courtesy of MLB, here's your weekly voting update:

Chase Utley is winning the second-base vote in a landslide over the Dodgers' Orlando Hudson (904,648 votes). In fact, Utley's 2,273,355 votes lead all NL players, including Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols (2,158,036).

The closest race, by far, is at shortstop, where Jimmy Rollins holds an 87,460-vote lead over the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez. My money remains on J-Roll. With the typically small crowds at Dolphin Stadium (oops, Land Shark Stadium), it's just so hard for a Marlins player to win an All-Star vote, unless he gets tremendous national support.

Raul Ibanez (1,897,905 votes) has slightly widened his lead over the Brewers' Ryan Braun (1,667,029) among outfielders. Shane Victorino is in fifth place (1,116,524), and Jayson Werth remains in eighth (834,910). Other Phillies: Ryan Howard is second among first basemen with 1,147,227 votes, though he's well behind Pujols; Pedro Feliz, batting .318 and increasingly deserving of an All-Star nod, is still running fourth among third basemen with 792,123 votes; Carlos Ruiz (809,633) remains third among catchers.

June 15 -- A TEST AGAINST THE BEST

2009-06-15T08:06:00.001-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Surely, it comes as no surprise that the Phillies are among the elite teams in the majors. They did, of course, win a little something called the World Series last October, and they have a big, shiny trophy to prove it.

That said, teams are always measuring themselves against the competition to see where they stack up, and the Phillies just completed a perfect 10-game test. They went 2-2 against the Dodgers in L.A., losing a pair of games because Brad Lidge blew ninth-inning leads. They moved on to New York and went 2-1 against the rival Mets, losing despite hitting four homers against Johan Santana before coming from behind to win a pair of games. Finally, they went 1-2 against the AL-best Red Sox at the Bank, and if Greg Dobbs' near-homer in the 11th inning Friday night had been ruled fair, who knows? So, overall, they were 5-5, which isn't too shabby when you consider:

1. Jimmy Rollins went 7-for-44 (.159) with a .174 on-base percentage.
2. Lidge went on the disabled list.
3. Antonio Bastardo, a 23-year-old with two career triple-A starts, replaced Brett Myers, meaning 40 percent of the Phillies' rotation consists of rookie left-handers.

So, as the Phillies catch their breath today and prepare for the Blue Jays' arrival tomorrow night, I ask you this: After watching them take on three prime contenders, what's your level of confidence that the Phillies can a) get back to the playoffs and b) win another World Series?

***
Recapping the weekend in The News Journal: Lidge told us his balky right knee is feeling better (he's scheduled to throw from the mound Tuesday); in our Sunday MLB notes, we talked to assistant GM Chuck LaMar about Jason Donald's knee surgery today and analyze the impact it may have on the Phillies' attempts to trade for a pitcher; Rollins wonders if a pregame chat yesterday with John Smoltz may help him regain his mojo; in the notebook, we look at Raul Ibanez's shoe problems, Kelly Dugan isn't easily star-struck, and Tyler Walker hopes to stay with the Phillies for a while.

***
Last Tuesday night, Rollins stood in the clubhouse at Citi Field and told us Santana's velocity was down. Sure enough, The Johan gave up nine runs in three innings yesterday against the Yankees. The Mets believe the velocity drop is due to a blister. At least they hope it's nothing more serious.

***
So, who watched "The Pen" last night on MLB Network? Please post your reviews of Episode 1 in the comments section.

***
Thanks to everyone who stopped by Section 111 before yesterday's game and got their copy of "Phillies Confidential" signed by Gary Matthews and yours truly. Sarge and I definitely hope to schedule another signing in the near future, so please stay tuned for more details.

June 14 -- IBANEZ: GOTTA BE THE SHOES

2009-06-14T17:46:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

For the first time all season, Raul Ibanez wasn't in the Phillies' lineup today, ending his streak of 222 consecutive games played. And, as it turns out, it was more than just a routine day off.

Then again, maybe it wasn't.

After the game, Charlie Manuel said Ibanez has been bothered by a sore left Achilles because of an uncomfortable, new pair of spikes. Manuel noticed Ibanez was limping slightly Saturday night and said Ibanez will get "checked out tomorrow." Asked if he thought it was serious, Manuel said, "I hope not."

So, we asked Ibanez about it, and he seemed to think it was much ado about nothing.

"It's fine," Ibanez said. "[Athletic trainer] Scotty [Sheridan] cut [the shoes] for me, and now they're a lot better." Asked if he'll play Tuesday night against the Blue Jays, he said he will. "It was nothing at all. It was a day game, and we were done at 12:15 last night. By the time you get home, 1:30 or 2. It worked out OK."

Anyway, the whole thing made me think of those old Nike commercials with Spike Lee and Michael Jordan.

June 14 -- MEET KELLY DUGAN

2009-06-14T14:26:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, on his first official day with the Phillies, Kelly Dugan hung around the batting cage and talked shop with Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard, an experience that would leave most 18-year-olds awestruck and speechless.

Not Dugan.

You see, Dugan has grown up on movie sets, rubbing elbows with Adam Sandler, Kevin James and other big-name actors. His father, Dennis, had a recurring role on "Hill Street Blues" before directing films like "Happy Gilmore" and "Big Daddy." In fact, after agreeing to terms on a contract with the Phillies, he celebrated with Sandler, James, David Spade and Chris Rock.

Dugan, a switch-hitter who forfeited a scholarship to Pepperdine, doesn't get starry-eyed, except maybe if he meets his idol, Chipper Jones.

"It was really cool growing up with them," Dugan said of his actor buddies. "They were like big-league actors. Their dedication to acting is similar to whatever dedication to baseball is. Just growing up around professionals like that shows the work ethic that they had and the dedication to their field. They're all really supportive."

Dugan signed his contract last night after travel problems delayed his arrival. He's expected to report to the Phillies' facility in Clearwater, Fla., on Wednesday and will begin his professional career in the entry-level Gulf Coast League. Asked what he knows about the GCL, Dugan flashed his father's quick wit and sense of humor.

"I know it's hot," he said with a smile.

More in tomorrow's News Journal.

June 14 -- SURVIVOR: PHILLIES (UPDATED)

2009-06-14T01:36:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

When MLB Productions approached the Phillies' relievers early in spring training to pitch the idea of a reality television show, Brad Lidge had his reservations. On the surface, it sounded like fun. But, during the grind of a long season, did he really want cameras and microphones and other potential intrusions that could disrupt the bullpen's routine?

"If you're doing well and you're used to your routine, all of a sudden something changes, you think, 'This can only be bad,'" Lidge told Philled In yesterday. "But they've approached it in a way that hasn't bothered what we're doing. It hasn't taken us out of our rhythm."

And tonight, at 8 p.m., Lidge and his fellow relievers will be reality TV stars.

A six-episode series, titled "The Pen," will premiere tonight on MLB Network. The series will feature on-field and off-the-field interviews, beginning in spring training and running through the All-Star break, and will be narrated by former Phillies reliever Mitch Williams. Since spring training, a film crew has been following the Phillies' bullpen, and after catching a sneak peek at the first episode, Lidge is pleased with the final product.

"They did a good job capturing a lot of off-the-field stuff," he said. "People don't realize we have families and we're just doing the normal stuff also."

Early bets are Clay Condrey, a Texan with a deep-South twang and dry sense of humor, will be the show's breakout star. New episodes will air June 21 (9 p.m.), June 28 (8:30 p.m.), July 12 (8:30 p.m.), July 19 (8:30 p.m.) and July 26 (8:30 p.m.).

And, when the Phillies relievers kick back to watch tonight's, they'll be a tired bunch. Thinned by injuries to Lidge (knee) and Scott Eyre (calf) and taxed after tossing 16 innings in three straight extra-inning games, the 'pen was forced to log another eight last night. Condrey had to pitch one inning despite a cranky back, and Manuel said Chan Ho Park was unavailable because of some tenderness in his arm. Sergio Escalona was summoned earlier in the day from Class AAA Lehigh Valley, and it's possible the Phillies may have to recall another reliever from the minors before today's game

(Updated, 11:30 a.m.): Sure enough, the Phillies have purchased the contract of Tyler Walker from Class AAA Lehigh Valley and sent Escalona back down. I covered Walker in the minors at Class AA Binghamton way back in 2000 and 2001, and man, do I have some stories (all good, of course).

"There are some guys that are a little banged up," Jack Taschner said last night. "Any time you have to cover a ton of extra innings, that's always tough."

But at least some of them may have a reality TV career when this whole baseball thing is over.

June 14 -- ON KENDRICK, LIDGE, DONALD & REPLAY

2009-06-13T18:12:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

A few pregame notes:

1. Kyle Kendrick's return to the majors lasted one day.

If you follow Philled In on Twitter, then you've already heard that Kendrick has been sent back to Lehigh Valley after allowing three runs in the 13th inning last night. It wasn't so much that the Phillies were upset with how Kendrick pitched, although they obviously weren't thrilled. But they were hoping Kendrick, called up Friday to replace injured reliever Scott Eyre, could give them some innings out of the bullpen one day this weekend against the Red Sox. And because his arm isn't trained to pitch in relief, his two-inning stint last night was probably going to be all for him for a few days. So, they sent Kendrick back to triple-A and recalled lefty reliever Sergio Escalona, who probably will be here at least until Eyre or Brad Lidge get back.

Rich Dubee, a vocal critic of Kendrick during spring training, gave this assessment of his progress in developing a changeup and slider/cutter to go with his signature sinker: "I've heard he made strides down there, but [last night] was tough. Different environment, different game, different situation. He hasn't been coming in to an 11th or 12th inning, tie game, nail-biter the whole way. It was a tough situation."

If he's unable to develop those secondary pitches, Dubee hinted Kendrick's future may be in the bullpen. But the Phillies haven't given up on him as a starter yet. "He's still young," Dubee said. "He hasn't had the development time. That'll be determined at a later date. There's a lot of sinker-slider guys pitching out of the bullpen. But he also has to learn to command his sinker and not throw through his sinker. You look at the radar gun last night, he was 93. Well, 93 didn't have a whole lot of action. 89 had pretty good action the first inning he pitched. That's pitching. That's understanding who you are and what you are. That's the stages of growth he's got to go through. The thing he needs right now is consistent innings."

2. For the first time since he was placed on the disabled list Tuesday, Brad Lidge long-tossed and threw off flat ground in the outfield. He said he was able to push off his right (back) knee without any pain. He'll long-toss again tomorrow, then throw off a mound in a few days. If that goes well, he said he'd go out on a minor-league rehab assignment, although dates/location of that assignment won't be determined for several days, though.

3. In a previous post, we mentioned Jason Donald will have surgery Monday to repair the meniscus in his left knee. Talked to assistant GM Chuck LaMar, who said the Phillies don't believe the knee problem contributed to Donald's .230 average at Lehigh Valley. "He's still just adjusting to triple-A baseball," LaMar told Philled In by phone. "There's this feeling that all the prospects are in double-A, and while that may be true from a scouting standpoint, from a player-development standpoint, triple-A is still the highest level you can play. You're facing [pitchers], many who have already been in the majors who are one phone call away from getting another chance. They know how to get a job done. I think Jason is still going through that learning process."

4. Charlie Manuel is still hot about the umpiring crew's refusal to review Greg Dobbs' long foul ball to right field last night. According to the replay rules, a manager has the right to request a review, but the umpires don't have to grant the request.

"That's the first time I ever asked for a review of a play," Manuel said. "I thought there was a question of whether it was a home run or not. He said, 'I'm sure the ball was foul, Charlie. I got it right, and there's not going to be a review.' I saw the replay. The ball left the park fair. We could send that in [to the league], but I guarantee you they're not going to see it that way. When the ball leaves the ballpark, that's when the play should be called. He's supposed to call it right when it leaves the ballpark, when it's out of the ballpark."

More on all of this in tomorrow's News Journal.

June 13 -- CUTTING OFF THEIR (BOBBLE)HEADS

2009-06-13T11:57:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

All fans who attended the Clearwater Threshers game last night at Bright House Field expected to receive a Pat Burrell bobblehead doll.

Thanks to the Tampa Bay Rays, they left disappointed.

According to a statement on the Threshers' Web site, the Class A team has had to cancel its series of Phillies World Series bobblehead giveaways because they violate an MLB agreement wherein the Rays may block the promotion of another team's brand within Tampa Bay's 60-mile television territory. Clearwater isn't the only team being affected. The Dunedin Blue Jays, Tampa Yankees, Sarasota Reds and Lakeland Tigers also can't give away bobbleheads.

Amazing, isn't it, what some major-league teams choose to worry about?

June 13 -- FAIR OR FOUL?; SURGERY FOR DONALD

2009-06-13T01:43:00.007-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

From his spot in the corner of the Phillies' dugout, Charlie Manuel had no idea if the ball was fair or foul.

He just wanted to be sure.

So, after Greg Dobbs' blast to right field in the 11th inning last night soared over the foul pole, Manuel asked first-base umpire Jim Joyce to go to the videotape. After all, Major League Baseball institued instant replay late last season to make judgments on hard-to-call home runs, and this was the textbook definition of a hard-to-call home run.

"He said they were not going to review it," Manuel said. "He said they didn't want to review it, basically. I asked him why. I wanted it reviewed. He said, 'It's my call.' He said he saw it. He said, 'I stayed on it, Charlie. I know it was foul.' I said, 'It's not where it lands. It's where it goes out.' He said, 'I stayed on it. I've been doing this a little while, too.'"

According to the replay rules, a manager has the right to ask for a review, but the umpires don't have to grant that request if they believe they got the call right. And while Manuel remained uncertain, Shane Victorino, who was standing on first base, thought Joyce got it right.

"I thought it was way foul, to be honest," said Victorino, who added that first-base coach Davey Lopes agreed.

And, really, if the Phillies hadn't struck out 20 times and stranded 10 runners, we wouldn't be talking about Joyce's call today.

***
So, remember those Brad Penny-for-Jason Donald trade rumors?

Yeah, doesn't look like that's going to happen.

Donald, who has drawn Boston's interest, will undergo surgery Monday to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. Also, Penny is pitching very well for the Sox (he tossed six scoreless innings Thursday night against the Yankees), and we're hearing that John Smoltz may be willing to pitch out of the bullpen when he returns, lessening Boston's need to make a move.

June 12 -- BLOGGING ABOUT BLOGGERS

2009-06-12T15:02:00.000-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, let me tell you a story: It was Feb. 17, and I was covering spring training in Clearwater. About 20 minutes away, in Tampa, Alex Rodriguez had just concluded a press conference that, rather perversely, got more attention than most White House briefings. A-Rod, the subject of a Sports Illustrated report linking him to performance-enhancing drugs, leaned into a microphone and admitted to experimenting with steroids for three years while with the Texas Rangers. I watched on a TV in the press box at Bright House Field, and when A-Rod was through answering questions, I, and a few other beat writers, walked downstairs to the Phillies' clubhouse to see if any players were still around to offer their thoughts. I'm a journalist. It's what I do.

It was there, in a nearly empty room, that I found Raul Ibanez.

Ibanez was 22 years old and playing in the Seattle Mariners' instructional league in 1994 when he first met A-Rod. They were teammates for parts of five seasons in Seattle, and they both make their offseason homes in Miami. So, after completing his workout in the Phillies' weight room, Ibanez grabbed a plate of food and watched some of the A-Rod Show. It was reality TV, baseball-style. When we asked Ibanez for his impressions, he offered the usual platitudes about being disappointed and saddened by the news and failing to understand why a player with A-Rod's boundless natural ability would feel a need to use performance-enhancing drugs. And, then, there was the obvious follow-up question, one that needed to be asked.

Raul, were you ever tempted to dabble in steroids? Like, say, in 2000 when you were 28 and still sitting on the Mariners' bench?

"No," he said softly. "You know why? I didn't have kids at the time, but I knew I wanted them. My heart and my liver were way more important than baseball, so for me, it was never really tempting.

"I'm actually thankful almost, because I think the guys that were cheating made me better," he continued. "I wasn't going to take that road, and I knew I had to work harder to compete to keep up with the other people who were cheating. My mindset was always that I was going to outlast the people that were cheating, because it's a foreign substance, and it's not supposed to be in your body. I always felt that I was going to work harder and be better. I think it wound up making me better. I think I probably never would've gone into the weight room if the game hadn't gotten so big and strong. I probably wouldn't have gone to find the best trainers and the best training methods. Of course, part of you thinks you got cheated, but the optimistic side of me says I'm glad, because it made me a better player."

And that was that.

Until this week.

For the past few days, I've been wrestling with how to handle the firestorm created by a citizen blogger (he's already had his 15 minutes of fame, so I refuse to give him a 16th by naming him or his blog) and brought into the mainstream by a column in the Philadelphia Inquirer. My solution, thus far, has been to ignore it, to hope that by not addressing it in The News Journal or at Philled In that it would merely go away. But I found that the multi-faceted situation dominated my conversations with colleagues in New York this week, and I've gotten a few e-mails about it from some of you. So, here goes.

I don't have a problem with citizen bloggers or the so-called social media. I blog. I Tweet. I'm on Facebook. And I believe bloggers have a place in our public discourse. I also believe that steroid admissions from the likes of A-Rod and Manny Ramirez -- and the suspicion of steroid use by Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and others -- has left a cloud over the game. As a baseball writer, it's my job to wonder, to question, to seek the truth about what's going on in the clubhouses to which I have access and the training rooms to which I do not. So, when Ibanez reaches 21 home runs faster than any player in Phillies history, I understand there are going to be whispers. I know the "S" word is going to come up.

But my journalism training (yes, I went to college for this) also tells me that a reporter must have proof before making accusations in print. Selena Roberts, the reporter who broke the A-Rod story, had multiple sources. She checked and re-checked her information. Then, she checked it all again. She gave A-Rod a chance to tell his side. It's called accountability. She didn't merely publish unfounded speculation on a blog. That isn't how it works.

Now, I didn't expect the Ibanez blogger to know that. He isn't a professional journalist, and he isn't held to the same standards that I, my News Journal colleagues, Selena Roberts, or any other media member is and should be. So, while I don't condone his gross speculation about Ibanez, I believe it would've faded into the nebulous blogosphere if a newspaper hadn't dragged it into the mainstream. In an attempt to scold the blogger for spreading that gross speculation, the newspaper, with an exponentially larger readership, did the same. There's immense power in the written word -- in a newspaper, on a blog, wherever -- and unless we have proof that Ibanez is using performance-enhacing drugs, we must be careful about even suggesting it or shining a light on folks who do. As newspapers, we always must remember that. It's our integrity that sets us apart and allows the public to believe that what they're reading is, above all else, the truth.

Early last season, when Jimmy Rollins was sidelined by a sprained ankle, a Philly-area blogger wrote that the ankle was broken. I, and several other beat writers, happened upon the blog and looked into the situation. My reporting revealed that there was no truth to the blogger's claim. Rollins' ankle simply wasn't responding to treatment as quickly as the Phillies had initially hoped. It was never broken, and fortunately, nobody picked up on the blogger's story. If I blindly wrote about every unsubstantiated rumor that I heard about the Phillies, I wouldn't keep my job for very long.

(Quick digression: One of my favorite all-time writers is Aaron Sorkin, who is responsible for movies like "A Few Good Men" and "The American President" and TV series "Sports Night" and "The West Wing." A few years ago, he wrote a short-lived series called "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" about a late-night sketch comedy show. In one episode, one of show's cast members reads a critical review by a citizen blogger and laments how it may catch on in the mainstream media. He says, "The New York Times is going to quote Bernadette from the Bernadette Blog so that the people can be heard, and The Times can demonstrate they're not the media elite. I prefer when they were elite. I'm a fan of credentials.")

Point is, credentials give us access to the players and teams that we cover. They also bring a responsibility to cover those entities accurately. Do I know for sure that Raul Ibanez is clean? Absolutely not. MLB doesn't test for HGH and any number of other undetectable performance-enhancers, and until they do, fast starts like Ibanez's are going to spark speculations from cynics. Is it worth questioning Ibanez? Absolutely. And that's what I, and some fellow beat writers, did on Feb. 17. Until I have reason to think otherwise, I must take Ibanez at his word.

"It does bother me," he said that day of the black cloud that the steroid era has left over the game. "And the reason it bothers me is because, everyone in the game, we kind of brought it on ourselves. It bothers me that kids are growing up in this era. Even though I'm in this clubhouse, I'm in this game, there's kids at home right now that watch the game with the same fervor that I did. My little guy is 7. He gets a different perspective, because he's in the clubhouse with me, and he sees it differently. But it would bug me if he was, like, 10 and walked up to me and said, 'Man, my favorite player did something wrong.' We're definitely role models, and I think we should take that seriously."

Just like newspapers still must take seriously their responsibility to the public.

June 11 -- DUGAN SIGNS; DRAFT RECAP

2009-06-11T19:04:00.006-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- After three days, the annual MLB draft finally is complete. In a previous post, we told you about Kelly Dugan, whose father, Dennis, directed Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore" and "Big Daddy." As expected, Dugan signed with the Phillies today. Also, earlier today, the Phillies picked Phil Aviola, a catcher from Wilmington College, who talked to The News Journal. They also selected Robert Amaro (pictured), a third baseman from Penn Charter and nephew of GM Ruben Amaro Jr.

Here's the full list of Phillies picks.

2nd round (75th overall): Kelly Dugan, OF
3rd round (106th overall): Kyrell Hudson, OF
4th round (137th overall): Adam Buschini, 2B
5th round (167th overall): Matt Way, LHP
6th round (197th overall): Stephen Inch, RHP
7th round (227th overall): Brody Colvin, RHP
8th round (257th overall): Jonathan Singleton, 1B
9th round (287th overall): Aaron Altherr, OF
10th round (317th overall): Josh Zeid, RHP
11th round (347th overall): Jeremy Barnes, SS
12th round (377th overall): Nicholas Hernandez, LHP
13th round (407th overall): Ryan Sasaki, LHP
14th round (437th overall): Jacob Stewart, OF
15th round (467th overall): Austin Hyatt, RHP
16th round (497th overall): Andrew Susac, C
17th round (527th overall): Michael Dabbs, OF
18th round (557th overall): Carl Uhl, OF
19th round (587th overall): Stephen Batts, 1B
20th round (617th overall): Darin Ruff, 1B
21st round (647th overall): Chase Johnson, RHP
22nd round (677th overall): Kyle Lafrenz, C
23rd round (707th overall): Evan Porter, SS
24th round (737th overall): Justin Long, RHP
25th round (767th overall): Eric Massingham, RHP
26th round (797th overall): Brian Gump, OF
27th round (827th overall): Marlon Mitchell, C
28th round (857th overall): Justin Beal, RHP
29th round (887th overall): Mark Doll, RHP
30th round (917th overall): Stephen Kohlscheen, RHP
31st round (947th overall): David Doss, C
32nd round (977th overall): Kevin Angelle, LHP
33rd round (1007th overall): Colin Kleven, RHP
34th round (1037th overall): Arthur Griffin, RHP
35th round (1067th overall): Phil Aviola, C
36th round (1097th overall): Matt McConnell, 2B
37th round (1127th overall): Brodie Greene, 2B
38th round (1157th overall): Cory Wine, 1B
39th round (1187th overall): Samuel Kidd, RHP
40th round (1217th overall): Robert Amaro, 3B
41st round (1247th overall): Jeff Gelalich, OF
42nd round (1277th overall): Matthew Laney, LHP
43rd round (1307th overall): Francois Lafreniere, RHP
44th round (1337th overall): Brian Feekin, LHP
45th round (1367th overall): Richard Bain, OF
46th round (1397th overall): Jeff Ames, RHP
47th round (1427th overall): Ryan Bollinger, 1B
48th round (1457th overall): Wander Nunez, OF
49th round (1487th overall): Chris Gosik, 3B
50th round (1517th overall): David Hissey, OF

June 11 -- OZUNA SUSPENDED

2009-06-11T17:55:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- Quick note to pass along from a press release distributed by MLB: Lehigh Valley infielder Pablo Ozuna has been suspended 50 games after showing an "elevated testosterone/epitestosterone radio." The raised testosterone levels usually result from taking a performance-enhancing drug.

Ozuna, a 34-year-old who played well in spring training after signing with the Phillies last winter as a minor-league free agent, was batting .294 with 15 RBIs for Lehigh Valley. He's a .282 career hitter with three homers and 45 RBIs in 309 major-league games over parts of seven seasons with the Marlins, Rockies and White Sox.

In a statement, Ruben Amaro Jr. said, "It is unfortunate that Pablo has been suspended for 50 games. However, the Phillies are in full support of the major and minor league drug prevention and treatment program."

***
Jimmy Rollins is leading off again tonight, despite going 0-for-5 last night. He'd been 5-for-8 in the previous two games in the No. 6 hole.

***
Pitching matchups for the three-game series against the Red Sox that opens tomorrow night at the Bank:
Tomorrow, 7:05: LHP Jon Lester (5-5, 5.09) vs. RHP Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.46)
Saturday, 7:05: RHP Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-4, 7.33) vs. LHP Antonio Bastardo (2-0, 2.45)
Sunday, 1:35: RHP Josh Beckett (7-2, 3.77) vs. LHP J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.98)

June 11 -- UTLEY VS. PELFREY?

2009-06-11T14:56:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- From the Phillies' perspective, last night was about Jayson Werth's game-saving, diving catch in right field to close the 10th inning and Chase Utley's game-winning leadoff homer to open the 11th. It was about evening this three-game series before tonight's rubber match. And, perhaps most importantly, it was about regaining a three-game lead in the NL East.

On the Mets' side, there were two other storylines.

There was the small victory for the New Yorkers, who pounded out 11 hits against Cole Hamels, the man who in December was baited into calling them "choke artists" by a pair of Big Apple sports-talk radio hosts. And there was the minor (so minor that it really never happened) sixth-inning flare-up between Utley and Mets starter Mike Pelfrey. A few New York reporters asked Utley about it after the game, and he looked at them like they each had 12 heads. Basically, Pelfrey was miffed when, just as he was ready to deliver a pitch, Utley stepped out of the batter's box. Pelfrey yelled toward the batter's box, and although it appeared he had more to say to Utley after the at-bat (a groundout to second base), both players said there were no words exchanged.

"I was about to step into the box and it seemed like he was ready to pitch," Utley said. "I wasn't trying to make him frustrated. I was trying to put a good at-bat together."

Said Pelfrey, "My mind was locked in and the adrenaline was going and I wanted to make a pitch. I got upset and told him to get in the box. I don't even know the guy. It was too much adrenaline, I guess."

So, there you have it. Much ado about nothing, it seems.

June 10 -- LIDGE: CELEBRATION DID NOT CAUSE INJURY

2009-06-10T18:13:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- So, earlier today, I held my weekly live chat about the Phillies at www.delawareonline.com. At one point, Dom I., one of our loyal readers, asked if there was any chance Brad Lidge injured his right knee during the celebratory pile on the mound after Game 5 of the World Series last October. After all, Lidge did tell his hometown Rocky Mountain News several months ago (back when the Rocky Mountain News was still in business), "All of a sudden, I felt like my knee did something weird. So after about five, 10 seconds at the bottom of the pile, I was like, 'All right, get up.' Like the joy was over, and my knee felt it was about to give."

Well, Lidge rejoined the Phillies here today, and he was asked if he thought the celebration had anything to do with his injury.

Lidge laughed.

"Underneath that pile my knee definitely did feel like it was up around my head somehow," he said. "And for a couple seconds I was a little worried. But everybody got off. I walked it off afterward. I wouldn't be able to have worked out all winter and all spring training and not have felt it at all and all of a sudden have it come back if that's what happened. That's definitely not what caused this."

So, there you have it.

Lidge, by the way, is hoping to be able to resume throwing off a mound in about a week. He's hoping he needs to be on the disabled list for only 15 days.

June 10 -- CHAT WRAP

2009-06-10T13:03:00.001-04:00

Phillies fan chat #7

June 10 -- J-ROLL'S SIXTH SENSE; GETTING DRAFTY

2009-06-10T00:55:00.001-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- So, it's been two games since Jimmy Rollins was moved from his familiar leadoff spot to the No. 6 hole in the Phillies' lineup, and in those two games, he's 5-for-8 with a two-run homer.

That doesn't mean he likes it.

Rollins, as you know, loves batting leadoff. He grew up in the Bay Area, idolizing Rickey Henderson, the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, and he always has fancied himself a top-of-the-order catalyst. So, although Charlie Manuel said last night he's not sure when Rollins will return to the leadoff spot (my bet: It happens tonight against Mets right-hander Mike Pelfrey), Rollins made it clear that he's eager to get back there.

"I don't think you get up for the game as much being in the six-hole," he said. "When you're a leadoff hitter, you're a leadoff hitter. Doesn't matter the situation. You got two out, runners on second and third, it's not that you better get a hit because there are runners on second and third. You're supposed to get on first and come around and score a run. That's what a leadoff hitter does. Down in the six-hole, you probably have an opportunity to drive in runs with a fly ball or sometimes a ground ball. The emphasis isn't getting on base as much. So, it's different. I had good at-bats [Sunday night] in Los Angeles, and it had nothing to do with where I was batting."

So, how does J-Roll, previously in a 4-for-32 funk, explain the two-game turnaround?Before last night's game, he said he watched Chase Utley take cuts in the indoor cage before batting practice and jotted a few mental notes.

"It was just something in his swing I was just able to pick up on," said Rollins, who declined to get into specifics. "I knew where my swing was flattening out. I just needed that reminder, and Chase was that reminder. Kind of like when Bobby [Abreu] was here. I watched Bobby, and I was able to see something in his swing that was not what I was doing in mine."

***
Rollins made this observation about Johan Santana: "His velocity was down. That changeup is always good. That never really changes. But it makes a big difference when you throw 94 as your top speed as opposed to 91. He was 91 from the start, pretty much stayed there." Asked good friend Adam Rubin of the New York Daily News about this, and he said Santana's velocity has declined. That's something to keep an eye on as the season goes along.

***
At about 10:30 last night, the Phillies made their first pick in the amateur draft, selecting switch-hitting 18-year-old center fielder Kelly Dugan from Notre Dame (Calif.) High with the 75th overall pick. With the 106th overall pick, they took another 18-year-old center fielder, Kyrell Hudson, from Evergreen (Wash.) High. A few nuggets on both, courtesy of Kevin Czerwinski, an old friend and contributor to CSNPhilly.com:

--Dugan worked out alongside Alex Rodriguez in Miami this winter, just prior to A-Rod's admission of steroid use. He also attended the same high school as Pat Gillick.
--Dugan's father, Dennis, played Richie Brockelman on the TV series "The Rockford Files" in the 70s and directed Adam Sandler in "Happy Gilmore" and "Big Daddy".
--Hudson has committed to play football at Oregon State and lists the Mets as his favorite team. Presumably, that will change if he ever plays for the Phillies.

***
Please join me for our weekly live Phillies chat today at noon at www.delawareonline.com.

June 9 -- LIDGE UPDATE

2009-06-09T22:43:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- Through a team spokesman, we just received this update on Brad Lidge:

Team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti said another MRI exam was unnecessary. He detected inflammation in the knee joint, but there are no signs of structural damage. Ciccotti administered another cortisone injection (Lidge had a shot in April, too). Lidge is expected to rejoin the Phillies here tomorrow to begin a rehab program.

I'll have a chance to talk to Lidge at that time.

More later, including some interesting stuff from Jimmy Rollins.

June 9 -- AMARO, DUBEE ON LIDGE

2009-06-09T16:58:00.005-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- So, a little while ago, we heard from Ruben Amaro Jr. on the Phillies' decision to place Brad Lidge on the disabled list. No sense in me explaining the GM's explanation. Here's a brief summary of what Amaro had to say, in his own words:

"I think it's something that's probably been bothering him for a long time, and for us, I think it got to the point where even though it was day-to-day and he didn't really complain about it, it started to affect his performance and his mechanics such that we all thought it was important to go ahead and put him on the disabled list, get him back to 100 percent as soon as possible and then get him back and put him back in his role and have him pitch as Brad Lidge is accustomed to pitch."

According to Amaro, Lidge is going to be examined tonight by team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti. After that, the Phillies will have a better idea on a timetable for Lidge's return. He has gotten two MRI exams this season (in April and a few weeks ago), and both times, the test didn't show any structural damage to the knee ligaments. It's possible that the injury, whatever it is, has worsened over the past few weeks, but nothing will be known for certain until after Ciccotti performs his examination.

Rich Dubee said in an in-game interview on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball that Lidge's problem was a matter of confidence, not a physical or mechanical issue. So, was Dubee lying? Not exactly, he contends. "How much do you want people to know about an injury?" Dubee said. "Do you want the opposition to know that he's not moving well on his knee? Sometimes you don't tell the whole story. I don't want people to know that he can't bounce around the mound very well because then you're going to see four guys go up there and bunt in a row."

Ryan Madson will, of course, be the closer in Lidge's absence. Charlie Manuel said J.C. Romero will be the primary setup man, although he will occasionally use a right-hander (possibly Chan Ho Park) in the eighth inning, depending on the lineup. Asked if the Lidge news means the Phillies feel they need to trade for another late-inning reliever, Amaro said, "No. I don't think we do. If, in fact, we lost Brad for a more significant amount of time, I think we have a pretty good alternative right now in Ryan. We have a lot of confidence in him and there are a lot of people in our clubhouse who feel he can do a very good job. It may change the way we view [our club]. A lot of it depends on what happens with Dr. Ciccotti and how long this injury may take for him to come back. It may change our view on what we need to do to improve our club. But that still kind of remains to be seen until after Dr. Ciccotti sees him and examines him and makes this assessment for how long it may be."

Hopefully, we'll have an update from Ciccotti later tonight, and much more from Amaro, Manuel, Madson and Rich Dubee in tomorrow's News Journal.

June 9 -- BREAKING NEWS: LIDGE TO DL

2009-06-09T14:08:00.002-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- Just sat down in the press box here at Citi Field (still not a fan of this place), and my e-mail buzzed with news from the Phillies that Brad Lidge has been placed on the disabled list with a "sprained right knee." The move is retroactive to June 7, meaning Lidge is eligible to be activated June 22. Ruben Amaro Jr. is scheduled to give us more details in about an hour, and as always, when I hear something, so will you.

Lidge, of course, has been insisting to anyone who asks that his knee is perfectly fine. Thus, Lidge either has had a setback since his last outing Saturday, or the Phillies want to put him on the disabled list to allow him to work through his problems without having to pitch in actual games. Lidge is 0-3 with a 7.27 ERA and is 13-for-19 in save situations. Opponents have hit .306 against him. But in his last seven games, Lidge is 5-for-7 in save chances with a 1.42 ERA and a .182 opponents' batting average.

Regardless, we'll get more info from Amaro in a little while.

To replace Lidge, the Phillies have purchased the contract of lefty-hitting catcher Paul Bako from double-A Reading. Bako, 36, signed a minor-league contract last month after being released in spring training by the Cubs. He has a .231 career average in 11 major-league seasons, most recently with the Reds last year. With Reading, he batted .357 (15-for-42) with a double and 10 RBIs. Again, we'll get more information about Bako's projected role from Amaro and Charlie Manuel, but I would think he'll serve as the backup catcher, freeing up Chris Coste to be a right-handed pinch-hitter, something the Phillies have been trying to add since the offseason (remember their flirtations with Nomar Garciaparra, Gary Sheffield, etc.).

More in a bit.

June 9 -- FEELING A DRAFT

2009-06-09T00:40:00.006-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- Do you recognize this man?

No? Don't worry about it. Marti Wolever does most of his work away from the spotlight. Since 2002, he has been the Phillies' scouting director, which means he criss-crosses the country, mining for talented players and figuring out what it will take for the Phillies to draft them. Today, of course, is Wolever's chance to shine. The annual first-year player draft begins today, and it will be up to Wolever and his team of scouts to add the next wave of players to the Phillies' farm system.

This year will be a little different from the previous few. Because they signed a Type A free agent in the offseason (Raul Ibanez), the Phillies forfeited their first-round pick. Thus, they won't take their turn until the 75th overall selection. Is there talent to be found at that spot? Sure. In 2000, the Expos (remember them?) drafted Grady Sizemore with the No. 75 pick. In 2005, the Braves picked Yunel Escobar. Tino Martinez was the 75th overall pick back in 1985. And, just last year, there were few picks the Phillies were more excited about than 6-foot-5 right-hander Jason Knapp, whom they selected 71st overall.

A few of you have asked, via e-mails or blog comments, whether I have any idea which direction the Phillies will go with No. 75. The short answer: I haven't a clue. The baseball draft is a notorious crapshoot. Sure, Wolever and his crew have a long list of players, but because many are selected straight out of high school, there often isn't a discernible difference between them at this point. Wolever said the Phillies are targeting left-handed pitchers and position players, namely outfielders. Typically, Wolever likes "high-ceiling" athletes. He beamed last year when the Phillies picked infielder Anthony Hewitt in the first round, then drafted Zach Collier and Anthony Gose. So, if there's a good athlete available at No. 75, it's a good bet Wolever will be all over him. One player I've heard a little about, probably because of his famous uncle, is Reymond Fuentes Beltran, a lefty-hitting center fielder who runs the 60-yard dash in about 6.2 seconds. Some people have said he could still be around at No. 75. Others have said he'll be gone before then. Who knows?

Regardless, while the Phillies and Mets open a three-game series tonight at Citi Field, Wolever and the scouting staff will be holed up at the Bank, scanning their reports and phoning agents and selecting players who will begin the long climb toward the majors.

The importance of their choices cannot be underestimated.

***
Speaking of Phillies-Mets, here's a primer for the big showdown in Flushing:

PHILLIES (33-22) at METS (30-25)
Tonight, 7:10: LHP J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.48) vs. LHP Johan Santana (7-3, 2.00)
Tomorrow, 7:10: LHP Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.40) vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-2, 4.85)
Thursday, 7:10: LHP Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.27) vs. RHP Tim Redding (0-2, 6.97)
Hot: Phillies C Carlos Ruiz is batting .410 (16-for-39) with three homers and eight RBIs in his last 14 games, raising his average to a season-high .309; Phillies CF Shane Victorino, who leads the league with five triples, is batting .378 (28-for-74) with one homer, eight RBIs and 13 runs in his last 18 games; Mets 3B David Wright has nine hits in his last 13 at-bats and ranks third in the league with a .345 average; Mets 1B/OF Fernando Tatis has four hits in his last 10 at-bats.
Not: Phillies SS Jimmy Rollins is 6-for-36 (.167) in his last eight games and was moved out of the leadoff spot Sunday night in Los Angeles; Phillies closer Brad Lidge, previously 5-for-5 in save chances, blew back-to-back saves last weekend and is 13-for-19 in save opportunities with a 7.27 ERA; Mets LF Gary Sheffield, who may start all three games against the Phillies' three left-handers, is mired in a 1-for-17 slump; 1B Daniel Murphy has four hits in his last 24 at-bats (.167).

June 8 -- WISHING ON PENNY?

2009-06-08T15:30:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- So, in an earlier post, I wrote that I attended the Red Sox-Rangers game Friday night at Fenway. But I neglected to mention that Brad Penny got the start for Boston, and as you've probably heard, the Phillies have some interest in Penny. (It appears the asking price is Jason Donald.) Now, according to the furlough rules, I wasn't allowed to work, but your dutiful beat reporter couldn't simply shut off his mind completely. So, as I kicked back in the right-field grandstand, a beer in one hand and a Fenway Frank in the other, I jotted a few mental notes about Penny.

His final line -- 5-2/3 IP, 7 H, 5 ER -- didn't look good, but it also wasn't indicative of the way he pitched. Facing a dangerous Texas lineup, Penny yielded only one hit and one walk through four innings. He struck out three and allowed only one ball out of the infield, leaving me to think he'd be a nice addition to a Phillies rotation that, as we mentioned in the previous post, has been pitching much better over the past two weeks. But Penny, with help from shortstop Julio Lugo, gave up four runs in the fifth, a Rangers rally keyed by Ian Kinsler's homer over the Monster. One batter earlier, Lugo couldn't smother Elvis Andrus' two-out grounder in the hole. Ironically, the Sox would like to deal Penny for an upgrade at shortstop, and according to reports in the Boston papers last week, they've had their eye on Donald.

Personally, if I was Ruben Amaro Jr., I'd make that deal. Donald is blocked at shortstop by Jimmy Rollins, and some scouts believe he's best suited as a utility player at the major-league level. Presumably, Penny (5-2 with a 5.85 ERA this season) would bring some experience and stability to the rotation, and because he's a free agent after the season, he wouldn't require a long-term financial commitment. He pitched for Rich Dubee in Florida, so there's some familiarity there. Also, he has dated both Alyssa Milano and Eliza Dushku (pictured), thus earning my sincere admiration.

Your thoughts?

June 8 -- ROLLINS, IBANEZ TAKE ALL-STAR LEAD

2009-06-08T12:51:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

NEW YORK -- Raul Ibanez deserves to start in the All-Star Game next month.

Jimmy Rollins does not.

But, in the latest polling results released today, Rollins and Ibanez have moved into the lead at their respective positions. With 1,415,493 votes, Ibanez has surged in front of the Brewers' Ryan Braun (1,269,033) and the Mets' Carlos Beltran (1,092,516) among outfielders, while Rollins, despite a 6-for-36 slump that has left his average at .222, inched ahead of Florida shortstop Hanley Ramirez. Rollins has 936,377 votes, while Ramirez has 871,917.

Chase Utley, by the way, still leads second basemen with 1,749,457 votes, safely ahead of the Dodgers' Orlando Hudson (735,973).

Here's how other Phillies players are faring in fan balloting that continues through July 2 at MLB.com: Among first basemen, Ryan Howard is running second with 876,149 votes, well behind the Cardinals' Albert Pujols (1,751,945). At third base, Pedro Feliz is fourth with 598,563 votes, behind the Mets' David Wright (994,855), the Nationals' Ryan Zimmerman (747,380) and the Braves' Chipper Jones (640,598). Carlos Ruiz, emerging as a deserving All-Star candidate, is fifth among catchers with 599,167 votes, behind the Cardinals' Yadier Molina (874,329), the Braves' Brian McCann (660,523), the Astros' Ivan Rodriguez (625,389) and the Brewers' Jason Kendall (619,954). And, in the outfield, Shane Victorino is sixth with 852,667 votes, while Jayson Werth is eighth with 636,818 votes.

I'm no pundit, but with the Phillies returning to the Bank on Friday night for a nine-game homestand, you'd have to figure we'll see another voting surge over the next two weeks.

June 8 -- BACK IN BUSINESS

2009-06-08T00:01:00.012-04:00

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.

June 1 -- 10 QUESTIONS & SEE YA NEXT WEEK

2009-06-01T00:01:00.015-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

In one way or another, most of us are being impacted by the nation's worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the newspaper business is being hit as hard as, well, the changeup that Ryan Howard launched to the upper deck Saturday night. The News Journal, the newspaper for which I write and with which Philled In is affiliated, is no exception. We're part of the Gannett Company, and as part of its cutbacks, every employee of every Gannett-owned newspaper across the country must take a furlough for one week during this financial quarter.

This week is my turn.

So, here's how it works: I'm not allowed to work. At all. That means I can't cover the Phillies in San Diego or Los Angeles, answer your e-mails, conduct interviews for upcoming stories, or host the live Phillies chat that we've done every Wednesday at noon since the season opened. And, sadly, it means I can't blog either. Since we started here in April 2006, we've formed a nice little community at Philled In. In fact, we got more hits last Thursday than any other day in our history, according to the folks at The News Journal whose job is to monitor such things. Thanks to everybody for that, and I hope you'll continue to make our little corner of the Internet a part of your daily reading.

I enjoy my job (it's what I have wanted to do since high school, when I realized I wouldn't follow Don Mattingly as the Yankees' next first baseman), so this week will be difficult. I'll watch the Phillies on television, probably with a cold beer in hand, all the while wishing I was at Petco Park and Dodger Stadium to chronicle all the goings-on in the paper, on the blog, and on Twitter. But, in my absence, The News Journal will continue its Phillies coverage, and when news dictates, one of my colleagues may even drop in here with the latest info.

As for me, I'll catch you next Monday (June 8) from New York to preview the latest Mets-Phillies grudge match at Citi Field. Meanwhile, if anyone needs an idle (and bored) baseball writer, you know where to find me.

***
While I'm gone, I'll throw out a few topics for y'all to discuss, starting with last week's top story:

1. With Brett Myers likely to miss the remainder of the season after undergoing hip surgery this week, the Phillies' starting rotation presently consists of Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer, J.A. Happ and just-recalled Antonio Bastardo. Can they win the NL East with that rotation, or is it imperative that they make a trade for another proven starter?

2. If you think they need another starter, which pitcher do you think they should get? Keep in mind that Jake Peavy (right), Roy Oswalt, Erik Bedard and possibly Roy Halladay may be the best-available top-of-the-rotation starters, while Jason Marquis, Brad Penny and Jarrod Washburn are a few of the lesser starters who may be available via trade.

3. Trading for one of the above pitchers likely will require the Phillies to part with several of their top minor leaguers. Their most prized prospects include pitchers Bastardo, Carlos Carrasco, Kyle Drabek and Edgar Garcia, catcher Lou Marson, infielders Jason Donald and Freddy Galvis, and outfielders Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor. Are there any players in the Phillies' farm system who should be considered "untouchable?"

4. At long last, Moyer won his 250th game yesterday. I didn't hear the Hallelujah chorus playing in the clubhouse after the game, but the Phillies did drink a toast. Anyway, Moyer was sharp against a very good Nationals lineup. (They can't pitch or play defense, but man, those Nats sure can hit. Seriously, they can.) And after posting a 13.86 ERA in three starts in early May, Moyer is 1-2 with a 4.00 ERA in his last four starts. So, my question to you is, has your confidence in Moyer been restored? Related question: Some people believe the steroid era has made 500 career home runs a less hallowed milestone. If that's the case, is 300 wins more significant? How about 250? And does Moyer have a case for the Hall of Fame?

5. Speaking of bouncing back, Brad Lidge notched back-to-back-to-back saves Friday, Saturday and Sunday and told me yesterday he believes he's ready to start a long streak of success. After he struggled for two months with mechanical problems stemming from a balky right knee, are you convinced that Lidge is back to being Lidge?

6. Peavy vs. Bastardo on Tuesday night. Who ya got?

7. At last count, Chase Utley was leading NL second basemen in All-Star votes. Assuming Utley is voted to start the All-Star Game for a third straight year, which other Phillies should join him and Charlie Manuel in St. Louis?

8. Two part question: Who is the Phillies' MVP through the season's first two months, and why? (A few choices: Raul Ibanez, Utley, Howard, Pedro Feliz, Ryan Madson.) Who is the most disappointing Phillies player through two months, and why? (A few choices: Lidge, Jimmy Rollins, Moyer, Joe Blanton, Jayson Werth.)

9. J.C. Romero is scheduled to be activated Wednesday after completing his 50-game suspension, and while Scott Eyre did a nice job as the primary lefty reliever (more on this in Monday's paper), the Phils will be happy to have Romero back. How big a difference will he make in the bullpen?

10. Manuel has plenty of theories about why the Phillies have played so much better on the road (16-6) than at home (12-14). What's yours?

Bonus: If you haven't already weighed in, which of Ryan Howard's homers has been most memorable to you?

See ya soon.

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

2009-05-31T17:16:00.005-04:00

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.

May 31 -- HOWARD'S GREATEST HITS

2009-05-31T10:14:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, after Ryan Howard went upper tank last night, I asked him if there are some home runs that he remembers more than others.

"Ones like these, obviously, are ones that stick out in your mind," he said. "But it's the ones that provide big moments to help your team win, those you remember."

It all got me thinking: Years from now, when your children and grandchildren ask about Howard, which home run will you tell them about first? Will it be the 496-foot blast off Florida's Sergio Mitre on April 23, 2006, that, legend has it, landed in an ice-cream cart on Ashburn Alley? Or will it be the June 20, 2006 clout against the Yankees' Mike Mussina that touched down in a seat later marked with an 'H' to commemorate the first upper-deck homer at Citizens Bank Park? How about the 505-foot poke over the brick batter's eye against Cincinnati's Aaron Harang on June 27, 2007, and of course, the twin homers in Game 4 of the 2008 World Series?

That brings us to last night and Howard's latest titanic home run, his franchise-record eighth grand slam into the third deck in right field against previously undefeated Nationals starter Shairon Martis that propelled the Phillies to a 9-6 victory.

In the annals of Howard's greatest hits, it was more than worthy.

So, which one will you tell your grandkids about?

***
In case you missed it, Antonio Francisco Bastardo (is that a great name, or what?) will start Tuesday night in San Diego. Want to know more about Bastardo? Check out today's notebook. And within the Sunday MLB notes, we look at the chances that the Phillies can trade for Jake Peavy.

May 30 -- BASTARDO TO START TUESDAY

2009-05-30T22:55:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

And the Tuesday night start goes to ...

(drumroll)

... Antonio Bastardo.

That's right. After tonight's game, the Phillies announced that Bastardo, the 23-year-old left-hander who has emerged as arguably their most prized pitching prospect, will start Tuesday night against the Padres in San Diego. Bastardo was picked over right-handers Kyle Kendrick and Drew Carpenter, both of whom have major-league experience. In part, I'm sure Bastardo was selected because he'd been scheduled to pitch Tuesday night at Class AAA Lehigh Valley. But he also was outpitching Kendrick, Carpenter and just about every other pitcher in the Phillies' farm system.

Some background on Bastardo: He was a successful starter for the past two seasons. Last year, he was 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in five starts at Class A Clearwater before going 2-5 with a 3.76 ERA in 14 starts at Class AA Reading, but he also missed nearly two months with shoulder inflammation. After inviting him to major-league camp this spring, the Phillies decided to make him a reliever. Then, after noticing improvement in his slider last month, they returned to the starting rotation at Reading.

Ultimately, it may turn out to be their most serendipitous move this season.

Bastardo was 2-2 with a 1.82 ERA in nine appearances (five starts) at Reading. Since being promoted to Lehigh Valley, he was 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA. Last month, pitching coach Rich Dubee said Bastardo typically throws his fastball from 90-93 mph. But it's the development of his slider that has made him so effective. At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, some scouts have compared his body type to Johan Santana.

"We've got some real good reports on him," Charlie Manuel said. "He's had two real good outings since he's been at Triple-A, and he was real good at Double-A."

For the time being, the Phillies will have four left-handed starters, but Manuel said he's not concerned about a rotation that leans more to the left than Nancy Pelosi.

"Doesn't matter to me," he said. "I like lefties. I had rotations in the minor leagues with four lefties. That's fine with me."

May 29 -- MYERS: 'LONG SHOT' TO PITCH AGAIN IN '09

2009-05-29T22:32:00.008-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Having made his way back from New York, Brett Myers was sitting in the Phillies' clubhouse after tonight's 5-4 win over the Nationals. And he spoke candidly -- and volumniously -- about his gut-wrenching, but ultimately sensible, decision to have hip surgery. The procedure, which is expected to sideline Myers until at least September and possibly for the duration of the season, will be performed next week by Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital For Special Surgery in New York. Kelly is the hip specialist who operated on Chase Utley in November.

Here's a partial transcript of Myers' comments:

"I didn't expect it to be as bad as it was. [Kelly] pretty much flat-out today told me that he can give me a cortisone shot, but that's just going to make it worse. Any time 'hip replacement' comes out of a doctor's mouth, that's not good. He made it clear that further damage could lead to that.

"I've never had surgery before, so I don't know what kind of pain I'm going to be in. He told me it's similar to Chase's, but he's more precautious with pitchers than he would be with position players because of the constant use of the hip and the leg and the way we contort our bodies. I told him, 'I want to be back in September,' but he's like, 'It's kind of a long shot.'

"When he told me today that there's a chance, if I do the cortisone shot, you could mess the labrum up more, wear the cartilage down more. A cortisone shot may relieve some of the pain and pressure, but it's not going to relieve the popping and the clicking and the locking up of the hip. I was like, 'I can get through that. I've went through that pretty much the whole year.' But he also told me, 'You can hurt your arm possibly because you'll lose strength in your hip, and you won't be using your lower half to throw the ball.' I'm like, 'That makes sense, too. Is there any way away from surgery?' He's like, 'No, regardless of whether you finish pitching this year or get it now, it's going to have to be done, and if you tear it even more or mess it up even more, in five or 10 years, there's a possibility of a hip replacement.' So, I was like, 'Uh, can we go now?' I mean, it's not painful to walk or anything like that, so I didn't think it was anything serious.

"If you read [Kelly's] credentials, they're impeccable. It didn't matter if he did Chase's or not. There's only three specialists in the United States, I guess, and he's the top one. It's a little more comforting that he's done a whole bunch of them. He told me today that he's done more than 1,500 of them. I guess every week he has at least five or six. He knows what he's doing. I was a little more comfortable with how he explained it to me. It wasn't as bad after talking with him and asking about recovery time and where the incision's got to go and all that other stuff you might want to know before surgery. Of course, you're nervous and scared, but it was going to happen regardless. It was better now than after the season.

"The thing with free agency really doesn't come into factor. The only thing that would is that if the team knows at the end of the year that I absolutely have to have surgery and I'm still hurt, then they have nothing to kind of look at to see if I'm going to be healthy. If I get it now, then they'll at least know by the end of the season if I'm healthy."

May 29 -- MYERS TO HAVE SURGERY THURSDAY

2009-05-29T18:29:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Still nothing official from the Phillies, but Brett Myers' father, Phil, has told the Times-Union of Jacksonville, Fla., that Myers will undergo surgery Thursday to repair the torn labrum in his left hip. Dr. Bryan Kelly will perform the surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Kelly, you may remember, operated on Chase Utley in November. The best-case scenario is that Myers will be ready to pitch by September, but it's possible he'll be lost for the season.

More as we get it.

May 29 -- MYERS' FILL-IN (UPDATED)

2009-05-29T15:03:00.006-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Pardon me, but I'm having flashbacks to June 10, 2007. I was in Kansas City that day, talking to then-assistant GM Mike Arbuckle about which pitcher from the Phillies' farm system -- J.D. Durbin, Zack Segovia, or some unknown kid from double-A named Kyle Kendrick -- would make a spot start the following week in place of injured Freddy Garcia. Yeah, it seems like just yesterday.

Well, here we are.

The Phillies are not in Kansas City, although Arbuckle is. Who knows where Garcia is these days, but Brett Myers is awaiting his appointment with New York hip specialist Dr. Bryan Kelly, who likley will concur with team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti's diagnosis that the sooner Myers has surgery the faster he'll be ready to resume pitching. And the question facing GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and his inner circle today is which pitcher from the Phillies' farm system -- Carlos Carrasco, Drew Carpenter, Antonio Bastardo, or some well-known kid from triple-A named Kyle Kendrick -- will make a spot start next week in Myers' place.

In an ideal world, the Phillies would stay away from Kendrick, who hasn't made as much progress in developing his secondary pitches as they would like. But this is hardly an ideal situation, and Kendrick does have 21 wins in the big leagues over the past two seasons. If, as Rich Dubee said in spring training, Kendrick was the initial favorite to win the No. 5 starter job, shouldn't he be the favorite to pitch Tuesday night in San Diego?

Then again, Kendrick was passed over two weeks ago when Carpenter spot started in the second game of a doubleheader in Washington. And if Carpenter proved anything, it's that he wasn't quite ready. He allowed five runs and 11 base runners (eight hits, three walks) in only 4-1/3 innings and earned the victory only because the Phillies were playing the lowly Nationals and the game was shortened to six innings because of rain.

Carrasco is the Phillies' top pitching prospect, and there's no question they were hoping he'd be ready to step into a situation like this. But he's 0-6 with a 5.81 ERA at Lehigh Valley, and some insiders say he's close to being surpassed as the top prospect by Bastardo, who has a 1.89 ERA between double-A Reading and Lehigh Valley and pitched seven scoreless innings last night. Bastardo would be in line to pitch Tuesday night and could be a feasible option.

Anyway, we'll try to have some Phillies folks shed some light on all this during the day today. Meantime, please continue to weigh in with your picks: Kendrick, Carpenter, Carrasco or Bastardo? You choose.

***
(Updated, 5:04 p.m.): As I type, Myers is in New York, talking to Dr. Kelly. We're hoping to have an update before the game starts. If the Phillies have decided who will make his start Tuesday night, they aren't saying. One thing we do know: It won't be Chan Ho Park. Even now, with Myers likely headed to the operating table, Manuel believes Park will be more effective in the bullpen than the rotation. Ruben Amaro Jr. said it most likely will be someone from Lehigh Valley (our four candidates fill that description).

For what it's worth, Amaro said the Phillies have no interest in 37-year-old free agent Pedro Martinez.

May 29 -- MORE ON MYERS

2009-05-29T00:13:00.000-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So there I was Wednesday, chatting up Ruben Amaro Jr. to gather material for an off-day story that would run in Friday's News Journal. It was going well, too. Amid growing hysteria that the Phillies absolutely, positively HAD to make a play for Jake Peavy or Roy Oswalt or even Jason Marquis or Brad Penny, Amaro admitted that he was in no rush to make a trade. In fact, he said he actually was beginning to feel pretty good again about the Phils' starting rotation.

"I've seen kind of a trend over the last 10 days or so where things have kind of stabilized, which is what we thought would happen," Amaro told me. "Right now, I see a trend toward a more positive situation for our starting rotation. But, obviously, things can change day to day."

Well ...

It's safe to say things have changed. Within hours of Amaro uttering those words, Brett Myers hobbled off the mound in the sixth inning, his balky left hip having flared once again and more violently than ever. And yesterday, an MRI exam revealed fraying and possible tearing of the labrum, dense tissue and cartilage that attaches to the hip socket.

The diagnosis from team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti: Surgery.

In fact, surgery is inevitable. The only question is whether Myers can put it off until the offseason and pitch through the pain. He will get a second opinion from Dr. Bryan Kelly, the New York hip specialist who operated on Chase Utley in November, but Myers likely will hear exactly what Ciccotti told him. Surgery, immediate surgery, is the best solution, and if he has surgery, Ciccotti estimates a three- to four-month rehabilitation. That would sideline Myers until early- to mid-September, at the earliest, and even then, he'd need to make some rehab starts before he would be ready to step on a major-league mound. It isn't unreasonable, then, to suggest that Myers' season -- and possibly his Phillies career -- may be over. Myers is in the final season of a three-year, $25.75 million contract.

But there may be one other option. As Baseball Prospectus injury analyst Will Carroll noted in a telephone conversation last night, Alex Rodriguez had surgery in March that mended his torn hip labrum enough that he was able to rejoin the Yankees a few weeks ago. The catch: Even if A-Rod is able to make it through the season, he'll likely need to have another surgery in the winter to fully repair the problem. But at least he didn't have to miss most of the season, like Utley would have if he'd have had his hip surgery during the season.

"For me, the question is, can [Myers] have that Alex Rodriguez hybrid surgery and come back in eight to 12 weeks," Carroll told Philled In. "Eight weeks is awfully aggressive for a pitcher. Twelve, maybe that's possible, but it's so tough that I can't see a way, even if he has the A-Rod surgery, to have him come back."

Of course, we don't know much about Myers' injury. Ciccotti said it's similar in nature to Utley's, although it's in a slightly different area of the hip, and we have no idea how it compares to A-Rod's or Mike Lowell's. Also, it's rare that a pitcher would have an injury like this, Carroll said. So, we don't know if the rehab time for Myers would be slower or faster than for a hitter like Utley. The irony, of course, is that Myers is never injured. He has been on the disabled list only once during his eight-year major-league career (in 2007 for a strained right shoulder). Just the other day, in fact, I was talking to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, and we agreed that Myers would get a big contract on the free-agent market because of his durability.

Regardless, it's not a good situation for the Phillies. For better or worse, Myers is their second-best starter after Cole Hamels, and he has been their steadiest starter for most of the season. Considering the struggles of Jamie Moyer, the inconsistency of Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ's relative lack of experience, the seemingly manufactured urgency to swing a deal appears to have grown more legitimate.

Wasn't able to reach Amaro last night, although I assume he no longer sees the starting rotation "trending in a positive direction." I don't think he'll rush into any trade either. He doesn't want to mortgage the farm system for a quick fix, nor should he. But I don't think any of the Phils' prospects are untouchable. Not anymore. In spring training, when the Lou Marson-for-Clay Buchholz rumors were floated (there was never any validity to that), I advocated making that trade, even though the Phillies like Marson. This team's time to win another championship is now, and from what I've seen, the only thing keeping it from running away with the NL East is a spotty starting rotation that will be further weakened if Myers lands on Kelly's operating table.

Consider this Amaro's first major challenge as GM, and if nothing else, it'll be fascinating to watch how he deals with it.

***
Interesting question from Carroll: Myers' velocity dipped earlier this season, and you have to wonder if he was using his legs more to compensate for a loss of arm strength. Perhaps that's what caused his hip to flare and for the condition to worsen. Myers said he's had hip pain in previous seasons, but it has come and gone.

One thing we do know: Myers admitted the hip affected his command, at least on Wednesday night, and helped contribute to the location problems that caused him to give up a majors-leading 17 home runs.

***
Don't forget to weigh in on our poll question in the post directly below. Assuming Myers can't make his next start (at this point, an extremely safe assumption), and assuming the Phillies decide to keep Chan Ho Park in the bullpen (another strong bet), who should face the Padres on Wednesday night at Petco Park?

a) Kyle Kendrick
b) Drew Carpenter
c) Carlos Carrasco
d) Antonio Bastardo
e) Vance Worley

More later.

May 28 -- READER POLL: WHO SHOULD REPLACE MYERS?

2009-05-28T18:26:00.006-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Brett Myers will get a second opinion on his injured left hip. And if he doesn't like what he hears, he may even get a third. Regardless, even before it's determined that he'll need surgery, two things are immediately evident:

1. The Phillies' need to trade for a starting pitcher has become more urgent.

2. Without any days off until June 8, the Phillies will need a starting pitcher for Tuesday night's game in San Diego.

So, while I make more calls and try to pin down more details, I'll ask you this: If the Phillies call up a starter from the minors to pitch Tuesday (a more likely scenario than putting Chan Ho Park back in the rotation), which pitcher is the best choice:

a) Kyle Kendrick: 4-3, 4.25 ERA, 53 IP, 58 H, 20 BB, 34 K at Lehigh Valley
b) Drew Carpenter: 2-0, 3.61 ERA, 47.1 IP, 45 H, 19 BB, 29 K at Lehigh Valley
c) Carlos Carrasco: 0-6, 5.81 ERA, 48 IP, 57 H, 13 BB, 52 K at Lehigh Valley
d) Antonio Bastardo: 3-2, 1.89 ERA, 47.2 IP, 32 H, 10 BB, 51 K at Reading/LV
e) Vance Worley: 4-2, 2.83 ERA, 57.1 IP, 42 H, 10 BB, 42 K at Reading

May 28 -- SURGERY FOR MYERS?

2009-05-28T17:47:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

From Ruben Amaro Jr. after Brett Myers' MRI exam today:

"After speaking with Phillies team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti this afternoon, Brett Myers had an X-ray last night that revealed bone spurring in his right hip joint. He had an MRI this afternoon that revealed fraying and possible tearing in the labrum of the hip. Brett will seek a second opinion from a hip specialist to be determined.

"It is possible that Brett will not make his next start. That decision as well as any decision on a possible DL stint or surgery will be determined at a later date."

It's conceivable, then, that Myers, a free agent after the season, has thrown his last pitch for the Phillies.

Much more on this coming.

May 28 -- 2009 WALL OF FAME INDUCTEE: HARRY KALAS

2009-05-28T14:07:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Just in from the Phillies: Harry Kalas will be inducted to the team's Wall of Fame on Friday, Aug. 7 at Citizens Bank Park.

Kalas, as y'all know, passed away last month. He was the Phillies' play-by-play voice for 39 years and called 6,037 games. To put that in perspective, Mike Schmidt holds the franchise record for games played with 2,404. Kalas was inducted to the broadcaster's wing of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2002.

"When we started the Wall of Fame in 1978, the intent was to honor the great players in our history," team president David Montgomery said in a statement. "We believe it is fitting to make an exception because Harry deserves to be remembered along with some of the greatest names in our history. He is indeed a Phillies icon. Being a Wall of Famer is our organization's highest honor. There's no doubt Harry should receive such recognition."

May 28 -- WILL THE PHILS MAKE FELIZ HAPPY?

2009-05-28T13:16:00.004-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

A few notes while we await the results of Brett Myers' MRI:

One week into spring training, Pedro Feliz still wasn't swinging a bat. His recovery from offseason surgery to repair a herniated disc in his lower back was going more slowly than expected, leaving his readiness for opening day in some doubt. One thing, though, seemed assured: With infield prospect Jason Donald learning to play third base, the Phillies weren't likely to pick up their $5 million option on Feliz's contract for 2010.

Uh, not so fast ...

Two months into the season, Feliz is batting .307 with 25 RBIs and a team-leading 13 doubles. He's playing his usual Gold Glove-caliber third base. And with Donald struggling at Lehigh Valley (and now dealing with a sore hamstring, evidently), Feliz is looking more and more like a guy who factors into the Phillies' 2010 plans.

"Him playing well, there's nothing bad about it. It's all good," Ruben Amaro Jr. told Philled In yesterday. "I really hope he does put us in a position to say, 'Hey, this guy's less expendable than maybe he would've been a couple years ago.'"

***
We'll get into this more over the weekend, as J.C. Romero makes his final minor-league appearances at Lehigh Valley. But with Romero eligible to be activated Wednesday after serving his 50-game suspension, the Phillies have a roster move to make, and they seemingly have two choices:

a) Send lefty Jack Taschner, their only reliever who still has options (he can go to the minors without clearing waivers), to Lehigh Valley. Taschner has a solid 3.92 ERA in 15 appearances, but he has walked 15 batters in 20-2/3 innings and lefties are batting .318 against him.

b) Return slugging reserve outfielder John Mayberry Jr. to Lehigh Valley, leaving only four players on the bench. Mayberry hit his first major-league home run last Saturday at Yankee Stadium, but he hasn't gotten an at-bat since Sunday.

Personally, I'd keep Mayberry and stash Tasch in the minors, adding to the Phillies' stable of veteran relievers at Triple-A (Gary Majewski, Mike Koplove, Tyler Walker, etc.). What would you do?

***
Two interesting stats about Jimmy Rollins:

a) Until the fifth inning last night, he hadn't grounded into a double play in 259 at-bats, since Sept. 7, 2008.

b) After hitting 30 homers in 162 games in 2007 and winning the NL MVP, he has hit only 14 in 186 games. Charlie Manuel believes Rollins has been pitched differently since his MVP season, namely he has seen more high fastballs out of the strike zone and slow breaking balls than hittable fastballs. And as long as Rollins keeps chasing those bad pitches, he'll keep getting them. But Manuel also believes Rollins' homer-hitting days aren't a thing of the past. "If he did it once, why can't he do it again?" he said. "He's 30 years old."

May 27 -- MYERS INJURES HIP; MRI SCHEDULED

2009-05-27T22:38:00.006-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Brett Myers is nervous.

Myers left tonight's game against the Marlins in the sixth inning with what the Phillies are terming "right hip inflammation." He said the pain, which he describes as a "sharp pinching that runs from my hip down to my knee sometimes," has existed on and off for the past month, but was more persistent tonight, especially when he pitched from the stretch. He's scheduled to undergo an MRI exam tomorrow.

Minutes ago, Myers hobbled to the table in the center of the Phillies' clubhouse and expressed concern that it may be something serious.

"Today was the worst it's been in the whole month," he said. "It was pretty bad out of the stretch. Sometimes it'll kind of give way. It's kind of hard to finish pitches when you don't have your back leg pushing off. Against the Yankees, I was feeling it, but it wasn't too bad. It was maybe once an inning. But tonight, it was every second or third pitch that it was bothering me. Hopefully, there's nothing serious with it, and there's some treatment I can do to get rid of it.

"For the past couple of years it's bothered me, but it hasn't been that bad. It was hard to put pressure on my back leg out of the stretch. It usually will come on one pitch and go away for a while. I felt it probably in the second inning in warm-ups, and it kind of went away. I felt it again in the third inning, and in the stretch, it got pretty bad. I was going to try to get through it and keep the ball down. But stuff started flattening out in the stretch. You've just got to try to power through it.

"I'm kind of nervous because I've never been hurt really bad. I don't really like needles either. It's when I put pressure on it out of the stretch or when I push off. More than anything, I feel it as my leg is following through. It was doing it probably every two, three pitches tonight, which it hadn't done in the past. It's kind of hard [to diagnose]. It's not like I can put my finger right on it, unless I feel it. You can tell the trainers anything you want. I've been doing exercises for a month trying to get rid of it. Tonight it was acting up.

"It usually happens every year about a month after we get into the season. I've always thought, 'Fine, it locked up one time. I'll get over it. Just keep pitching.' Tonight, it was doing it every couple pitches, and I knew something wasn't right. Today was definitely the worst it's been."

Keep this in mind: If Myers has to miss a start or go on the disabled list, Kyle Kendrick pitched tonight for Lehigh Valley. He allowed three runs on nine hits and didn't walk a batter in a victory at Buffalo, and for the season, he's 4-3 with a 4.25 ERA.

More later and in tomorrow's News Journal.

(Updated, 11:54 p.m.): We've learned that Myers also had an X-ray after the game that showed "some jaggedness," he said. The MRI will reveal more about what's going on in that hip, so check back here tomorrow for details.

May 27 -- HOWARD GETS DEFENSIVE

2009-05-27T17:00:00.003-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, we haven't written much about it here at Philled In (shame on us), but surely, you've noticed it.

Ryan Howard's defense has improved.

A lot.

Last season, Howard made 19 errors, three shy of the Phillies' record for a first baseman. Fred Luderus committed 22 errors in 1916. But Howard has dropped nearly 30 pounds since the end of the World Series, going from 275 to 248. It's the lightest he's been since he was drafted, he said today. He also started working with new infield coach Sam Perlozzo in January, mostly to fine tune his footwork around the bag. And the results have been obvious. Howard committed only his first error of the season last night, a poor throw in the ninth inning. Howard said he has gotten compliments on his defensive improvement from opposing coaches and players. A few weeks ago, Dodgers backup first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, always known for his defense, made a point to tell Howard how much better he looks in the field.

But Howard always was capable of this. The first time Charlie Manuel ever laid eyes on Howard, it was his glove that he noticed. Howard was playing at Class A Clearwater in 2003 when he made two diving catches in one inning. Manuel was impressed that such a big man could be so agile.

So, what happened over the years? People around the Phillies believe Howard hasn't been as conscientious about his defense as he has about his offense. Quite simply, he hasn't worked as hard. But, as he told us a few weeks ago in St. Louis, he wants to be known as a complete player, not just a slugger. So, he got to work with Perlozzo, and just look at the results.

"People always told me I had good hands," Howard said today. "It was just a matter of getting in the right position to make plays. I'm lighter, but with the way my starts are now, I'm getting better jumps on the ball and it's easier to get to the ball."

More in tomorrow's News Journal.

***
Tonight's lineup against Marlins RHP Burke Badenhop (2-2, 5.75):
SS Jimmy Rollins
CF Shane Victorino
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
LF Raul Ibanez
RF Jayson Werth
3B Pedro Feliz
C Carlos Ruiz
RHP Brett Myers (4-2, 4.34)

May 27 -- CHAT WRAP

2009-05-27T13:14:00.000-04:00

Phillies fan chat #6

May 26 -- ALL-STAR BALLOTING UPDATE

2009-05-26T17:54:00.002-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

If you're a regular reader of Philled In, you know I'm a big fan of politics. And, in baseball, there's nothing more political than the All-Star balloting. That's probably why, if the voting ended today, Raul Ibanez wouldn't be a starter for the National League.

Crazy, isn't it?

Ibanez is batting .345 with 17 home runs and 43 RBIs, yet he's running sixth in the voting among outfielders with 399,969 votes. He trails the Brewers' Ryan Braun (663,164), the Cubs' Alfonso Soriano (545,354), the Mets' Carlos Beltran (476,863), suspended Dodgers' outfielder Manny Ramirez (442,763) and the Brewers' Mike Cameron (432,034).

How are the other Phillies faring?

Well, Chase Utley is leading second basemen with 675,596 votes, well ahead of the Brewers' Rickie Weeks (401,918). Ryan Howard ranks third among first basemen with 294,830 votes, well behind the Cardinals' Albert Pujols (842,058) and the Brewers' Prince Fielder (427,284). Jimmy Rollins is running third among shortstops with 321,098 votes, but he's in a close race with the Brewers' J.J. Hardy (403,269) and the Marlins' Hanley Ramirez (365,746). And among outfielders, Shane Victorino is 10th (300,385) and Jayson Werth is 12th (217,670).

Balloting will continue at MLB.com through Sunday, June 28.

May 26 -- BREAKING DOWN BLANTON

2009-05-26T14:18:00.002-04:00

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, rather than continuing to rehash the series of miscues that led to last night's loss to the Marlins (there's enough of that in today's News Journal), I thought we'd look ahead to tonight's game. In that vein, I spent a few minutes with Joe Blanton yesterday. Blanton hasn't pitched particularly well this season, as evidenced by the 7.11 ERA that he'll lug to the mound tonight. But after his outing last Thursday in Cincinnati, he seemed to have an awakening.

To recap: Blanton had sailed through four innings against the Reds before yielding five runs in the fifth and slashing a 6-0 Phillies lead to 6-5. So, after the game, we naturally asked how everything unraveled so quickly. Blanton noted that he has been far more effective when there aren't any runners on base, and the numbers support that claim. With the bases empty, opponents are batting .286 (32-for-112) with three home runs against him. But when runners reach base and Blanton pitches out of the stretch, opponents are batting .342 (25-for-73) with six homers. And with runners in scoring position, the numbers rise to .381 (16-for-42) with four homers.

Since Thursday, Blanton has been watching video, and he spotted a slight mechanical flaw when he pitches out of the stretch. Basically, it has to do with how he comes set, and it's preventing his arm from following through completely. He thinks he has corrected the problem (he really won't know until he pitches tonight), and he's expecting to have more success against the Marlins.

"It's a little thing, but it makes a big difference," Blanton said. "With this little adjustment, hopefully that will be the cure."

***
Also within the notebook today, there's more on John Mayberry Jr. and J.C. Romero. It'll be interesting to see what happens next week when Romero finishes serving his 50-game suspension. The Phillies will have to make a roster move, and it would seem they have two choices: a) they can send Mayberry back to Lehigh Valley and use a short, four-man bench; b) they can send a pitcher (likely Jack Taschner) to Lehigh Valley and still keep 12 pitchers.

What would you do?