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Lidge activated; Figueroa designated for assignment

Closer Brad Lidge has rejoined the Phillies after spending 20 days on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation. 

To make room, right-hander Nelson Figueroa, 36, was designated for assignment. He would need to clear waivers and accept his minor league assignment in order to stay with the club. Figgy pitched sparingly as a mop-up man and once as an emergency starter, going 1-1 with a 4.82 ERA (88 ERA+), allowing runs in most of his appearances and averaging less than four strikeouts per nine innings. The move suggests they're satisfied with what they've seen from lefty Antonio Bastardo in his second tour with the club. David Herndon has also cemented a place in the bullpen, pitching two scoreless innings yesterday.

Comments closed: Discuss this move and the game in the thread below

Game chat: Phillies hope to remedy homerless spell

Blanked for the fifth time in eight games, the power outage continued in a 1-0 loss to the Marlins Sunday. The Phillies have scored just 12 runs in their last 19 games. They'll look to flip the switch when they open an important series in Atlanta.

What are the Phillies if they aren't yanking extra-base hits? This. As much as Charlie Manuel touts his club as a collection of multi-faceted .285 hitters capable of producing in utilitarian ways, that just isn't the case. Their homerless drought is the longest since Manuel's first year at the helm in 2005, the year the infamous David Bell / Mike Lieberthal black hole choked the life out of the bottom of the lineup. Today, those parasitic properties have spread deep into the lineup's core. Jayson Werth, who donned the sombrero with a four-strikeout stinker in yesterday's contest, is now 0-for-his-last-19 with 11 strikeouts. Ryan Howard, despite a .301 average this month, has just five extra-base hits since May 1, which doesn't cut the mustard for a clean-up hitter. Chase Utley has really struggled since the middle of the month, hitting .163/.280/.279 since their last, real offensive outburst: a 10-6 drubbing on Milwaukee on May 15: the day the scoring died.

There have been other factors as well. Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz are beaten up and it shows. Meanwhile, they've received marginal seasons from Shane Victorio and Raul Ibanez, production that's neither hurt nor helped. Juan Castro and Wilson Valdez have done well filling in, but they aren't run producers. The rest of the bench has been atrocious.

Today, Joe Blanton (1-3, 5.63) and Tommy Hanson (4-3, 4.06) take the mound in a battle of division leaders. The Braves, who were cellar dwelling the last time these teams met, have won five straight and 10 of their last 12 to move to a half-game back of the Phillies in the National League East. All of a sudden, the Phillies are faced a very important series as the schedule moves into June. Time to pick themselves off the mat.

Game chat: Moyer has a tough act to follow today

On the heels of Roy Halladay's perfect game, Jamie Moyer (5-4, 4.55) toes the slab against Anibal Sanchez (4-2, 3.23) as the Phillies take aim at a memorable sweep of the Marlins. First pitch is 1:10. Enjoy your holiday Sunday everyone. [Jump to the newest comments]

Dissection of perfection: Stars align behind Halladay

There's plenty of credit to go around, but the most important factor was that right from the chute, you could see that Roy Halladay had great life and good sink.

Beerleaguer: Halladay was never straight with a single pitch. He lived on the outside corners, and home plate umpire Mike DiMuro was happy to oblige. DiMuro established a liberal strikezone early and stayed consistent with it; once this game moved into the later stages, DiMuro's eyes must have been as wide as golf balls. Early on, Doc ran a number of three-ball counts and nearly hit Jorge Cantu, coming about five centimeters from clipping his uniform. Luckily, he was hitting the flat side of a dime and made easy work of the late innings. He struck out 11 and almost none of the balls hit were hit hard.

Afterward, Doc credited his handler, Carlos Ruiz, who gains entry into an elite club for having called a perfect game, only the 20th time one has occurred in baseball history. Halladay said that as soon as he reached the sixth, he followed Chooch's lead, so the catcher's role cannot be overstated.

Credit Charlie Manuel for going with the glove of Juan Castro over his allegiance to Greg Dobbs against a right-handed pitcher. Castro became the defensive star of the game, making three very good plays and the play of the game on a one-hop bullet to his left. Fellow reservist Wilson Valdez, who scored the game's only run, also stepped up at short by gunning down fleet-footed Cameron Maybin.

The most amazing part is that the dreadful offense, quite fittingly, gets the bare minimum amount of credit as the game's only run was unearned. But at least they scored.

 
DOC DEALS PHILLIES' 2ND EVER PERFECT GAME

27 up. 27 down. Roy Halladay retired them all to become only the second Phillie, the first since Jim Bunning in 1964, to complete a perfect game, and did so by receiving the bare minimum amount of run support: one unearned run. Halladay, who struck out 11 on 115 pitches, becomes only the 20th pitcher in baseball history to accomplish the rare feat and timed it so local fans could tune in to see his final six outs during the first intermission of the Stanley Cup Finals. More tomorrow from this perfect Halladay weekend ...

Game chat: Polanco out again in South Florida

Juan Castro, and not Greg Dobbs, will start at third against a right-hander.

Preview: Placido Polanco continues to battle soreness in his left elbow joint stemming from an April 21 plunking at the hands of the Braves. Polly, who reportedly will have an MRI Sunday, sits for a second-straight game as right-handed aces Roy Halladay (2-2, 2.22) and Josh Johnson (5-1, 2.43) square off in the second of three from Sun Life Stadium. First pitch is 7:10. Beerleaguer: Interesting situation developing among the third-base pecking order. Juan Castro, who is hitting just .237 against right-handers, starts at third over Greg Dobbs. Dobbs, who has had a miserable season in ever possible way, has just one hit in his last 25 plate appearances dating back to May 5 and is hitting .133 on the season. Wilson Valdez gets the start at short and will hit second for a second-straight game, so it appears that Dobbs, who was once this team's top reserve, has moved to the very end of the trough.

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Phils' shrewd baserunning snaps skid; drought ends

Tom McCarthy and Chris Wheeler review the Phillies' 3-2 win.

Summary: The Phillies snapped a streak of 30-straight scoreless innings when Raul Ibanez's liner rolled by Cameron Maybin into the deepest part of Sun Life Stadium for an RBI triple, scoring Ryan Howard from first uncontested. The Phillies later snapped another streak - five-straight losses - with the help of savvy baserunning that set up the tying and go-ahead runs. Chase Utley's swipe of second in the fifth allowed him to score on Ryan Howard’s single, while Shane Victorino and Wilson Valdez executed a double steal with Vic scoring the eventual game-winner on Utley’s ground-out in the seventh. Kyle Kendrick (3-2) pitched very well, holding the Marlins to five hits and two unearned runs over six innings, but cost himself a pair of runs with a throwing error to first. Chad Durbin, Danys Baez and Jose Contreras pitched scoreless innings of relief. For Contreras, it was his third save. Aside from Kendrick's misplay, the Phils were sharp defensively, including a key double play in the eighth.

Game chat: Phillies bring their baggage to Miami

Blanked in four of their last five games, the Phils try to get on the board for the first time in 27 innings when they start a three-game set with the Marlins.

Preview: A little perspective, courtesy of the folks at The Good Phight. Since the San Diego Padres lost by five last night, the Phillies took the National League lead in run differential. The Phillies have scored 43 runs more than they have allowed, even with the recent drought. ... The Phils are hoping to avoid entering the record books with a record-tying fourth-straight shutout, a mark held by eight other clubs. After falling 3-0 to the Mets in the series finale, it marked the first time the Phillies have been shut out in three consecutive games since 1983. The Phils will also try to snap a streak of 35 innings without scoring against an opposing starter. Right-hander Chris Volstad (3-5, 4.31) stands in their way. Kyle Kendrick (2-2, 5.66) tries to rebound from a four-inning, five-run outing against the Red Sox. The Phillies' lead is narrowed to just 1.5 games over the revived Braves, who host the Phils starting Monday.

Notes: The Giants are close to signing Pat Burrell to a minor league contract that would reportedly include an opt-out that would allow Burrell to bolt after two weeks, according to Ken Rosenthal ... Brad Lidge threw a 40-pitch bullpen yesterday and is reportedly targeting a return next week.

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Right-handed hitters sit as Phils search for spark

Jayson Werth and Placido Polanco will ride the pine with big right-hander Chris Volstad on the hill to open the Phillies' weekend set in South Florida, according to Twitter reports. Werth had one hit in the Mets series, while Polanco went hitless and made a crucial error in last night's game. Both Werth and Polanco also grounded into killer double plays. Juan Castro, who is hitting .237 against right-handers, will give way to Wilson Valdez, who will hit second and fill in at shortstop. Greg Dobbs will play third and bat seventh. Raul Ibanez shifts up to the five-hole. Ross Gload plays right and bats sixth. Beerleaguer: One of the bigger shakeups you'll see from Charlie, yet no day off for Ryan Howard, who didn't have a hit in the last two games. Also, what does it say about Valdez and Castro that Valdez earns the start and hits second in Charlie's slump-busting lineup?

Update: Howard is starting because he is 6-16 vs. Volstad in his career including four HRs. Last year he was 5-9 with those four bombs. (Hat tip to MG)

Beerleaguer for breakfast: The truth is out there

I never realized I was such a conspiracy theorist.

A number of you who were shocked that I went down the sign stealing road in the previous thread. Those who weren't probably recall my theory that J-Roll's home-opener benching was part of an elaborate plot to punish the MVP shortstop for being late. If only.

The geekazoid series "The X-Files" made several slogans famous, like "The truth is out there," "Trust no one" and "We want to believe." Occasionally, those philosophies filter into this space. But the real essence of Beerleaguer can be summarized in this line from Edward R. Murrow: “Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar.”

Another good Murrow line is “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. When the loyal opposition dies, I think the soul of America dies with it.” From inside an office decorated in Philies memorabilia, I'm reminded that baseball is a game of cheats and liars. The Phillies were issued a warning from baseball. The Phillies, one of the mightiest offenses baseball, fail to score a run in three games against one of the teams that implicated them. Three consecutive shutouts.

It's an abnormality worth discussing in the context of these allegations, even if there are more logical explanations (just a cold spell, injured and short-handed, eephus pitch and knuckler woes). We know they were tentative and lacked intensity this series; we saw it with our own eyes and they held closed-door and player-only meetings to discuss it. To a certain degree, I believe these circumstances are interconnected.

But just like many a barroom rant, I could regret it in the morning.

Phillies go 0-for-the-series in another shutout loss

It's probably best to forget this ever happened, to forget how the bats left Cole Hamels high and dry, or how Placido Polanco played his worst game of the season, or how the heart of the lineup can't produce. What more can be said about this historic cold spell that hasn't already been said. But let me level with you. Take a look at those goose eggs. Shocking, isn't it? It's one thing to go cold. It's another for a previously hot offense to mysteriously flatline for five games. Three straight shutouts, on the road, against a team that implicated the Phillies in sign stealing. I would be lying if I said this sudden, uncharacteristic dearth of scoring wasn't curious. Whether it means the supply line has been shut off at the source, or that the accusations somehow made the Phillies sheepish and tentative, whatever the case, and in my opinion, I do not believe these circumstances are unrelated.

Game chat: Phils try to salvage game, score a run

Hoping to avoid a third-consecutive shutout, Cole Hamels (5-2, 3.92) and the scuffling Phillies try to stop the bleeding tonight against Mike Pelfrey (6-1, 2.86) and the Mets. First pitch is 7:10.

Best of the press notes: Here's the damage, compiled by the Phillies' press office: Since starting the month 12-3 (.800), the Phillies have dropped six of their last eight. Over that span, the Phillies have been outscored 37-15 and have been held to one run or fewer five times, including three shutouts. In that eight-game span, the Phils are hitting .203 (52-256) with a .182 average (10-55) with runners in scoring position. By comparison, over their first 15 games of May, the Phils outscored their opponents 97-45 and hit .308 (162-526) and .295 (41-139) with runners in scoring position.

Notes: Carlos Ruiz and Wilson Valdez will bat 7-8. Hamels will look to build on a solid string of starts. He's 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA in May. The Phillies are 7-2 when he starts.

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Cat's out of the bag: Phillies catching in crosshairs

The Mets have run circles around the Phillies this series, swiping seven bags. The uncontested running game has some Beerleaguers wondering if Brian Schneider's playing days are behind him while they hold their breath over Carlos Ruiz's shoulder injury. Readers chime in.

"Another stinker behind the plate by Schneider: 0-for-3, a .143 BA after the game, and four stolen bases given up. You can put a fork in this guy - he's done. And considering the potentially serious problem with Ruiz's throwing shoulder, the Phillies were lucky to get Paul Hoover through waivers so that they could outright him, considering all the current catching injuries around the league, particularly in Washington and Milwaukee. In his two weeks up from LV, Hoover played circles around Schneider's performance thus far: hitting, throwing and working with the pitchers, his only blemish being that freak play on Sunday where "Wickets the glove man" Dobbs (speaking of guys who are done) failed to move to his left to take Hoover's throw in the run-down between home and third." - davthom73

Beerleaguer: Anyone who's followed this site for a number of years knows that if davthom73 appears in the comments thread, catching is in the eye of the storm. Davthom73 has long championed the Chris Coste cause and we haven't seen him around these parts in since early 2009. Coste, by the way, is out for the season with Tommy John surgery after signing a late-spring deal with the Nationals. Hidden agendas aside, davthom73's point is a valid one, even if he's taking a not-so-subtle dig at catcher who secured two years of guaranteed money from the Phils.

Let's face it: Schneider hasn't done squat and has already spent time on the DL. Mets fans know this all too well. Dan Kehl, who follows the IronPigs religiously and writes about them on his blog, said Schneider even looked out of gas during his stay in the Lehigh Valley. He was 0 for 8 and didn't hit the ball hard anywhere, Kehl wrote.

We now understand why Charlie Manuel was hush-hush about Chooch's injury, which has been revealed as lingering shoulder problems that affect his throwing. Before last night's game, Phillies catchers were throwing out 23 percent of base-stealers, the fifth-worst mark in the league. It'll get worse before it gets better.

Mets blank Phillies for second-straight night

Three garbage-time runs on Sunday are the only thing separating the Phillies from being shut out in their last four games.

Tonight, Hisanori Takahashi became the latest opposing starter to befuddle the Phillies, tossing six scoreless innings in an ugly 5-0 loss at Citi Field. The Phillies have not scored a run in 28 consecutive innings against a starting pitcher and have been blanked in three out of their last four games. According to reports, Charlie Manuel is holding a closed-door meeting.

Beerleaguer: Atlanta beat Florida, so the Phils will have a 2.5-game lead over the Braves after tonight. The last time the Phils were blanked in back-to-back games was Florida and Pittburgh back in 2008. This is similar, but I remember feeling worse about that. The most disheartening part about this series has been their lack of intensity. They need and should expect more from Ryan Howard in particular. The Phillies have every right to walk into New York and act like they own the place after winning the division three-straight years, but it's the Mets who've set the tempo, and guys like Howard have been hanging their heads. Even Sam Perlozzo left his stones in Philadelphia.

What has happened to these guys all of a sudden?

Game chat: Phils hope to resuscitate lifeless lumber

The Phillies have gone 22 innings without scoring against an opposing starter and have been blanked in 28 of 29 innings. They'll try to reignite their thundersticks in Game 2 tonight from Citi Field.

Preview: The Phillies swap out the 6-7-8 hitters tonight, but they're not the only ones who've struggled over the last seven days. Shane Victorino is hitting .105/.227/.158. Ryan Howard is producing at a .188/.316/.375 clip. Placido Polanco is hitting just .200/.294/.333. They've also run into some problems on the mound, posting a 6.58 ERA over the same stretch. For the Phillies, Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.06) looks to build on a solid, seven-inning start in his previous outing. He'll face lefty Hisanori Takahashi, who shut out the Yankees over six innings in his first start since moving from the bullpen to the rotation. The Phillies (26-18) maintain a three-game lead over the Marlins in the bunched-up National League East. Only four games separate the Phils from the last-place Nats and Mets.

Notes: Before the game, it was revealed that Carlos Ruiz has been playing through a sore shoulder since late April, reportedly making it difficult to throw. ... It would be impossible for close Scott Mathieson to pitch any better than he has for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. According to Morning Call beat writer Jeff Schuler, Mathieson "made his eighth save look easy Tuesday night, getting the final three outs on just nine pitches. That's after throwing 28 pitches the night before in a two-inning save." The 26-year-old right-hander is 2-0 with a 0.76 ERA, 5 saves and a 26/6 K/BB ratio in 23 2-3 innings. ... Yesterday in Reading, right-hander Drew Naylor tossed a three-hit, complete-game shutout over Portland. He's 3-1 with a 2.64 ERA this month. Both Mathieson and Naylor are included on the Phillies' 40-man roster... Finally, Beerleaguer's senior correspondent scouted Lakewood this weekend and offered his take over e-mail on former first-rounder Anthony Hewitt: "Horrible, horrible."

Charlie swaps out 6-7-8 hitters in tonight's lineup

Trying to light a fire under a slumping offense, Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez and Brian Schneider will hit 6-7-8 and replace Raul Ibanez, Juan Castro and Carlos Ruiz respectively following last night's embarrassing 8-0 loss. Ruiz, in particular, has been struggling since spraining his knee earlier in the month. During last night's broadcast, Chris Wheeler alluded to the fact that Chooch has had his bell rung a couple of times recently and was banged up. This will be Schneider's first action since straining his Achilles on May 8. Francisco starts for the first time since May 18. This is also Wilson Valdez's first action since a brief demotion last week. In related news, Paul Hoover has cleared waivers, according to reports, and will rejoin the IronPigs.

Phiilies' drought continues in brutal blanking by Mets

For the second game in a row, the Phillies were befuddled by an opposing knuckleballer as R.A. Dickey became the latest to stymie the listless bats of the defending division champs. The Phillies fell 8-0 in ugly form.

Beerleaguer: The game felt very much like the first time these teams met. The Phillies were carrying some baggage into that one, too, while the Mets were riding a hot streak and had stolen away first place. Here, the Mets are coming off a series win against the Yanks. From the Phillies' point of view, their skid was considered an anomaly. But after the Phillies fell 9-1 in the opener, there was a sense that something was definitely wrong, and that something had to give. They eventually broke through for a 10-0 hammering the next day and would go on to win 12 of their next 15 games, basically staying hot until this recent 3-4 homestand.

One would hope the Phillies have the fortitude to turn it around just as quickly. However, if you're an opposing pitcher, these last few games have been like a treasure map on how to gameplan the Phillies. They want fastballs. They want big innings. They do not want to trade power for the slow bleed of small ball, which is precisely what happened to them last night. Take these elements away, and these lions can be tamed.

It's hard to pick on one player, but damn if this skid doesn't coincide with Carlos Ruiz's sprained knee and ensuing slump. Chooch looks like a guy who should have gone on the 15-day DL. Coming into the game, he had just one hit in his last 20 plate appearances since the sprain. So the Phillies are dealing with something of a black hole at the bottom of their lineup. Juan Castro can't be counted on to produce, and ahead of Chooch, they've got a left fielder in Raul Ibanez with three whole homers this season.

The Phillies are a good team, but these pressure points are becoming exposed: Castro, Ibanez, parts of their bullpen, like David Herndon and Nelson Figueroa, are passable solutions, but for how long?

Of course, the big problem last night was their back-breaking non-execution with runners in scoring position. They left the bases loaded twice against Dickey, including a killer 1-2-3 double play in the second off the bat of Chooch. Then in the seventh, they had runners on second and third with no outs and Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth went down in order. Ugly night for Chase, who was 0-for-5 with 2 Ks.

Game chat: Nine-game getaway starts at Citi Field

Only five games separate the first-place Phillies (26-17) and last-place Mets (22-23) when the NL East rivals start a three-game series tonight at Citi Field. First pitch is 7:10.

Preview: For the first time since the last time these teams met, the Mets had something to smile about this weekend when they stunned the Yankees by taking two-out-of-three in the Subway Series. Otherwise, the Mets would rather put the month of May behind them (8-14, .364). Meanwhile, it's been a month of peaks for the Phillies (14-7, .667), but the three-time division champs have stumbled into a valley over their last six games, going 2-6 including an interleague series loss to the Red Sox.

For the Mets, the biggest problem is an offense that doesn't hit, ranking fourth from the bottom in the league in OPS (.707). Pitching-wise, they've been solid, but perhaps the best facet of their season has been their performance at home; at Citi Field, they're 16-9 with a 117-83 run differential.

The Phillies will be hoping to change that. Lifetime, they're 5-4 at Citi Field and have won 13 of their last 16 games against the Mets total, including a series win earlier in the season. The mood surrounding the team has been higher following a 3-4 homestand that featured some rather lousy hitting.

Notes: Jimmy Rollins did not travel with the team and will begin a rehab assignment in Clearwater tomorrow, according to reports. Brad Lidge pitched a fastball-only bullpen session and reported no pain.

Lineups are posted: Victorino, Polanco, Utley, Howard, Werth, Ibanez, Ruiz, Castro for the Phils. Reyes, Castillo, Bay, Davis, Wright, Pagan, Barajas, Francouer for the Mets. Barajas is 5-for-8 with three home runs and 5 RBIs against the Phils this season. This will be the Phils' first time facing knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, who is making his second appearance for the Mets following a six-inning, two-run debut.

Series pitching matchups:
Jamie Moyer (5-3, 4.30) vs. R.A. Dickey (0-0, 3.00)
Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.06) vs. Hisanori Takahashi (3-1, 2.53)
Cole Hamels (5-2, 3.92) vs. Mike Pelfrey (6-1, 3.86)

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Five Phillies lead their positions in All-Star voting

Second baseman Chase Utley is the leading vote-getter in the National League overall. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins, outfielders Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth, and in somewhat of a surprise, third baseman Placido Polanco, would start in Anaheim if the voting ended today. Two others are close behind: first baseman Ryan Howard and catcher Carlos Ruiz are each running second. Raul Ibanez has the eighth-highest vote total among outfielders, with Ryan Braun earning the most votes at the position. Beerleaguer: Utley and Werth are deserving, but Polanco and Victorino are a stretch. Rollins is forever an All-Star in my mind, but he's barely played in reality. There've been a number of breakout seasons by third basemen in the National League, including Casey McGehee and David Freese, so Polanco is tough to justify. Andre Ethier, who's on the DL with a fractured pinkie, is a Triple Crown candidate and should start over Vic, along with about eight others. Kosuke Fukudome is having a nice season in particular. I'd love to see Carlos Ruiz get there, and I think Charlie Manuel would take him.

[Link: National League vote totals]

Beerleaguer for breakfast: Draft preview thread

Kind of a late breakfast, but this is my vacation week after all.

With the Phillies set to embark on a nine-game journey through the National League East, it seems like a good time to take stock with a five-questions piece. Paul Hagen handled that today for Philly.com. Over on CSNPhilly and in between the dozen well-earned Flyers articles, Jim Salisbury dropped a informative draft preview just a few short minutes ago. Well worth a look to get you prepared for the June 7-9 draft, including an interview with Phils scouting director Marti Wolever. Salisbury reiterates the philosophical protocols. The Phillies, who draft 27th, typically go for the best available (in their minds the best available), regardless of primary need, in this case, catcher and infield. They also lean heavily toward toolsy hitters. Salisbury reports that Wolever's men are closely monitoring the college conference tournaments, although the best collegiate athletes could be picked through by the time the Phillies' turn rolls around. Wolever namedrops a few targets. Read the rest of Sully's piece here.

Getaway day for the Phils. Getaway week for Beerleaguer. Things pick up in a big way next week.

Phils waiting for White Sox relievers to shake loose

A seven-game deficit in the AL Central isn't enough for the White Sox to call it a season on May 24, but several teams, including the Phillies, believe GM Kenny Williams will bow out soon enough.

According to a report from ESPNChicago, the Phillies are among several teams scouting right-handed relievers Bobby Jenks and J.J. Putz. Jenks, 29, is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA, but is striking out batters at a 12 K/9 clip. Jenks, who has seven saves and one blown save while pitching through a calf injury, no longer skins it in the 98-100 range like he did when he was a rookie World Series closer in 2005, but he's still dominant and has been impressive lately, including three-straight shutout appearances and his first 1-2-3 save since last season in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Fish. They say his velocity is up, too. The two-time All-Star is set to make $7.5 million this season and is arbitration eligible for one more season before hitting free agency in 2012. Putz, 33, has proven to be a high-reward signing by Williams after missing most of last year dealing with elbow and forearm issues. The right-hander owns a 3.95 ERA and 18/3 K/BB ratio in 13 2-3 innings. He's making $3 million and will be a free agent after the season.

Beerleaguer: There's no question the Phils should be scouting closers and set-up men while they continue to audition Jose Contreras and nurse Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge back to health. It's possible the Phillies will go most of the season without a set closer or even a stable set-up arrangement, so the more the merrier with the likes of Jenks or Putz. I won't claim to be the world's foremost White Sox expert, but I'm sure the Phillies would have no trouble finding a high-leverage spot for Jenks and his 136-career saves and playoff experience. However, they'll have a much harder time squeezing him into their payroll. Jenks is owed a preventative $7.5 million this year and will get more money in his final year of arbitration. That's hefty.

Schneider back; Hoover designated for assignment

Catcher Brian Schneider, who was sent to the disabled list May 9 with a strained Achilles, has been activated from the 15-day disabled list. To make room, the Phillies designated catcher Paul Hoover for assignment. Schneider went 0-for-8 in a brief rehab assignment with Lehigh Valley. Hoover had a nice little stay in Philadelphia, where he also filled in for Carlos Ruiz when he was day-to-day with a mild knee injury. Hoover went 5-for-18 (.278) with a pair of walks and two RBIs. Expect Hoover to clear and return to Triple-A.

Monday: Phils fade during disappointing homestand

After an eight-inning one-hitter at the hands of Daisuke Matsuzaka, 43-year-old Tim Wakefield floated his knuckler through eight shutout frames in the Red Sox 8-3 defeat of the Phillies.

Beerleaguer: Phillies finish the homestand 3-4 including splits against the Pirates, Cubs and a series loss to the Red Sox, their first series defeat since San Francisco. For all intents and purposes, the Phils were blanked for a second-straight game; all three runs yesterday came during a garbage ninth. At risk of making a sweeping generalization, they need Jimmy Rollins back; they've reached a point in the season where they need their best nine producers on the field, a luxury they've had in only a handful of games. The inconsistency will continue until he returns.

And equally upsetting, for a second time on the homestand, Roy Halladay takes the loss. Unlike his nine-inning, 132-pitch marathon to the Pirates, Halladay truly failed to put the Phillies in an adequate position to win, perhaps for the first time in red pinstripes, allowing seven runs, six earned, on six hits and two walks while striking out only one, the fewest strikeouts in an outing since 2006, leading everyone to wonder if Tuesday's high pitch count affected him. Afterward, Halladay and Phillies' skipper Charlie Manuel adamantly denied it. Halladay leads baseball in innings and pitches thrown, but he's no stranger to adding miles to the odometer. Still, sometimes results don't lie, not only the low strikeout total, but the fact that Boston was banging out hit after hit on pitches that appeared to be off the mark.

Count me among those who cringed when the Boston placed overrated right-hander Josh Beckett on the DL and replaced him with Wakefield. At this point in his career, Beckett, who's being hit at a .305 clip this season, is ripe for the picking, especially for a team like the Phillies. More than anything, the Phils want to feast on a hard fastball, so it's no surprise that a guy like Wakefield, who has spent all but two of his 18 years in the American League, gave them fits (I've often thought that Jamie Moyer would do the same).

That brings us to Greg Dobbs. Playing in place of Placido Polanco, Dobbs let a potential twin killing go through the wickets, leading to two runs. He also went 0-for-4. Dobbs isn't getting much playing time, but he's getting some, and he's fallen on his face in nearly all his opportunities. Truth be told, there hasn't been enough upside to his bat since 2008 to justify a spot in the starting lineup, and frankly, he hasn't done enough as a pinch hitter, either. Dobbs should be looking over his shoulder.

Back later to dissect some of the swirling pitching rumors.

Book signing: Co-author Mike McNesby and I will sign copies of our book "Hard to Believe" starting at 5 p.m. tonight during the Phillies Phestival at Citizens Bank Park. All book proceeds are split between the Phillies fight against ALS and the American Cancer Society. Tickets are sold out, but donations can be made here.

Game chat: Rain, knuckleballs in forecast for Phillies

Tim Wakefield (0-2, 5.31) meets familiar face Roy Halladay (6-2, 1.64) in the deciding game between the Red Sox and Phillies. First pitch is 1:35, with a 50 percent chance of rain, according to the Weather Channel.

Preview: The Red Sox are one team that's had decent success against Halladay, who's coming off a controversial 132-pitch complete game against the Pirates. In 41 games (38 starts), Halladay is 14-14 with a 4.28 ERA against the Sox, although he pitched a complete-game shutout against them in his final start of the 2009 season. The Phillies, meanwhile, have struggled with Wakefield. The knuckleballer brings a 3.10 ERA against the Fightins into today's contest. Wakefield, who has started five games, is replacing Josh Beckett in the rotation with Beckett on the disabled list.

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Daisuke deals near no-no in defeat of Phillies

Juan Castro’s flare over shortstop Marco Scutaro's head broke up Daisuke Matsuzaka's no-hit bid with two outs in the eighth inning. The Red Sox still sailed to a 5-0 win over the Phillies.

Four outs separated the Phillies from suffering their first no-hitter since 1978. It wasn't for a lack of trying. The Red Sox are spinning this as Daisuke's atonement for an awful outing against the Yankees after which he called out his catcher. Speaking on last night's performance, Red Sox manager Terry Francona told reporters “From the very beginning, you could see he got in a rhythm. That’s the best fastball we’ve seen. He established that. His slider, he had one of the best changeups we’ve seen, we made some great plays behind him - that was fun to watch.” (courtesy of ex-Phillies scribe Scott Lauber, who now covers the Sox for the Boston Herald.)

From the Phillies' side, it was a night of hitting the ball hard but right at them, starting in the first with a Chase Utley screamer to leaping second baseman Dustin Pedroia, who flipped to first for the double play; the Phillies hit into two twin killings, the other happening on a nice play at third by two-time Gold Glove winner Adrian Beltre. Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth also scorched a couple balls to no avail. Boston played great defense all night.

Meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick kept it a game for the first four innings until he became irrevocably untethered in a four-run fifth, finishing with eight hits, two walks and five runs over 4 2-3 innings, the first time a Phillies' starter couldn't survive at least five innings since April 14, which was Kendrick's 1 2-3 inning disaster against Washington. That cleared the mound for bullpen B-listers Antonio Bastardo, David Herndon and Nelson Figueroa, who hadn't pitched since May 3, to pitch 4 1-3 shutout innings, the night's only real positive.

No biggie - Tim Wakefield and Roy Halladay decide the rubber game today at 1:35. Time for Mick Billmeyer to dust off his knuckleball during BP.

Random thought of the game: Raul Ibanez's failure to get to a ball to left played a key role in Boston's rally. Stat of the game: Greg Dobbs is now 10-71 (.141) his last two seasons as a pinch hitter, including just 3 XHB with 9 BBs to go with 16 Ks. (courtesy of MG)

Game chat: Kyle Kendrick hoping to stay the course

Phillies' starters are 11-4 with a 3.05 ERA in May. Kyle Kendrick, who is 2-0 with a 2.57 ERA in his last three outings, is a large reason why.

Preview: Much to the surprise of many, there hasn't been a drastic drop between Roy Halladay and numbers 2-through-5 in the Phillies' rotation. Kendrick (2-1, 5.24) hopes to stay on track tonight against Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1, 7.89) and the Red Sox in the middle game from Citizens Bank Park. First pitch is 7:10 in a game that will air regionally on Fox. ... With Jimmy Rollins back on the DL, the lineup goes Victorino, Polanco, Utley, Howard, Werth, Ibanez, Ruiz, Castro. Howard has been a hot hitter of late, going two-for-three with a homer last night, raising his line to .310/.359/.503. Very quietly, he's reached base safely in 16-straight games and is hitting .257 against left-handed pitching ... Twitter reports suggested that Wilson Valdez may not arrive in time for the game. Valdez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Lehigh Valley only yesterday. In good news, Ruben Amaro confirmed that Rollins' strain is considered Grade 1 and not as serious as when he first went on the DL.

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Rollins placed on 15-day DL; INF Valdez recalled

Jimmy Rollins will head back to the disabled list with a right calf strain after re-injuring it in last night's game. Wilson Valdez, who was designated for assignment to make room for Rollins at the beginning of the homestand, takes his spot on the roster. Rollins has appeared in only a dozen games this season. Beerleaguer: I heard a doctor describe the restorative scar tissue the body generates to heal a partially torn muscle as the rubber band you find behind a radiator. It seems fine, but you can't trust it. That's what happened here. Rollins essentially skipped his rehab assignment, and it was a mistake.

Cole sticks to his guns in terrific win over Red Sox

Throwing all four of his pitches for strikes, Cole Hamels (5-2, 3.92) brushed off an early home run and pitched seven innings of three-hit, eight-strikeout ball in a 5-1 win over the Red Sox.

Beerleaguer: We've said it before, but this time, it's going to stick: Hamels is back to being his old self again, and just as scouts said during spring training, the best is yet to come. Playing the eye-level game with a fastball/change-up was only going to take him so far. With the addition of third and fourth pitches that he can command for strikes, he'll be in the same class as Roy Halladay. After the game, the man of the hour summarized how he successfully stayed ahead of a smart Boston lineup, which you can watch in the video above. The secret was establishing his full repertoire early in the game. What he didn't mention was that his pitches were all A-grade, including a very hard fastball and a fine breaking ball that he threw quite a bit; Phillies.com counted 10 of them.

Rollins re-injures calf: Jimmy Rollins suffered a mild strain to his right calf muscle and was taken out in the sixth inning. He's listed as day-to-day. He came back too soon; it's as simple as that. There is an extremely high risk of re-inury with this type of strain. There was really no reason to push it with the Phillies rolling through their schedule.

Phils hope strong start translates to interleague play

Phils and Sox tonight, and a quick personal note.

Busy day for Beerleaguer. It's not only my birthday, but last day at my job of eight years. You might have noticed that posting has been lighter than usual over the last few weeks, which has all been tied in with this transition, but I can promise you this: Beerleaguer is about change in a very big way, and you are going to love it. Details on what I'm doing next, and what's in store for this space, in the coming days. I also wanted to take this opportunity to thank the fine folks at the Reading Eagle for their support and friendship. The Eagle played a key role in spreading the word about Beerleaguer, and for that I'm truly grateful.

Game chat: Meanwhile, the Phillies try to snap a six-game interleague skid when they open a three-game set with the Red Sox tonight. The Phillies have lost 13 of their last 14 games to the junior circuit and are just 4-14 against Boston since 2004. Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.28) makes his ninth start opposite right-hander John Lackey (4-2, 4.86). Enjoy the game, and I'll catch up with you tomorrow.

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Ibanez's tie-breaking hit guides Phillies past Cubs

Raul Ibanez's 8th-inning single drove in Chase Utley from second to snap a 4-4 tie, and Jose Contreras worked out of a first-and-third, no-out jam in the 9th, as the Phillies beat the Cubs 5-4 to split their two game set.

Beerleaguer: In a game of standout performers, the excellence of Chase Utley shined brightly. The All-Star second baseman sent a solo shot over the right-field fence in the first, but contributed just as much with his base-running savvy on Ibanez's game-winning single. Jimmy Rollins accounted for the bulk of the Phillies' scoring with a three-run homer. And just when it looked like the Cubs had located the Phils' pressure point in the 'pen, tying the game 4-4 on a Kosuke Fukudome homer off Antonio Bastardo in the eighth, Danys Baez retired the next three batters, then Contreras ended it with a pair of strikeouts and a pop-out. This was a true save situation, the first in the post-Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson era. After Contreras found the strike zone, perhaps rusty from a five-day layoff, the 38-year-old rookie closer handled the ninth with poise, and is absolutely unafraid to pitch inside.

Game chat: Set concludes under pristine conditions

It’s a beautiful afternoon for baseball in Philadelphia, where Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.49) and the Phillies try for the series split this afternoon against Ryan Dempster (2-4, 3.49) and the Cubs. First pitch is 1:05.

Preview: The Phillies have capitalized on a run of weak opponents and deep starts lately. Aside from the last two duds, the offense has set a torrid pace, leading the league in May hitting (.294) and OPS (.853). Pitching-wise, the last start that didn’t go at least six innings was Cole Hamels’ May 9 outing against Atlanta, and the Phils won that one. As a result, they've masked an ugly-looking ‘pen currently comprised of J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin, Jose Contreras, David Herndon, Antonio Bastardo, Danys Baez and Nelson Figueroa, which, in one man’s opinion, would not be able to withstand a playoff series. The competition will feel more like October in the coming weeks as they open the interleague schedule, starting with a three-game taste against Boston this weekend.

Perhaps that’s why Charlie Manuel has been sparing his bullpen and giving some of his regulars intermittent rest. Jayson Werth sits for the first time since April 14, clearing room for Ross Gload, making only his second start for the Phils. Paul Hoover also replaces Carlos Ruiz behind the plate. Cholly’s lineup reads Jimmy Rollins 5, Raul Ibanez 6, Gload 7 and Hoover 8.

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Moyer can't free Phillies from back-to-back losses

Jamie Moyer allowed two runs over seven innings and tied a season high with seven strikeouts, but the mini-rut continued for the Phillies' offense in a 4-1 loss to the Cubs.

Phillies hitters managed just five hits, struggling for a second-straight night against an opposing left-hander while going 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Moyer, who has found the fountain of youth after pitching himself out of the starting rotation in 2009, is now 5-3 with a 4.30 ERA through eight starts, all of them lasting six innings or more. The Cubs' runs off Moyer occurred in the third and seventh on balls hit in the gap between third and short, both of them deflecting off of Placido Polanco's glove. All four of the Cubs' runs came with two outs. The Cubs also benefited from several acrobatic plays in the field. The Phillies' only run came in the eighth on a ground out to the pitcher. Their division lead shrinks to three games over the Marlins.

Notes: Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.49) and the boys try for the split this afternoon against Ryan Dempster (2-4, 3.49). First pitch is 1:05. ... Injured catcher Brian Schneider will head to Lehigh Valley for a weekend rehab assignment and could be activated as early as Tuesday for the Phillies' series with the Mets. ... In former player news, the AP is reporting that infielder Brad Harman was banned 14 months by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority. The ASADA told the AP that the former prospect failed to inform drug-testing officials of his location three times in an 18-month period, a violation of their whereabouts rule. ... Elsewhere, Mets outfielder Angel Pagan hit an inside-the-park home run and started a triple play, and the Mets still lost 5-3 to the Nationals. Bummed about losing two in a row? It could be worse, friends.

Game chat: Cubs enter for two-game fling in Philly

Lefties Tom Gorzelanny (1-4, 3.60) and Jamie Moyer (5-2, 4.57) meet when the Cubs and Phillies open a short set starting tonight at 7:05.

Preview: Money hasn't bought the 18-22 Cubs happiness. Chicago maintains a $146.6 million payroll, the third highest in baseball. They've lost nine of their last 12 and are 5.5 games out in the central circuit. It's such a weak league this year, isn't it? Meanwhile, the Phillies try to rebound after giving one away last night against the Pirates. Still riding high at 10 games over .500, the Phils welcome back Chase Utley, who's been out the last two games with flu-like symptoms. So to make room, Jimmy Rollins will slide down to the six hole, bumping Raul Ibanez to seventh.

Lakewood produces Phils’ player, pitcher of the week

Reading was considered the level to watch and they’ve been anything but. Luckily, interesting things are happening for the class-A squads.

First-place Clearwater has surged to a 25-14 start in the Florida State League, led by Triple Crown candidate Cody Overbeck (.338/.401/.648, 9 HR, 30 RBI) along with a talented pitching staff. But the most intriguing squad might be the young BlueClaws of Lakewood (21-17), currently running second in the South Atlantic League Northern Division. It’s an absolute mash-up of high-ceiling pitching and young, raw hackers, producing wildly varied results. Left-hander Nick Hernandez, 21, took pitcher of the week honors for two superb starts totaling 15 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks and 12 strikeouts. The Phillies' minor league pitchers seem to be either brilliant or brutal.

Meanwhile, teammate Jonathan Villar, a 19-year-old infielder, led the organization with 11 hits last week and brought an 11-game hitting streak into today’s doubleheader, according to the BlueClaws Blog.

Villar is hitting .297, but just like everyone else on the team, has been striking out at an absurd rate: 41 strikeouts for Villar in 138 ABs; 46 for Anthony Hewitt in 131 ABs (.296 OBP); 40 for Jiwan James over 155 ABs (.282 OBP); and 49 for 17-year-old slugging prospect Domingo Santana, who, thankfully, has taken 22 walks for a healthy .364 OBP.

On the plus side, top attraction and team newcomer, first baseman Jonathan Singleton, an 18-year-old lefty slugger, is off to a 7-for-20 start with two homers after joining the team from extended spring training to work on his defense.

Lakewood will be an interesting team to watch the rest of the season, to say the least.

Phils demonstrate 132 ways to waste good pitching

One of baseball's great mysteries: aces and offenses that can’t score.

Last night, the Phillies backed Roy Halladay’s grade-A start with a pile of potted meat, throwing a wrench into his quest for 30 wins for the second time in a row. Doc burned 132-pitches, the most in the majors this season and the second highest total of his career, in a 2-1 loss to lowly Pirates, leaving Beerleaguer to wonder why the need to turn a May 18 start against the Buccos into an endurance test. Look, Doc is a freak. We get it. But you're 12-4 and cruising through the league, and you're putting your most valuable playoff commodity at risk. Was it Doc’s penance for failing to drop down a bunt in the seventh? Send notice to graveyard shift Citizens Bank Park security: 4 a.m. bunting drills.

Game chat: Phillies shuffle the deck for Doc tonight

Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez sit, and why the hell not? The Phillies, a scorching 12-3 in May, send Roy Halladay (6-1, 1.59) to the hill against Zach Duke (2-4, 5.56) as they look to continue their torrid pace.

Preview: Charlie Manuel goes with a different look again tonight, with Jimmy Rollins batting third again, Ben Francisco, who has just two at bats this entire month and hasn't started since April 26, playing left field and batting sixth and Juan Castro, making his first start since May 5, batting eighth and making his Phillies debut at second base. Carlos Ruiz is back behind the plate and hits seventh. First pitch is set for 7:05, weather permitting. [Jump to the newest comments]

Tuesday: Winning ways infectious for thriving Phils

“Winning breeds winning” is a Phillies philosophy that appears to have manifest in the success of several developing or secondary players this season, including Kyle Kendrick.

The problem with covering the Phillies is the danger of repeating oneself, and that’s what I’ll try to avoid as the Phillies continue to steamroll the National League the way they did with the Pirates in a 12-2 win last night. Everyone knows how and why it happened. But is there more beneath the surface? Just hours before Roy Halladay and the Phils tee up the Buccos once again, I wanted to visit the notion that the talented Phils are also winning because they’re winners, as in, there’s an expectation to win, and through something like osmosis, that confidence brings out the best in lesser talent. Don’t get me wrong: Kendrick pitched a terrific game and has demonstrated a level of staying power not seen since the 2007 season. But it’s also the perfect environment to thrive, and I wonder if the results would be drastically different if Kendrick traded places with Charlie Morton. Look around the Phillies clubhouse and you’re surrounded by experience, excellence and confidence. Pittsburgh goes up 1-0 on a lead-off dinger by Delwyn Young, and Kendrick can quickly shrug it off because the Phillies tie it the following frame. Two innings later, it’s 6-1 and it's over.

Game chat: Phils, J-Roll, back to work against Bucs

Out since April 13 with a strained right calf, the Phillies activate their shortstop, Jimmy Rollins, when they open a short set with Pittsburgh.

Notes: In order to clear room on the 25-man roster, Wilson Valdez was designated for assignment. The 31-year-old infielder was hitting .235 and must clear waivers in order to be reassigned to the minor leagues. Meanwhile, Rollins, who was injured in pregame warm-ups before the Phillies’ home opener on April 12, will try to resume the red-hot start to his season. In his first seven games, he was hitting .391 with three doubles, a triple, a homer and seven walks in 30 plate appearances. Rollins will not be reinserted into the lead-off spot just yet. He'll bat third as Chase Utley sits with flu-like symptoms, according to reports. Greg Dobbs mans third and bats seventh while Placido Polanco slides over to second. The Phillies also welcome catcher Carlos Ruiz back into the lineup. Chooch, who is off to a hot start of his own, has been sidelined with a sprained knee ligament suffered May 15 in Colorado. They'll face 1-6 right-hander Charlie Morton (9.19), opposed by improving right-hander Kyle Kendrick (1-1, 5.89).

The Phillies bring a league-best 23-13 mark into the game and lead the NL East by four games over the Marlins and Nationals. The third-place Pirates (16-25) trail the Reds by five games in the NL Central.

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Phillies faced with decision upon Rollins’ return

Logically, the odd man out will be Juan Castro, who signed a one-year, $750,000 contract in the off-season, or 31-year-old Wilson Valdez, who is out of options and would have to clear waivers to be kept at AAA.

Beerleaguer: This post could have an hour shelf life, but here goes nothing. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. While I would agree that Castro and Valdez did a nice job filling in for Jimmy Rollins, who could come off the DL today, I stop short of giving them the full “one hell of a job” endorsement that Charlie Manuel gave them after yesterday’s game. Castro posted a .574 OPS in 70 plate appearances, Valdez notched a .596 OPS in 53 plate appearances. I won’t pretend to be in the Phillies’ heads, but I think they think Castro is better equipped to come off the bench and contribute without regular playing time, and they might believe his arm shows better than Valdez at third. That’s pure conjecture. Meanwhile, Valdez is younger, fresher and has a more dynamic range of tools, including some speed. Would either of them clear waivers? It depends what teams are seeking. I'm sure Ruben and his men have made the calls.

It’s funny, because even with Rollins coming back, shortstop isn't exactly expendable. It's a tough position to fill and versatility is a value. The Phils will keep 12 pitchers come hell or high water, so space will be cleared through the bench. It’s almost certain they’ll cut a shortstop, but you wonder. The less Ben Francisco gets on the field, the more he must be looking over his shoulder at John Mayberry Jr., who’s had a pretty good season at AAA. Looking ahead, would the Phillies really be interested in going into arbitration with Ben-Fran with Mayberry available for less? Greg Dobbs is another guy who’s struggling to sell himself as a third baseman after an awful showing against Atlanta. He’s redundant on his own team with the presence of Ross Gload.

Just something to ponder before the Phillies, more than likely, announce that Valdez is a goner. (Footnote: Castro was available to play yesterday, but Valdez got the nod instead.)

Sky-high Phillies plunge Brewers to rock bottom

A tenacious offense and quality pitching completed the Phillies’ trifecta in Milwaukee. The Brew Crew searches for answers after losing all six games on their homestand by a combined score of 51-20.

The Brewers, losers of eight in a row at home at 14 of 18 games overall, will look back and identify this stretch as the point where they wanted to crawl under a rock. The Phils caught them at their absolute lowest and systematically picked them to pieces, despite being shorthanded themselves. Once again, the Phils ran roughshod over a pitching staff, leaving them in absolute ruin.

For the Phillies, this could be known as the Paul Hoover series. For a journeyman catcher living life just beneath the big league surface, seizing the moment, as he did this weekend, might be enough to seduce a team into giving him a backup job down the line. Big league experience is the be-all, end-all in the life of a backstop. At the very least, the 34-year-old veteran has secured gainful employment, somewhere, and at some level, next season. The same can be said for Wilson Valdez. Over parts of five seasons, the soon-to-be-32-year-old shortstop has appeared in just 169 Major League games, 17 of them coming in this high-profile gig with the Phillies. Give Ruben Amaro and his men some credit for securing such depth when there’s such a shortage of talent at these positions, but tip your cap to Hoover and Valdez most of all for rising to the occasion while Carlos Ruiz and Jimmy Rollins make their way back.

Pitching-wise, Cole Hamels’ performance was in the same pretty-good ballpark as Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer in games one and two, and I’d happily skip writing about pitching today, because I think it’s time to lay some serious praise at the feet of Placido Polanco.

Polly (.318/.348/.415) has far and away been the Phillies’ best pure hitter this season, as in, the hitter with the best plan and best situational execution. Last night, he doubled in Shane Victorino to initiate the Phillies’ scoring and added a hit later in the game. This was a signing that was met with near universal disapproval as critics said it reeked of old-fashioned, outmoded thinking. But it’s worked precisely as the Phillies had planned. When it comes to the "classic" approach, nobody does it better.

Game chat: Phils try to capture all 3 in Milwaukee

Cole Hamels (3-2, 4.53) and the 22-13 Phillies set their sights on the sweep against Conestoga High product Dave Bush (1-3, 4.24) and the Brewers tonight at 8:05 on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Paul Hoover and Wilson Valdez remain in the lineup. Carlos Ruiz is reportedly getting an extra day and could be good to go when the Phillies return home tomorrow. Before the game, the Phils made a surprise announcement that Jimmy Rollins is heading home from Clearwater, and pending the outcome of a quick physical, could be activated from the disabled list tomorrow. [Jump to the newest comments]

Beerleaguer reaching for complaints, finding none

The Phillies own the best record and run differential in the league, and are succeeding through a rash of injuries. So do yourself a favor: get out and enjoy the nice weather.

You know things are going well for the Phillies when the top gripes include not enough playing time for Ben Francisco and Nelson Figueroa. Yesterday, the Phillies put their stamp on another series win against the NL Central with a 10-6 clubbing of the Brewers. Shane Victorino led the charge and trails only Triple Crown candidate Andre Ethier in RBIs. Paul Hoover and Wilson Valdez contributed another productive game from the bottom of the lineup. Joe Blanton came unglued late, but not before devouring seven mostly sharp innings. If David Herndon and Jose Contreras hadn't pussyfooted around in the ninth with a 10-5 lead and just thrown strikes, the Brewers wouldn't have made it interesting. Pitching coach Rich Dubee must have said as much to Contreras because after the a mound conference, the 38-year-old replacement closer dared the Brewers with 95 mph heat, and they couldn't touch him.

Meanwhile, the natives are restless in Milwaukee, where they were expecting a serious contender. Their bullpen might be the worst the Phillies have seen this season. The Claudio Vargas inning must have been total torture.

Lidge lands on DL again, Bastardo recalled from AAA

Late news via CSNPhilly tonight, reporting that closer Brad Lidge will go on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 10, with inflammation in his right elbow. Lidge flew back to Philadelphia from Denver on Wednesday to have his surgically repaired right elbow examined by the team's physician, who found no structural damage or loose bodies. Left-hander Antonio Bastardo rejoins the club after appearing in 3 2-3 shutout innings with the IronPigs. Earlier today, the Phillies bludgeoned the Brewers with a season-high 17 hits in a 10-6 win at Miller Park. Shane Victorino led the way with a 3-for-6 afternoon that included a two-run homer and four RBIs, adding to his team-high 32 on the season. The Phillies also received more surprises from the bottom of the lineup, including big games by Paul Hoover and Wilson Valdez. We'll dissect the game in detail tomorrow ...

Game chat: Phils try for more NL Central dominance

The Phillies try to prescribe another dose of pain over the National League Central Division when Joe Blanton (1-1, 5.30) meets unbeaten left-hander Chris Narveson (2-0, 3.78) in the second of three from Milwaukee.

Preview: The Phils bring a 7-1 record against the NL Central into the game along with an 11-7 road mark, tied for the best in the league. Blanton makes just his third start following two fairly nondescript outings to open his 2010 campaign. The offense will face the dreaded unknown quantity in Narveson, who's given the mediocre Brewers a boost since joining the rotation. We'll see if Charlie Manuel gives Ben Francisco the nod over Raul Ibanez (.279/.340/.558 in May); Francisco hasn't started since April 26 and has made just 22 plate appearances all season. Several Phillies could return to duty today, including Carlos Ruiz, Juan Castro and Brad Lidge, but all that was unclear as of this writing. Meanwhile, Milwaukee is trying to chip away at a 4-12 mark at Miller Park, by far the worst home record in baseball.

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Breaking news: Pat Burrell DFA'd by the Rays

Pat the Bat was hitting .202/.292/.303 with two homers in 96 plate appearances with Tampa Bay. The 33-year-old former Phillie has been a huge bust since signing a two-year deal to become the Rays' DH. Burrell is owed $9 million for 2010 as part of the two-year, $16 million deal he signed in January of 2009. The move clears room for the Rays to promote veteran Hank Blalock from Durham.

Moyer notches 5th win with another effective outing

A rocky 2009 and three off-season surgeries haven't been enough to slow 47-year-old Jamie Moyer, who picked up his 263rd career win in the Phillies' 9-5 defeat of Milwaukee.

Pop-Pop is having himself a season, folks. Aside from the complete-game, his 4.57 ERA essentially amounts to a token bad inning in each of his starts surrounded by many good ones. That's how it went last night when the Brewers brutalized three hangers out over the plate for trip-homers in the second; Prince Fielder's bomb was a particularly vulgar display of power. But considering Moyer was working with Paul Hoover, and not getting enough help from his defense, this was a well-earned win against a stout Milwaukee offense. Beerleaguers typically frown on win-loss totals, but in this case, Moyer's 5-2 mark tells a better story than his 94 ERA+. (Keep an eye on those rising pitch counts, however, as the weather begins to warm). It was an awesome night for the offense, too, with Ryan Howard breaking through with a two-run shot; he was due. Don't look now, but Raul Ibanez has an .898 OPS in May after going 2-for-5 with a second-deck homer off a spectator's head. Chase Utley tagged his ninth of the year for an insurance run in the 9th, and Shane Victorino went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs; the Flyin' Hawaiian quietly has a 1.030 OPS in May.

Back later with Game 2 chat.

Game chat: Familiar lefties throw in series opener

After making history in his last start, Jamie Moyer (4-2, 4.38) meets former Phil Randy Wolf (3-2, 3.95) in the first of three from Miller Park.

Injury update: The Phillies remain shorthanded. Carlos Ruiz is out of the lineup and available only in emergencies after spraining a right knee ligament. Brad Lidge is also day-to-day with right elbow inflammation. Also, Juan Castro is still sidelined with a strained left knee, but could be back soon.

Sign stealing: It’s been a busy 48 hours in the Beerleaguer household, but thankfully, the schedule reads “Phillies, Phillies, Phillies” the next three days. On this whole sign stealing snafu, what can I tell you, other than I think the Phillies were caught red-handed. The league found the results inconclusive, but the warning from baseball, and growing list of allegations, is fairly damning evidence against the sainthood of the Phillies in the court of public opinion, at least outside of Philadelphia. But the issue isn't so much whether they were stealing signs, a tradition as old as the game itself. The issue is whether they're gaining a conclusive, competitive advantage, or rather, a competitive advantage in a sport already layered in gamesmanship. In this case, I have my doubts. Here's Mick Billmeyer, watching Colorado's pitcher and catcher through a pair of binoculars. Let's assume he was stealing signs, which he probably was. But how does that information get relayed to the batter? Maybe through some useful advice the next turn through the order. A coach as schooled as Billmeyer, and with as little to do as Billmeyer, sits in a vantage point to construct a thorough, on-the-fly scouting report by reading signs and watching for tips in the pitcher's delivery. But even that's a stretch. The other issue is whether it's a big deal in a game rife with cheating. To me, it's a little obviously over the top and worth a slap on the wrist. Which is what baseball gave them.

Lidge and the 9th: Today's other hot topic was the favorable medical report for Brad Lidge, who may not be saving many games, but is dynamite at saving himself from structural damage. The news was supported by a whole host of articles talking about options down on the farm, led by Scott Mathieson. Put it this way: Charlie Manuel doesn't even appear comfortable handing the ninth to Jose Contreras, who's been a competitive, capable pitcher over 1,095 Major League innings, plus 45 in the postseason. Sorry Scotty. No chance.

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Book plug: May 24 signing at Citizens Bank Park

Join me May 24 at Citizens Bank Park where I will be signing copies of my book, "Hard to Believe," along with co-author Mike McNesby, Monday during the Phillies ALS Phestival. If you haven't already done so, order a book online through Amazon or at the ballpark. All author proceeds go to fight ALS and cancer. Order online here.

Promising prospects lay claim to ninth inning

Philadelphia’s closer role may be in limbo, but down on the farm, some of the season’s best performers reside in the back of the bullpen.

Right-handed closers Scott Mathieson (Lehigh Valley: 0.54 ERA, 5 SV, 18/4 K/BB, 16 2-3 IP); Justin De Fratus (Clearwater: 1.80, 7 SV, 18/5 K/BB ratio, 15 IP); and Phillies minor league pitcher of the month Joshua Zeid (0.86, 4 SV, 18/9 K/BB, 21 IP) are giving hope to the future of the final frames. Mathieson is a noted dart-thrower and known quantity among Beerleaguer, but the others probably aren’t. An 11th-round pick in 2007, De Fratus was moved to the bullpen last season and it appears that’s where he’s going to stay. A strike-thrower who keeps the ball down, his future may be more David Herndon than Ryan Madson, but that remains to be seen. Zeid, a 23-year-old Tulane University product, has made a seamless transition into a closer for low-A Lakewood. Unranked as a prospect heading into the season, the right-hander has been getting raves for his maturity and work ethic from the coaching staff.

In Reading, they’ve gone with Sergio Escalona and 6-8 right-hander Michael Schwimer in the ninth. Save situations have been so infrequent for the last-place R-Phils it's hard to make heads or tails of the situation. Schwimer, who keeps a running journal on PhuturePhillies.com, is considered one of the better relief prospects in the system; a fastball-slider guy, but not especially overpowering considering his size.

Transactions: First baseman Matt Rizzotti, 24, was promoted from Clearwater to Reading. He was hitting .352/.421/.454 with a homer. Links: Prospects from Lee deal struggling; Brown impresses, but same can’t be said for R-Phillies

Game chat: Phils seek split after muddling matinee

Jamie Moyer (4-2, 4.38) and the short-handed Phillies try to leg out a series win against just-activated right-hander Jason Hammel (0-2, 9.16). As of this writing, it's raining at Coors Field and expected to turn to snow.

Rockies 4, Phillies 3 (10): Miguel Olivo's lead-off, walk-off homer in the 10th off Chad Durbin capped Colorado's comeback in a sloppy, frustrating loss by the Phillies that saw their hottest hitter, Carlos Ruiz, leave with a right knee injury, leaving Paul Hoover as the only catcher. Chooch is considered day-to-day, according to reports. Although Durbin took the loss, the game was truly squandered by bad fielding in the 7th, when Ryan Howard's low throw ate up Wilson Valdez covering the bag; Valdez should have still made the play. Then, Jayson Werth misplayed Brad Hawpe's ball off the wall and had trouble retrieving it as two runs crossed home, tying it at 3-3 against Roy Halladay, who struggled by his high standards and was working with runners aboard almost the entire game.

Beerleaguer: Weather conditions must be taken into consideration, but there's really no good reason why Howard shouldn't execute that throw, even if he was off-balance. The Phillies are a solid defensive team overall and obviously better with J-Roll, but Howard and Werth have their moments. Sometimes it seems like Werth is too cool for school out in right and gets caught off guard. The bobbled ball thing happens a lot.

For the Phillies, reality must be setting in that the best days are behind several veterans. Face it: Raul Ibanez (.236) started his descent last July and J.C. Romero will never be the same. He's a mess. Brad Lidge, back home with more elbow problems, is in the same boat.

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