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Phillies lose frustrating series opener, 2-1

Two steps back for every step forward with this team.

The Phillies lost, 2-1, in Thursday's series opener in Arizona. Cole Hamels pitched well enough to win, again. He lost, again.

Hamels walked three men over his final two innings and allowed single runs in each. His final read: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K. He has a 2.44 ERA in his last six starts. He's 1-5 on the season.

The Phillies didn't hit well, they were barely effective in middle relief and they had a bad baserunning gaffe in the seventh, when John Mayberry misread a liner over the second baseman's head and was forced out at second base from right field. Instead of bases loaded, one out, 2-1 ballgame, it was two outs, first and third, one-run game.

Delmon Young had an absolutely mind-numbing at-bat in the ninth. He swung at the first pitch and weakly grounded out to second against Heath Bell. Bell was working for the third straight day. For goodness sake, make the man work. Young bailed Bell out with one pitch and allowed him to settle in. Even if aggressiveness is his game, it didn't call for it in that situation. Swinging at the first pitch there was literally the worst thing to do.

Jimmy Rollins continues to slump. He made outs in big situations, saw nine pitches in four trips to the dish and is now at .235 with a .286 OBP. Yes, he'll come around soon. But can you imagine how much different the Phillies would be if they had a Denard Span-type of on-base guy at the top? Why is this team constructed this way? Does anyone know? There are way more of THESE games than there are Monday's and Tuesday's games.

Phillippe Aumont and Jeremy Horst somehow didn't allow a run, despite throwing 23 balls and 19 strikes.

Through 36 games, the Phillies have the third-most losses and third-worst run differential in the National League.

Hard-luck Hamels opens series vs. Diamondbacks

Win-wise, Cole Hamels is off to his slowest start since his debut season in 2006, when he was called up at this time of year.

Obviously, though, wins can be an incredibly deceiving stat because they're dictated by so many other factors than just the performance of the starting pitcher.

And that's been the case for the Phillies' left-handed ace thus far.

Hamels is 1-4 through his first seven starts, but in his last five outings, he's posted a 2.31 ERA and has given up just 21 hits in 35 innings, yet, he's 1-2 in those five starts because the Phillies have been shut out twice and scored one run once.

Hamels, who has thrown five straight quality starts, hopes to keep it going as he takes the hill to open the Phillies' (16-19) four-game set in Arizona against the Diamondbacks (19-15).

The Phillies are coming off a successful three-game series in San Francisco in which they took two of three from the defending champions. They can now make it a successful road trip if they carry it over into Arizona.

Tonight, the Phillies are up against the baby-faced Patrick Corbin, who has been stellar for the Diamondbacks. The 23-year-old lefty (4-0, 1.80) has pitched six or more innings and has surrendered two or fewer runs in all six of his starts. He's dominated lefties, who are hitting .160 off of him, while righties have compiled a .240 average. However, six starts is a relatively small sample size, so keep an eye on his approach against the Phillies' power lefties in Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.

Three Diamondbacks to watch:

1. Cody Ross — Phillies fans certainly remember Ross from the 2010 NLCS. The Arizona outfielder has just one home run in 2013, but has taken Hamels deep five times in his career.

2. Martin Prado — Prado often hurt the Phillies as an Atlanta Brave, and he has 55 career at-bats against Hamels (.273).

3. Paul Goldschmidt — Arizona's 25-year-old first baseman is 11 for his last 24 (.458) and has four home runs and nine RBIs in his last three games. He leads the NL with 30 total RBIs.

Phillies lineup

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Chase Utley, 2B
3. Michael Young, 3B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Delmon Young, RF
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. Ben Revere, CF
9. Cole Hamels, P

Diamondbacks lineup

1. A.J. Pollock, CF
2. Didi Gregorius, SS
3. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
4. Cody Ross, LF
5. Miguel Montero, C
6. Martin Prado, 3B
7. Gerardo Parra, RF
8. Cliff Pennington, 2B
9. Patrick Corbin, P

Phillies tie Giants in 9th, but fall in 10th

The Phillies rallied in the ninth against Sergio Romo, scoring two runs and tying the Giants, 3-3. But an Andres Torres walk-off single in the 10th prevented the Phillies' first sweep in San Francisco since 1984.

Seeing the Phils hit Romo was a great sign. One thing they've really struggled to do the last two seasons is make up multi-run deficits, and they did exactly that against one of the game's best closers. It was only the fourth time in Romo's last 167 appearances that he allowed two runs and three baserunners.

Antonio Bastardo took the loss. He allowed a leadoff single to Buster Posey, who advanced to second on a sacrifice and to third on a wild pitch. After Guillermo Quiroz struck out, Torres laced a game-winning RBI single over Chase Utley's head.

The Phils knotted things up in the ninth when Utley singled in Jimmy Rollins and Delmon Young scored Michael Young on a sac fly. Kevin Frandsen -- who is hitting .410/.446/.590 against lefties since the start of 2012 -- homered earlier in the game off Barry Zito.

The Phillies fall to 16-19. They begin a four-game series tomorrow night in Arizona. It's Cole Hamels (1-4, 4.34) vs. Patrick Corbin (4-0, 1.80).

Halladay expects to return; Phils go for sweep

Lots happening with the Phillies as they close out the three-game series with the Giants.

Not only are the Phillies going for the sweep with rookie Jonathan Pettibone on the mound against Barry Zito, but Roy Halladay updated his injury status an hour prior to the game in the visitor's dugout at AT&T Park.

Halladay will have arthroscopic surgery to clean up his right shoulder, which he said has a bone spur, a frayed labrum and partially torn rotator cuff.

"The doctor seemed pretty optimistic that if what they saw was correct that I could come back and be a lot more effective and have a chance to pitch this year," Halladay said.

"He said he thought they could turn back the clock two or three years for me. I thought it was very good news. Obviously I don't want to miss time, but as far as scenarios go, I thought it was a lot better than some of the things I anticipated."

No timetable for his return has been determined.

"In certain cases, it's been three months, but we really don't have a timetable," he said. "I think the timetable is going to come once they go in and confirm that hey, what we saw in the X-rays is exactly what we saw when we went in there. ... They were definitely optimistic that I would be back this year."

Halladay seemed optimistic and said he hasn't felt much pain during this process. If you buy into what he was selling, this is very good news. Halladay said the doctors told him the cleanup would allow him to regain some velocity and command. His command deteriorated so rapidly there had to be something wrong. Apparently it was this.

Different lineup for finale

With the lefty Zito working, Charlie Manuel decided to give Ryan Howard and Dom Brown the afternoon off.

Here's Manuel's order:

1.) Jimmy Rollins, ss
2.) Kevin Frandsen, 1b
3.) Michael Young, 3b
4.) Chase Utley, 2b
5.) Delmon Young, rf
6.) Carlos Ruiz, c
7.) John Mayberry, lf
8.) Ben Revere, cf
9.) Jonathan Pettibone, p

Utley is starting a game in the cleanup spot for the first time since Sept.21, 2011. Utley went 0-for-3 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts against John Lannan that day. 

Utley is 7-for-17 with a pair of doubles, a triple and a homer against Zito. That's not as impressive as Mayberry's 4-for-6 against the lefty with three homers.

Kendrick's hot hand still on fire

The Phillies played a complete game Tuesday night, when they spotted Kyle Kendrick an early 3-0 lead and continued to tack on runs after the Giants pulled back within one run.

Kendrick cruised through seven innings and held the Giants to just two runs and six hits, picking up his fourth win of the season in a 6-2 Phillies win in San Francisco.

He needed just 88 pitches and punched out six batters while walking none.

The only time he got into trouble was the third inning, when Brandons Belt and Crawford opened the frame with a single and a double to put men on second and third. But Kendrick minimized the damage to two runs on a sacrifice fly from Angel Pagan and a double by Marco Scutaro.

Kendrick also flashed some leather in the second when he dove and gloved Gregor Blanco's drag bunt and bounced it to Ryan Howard just in time to get the out.

The Phillies' newfound ace has been unbelievable since flopping in the home opener against the Royals. In six starts since, he's 4-0 with a 1.71 ERA, 32 K's and just eight walks in 42 innings.

The Phils jumped out early and made Lincecum pay for a two-base throwing error in the first inning. Ryan Howard singled Chase Utley in before Carlos Ruiz and Domonic Brown were both punched out to end the frame.

In the second inning, the Phillies played perfect small ball. After Laynce Nix and Ben Revere opened with back-to-back singles, Kendrick sacrificed them over and Jimmy Rollins got Nix home with an RBI groundout to second. Utley followed with a single to plate Revere and afford the Phils a 3-0 lead.

Both Utley and Howard later clubbed solo homers.

The only starting position player who didn't pick up a hit was Brown, who went 0 for 5 with two strikeouts.

Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to secure the win.

Cloyd to start Friday
The Phillies announced they will bring up Tyler Cloyd to start in Roy Halladay's place in the rotation on Friday against the Diamondbacks.

In six games at Triple A Lehigh Valley this season, Cloyd is 1-3 with a 5.40 ERA and 1.486 WHIP, but he's coming off a solid outing: 8 IP, 1 R, 4H, 10K, 0 BB.

Cloyd brings with him six games of big-league experience. After being called up last season in late August, the right-hander went 2-2 with a 4.91 ERA and 1.212 WHIP. He was hit or miss with three very good outings and three pretty bad ones.

Speaking of Halladay, the results from his medical exam have yet to be finalized, but an update is expected Wednesday.

Phillies look for unexpected series win in San Fran

The Phillies have won just 4 of 14 series at AT&T Park since it opened in 2000, but they can make it five tonight if the bats stay alive against Tim Lincecum.

Getting to Lincecum early is the key. From 2007-11 -- when he was really good -- Lincecum had a first-inning ERA of 2.38. Since the start of 2012 -- when he became wild and ineffective -- his first-inning ERA is 7.38.

Lincecum is prone to one awful inning per start. Walks, wild pitches and high pitch counts remain an issue for the 28-year-old righty, and the Phillies really need to work him tonight. They didn't last season. Lincecum walked three or more batters 15 times in 33 starts last year, but walked only three Phillies in 13 innings.

He's opposed by Ace Kendrick, who is 3-1 with a 2.43 ERA this season, and 10-4 with a 2.43 ERA over his last 16 starts. Kendrick has been money on the road lately. He hasn't allowed a run away from Citizens Bank Park in 23 innings, he has 1.10 ERA in his last seven road starts, and in five of those he pitched at least seven innings without allowing a run.

Last night's win was quite impressive for a number of reasons. The Phillies put seven of their first 12 men on base. They scored more runs in the second inning against Madison Bumgarner than any team has scored off him in a game all season. Domonic Brown finally homered off a lefty who doesn't suck. (Sorry, Wade LeBlanc and Robert Carson.) Michael Young had three hits out of the three-hole. It was a fun night.

But it would be nice to get Jimmy Rollins going. He's made 25 outs in his last 28 at-bats, and has no steals or extra-base hits. He's scored one run in the Phillies' last seven games. Maybe some home cookin' will wake him up.

Phillies lineup (off night for Delmon Young)

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) Chase Utley, 2B
3) Michael Young, 3B
4) Ryan Howard, 1B
5) Carlos Ruiz, C
6) Domonic Brown, LF
7) Laynce Nix, RF
8) Ben Revere, CF
9) Kyle Kendrick, P

Giants lineup

1) Angel Pagan, CF
2) Marco Scutaro, 2B
3) Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4) Buster Posey, C
5) Hunter Pence, RF
6) Gregor Blanco, LF
7) Brandon Belt, 1B
8) Brandon Crawford, SS
9) Tim Lincecum

Offense finally backs Lee in Phillies' win

Prior to Monday night, the Phillies' offense had scored just three runs over Cliff Lee's last 25 innings pitched. On Monday night, the Phillies' offense did plenty for Lee, scoring five runs in his eight outstanding innings. The bats tacked on one more in the ninth, giving the Phillies a 6-2 win over the Giants.

Lee came in with the sixth-worst run support among MLB's starting pitchers, but the Phillies gave him a cushiony lead on Monday night and he knew what to do with it.

After the club's two terrible losses to the Marlins, Lee threw eight spectacular innings, allowing two runs and striking out six for his third win of the season. The lefty threw 102 pitches -- 71 strikes -- and gave the Giants no free passes. He surrendered five hits and three were to ex-Phillie Hunter Pence.

And when the Giants put a runner on base, Lee often erased it. The Phillies turned three double plays behind the southpaw.

The Phillies' up-and-down offense jumped on Madison Bumgarner, who entered as one of baseball's hottest pitchers to start 2013. Charlie Manuel's lineup made him work, though, and scored five runs -- three of which came via two-out RBIs -- in six innings off the Giants' left-hander, dealing him his first loss of the year.

Michael Young smacked an opposite-field double with two outs in the second to plate the Phillies' first two runs. He went 3 for 4 on the night with a walk, boosting his average to .333 and on-base percentage to .398.

Domonic Brown continued his power streak, crushing an inside fastball from Bumgarner for a solo home run that took one hop into the San Francisco bay. It was Brown's sixth homer of the season, tying Chase Utley for the team lead.

Jimmy Rollins and Delmon Young both tallied sac flys, while Jonathan Papelbon threw a perfect ninth in seven pitches.

Kyle Kendrick (3-1, 2.43) takes on Tim Lincecum (2-1, 4.41) Tuesday night in the second game of this three-game series and seven-game road trip for the Phillies.

Game 33: Mayberry in CF, Phillies face Bumgarner

The Phillies' offense isn't too fond of left-handed pitching, and tonight, they'll face one of baseball's best.

The Phillies, who are hitting .207 vs. lefties, good for 29th in the majors, square off against San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner tonight.

Not only has Bumgarner been one of MLB's elite southpaws, but the 23-year-old has also been one of baseball's top starters period. He's 3-0, is tied for third among MLB starters in ERA (1.55) and is fourth in WHIP (0.84). Opponents are hitting just .181 off of Bumgarner.

The Phillies have had serious trouble against lefties and have an MLB-worst 18 runs batted in vs. left-handers.

With Bumgarner on the bump, Ben Revere will sit as John Mayberry gets the starting nod and will hit seventh. Mayberry is the only Phillie who has Bumgarner in his book -- he's 1 for 6 lifetime against Bumgarner with a solo shot.

Erik Kratz is in the eight-hole to form the battery combination with Cliff Lee. Delmon Young is in one of baseball's trickiest right fields, so keep an eye on how he judges fly balls and ricochets down the line and in the corner -- that could be interesting.

Here's the full lineup Bumgarner will face against the Phillies:

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Chase Utley, 2B
3. Michael Young, 3B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Delmon Young, RF
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. John Mayberry, CF
8. Erik Kratz, C
9. Cliff Lee, P

And for the Giants vs. Lee:

1. Andres Torres, CF
2. Marco Scutaro, 2B
3. Pablo Sandoval, 3B
4. Buster Posey, C
5. Hunter Pence, RF
6. Francisco Peguero, LF
7. Brandon Crawford, SS
8. Brandon Belt, 1B
9. Madison Bumgarner, P

Daunting week ahead for struggling Phillies

The Phillies never do much offensively in San Francisco and they aren't hitting to begin with. The Giants' three best offensive players are all hot. It all adds up to this being a pretty bad time to head to AT&T Park.

San Fran has won six straight. Over their last eight games, Pablo Sandoval is 18-for-34; Buster Posey is hitting .333 with three doubles, two homers, eight RBI and 10 walks; and Hunter Pence has six extra-base hits.

The Giants' bullpen is terrific, as always. Sergio Romo has a 1.72 ERA and 12 saves in 13 opportunities, Santiago Casilla and Jean Machi are racking up the strikeouts, and although Javier Lopez isn't off to a great start, current Phillies are 1-for-26 off him.

Even if San Francisco wasn't playing well this would be a tough series. The Phillies just never hit at AT&T, which is one of the most pitcher-friendly parks in the league. They've scored 2 runs or less in 10 of their last 16 games there, and have won just four of 14 series since the place opened in 2000.

Madison Bumgarner (3-0, 1.55) is on the hill tonight against Cliff Lee (2-2, 3.46). Bumgarner and Lee are the only two starting pitchers in the majors with at least 8.3 K/9 and 2.1 BB/9 or less since 2011.

Opponents are hitting .181 off Bumgarner this season, and he's yet to allow more than two runs in a game. He's the ace of the staff, no matter how much money Matt Cain makes or how many Cy Youngs Tim Lincecum won before the Giants made him stop smoking weed.

To win tonight, Lee will need to be razor sharp. He's walked multiple batters in 2 of 3 starts after not doing it 20 times in a row. The Giants are loaded with free-swingers, so quality strikes early are a must. If Lee gets two strikes on Sandoval he might as well attack because Sandoval hits opposite-field doubles off the ground like it's his job. (I guess it is his job.)

Let's hope the day off recharged Jimmy Rollins' battery. He's down to .244 on the season with a .302 OBP. Sadly, two Phillies regulars have OBPs even lower than that.

Ramifications of the Halladay injury

We all know by now that Roy Halladay is DL-bound with shoulder soreness. He'll see Dr. Lewis Yocum out in California this week and it's A) Likely he misses time, and B) Likely he gives the Phillies very little the rest of 2013. Even if the recovery is a short one, Halladay has proven time and again this season he's not only not the Doc of old, he's not even a serviceable major-league starter anymore.

Halladay allowed nine runs in 2 1/3 innings to the worst team in the National League. He walked four Marlins and hit two. He allowed a bases-clearing triple and a grand slam. His ERA is 8.65. His control is gone. His effectiveness is gone. His mystique is gone. It's an incredibly sad situation because of who Halladay is, and now the question becomes: How is he replaced?

The Phillies have some internal options. Adam Morgan, Tyler Cloyd. John Lannan should be back in a few weeks so the Phils wouldn't be going with two young guys the rest of the way if this is a long-term injury for Doc.

What you could see this week is the Phillies do what they did when Lannan went down -- bring up a Joe Savery-type reliever until a starter is necessary later in the week.

Pathetic weekend

No two ways about it. The Phillies had three baserunners on Saturday and couldn't touch Kevin freaking Slowey on Sunday. It's pretty clear this isn't a winning foundation. The Phils are 14-18 after a pretty favorable first 32 games. They needed to at least take three of four at home against an awful Miami team and they didn't.

Now come seven games in NL West ballparks. They'll face Madison Bumgarner, Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito in San Fran, then Patrick Corbin, Ian Kennedy and Trevor Cahill in Arizona. Some of the pitching matchups are winnable. Lincecum is wild and Zito is prone to the big inning. Kennedy has been terrible thus far.

But really, what's the point in even predicting success or failure with this lineup? It is so unbelievably streaky and it doesn't do anything better than average. It doesn't have above-average power. It doesn't have above-average plate discipline. It doesn't have above-average situational skills or a bevy of hitters who regularly maintain high BABIPs.

Rough weekend. At least Ben Revere raised his OBP to .264.

Tough times at the Bank for the Phillies

The news that Roy Halladay could be headed for the disabled list is the biggest news after teh Phillies' 14-2 loss to the Marlins, and rightly so. However, if Halladay's potential injury does one thing, it masks the larger issues plaguing the Phillies.

Those issues? Take your pick.

On Sunday the Phillies' problems were all encompasing. From Halladay giving up nine runs in 2 1/3 innings, the Phils were two-hit over seven innings by Kevin Slowey, a pitcher who lost his last 10 decisions and hadn't won a game since September of 2010. This came a day after the Phillies were blanked on a one-hitter from Jose Fernandez.

Forget about the starting pitching and the dearth of hitting... how about the relief pitching? In the 14-2 loss, Raul Valdes, Chad Durbin and Jeremy Horst combined to give up five runs and a pair of homers. Sure, the white flag went up early and there wasn't much on the line in Sunday's game. However, aside from Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon, which reliever can Charlie Manuel depend on?

And the hitting? Five hits and one earned run in two games ... against the Marlins? 

Here's a depressing development: The Marlins have six wins against the Phillies and Mets and only four against every other team in the majors.

Game 32: Halladay looks to bounce back ... again

The Phillies hit the road for seven games starting in San Francisco on Monday night, but first they finish up a four-game series against the Marlins with Roy Halladay on the mound.

Halladay heads into Sunday's series finale following a 14-2 loss to the Indians last Tuesday where he allowed eight runs on nine hits and a pair of walks in 3 2/3 innings. Halladay also allowed three homers in the defeat, wrecking a stretch where he seemed to have turned a corner.

Meanwhile, the Phillies' offense hopes to bounce back after generating just one stinkin' hit against the Marlins on Saturday night.

Here's the lineup manager Charlie Manuel hopes will get it going:

1.) Freddy Galvis, ss
2.) Michael Young, 3b
3.) Chase Utley, 2b
4.) Ryan Howard, 1b
5.) Delmon Young, rf
6.) Domonic Brown, lf
7.) Carlos Ruiz, c
8.) Ben Revere, cf
9.) Roy Halladay, p

The Phillies face righty Kevin Slowey, a pitcher the team hasn't faced a lot. But when the Phillies have seen Slowey, they've hit him pretty well. As a group, Phillies' players are batting .364 (12 for 33) with a double, triple and homer. Ryan Howard is 3 for 5 against Slowey with a homer and double.

Here's the Marlins lineup to face Halladay:

1.) Juan Pierre, lf
2.) Chris Valaika, 2b
3.) Placido Polanco, 3b
4.) Justin Ruggiano, cf
5.) Marcell Ozuna, rf
6.) Greg Dobbs, 1b
7.) Miguel Olivio, c
8.) Adeiny Hechavarria, c
9.) Kevin Slowey, p

Greg Dobbs hits Halladay particularly well, going 9 for 21 with three doubles and a homer against him

Fernandez one-hits Phils, Hamels takes another loss

Cole Hamels was left begging for run support, and the Phillies had no answer for Jose Fernandez, who silenced their bats for the second time this season in a 2-0 Marlins victory.

Fernandez picked up his first major-league win, Marcell Ozuna clubbed his first major-league homer and the major-league worst Miami Marlins beat the Phillies' opening day starter for the second time this season.

Freddy Galvis had a decent night at the plate: 1 for 3 with a walk. His first out came on a hard-hit grounder to second.

The rest of the Phillies: 0 for 25 with 11 strikeouts. Jimmy Rollins reached base on a ninth-inning walk.

At one point, Fernandez retired 17 Phillies in a row. He needed only 82 pitches across seven dominant innings and punched out nine in the process. Mike Dunn pitched a perfect eighth, and Steve Cishek closed it out for his fourth save. The Marlins (9-22) have now beaten the Phillies (14-17) twice in six tries this season.

It was unfortunate for Cole Hamels, who threw well especially after allowing solo home runs in the second and third innings. Hamels retired 17 of the last 18 batters he faced, but he took his fourth loss of the year. He yielded just four hits. Chris Valaika took Hamels deep for his first homer of the season as well.

In his last four starts against the Fish, Hamels is now 2-1 with a 1.20 ERA.

The case of Fernandez is a puzzling one: He's now crushed the Phillies twice this year, allowing just three hits and no runs in 13 innings. Against the rest of the majors, Fernandez has given up 12 runs and 18 hits in 18 frames.

After being shut out for the fifth time this season, the Phillies will still have a chance to take three out of four from Miami tomorrow afternoon when Roy Halladay squares off against Kevin Slowey at 2:35 p.m.

Game 31: Phils get another shot at Fernandez

Jose Fernandez dominated the Phillies for six innings on April 13, besting Cole Hamels in a 2-1 Marlins win. Saturday, Hamels will square off again against Fernandez, who has struggled mightily since.

Fernandez blanked the Phillies across six innings, holding them to two hits and recording five strikeouts while walking two. He didn't get the win and has yet to record one in five major-league starts, but he helped lead Miami to its only victory over the Phils this season.

But since that gem, Fernandez is 0-2 with 11 runs allowed in 13 innings (7.62 ERA), and opponents are hitting .294 against him with a .393 OBP. On the season overall, right-handed batters are hitting .303 off the right-hander, significantly better than lefties (.179).

Nevertheless, Michael Young will sit as Freddy Galvis gets the start at third. Galvis will bat second.

The right-handed hitting Young, who also sat the last time Fernandez starts against the Phils, is batting .346 off righty pitchers this season, so it would appear to be a good matchup. But he's started in seven straight games so apparently he needs a night off.

For what it's worth, Galvis had one of the Phillies' two hits off Fernandez the first time. And he's also hitting well against righties, going 7 for 23 (.304) off them as a lefty.

And here are tonight's lineups...

For the Phillies:

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) Freddy Galvis, 3B
3) Chase Utley, 2B
4) Ryan Howard, 1B
5) Delmon Young, RF
6) Domonic Brown, LF
7) Carlos Ruiz, C
8) Ben Revere, CF
9) Cole Hamels, P 

And the Marlins:

1) Donovan Solano, 2B
2) Chris Valaika, 1B
3) Placido Polanco, 3B
4) Justin Ruggiano, CF
5) Marcell Ozuna, RF
6) Matt Diaz, LF
7) Miguel Olivo, C
8) Adeiny Hechavarria, SS
9) Jose Fernandez, P

Halladay shows leadership in defense of Dubee

Something had to be said.

And, to no surprise, Roy Halladay took charge.

Speaking on 94 WIP Friday morning, Mitch Williams, a former Phillies closer and now MLB Network analyst, singled out Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee for the team’s mound struggles. Williams even insisted the club seek a new coach for its important arms.

"It may be time for a new voice," Williams told WIP. "It’s not personal. I think these pitchers have to hear something new. What they’re doing right now just isn’t getting it done."

It became a moment in dire need of leadership.

Prior to Friday’s win over the Marlins, Halladay took time to speak with reporters and firmly denounce Williams’ remarks.

"Coming from the mechanical wonder," Halladay said about Williams and his comments, per Jim Salisbury. "Yeah, I strongly disagree. To come from a guy who's not around, who's not involved. He's not involved in the conversations ... honestly has no idea what's going on. He really doesn't. He has no idea what's going on in the clubhouse, on the field between coaches and players. To make comments like that, it's completely out of line.

"Watching Kyle Kendrick, the stuff that he's learned, the way he's grown, is because of Rich Dubee and it's because of his work ethic and the way he goes about things. It really does upset me. It upsets me that guys outside of our group of guys that don't understand what's going on here make comments like that. Hopefully, it's something he'll learn from. I'm not sure if that's the case, but he couldn't be further from the truth. And I don't think it's the first time he's been a little off base."

This wasn’t Halladay’s first go-around, either. That taking-a-stand mentality has become expected from the seasoned veteran.

If you recall, in spring training Halladay expressed the importance of defending teammates who are thrown at by opposing pitchers. In a Grapefruit League game, Chase Utley was plunked by Washington’s Stephen Strasburg. The ensuing inning, Halladay threw behind the back of Nationals outfielder Tyler Moore.

Was it intentional? Halladay claimed it "slipped … a little bit," and that if it hit Moore, "it wouldn’t have been the worst thing after they (hit) one of our good guys."

He then went on to say this: "I think we do need to protect our guys to an extent. I’m not saying that’s what happened — it slipped — but I think that’s important. We’ve had a lot of guys hit over the years and I think as a staff we need to do a good job protecting those guys."

And who can forget Game 5 of the 2010 NLCS. Halladay took the hill on a damp and drizzly San Francisco afternoon with the Phillies on the brink of elimination against the Giants.

Trailing 3-1 in the series and fighting to send it back to Philadelphia, Halladay willed the Phillies past Tim Lincecum and the Giants, all while battling through calamity: a groin injury, which Halladay kept secret for the duration of his outing.

"I think all of us, at this point, have kind of put our own personal stuff aside, and go out and play as a team and try to accomplish stuff as a team,” Halladay said after he threw six remarkable innings of two-run ball to propel the Phillies to a 4-2 win.

"They'd have to kick me out. I mean, I was going to find a way."

That took guts and leadership.

Yes, Halladay has been a different pitcher compared to what he was when he joined the Phillies. Since his arrival, the 6-foot-6 righty has notched a Cy Young Award, perfect game, no-hitter and a couple of postseasons under his belt.

However, he’s now turning 36 on May 14, his ERA is 6.75 and outsiders have questioned whether he’s got anything left in the tank.

But it’s the intangibles that Halladay brings — professionalism, work ethic, heart, just to name a few — that can impact an entire organization.

On Friday, it was leadership — an aspect of Halladay the Phillies can always count on.

Howard, Brown stay hot as Phillies top Marlins

There were plenty of good signs from the Phillies on Friday night.

To the delight of many worried fans from April, two great signs were Ryan Howard and Domonic Brown.

The club's hottest bats homered for the second straight game as the Phillies (14-16) pieced together a good-looking win over the unfortunate Marlins (8-22), 4-1.

Howard and Brown, who both endured April slumps, have turned it on and kept it going Friday. A night after they each hit their fourth long ball of the season, Howard and Brown were back at it, each clubbing their fifth home run to boost the Phillies' offense.

Over the team's first 21 games, Howard posted one home run and six RBIs. In the past nine games: 10 for 31 (.323), four home runs, 12 RBIs, eight runs scored.

Same story for Brown. The 25-year-old was hitting .206 entering April 24, but since then: 13 for 34 (.382). Brown's five home runs are tied with Howard for second on the team to ...

Chase Utley. The Phillies' second baseman has shown no indication of slowing down. Utley nailed his sixth dinger on Friday, which leads all NL second basemen. He also has 21 RBIs, second to only Cincinnati's Brandon Phillips among NL second basemen.

The Phillies have hit nine straight solo home runs. Imagine if the Phillies' power threats start wreaking havoc with men aboard.

And not to be overlooked, Jonathan Pettibone pitched into the seventh inning for the first time in his big-league career, going 6 1/3 innings for his second win in three starts. The 22-year-old gave up one run, which came on a hanging curveball that Donovan Solano deposited into the seats.

The back-end trio of Antonio Bastardo, Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon was very strong. Bastardo displayed his biggest weakness: control. With a man on, he relieved Pettibone and walked two to load the bases. However, he then displayed his biggest strength: strikeout stuff. Bastardo escaped his self-induced jam by punching out the next two batters to finish the seventh.

Adams recorded his third hold, while Papelbon saved his fifth game.

Ben Revere returned to the lineup and delivered a two-out RBI single in the second inning.

Delmon Young started in right field for the second straight game and made a well-played, leaping catch at the base of the wall in the second inning. So far, so good.

Next up is Jose Fernandez (0-2, 4.50) vs. Cole Hamels (1-3, 4.78) on Saturday.

Questionable lineup: Delmon starts vs. Nolasco

Right-handed hitters are batting 102 points lower than lefties this season against Ricky Nolasco, and had an OPS 83 points lower than lefties from 2010-12. Delmon Young has a .702 OPS against right-handers since 2010. And yet, Young is in the lineup, batting fifth Friday night instead of Laynce Nix.

Nix hasn't seen Nolasco a whole lot, but he has reached base in 7 of 16 plate appearances against him, adding more mystery to Charlie Manuel's decision to go with Young. Even if the Phillies want Young to be the guy in right field on most nights, doesn't it still make sense to sit him against a righty with extreme platoon splits?

Ben Revere is back in center, and Carlos Ruiz is back behind the plate to catch Jonathan Pettibone for the first time in a major-league game. Ruiz is batting seventh, which appears to be his slot this year.

Phillies lineup

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS (hitless in last 11 ABs)
2) Chase Utley, 2B
3) Michael Young, 3B
4) Ryan Howard, 1B (8-for-33, three homers, four doubles vs. Nolasco)
5) Delmon Young, RF
6) Domonic Brown, LF (.387 BA last eight games)
7) Carlos Ruiz, C
8) Ben Revere, CF
9) Jonathan Pettibone, P

And for the Marlins

1) Juan Pierre, LF (leads NL with nine steals)
2) Donovan Solano, 2B
3) Placido Polanco, 3B (8 for last 46)
4) Greg Dobbs, 1B
5) Justin Ruggiano, CF
6) Marcell Ozuna, RF
7) Rob Brantly, C
8) Adeiny Hechavarria, SS
9) Ricky Nolasco, P

Salisbury: Giancarlo Stanton remains on Phillies' radar

One thing I've learned as I've grown up in this business is: When Jim Salisbury speaks, people listen. The man is more plugged into the Phillies' intentions than anyone in the city, so when he writes that Giancarlo Stanton remains an organizational target, it's safe to believe that is the case, no matter how unrealistic a deal may seem.

It would take a metric ton to acquire Stanton in an intra-division trade. He's 23, hasn't gotten expensive yet, is built like Khal Drogo and hits baseballs a million feet. Salisbury rightfully points out that the Phillies don't have as much young talent to offer as other teams, but he also points out that the Phils have already placed calls to Miami and have "let it be known they want to speak with the Marlins when and if they decide to move" Stanton.

The thinking here is that a deal would obviously cost Jesse Biddle and probably much more. Maybe something like Biddle, another young pitcher like Adam Morgan or Jon Pettibone, a slick young fielder like Freddy Galvis and a legitimate difference-making bat -- which the Phillies may or may not have on the farm.

And even that might not even get something done, because every team in the league covets Stanton and plenty of others have more to offer.

You also have to ask whether a move like that makes sense for the Phillies, a team that already ranks toward the very bottom of most outlets' minor-league rankings. A move for Stanton would mean the Phillies are all-in, and it's hard to say whether that's the best course to go with this team.

In any event, Salisbury is planting the Stanton seed if and only if the Phillies are buyers. If they're sellers, they'll have plenty to trade. Cliff Lee, Jonathan Papelbon, Jimmy Rollins (who was apparently in play last July), Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz top the list. He even mentions Delmon Young in that list.

As last season showed, no trade is meaningless. The Phillies acquired two intriguing pieces for Jim Thome. The Shane Victorino deal directly brought in Ethan Martin and indirectly led to the Michael Young deal.

A lot to think about on a Friday.

Kendrick hurls fifth straight quality start, Phils win

Kyle Kendrick, the Phillies' unlikely go-to arm thus far, played stopper on Thursday after the team's disastrous two-game trip in Cleveland.

Kendrick was not his best, but was again solid when his club desperately needed it, helping the Phillies (13-16) to a 7-2 win over the Miami Marlins (8-21).

Kendrick gave the Phillies another quality start — his fifth in six total starts — and the offense put up seven runs, equaling its run production over the past three games.

Kendrick had to wiggle out of some jams, particularly in the third inning. In that frame, he threw first-pitch balls to five of his six batters faced, but left unscathed by striking out Rob Brantly on four pitches with the bases loaded and two outs.

Kendrick walked two and gave up seven hits, but allowed just two runs in seven innings. Kendrick now has three wins, a 2.43 ERA and 1.13 WHIP — all rotation bests.

In the second inning, Domonic Brown put the Phillies on the board for the first time in 13 innings with a missile-like home run (his fourth) to right field that went out within the blink of an eye. Brown finished the night with his first three-hit effort of the season, while knocking in a pair of runs.

Through the Phillies' offensive ups and downs, Brown has quietly come on after going 2 for 21 (.095) during a mid-April stretch. The 25-year-old is 12 for his last 31 (.387), raising his average from .206 to .266.

Ryan Howard also produced his fourth long ball — an opposite-field shot — with an impressive nine-pitch at-bat in the fourth. As the weather heats up, the Phillies' Big Piece continues to do the same. He now has 14 hits (four doubles, three home runs) in his last 43 at-bats (.326), to go along with 12 RBIs.

Kendrick's seven innings set things up for Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon to finish the job.

On Friday, the Phillies turn to 22-year-old Jonathan Pettibone, who will make his third big-league start. He opposes Miami's Ricky Nolasco.

Game 29: Kendrick & Kratz to the rescue?

After a disastorous two days in Cleveland, the Phillies come home where they hope to beat up on the hapless Miami Marlins.

And to start the four-game series the Phillies will have their ace on the mound ... Kyle Kendrick?

Kendrick leads the team with a 2.41 ERA, a 1.099 WHIP. Never known for piling up the strikeouts, Kendrick has remained a healthy 6.5 since the start of last season. Meanwhile, the Phillies are 2-1 in games started by Kendrick following a loss.

It's notable that Kendrick is working with catcher Erik Kratz. As a battery, the pair have worked well this year, including Kendrick's last start where he tossed a three-hit shutout in the 4-0 victory over the Mets.

Here's how the Phillies lineup against the Marlins and Alex Sanabia:

1.) Jimmy Rollins, ss
2.) Chase Utley, 2b
3.) Michael Young, 3b
4.) Ryan Howard, 1b
5.) Delmon Young, rf
6.) Dom Brown, lf
7.) John Mayberry, cf
8.) Erik Kratz, c
9.) Kyle Kendrick, p

Only five players on the Phillies' roster have faced Sanabia and only two of those players have hits against him -- Cliff Lee and Mayberry. One of Mayberry's hits was a solo home run during the sixth inning of a game on Sept. 15, 2011.

Also: before the game the Phillies announced that Ezequiel Carrera had been claimed off waivers by Cleveland. Carrera was designated for assignment when Delmon Young was activated.

These Phillies are at least creative with losses

It's pretty difficult to do what the Phillies did last night: Walk seven times but not hit or score. They had seven walks, three hits and no runs.

- They're the first team since the Padres in September 2010 to walk at least seven times while mustering three or fewer hits and no runs.

- They went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Domonic Brown was responsible for two of the three hits and Ben Revere had the other. Revere actually lifted balls in the air in consecutive at-bats for just the third time this season.

(Wow, was that a miserable offensive performance or what...)

- The Phillies had two men on in four different innings and failed to score.

- Michael Young grounded into his his 7th double play of the season. No two NL teammates have more GIDPs than Young and Revere (12).

- The Phillies have grounded into 14 double plays with runners in scoring position. No other NL team has more than 11.

- The Phillies gave Cliff Lee nothing, yet again, causing him to question the team's pride after the game in a surprising display of candor from a usually boring quote. The Phils are back to their old tricks, having scored 3 runs in Lee's last 29 innings.

Positives...

- This is a positive or negative sign, depending on how you look at it: Ryan Howard missed another homer by inches, marking his 9th fly ball to the warning track or wall already this season. He could legitimately have 7 or 8 home runs.

- Laynce Nix timed a deep fly tremendously and got his glove over the wall in right field to rob Drew Stubbs of a home run in the sixth. 

- Chase Utley made the prototypical Chase Utley play in the fourth inning, executing a perfect, borderline illegal takeout slide at second to prevent a Delmon Young GIDP. Every mistake Utley makes, people now ask "Why does he get a pass?" Well, he gets a pass because nobody else on this team does that. Period.

Phillies dismantled by Indians again

Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee combined for an 11.74 ERA in the Phillies' two games vs. the Indians.

The Phillies' offense in both contests (two runs) was outscored by the Indians' first inning (four runs) of Tuesday's game.

Those two sentences tell the story of the Phillies' trip to Cleveland. After being clobbered, 14-2, by the Indians on Tuesday, the Phillies lost another bad game to Cleveland on Wednesday, 6-0.

It's the fourth time the Phillies have been shut out this season.

The Phillies worked 12 three-ball counts and seven walks on Wednesday, yet, could not score. In the two games against the Indians, the Phillies went 3 for 25 (.120) with runners on base. They also finished Wednesday's loss 0 for 10 with runners in scoring position.

Lee, however, pitched much better than what his final line indicates. A night after the Indians connected for seven home runs, Cleveland did its damage with seven infield singles.

With Carlos Santana trucking his way home in the second inning after tagging up on a fly ball, Domonic Brown fired a one-hop throw on the money to beat him there, but Ruiz could not handle it as the Indians took a 1-0 lead.

Lee then allowed three runs on four hits — three of which came in the infield — in the third inning. With two on (via bunt single, walk), Asdrubal Cabrera delivered the only well-struck ball in the third frame for Cleveland, lining a two-run double down the left-field line.

Lee was done after six innings (5 R, 4 ER, 103 P).

The Indians' starters this series, Zack McAllister and Trevor Bauer, came in with eight combined major-league victories. Halladay and Lee entered with 328.

For the Phillies (12-16), the woeful Marlins (8-20) are up next, and they'll be a welcomed sight for four games at Citizens Bank Park. Here are the probable pitching matchups:

Thursday — Alex Sanabia (2-3, 4.85) vs. Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 2.41)

Friday — Ricky Nolasco (2-2, 3.82) vs. Jonathan Pettibone (1-0, 4.35)

Saturday — Jose Fernandez (0-2, 4.50) vs. Cole Hamels (1-3, 4.78)

Sunday — Kevin Slowey (0-2, 2.15) vs. Roy Halladay (2-3, 6.75)

Laynce Nix, not Delmon Young, starts in RF

Delmon Young isn't in the field after all. He'll DH again as the Phillies look for a series split in Cleveland.

Young reached base the first three times he came to the plate Tuesday night. He'll try to do some more damage Wednesday against a wild righty in Trevor Bauer. Bauer walked seven batters in his only start this season and has 20 walks in 21.1 innings at the major-league level.

Laynce Nix is in right field. Nix is 5-for-32 as a starter this season, with one RBI. As a pinch-hitter he's 7-for-13 with two homers and five RBIs.

The lineup is the same as it was Tuesday, save for Nix playing instead of John Mayberry.

The Phillies must work counts tonight. Bauer throws nine pitches, but doesn't command any of them very well. He walked 4.1 batters per nine in the minors after being selected third overall by the Diamondbacks in 2011.

Here are the lineups:

Phillies

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) Michael Young, 3B (67 plate appearances without an XBH)
3) Chase Utley, 2B
4) Ryan Howard, 1B (.341 BA, 2 HR, 11 RBI during 11-game hit streak)
5) Delmon Young, DH
6) Domonic Brown, LF
7) Carlos Ruiz, C (1-for-8 since Sunday return)
8) Laynce Nix, RF
9) Ben Revere, CF (leads MLB with 76.7% groundball rate)

Indians

1) Michael Brantley, LF
2) Jason Kipnis, 2B
3) Asdrubal Cabrera, DH
4) Mark Reynolds, 3B
5) Carlos Santana, 1B
6) Ryan Raburn, RF
7) Mike Aviles, SS
8) Yan Gomes, C
9) Drew Stubbs, CF

Both of the Indians' prized free agent acquisitions -- Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn -- missed this series. Swisher with a sore shoulder and Bourn with a finger injury. They will likely both be back on May 14-15 when these teams meet at Citizens Bank Park.

Location, not pitch selection or velocity, hurt Doc

It wasn't overuse of the cutter. It wasn't an inability to crack 90 on the radar gun. It was as simple as really, really bad location on Tuesday from Roy Halladay.

We like to look for tell-tale signs of why a pitcher is in decline, why he goes from one-hitting a team on Wednesday to allowing 1,200 feet of home runs the following Tuesday. Some of Tuesday night's narratives were:

- It's the first time the new Halladay pitched to Carlos Ruiz.

- He used his cutter too much.

- His velocity was down.

Really, though, it was just straight-up piss-poor command. Halladay missed in the middle of the plate 20 times, and that's a conservative count based on this chart.

All three of the two-run homers he allowed were directly in the middle of the plate, just low enough to connect with the sweet spot of the bat. Against the Pirates, he didn't throw a single pitch in the heart of the plate, and even when he missed low-middle, it was just enough inside or outside to miss the sweet spot.

Halladay's decline has been precipitous. He has the highest ERA in the National League over the last calendar year, at 5.59. He also has the NL's highest HR/FB rate over that same span, at 17.8%. That's more than double his previous home run-flyball rate with the Phillies.

Halladay failed to record an out in the fourth inning for the third time this season. He did that just three times in his first 90 starts as a Phillie.

Yes, Doc got back to his now mediocre cutter last night, but that wasn't the root of the problem, that was a reaction to the problem. Halladay couldn't throw consistent strikes with his sinker or changeup and it made little sense to get curveball-happy, as the success with that pitch is derived from its sparing use.

This is just where we are with Halladay, and it's long past time to accept it. He's not even a 4.50 ERA pitcher anymore. He's a guy who might one-hit an opponent or lose a game in the first inning. He's not an in-betweener. He's a volatile fourth or fifth starter. So strange to say.

Lee returns to Cleveland

On Wednesday, Cliff Lee pitches against the Indians for the very first time. He went 83-48 with a 4.01 ERA in Cleveland, where he won the 2008 AL Cy Young award. Lee was 22-3 with a 2.54 ERA that year.

It is only the second time Lee will face a team that traded him. He faced the Mariners at Safeco Field a few months after Seattle traded him in 2010.

The Phillies need a strong performance from Lee tonight. This is a must-win week, with easy games against a struggling Indians squad and then the worst team in baseball. The Phils can't afford to be swept after sweeping their first series of the season, not if they want to gain some semblance of momentum.

On-base machine Delmon Young (.750 OBP!!!) will be in right field tonight.

Halladay, Phillies rocked by Indians' HR party

After three straight promising starts, Roy Halladay threw a clunker on Tuesday night.

And so did Chad Durbin and Raul Valdes.

Halladay lasted just 3 2/3 innings and yielded eight earned runs as the Phillies were steamrolled by the home run-happy Indians, 14-2. Halladay served up three dingers, while Durbin and Valdes had no better luck. The two relievers surrendered two long balls apiece, giving the Indians seven total home runs in a laugher against the Phillies.

Tuesday marked just the fourth time since 1916 that the Phillies had given up seven home runs in a game.

For Halladay, it was trouble out of the gate.

The right-hander, who came in with a 1.71 ERA over his last three outings — all of which were quality starts — allowed a pair of two-run home runs in the opening frame. The first, Halladay left a 2-1 curveball up in the zone to Carlos Santana, who hooked it deep just inside the right-field foul pole. Then, Mark Reynolds saw a 1-0 cutter and lined it for an opposite-field home run to make it 4-0.

Prior to the Indians' four-run outburst in the first, Halladay had given up just four earned runs in his previous 21 innings.

Halladay bounced back with two quick innings, but ran into his exit in the fourth. Lonnie Chisenhall hit another Clevelend two-run shot with no outs before Asdrubal Cabrera ended Halladay's night with a two-run single.

Halladay's poor effort Tuesday was his first start since May of 2000 that he allowed eight or more earned runs in less than four innings.

Two positives for the Phillies — if that's possible in a 14-2 loss — were Delmon Young and Chase Utley.

Young, making his Phillies debut as the team's DH, laced a home run to right-center in his first at-bat of 2013. He finished the night 2 for 3 with a hit by pitch.

Young's bat was never a question mark. His fielding? That's a different story. Charlie Manuel said he'll likely start in right field Wednesday night. The last time Young was a regular rightfielder was in 2007 with the Rays.

Meanwhile, Utley notched his fifth home run of the season and 19th RBI — both team highs.

Cliff Lee takes the mound Wednesday against his former club. It's the second and final game of this short series in Cleveland.

If Lee can't fare significantly better than the Tuesday trio of Halladay, Durbin and Valdes, the Phillies (12-15) will be happy it's a short stay. They come back home to face the 8-19 Marlins for four games.

Delmon Young activated; Ezequiel Carrera DFA'd

Delmon Young has been activated by the Phillies, who designated Ezequiel Carrera for assignment to make room on the 25-man roster. It's a logical time to add Young to the mix, seeing as the Phillies will need a DH for the next two days.

Young rehabbed for a little over a week. He went 11-for-30 (.367) with two doubles, seven strikeouts and, of course, no walks for Clearwater and Lehigh Valley.

The Phillies have gotten very little out of their starting outfield, so even if you're not the biggest Young fan there's no question he'll add depth.

From 2010-12, Young hit .278/.311/.435 with averages of 31 doubles, 17 homers and 83 RBI. He walked 24 times per season and averaged 18 GIDPs.

Young will play right field for this team because he convinced Ruben Amaro and the Phillies' front office that his defensive woes were a result of his discomfort in left field.

From 2007-10, Young -- the first pick in the 2003 draft -- made up for low walk total with high batting averages. He hit .288, .290, .284 and .298, but as his weight increased his production decreased. Young got into better shape over the offseason, and he has numerous weight clauses in his contract.

At the very least he should do some damage against lefties. From 2010-12 he hit .307 with a .500 slugging percentage vs. southpaws.

Phillies lineup (an interesting one...)

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) Michael Young, 3B
3) Chase Utley, 2B
4) Ryan Howard, 1B
5) Delmon Young, DH (Phillies debut)
6) Domonic Brown, LF
7) Carlos Ruiz, C (not quite sure why Delmon and Chooch aren't flip-flopped)
8) John Mayberry, RF
9) Ben Revere, CF

Indians lineup (no Nick Swisher)

1) Michael Brantley, LF
2) Jason Kipnis, 2B
3) Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
4) Carlos Santana, C
5) Jason Giambi, DH (.291 BA, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 7 BB vs. Halladay)
6) Mark Reynolds, 1B
7) Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B
8) Ryan Raburn, RF
9) Drew Stubbs, CF

Halladay on the hill to open series in Cleveland

After winning three straight road games in New York the Phillies find themselves in Cleveland for a rare two-game interleague series with the Indians. Roy Halladay looks to remain unhittable for a fourth straight start.

Since starting the season with a 14.73 ERA through two starts, Halladay has a 1.71 ERA and .114 opponents' batting average his last three times out. He's coming off a one-hit performance against the Pirates in which he again turned to his curveball to do the work in two-strike counts.

On the season, opponents are 1-for-25 with 17 strikeouts against Doc's curve. The cutters have become a thing of the past -- Halladay now uses the pitch as often as he uses his changeup.

Halladay hasn't faced the Indians since 2009, and the only member of that team still in Cleveland is shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. He has seen some of these Indians over the years, though. Jason Giambi is 22 for 72 (.291) with four homers and seven walks. Nick Swisher has five extra-base hits off Halladay in 20 at-bats.

His counterpart is 6-foot-6 righty Zach McAllister, who has a 3.52 ERA and has averaged close to 8.0 K/9 since being traded to Cleveland from the Yankees in 2010 for Austin Kearns. (Good trade...)

McAllister walked five batters his last time out but doesn't typically struggle with control. He comes right at hitters with a 92-94 mph fastball that he's thrown 73% of the time this season. He also has a slider that comes in at about 78, and he doesn't fully trust his changeup, so he tends to stay with the fastball when ahead against lefties.

The Phillies are rolling right now, offensively and pitching-wise, and need to keep the momentum this week against two bad teams. The Indians are 10-13 and not pitching well, and after these two games come four at home with the woeful Marlins, who just placed Giancarlo Stanton on the DL Tuesday.

At the very least, this should be a 4-2 week for the Phillies. That would put them at 16-16 as they head out west for three at the Giants and four at the Diamondbacks.

As bad as April may have appeared, the Phillies are a mere game behind the Nationals and just 4.5 behind Atlanta, which snapped a four-game losing streak on Monday.

Prominent Phils prospects struggling at Triple A

There was plenty of excitement surrounding the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs this season. Many of the Phillies’ top prospects were set to start the year with their Triple A affiliate, coming together to form a team of highly touted, highly skilled players.

The first month has been rocky.

The ‘Pigs are 10-13, and four of the more well-known players have struggled in April.

Tyler Cloyd, who went 15-1 with a 2.26 ERA last season at Double A and Triple A, is 0-3 with a 6.67 ERA in five starts. He had pinpoint command last season and needs it – whether he’s at Lehigh Valley or Citizens Bank Park -- to compete with a mid-80s fastball. This year he’s walked 4.0 batters per nine.

Darin Ruf, who hit .317 with a 1.028 OPS, 38 homers, 32 doubles and 104 RBIs, is at .244, and that’s after an enormous offensive night. He set an Iron Pigs record on Sunday with 12 total bases in one game. Ruf was 4 for 5 with two homers and two doubles. Hopefully that was a clear sign of Ruf busting out of a slump. He didn't actually heat up last season until the summer months arrived.

Tommy Joseph, acquired from the Giants for Hunter Pence and viewed as the catcher of the future, is hitting .204 with a .259 OBP and eight passed balls in 17 games.

Ethan Martin, the former first-round righty the Phils obtained from the Dodgers for Shane Victorino at last year’s deadline, has struggled more than ever to throw strikes. He has 16 walks and an 8.31 ERA in 17 1/3 innings.

Obviously, it’s only a month into the season and at the minor-league level numbers aren’t as important as the positive signs players display. But there’s no getting past eight passed balls or inconsistency to throw strikes. Joseph and Martin certainly have enough time to right the ship. They both have the raw tools and pedigree. It’s just a matter of putting it together.

Ideally, two of these players are ready to contribute at the major-league level in the next two seasons.

Carlos Ruiz's return comes at the perfect time

The Phillies' offense finally clicked over the weekend in New York and the starting pitching has been excellent the last two cycles through the rotation, making this the perfect time for Carlos Ruiz to return to the field.

From an offensive standpoint, the upgrade from Erik Kratz and Humberto Quintero is enormous. Kratz and Quintero combined to hit .209 with a .567 OPS, 168 points lower than league-average. Kratz drove in just 4 of 43 baserunners. He struggled to block balls -- Kratz had just one passed ball, but four wild pitches came with him behind the plate and on several other occasions he failed to cleanly field pitches.

Ruiz last season hit .325/.394/.540. Only 13 catchers since 1900 and four since 2000 have had that high a batting average, OBP and slugging percentage in a season. Ruiz was an elite performer with runners in scoring position, as he's been throughout his career.

Even if Chooch doesn't reach those high offensive levels again this season, he'll contribute with doubles power and plate discipline. He has 179 walks and a .380 OBP since 2009.

Behind the plate, Ruiz's impact is immeasurable. Say what you will about game-calling and the management of pitchers -- all of these starters routinely praise Ruiz's acumen behind the plate and their words mean more than any from an armchair analyst. And blocking balls has always been his best skill, long before he became an offensive threat.

It's an exciting time to be getting Chooch back. The Phillies desperately need to recapture the identity they had in 2010 and 2011 and, if last week was any indication, the starting staff is well on its way.

Phils sweep Mets as Hamels gets first win

The Phillies won for the first time this season in a game started by Cole Hamels with the 5-1 victory over the Mets at CitiField on Sunday afternoon.

Headed into Sunday's game it was easy to decipher why Hamels hadn't notched a win. With all of 10 runs of support while he was on the mound in the first five games, Hamels couldn't afford many mistakes. But with five runs highlighted by Ryan Howard's pinch double in the game-breaking seventh, Hamels had some wiggle room.

Though he allowed just two hits and a run in six innings, Hamels walked six. Fortunately, Hamels struck out eight and was able to strand 14 runners. Meanwhile, the bullpen had his back, working three shutout innings to preserve the series sweep at CitiField.

Back to Howard: His double pushed his hitting streak to 10 games. Over the last five games Howard has 10 RBIs. During the hitting streak, Howard is 13 for 37 (.351) with three doubles and a pair of homers.

Additionally, Carlos Ruiz went 1 for 4 with a double in his season debut. Maybe he gets the credit for helping Hamels focus after walking six?

Next, the Phillies get a day off on Monday before opening a short, two-game series in Cleveland. Roy Halladay (2-2, 5.08) will start the opener.

Game 26: Chooch returns

Carlos Ruiz was reinstated on Sunday morning from his 25-game suspension as the Phillies look to sweep the three-game series against the Mets.

In Ruiz's absence, the Phillies catchers combined to bat .209 with a .242 on-base percentage and 21 strikeouts in 91 plate appearances. With Ruiz batting .303 over the last three seasons, including a career-best .325 last season, the Phillies badly need his return. In 114 games in 2012, Ruiz hit 16 homers with 68 RBIs and a robust .935 OPS.

Ruiz went 2 for 14 with a homer and a double in four games between Single-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading. He closed out his minor-league tuneup with a 1-for-2 showing on Saturday night for Reading.

Meanwhile, to clear space on the roster for Ruiz, the Phillies announced that Humberto Quintero had been designated for assignment. Erik Kratz, who handled the bulk of the catching with Ruiz serving his suspension, will remain with the team as the backup catcher.

Here's how the Phillies line up in Chooch's return:

1.) Jimmy Rollins, ss
2.) Kevin Frandsen, 1b
3.) Chase Utley, 2b
4.) Michael Young, 3b
5.) Carlos Ruiz,c
6.) Dom Brown, rf
7.) John Mayberry, cf
8.) Freddy Galvis, lf
9.) Cole Hamels, p

Ben Revere gets a third straight day off to rest his sore quad. Or maybe it's to get John Mayberry in the lineup against Mets' lefty Jonathan Niese. In 29 career plate appearances, Mayberry has nine hits with three homers.

Meanwhile, manager Charlie Manuel is giving lefty slugger Ryan Howard the day off against the lefty pitcher. Kevin Frandsen gets his secondt start of the season at first base and just his seventh appearance at first base in his career.

As long as guys are getting looks at different positions, Manuel decided to put Freddy Galvis in left field for the fourth time this season.

Let's hope everyone brought all their gloves.

Phillies pound Marcum, Mets 9-4

The Phillies jumped all over a debuting Shaun Marcum in the third inning and continued their offensive onslaught in the fifth against reliever Robert Carson, blasting the Mets, 9-4, to take their second road series of the season and improve to 11-14.

Dom Brown hit a three-run homer and John Mayberry followed with a solo shot against Carson. The Phillies had 12 hits and had the opportunity to score more, as they left seven men on base.

Jon Pettibone earned his first big-league win, even if he wasn't overly sharp. He allowed nine baserunners and three runs over five innings.

Michael Young had three more hits and is up to .353. Ryan Howard flew out to the warning track twice.

Two members of a beleagured bullpen had scoreless outings. Raul Valdes was perfect over two innings with a pair of strikeouts. Chad Durbin followed with a 1-2-3 frame of his own.

Tomorrow is Cole Hamels vs. Jon Niese at 1:10 p.m. on PHL17. The Phillies look for their first sweep of the season.

Pettibone takes another turn as Phils look to make it two in a row

Jonathan Pettibone gets a second turn as the Phillies look to make it two in a row over the Mets on Saturday afternoon.

The right-handed pitching prospect was solid in his big-league debut, allowing a pair of runs on six hits and no walks in 5 1/3 innings in the Phils' win over the Pirates. Pettibone will face the Mets with a little bit of a different lineup behind him than the last time he took the mound.

Once again, centerfielder Ben Revere is on the bench to nurse an achy quad muscle. John Mayberry will play centerfield.

Here's a look at the rest of the Phillies' lineup:

1.) Jimmy Rollins, ss
2.) Chase Utley, 2b
3.) Michael Young, 3b
4.) Ryan Howard, 1b
5.) Dom Brown, lf
6.) John Mayberry, cf
7.) Laynce Nix, rf
8.) Humberto Quintero, c
9.) Jonathan Pettibone, p

The Phillies will go up against the Mets' Shawn Marcum. Five of the players in the Phils' lineup have faced Marcum, including Howard who has three homers, three walks and seven RBIs off him in 11 plate appearances. Chase Utley also has a homer off Marcum in seven plate appearances.

Kendrick brilliant again in win over Mets

Kyle Kendrick had another great start Friday night at Citi Field, notching his second career shutout in a 4-0 Phillies win over the Mets.

Kendrick (2-1, 2.41) allowed just three hits and one walk. He's been lights out in his last seven road starts, pitching to a 1.10 ERA. This is the 31st time in his last 45 starts he's allowed two earned runs or fewer.

The Phils scored all four runs in the sixth inning, when Michael Young drove in a run with men on the corners and nobody out, then Ryan Howard followed with a three-run homer to center. It was Howard's fourth hit and fourth home run against Dillon Gee.

Over the last nine games, Jimmy Rollins is hitting .306, Chase Utley is hitting .344, Howard is at .370 and Young .310. But until tonight, they hadn't really been driving in runs.

The Phillies' rotation has been excellent the last cycle through. They have a 2.04 ERA, but this was the first win.

The win is the Phillies' eighth in their last 11 games at Citi Field. 

Revere out again; Utley slides back to 2-hole

A sore quad will keep Ben Revere out for a second straight game Friday night in New York. John Mayberry will make his first appearance of the season in center field against Mets right-hander Dillon Gee.

Chase Utley slides back into the two-hole, where he homered on Wednesday. Michael Young splits up Utley and Ryan Howard. The Phillies have four lefties, three righties and a switch-hitter in the lineup against Gee.

The Phillies have hit Gee hard over the years and desperately need a win. Another loss would give them their first 15-loss April in 11 seasons.

Phillies' lineup

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS (7 for 11 off Gee)
2) Chase Utley, 2B
3) Michael Young, 3B (4 for 5, two HR vs. Gee)
4) Ryan Howard, 1B (3 for 9, three HR vs. Gee)
5) Domonic Brown, LF
6) John Mayberry, CF (4 for 11, two HR vs. Gee)
7) Laynce Nix, RF
8) Erik Kratz, C
9) Kyle Kendrick, P (two ER or less in 30 of last 44 starts)

And for the Mets

1) Mike Baxter, RF
2) Ruben Tejada, SS
3) Daniel Murphy, 2B
4) David Wright, 3B
5) Lucas Duda, LF
6) John Buck, C
7) Ike Davis, 1B
8) Jordany Valdespin, CF
9) Dillon Gee, P

Gee’s ERA on the road is over 14.00, but at home it’s just 0.75 this season.

The Phillies have won seven of their last 10 games at Citi Field.

Friday stat-pack: Comical late-inning difficulties

Time to get depressed about an $160 million payroll that might be capable of 80 wins. Somehow, some way, the Phillies have been even worse in the late innings than they were in 2012...

• The Phillies have allowed the most eighth-inning runs in the National League.

• The bullpen has six losses and three holds. How is that even possible? No other NL team has fewer than seven holds.

• The bullpen has a 1.48 WHIP, worst in the majors.

• Phillippe Aumont is one of only two major-league relievers to have thrown at least 65 balls in fewer than 150 pitches. (Tom Gorzelanny is the other.)

• Some of the bullpen issues can be blamed on an offense that refuses to give it any breathing room. The Phillies have scored 19 runs in innings 4-6 of games, dead-last in the majors. The league-average is 32, and keep in mind that comes from many teams that have played fewer games than the Phillies.

• Think about that ... 19 runs in 69 fourth, fifth and sixth innings.

• But hey, at least it gets worse in innings 7-9, when the Phillies have an NL-low .252 on-base percentage. Nine walks, 59 strikeouts in innings 7-9.

• Seventh-worst record in baseball. Sixth-worst run differential. Eighth-fewest runs scored. Sixth-most runs allowed.

• Since 2000, only one NL team has made the playoffs with an OBP under .320 -- the 2012 Reds, who made up for it with tremendous power and an elite bullpen. It probably goes even farther back than 2000, but I was counting manually. The Phillies have a .301 team OBP, and were at .317 last year.

Can you see this Phillies team exceeding a .320 OBP? This look like a playoff team to you? These look like correctable problems to you?

To me, it looks like a team that needs a legitimately powerful five-hole hitter, a guy who gets on base at the top of the order and at least one more reliever who knows where the strike zone is. But that could just be me.

Phillies lose, drop three of four to Pirates

This wasn't how it was supposed to go.

The Phillies, throwing Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in a four-game series with the Pirates, ended up losing three of four to Pittsburgh after falling on Thursday, 6-4. The Phillies finished 3-5 in their eight-game homestand.

Thursday featured another Lee start with not a whole lot of run support. Granted, the Phillies did give Lee a pair of leads that he could not hold, which led to a second straight stomach-churning loss to the Pirates.

Handed a 3-1 advantage in the seventh inning, Lee walked his first batter of the day and it was costly. With two outs, Andrew McCutchen singled before Gaby Sanchez -- who homered earlier -- singled for his second RBI to make it 3-2 and force Lee into a first-and-third pickle.

Charlie Manuel then came out to speak with Lee. Manuel had Phillippe Aumont warming in the bullpen, but decided to stick with his lefty. Lee jumped out to an 0-2 count, but Michael McKenry served a bloop single to center to knot the score.

Aumont relieved Lee in the eighth and failed to keep the game tied. In succession, Aumont hit a batter, allowed two singles to load the bases before pinch-hitter Garrett Jones took the air out of Citizens Bank Park with a two-run double to give the Pirates the game and the series. Pittsburgh tacked on one more run in the eighth with a sac fly.

Heading into Wednesday night, the Phillies were 6-0 when leading after the sixth inning. Now? 6-2.

Before the unraveling of Lee and Aumont, Ryan Howard, who was hitting 2 for 17 (.118) with runners in scoring position, came up in the sixth with two in scoring position and put the Phillies ahead with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Domonic Brown plated Howard from third with a sac fly to center field. Previously, Brown was 0 for 3 with three strikeouts when hitting with a man on third and less than two outs.

That 3-1 lead, though, quickly evaporated.

The Phillies have now scored three runs in Lee's last 23 innings pitched. Lee finished with seven innings pitched, 10 hits, three earned runs, 122 pitches and a critical walk.

Amazingly, Pittsburgh won the four-game set despite its star outfielder McCutchen going 1 for 15.

The Phillies are now a season-worst five games below .500 (9-14) and head to New York for their first visit to Citi Field this season to take on the Mets. Here are the probable pitching matchups for the weekend series.

Friday -- Kyle Kendrick (1-1, 3.28) vs. Dilon Gee (1-3, 5.95)

Saturday -- Jonathan Pettibone (0-0, 3.38) vs. Shaun Marcum (first start)

Sunday -- Cole Hamels (0-3, 5.40) vs. Jonathon Niese (2-1, 3.81)

Utley back in third spot; Frandsen, Nix get starts

Despite two straight ugly losses, the Phillies can salvage a split in the four-game series on Thursday afternoon with Cliff Lee on the mound.

Charlie Manuel has been challenged to come up with different lineups through the first 23 games of the season. Thursday's game is no different. With center fielder Ben Revere struggling, Manuel gives Ezequiel Carrera a start.

Meanwhile, Laynce Nix and Kevin Frandsen also pick up a start to give John Mayberry and Michael Young the day off.

Here's how the Phillies line up against right-hander James McDonald and the Pirates:

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Kevin Frandsen, 3B
3. Chase Utley, 2B 
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Laynce Nix, RF
6. Dom Brown, LF
7. Ezequiel Carerra, CF
8. Erik Kratz, C
9. Cliff Lee, P

Utley is 4 for 6 with a homer and a pair of walks against McDonald. Ryan Howard is 3 for 4 with a homer while Jimmy Rollins is 3 for 9 with a solo homer.

In his career against the Pirates, Lee is 1-0 with a 3.05 ERA in three starts. He has 20 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings.

The Pirates lineup:

1. Starling Marte, LF
2. Brandon Inge, 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen, CF
4. Gaby Sanchez, 1B
5. Michael McKenry, C
6. Pedro Alvarez, 3B
7. Jose Tabata, RF
8. Clint Barmes, SS
9. James McDonald, P

Inge has three career homers off Lee and is 16 for 43 (.372) against the Phils' lefty. Inge has also whiffed 15 times against Lee.

Bullpen implodes behind Halladay in 5-3 loss

Roy Halladay was excellent for the third straight time, but the Phillies' bullpen failed them, allowing four runs in innings 7-9 in a 5-3 loss to the Pirates.

Leading 3-2 in the top of the eighth, the Phils turned to Mike Adams, who had allowed just two runs in 10 outings. He walked Jose Tabata, and Starling Marte reached on an infield single. Travis Snider smoked a single to right to tie the game, and Brandon Inge put Pittsburgh ahead two batters later with an RBI single against Jeremy Horst.

It was just the second time in 369 career appearances that Adams allowed at least four baserunners without recording an out.

The loss drops the Phillies to 9-13. They had scoring opportunities again, but went 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position and wasted a first-and-third, no-out situation for the second straight night. The Phils also did it earlier this season in the ninth inning against the Cardinals.

Chase Utley, in his first appearance in the two-hole, hit a towering homer to the second deck in right field. Ryan Howard hit one to a similar spot in the fourth.

The Phillies hit Wandy Rodriguez (9 hits, 2 BBs, 3 ER in 5.2 IP) but were stymied again by the Bucs' 8-9 combo of Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli.

Michael Young had his 14-game hit streak snapped. Young had exactly one hit in each of the last 12 games of the streak.

Young and Ben Revere each hit into double plays, giving the Phillies an NL-leading 23. For Young, it was his major-league leading 7th GIDP. It was Revere's fourth of the season; he had just eight all of last year.

Revere is not an ideal seventh batter. He continues to come up in RBI spots and he just isn't that guy. Everything he hits is on the ground. He came in with by far the highest groundball rate in MLB (75.8%) and he hit three grounders and an infield fly.

It's crazy looking at Revere's game log. He's put the ball in the air in consecutive at-bats just TWO times all season.

Lineup shakeup: Utley finally bats second

Chase Utley is in the two-hole, where he probably belongs, for the first time this season Wednesday night against Pirates lefty Wandy Rodriguez.

Batting Utley two and Michael Young three makes sense. It puts the Phillies' two highest OBP guys at the moment in position to get on base for Ryan Howard, who at some point has to drive in a run or two. Utley has a .350 OBP and Young is at .400. Phillies second batters this season have an unimpressive .286 on-base percentage.

Of course, Young batting third might result in another double play or six. He leads the majors with six GIDPs.

The Phillies need some sort of jolt to a stagnant offense, and hopefully this mini shakeup is it. Rodriguez has been tough against all hitters in 2013, but this batting order at least forces him to change up his pitch selection on a batter-to-batter basis. By batting Utley two, the Phillies go righty-lefty-righty-lefty-righty-lefty-lefty-righty. Might not matter, but Rodriguez does use his curveball far more against lefties, so this may keep him from getting into a groove with the pitch.

John Mayberry, who has just 11 plate appearances vs. lefties this season, bats in the five-hole previously occupied by Young. Mayberry hit a triple off lefty Jeff Locke last night and owns an .878 career OPS against lefties, so this needs to be a big game for him.

Phillies lineup

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) Chase Utley, 2B
3) Michael Young, 3B
4) Ryan Howard, 1B (driven in just 5 of 43 baserunners)
5) John Mayberry, RF
6) Domonic Brown, LF
7) Ben Revere, CF
8) Humberto Quintero (4th straight time catching Halladay)
9) Roy Halladay

Remember when the Phillies actually hit?

The Phillies have scored two or fewer runs 10 times in 21 games. The 21 double plays they've grounded into leads the National League. They don't walk, they don't hit home runs, and they hit more grounders than every NL team except the Padres.

Want to know why the Phillies can't score? That's why they can't score. They can't make a difference with one swing, they don't have enough ways of putting runners on, and when they do they're making weak contact.

We all used to bitch about the strikeouts. But wouldn't you take that true outcome if you could have the other two, like you once did with Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth? The Phillies had the fifth-most walks in baseball from 2007-11. The last two years they're toward the bottom.

From 2007-11 the Phils barely hit into double plays. They averaged 110 per season, fourth-fewest in MLB. Why? They barely hit anything on the ground, period. During that span only two NL teams hit more grounders than the Phillies. Since Opening Day 2012, only the Padres have hit more.

Michael Young leads the majors with six GIDPs. Erik Kratz has four. Ben Revere -- who has an enormous lead in groundball rate at 75.8% but just two infield hits -- has grounded into three double plays.

For several years, the Phillies have traded off power, patience and the side effect of strikeouts for more contact. But that contact is significantly weaker contact and this lineup is a significantly weaker lineup.

No, I'm not saying the Phillies should have matched the Nats' silly offer for Werth, but they absolutely should have made a run at Josh Willingham or Carlos Beltran after 2011. Both signed bargains and both have produced. Willingham hit 35 homers last year and has a .370 OBP since signing a three-year, $21 million deal with Minnesota. Beltan hit 32 last season and has an .839 OPS with the Cards.

There was also Nick Swisher this offseason, but the Phillies didn't even pursue him.

No, the move they did make was trading their best position player prospect in years (Jonathan Singleton, whose best skills just so happen to be power and plate discipline) for Hunter Pence. Pence helped in 2011 but perfectly exemplifies the organizational trend of swing, swing, swinging no matter what.

It's frustrating to re-live these situations, because I'm sure many of you wanted Willingham, or a player like him, multiple times over the past several seasons. This weak offense is a result of shunning those skills.

We're left with an offense that needs BABIP luck to be successful.

Phillies waste Hamels' gem in shutout loss to Bucs

Cole Hamels turned in his finest performance of the season on Tuesday night at the Bank against the Pirates. The problem was, the Phillies' bats offered no help in a 2-0 loss.

There wasn't too much Cole Hamels did wrong against the Pirates on Tuesday night. However, the Pittsburgh Pirates didn't need much help to beat the Phillies.

Gaby Sanchez hit a solo homer in the eighth inning and Brandon Inge doubled in a run in the fourth for all the offense the game saw. As a result Hamels' gem was wasted.

Hamels pitched eight innings and threw 118 pitches (82 strikes), allowing just those two runs on seven hits and a walk. Though he whiffed six hitters and lowered his ERA from 6.46 to 5.40, Hamels saw his record fall to 0-3 as the Phillies fell to 0-5 in his starts.

At the plate, the Phillies got a pinch single from Laynce Nix, a single from Michael Young (to push his hitting streak to 14 games), a double from Ryan Howard and a triple from John Mayberry.

That's it.

Mayberry's triple came to open the bottom of the fourth, but when Dom Brown was hit by a pitch, Mayberry was thrown out at the plate on a ground ball hit by Ben Revere to Inge at third base. Gone was the Phils' best scoring opportunity as the club batted 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position.

For the Pirates, lefty starter Jeff Locke gave up a pair of hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out six hitters to improve to 2-1.

The series continues on Wednesday night when lefty Wandy Gonzalez (2-0, 0.56) takes on Roy Halladay (2-2, 6.04).

Utley off; Young bats third vs. Jeff Locke

Chase Utley gets his second off day of the year Tuesday against Pirates left-hander Jeff Locke. Michael Young bats third for the first time this season against a pitcher who has struggled in each of his three starts.

Locke has a 5.17 ERA this season and has walked four batters in two of his three starts. He has a low-90s fastball, a curve and a change. Lefties have hit the curve very well this season, swinging and missing just once. The changeup has never been too effective; the opposition has a .340 lifetime average off of it.

The Phillies look to build on last night's victory, which was the first of the season that fits the blueprint laid out over the winter. Mike Adams notched his first hold, pitching in between Antonio Bastardo and Jonathan Papelbon, who saved his fourth game. It was the Phils' third one-run victory of the season.

Cole Hamels (0-2, 6.46) looks to continue his solid work while finding better command. Hamels has walked 9 batters in his last 18 2/3 innings. He has a 1.57 ERA with just 13 hits allowed in 23 innings in his last starts vs. Pittsburgh.

The Phillies have dominated the Pirates at CBP since 2002, going 27-10.

Tonight's lineup

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) Freddy Galvis, 2B
3) Michael Young, 3B
4) Ryan Howard, 1B
5) John Mayberry, RF
6) Domonic Brown, LF
7) Ben Revere, CF
8) Erik Kratz, C
9) Cole Hamels, P

Pirates lineup

1) Starling Marte, LF
2) Jose Tabata, RF
3) Andrew McCutchen, CF
4) Gaby Sanchez, 1B
5) Russell Martin, C
6) Neil Walker, 2B
7) Brandon Inge, 3B
8) Clint Barmes, SS
9) Jeff Locke, P

Pettibone first Phillies SP in 15 years not to give up walk in debut

We love big-league debuts. Better yet, we really love comparing the debuts of Phillies pitchers over the recent past. 

So with Jonathan Pettibone getting his first look-see as a big leaguer on Monday night against the Pirates, what better excuse to dig up the digits from some of the more notable opening nights for some Phillies starting pitchers?

How Pettibone stacks up against a few other Phillies’ draft picks in their debuts appears below, but it's worth specific note that he is the first Phillies starter in 15 years to make his debut without surrending a walk: 

Jonathan Pettibone vs. Pirates on April 22, 2013: 5.1, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 6 K for ND

Tyler Cloyd vs. Mets on Aug. 12, 2012: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 5 K for Loss. 

Antonio Bastardo vs. Padres on June 2, 2009: 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K for Win

J.A. Happ vs. Mets on June 30, 2007: 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 5 K for Loss.

Kyle Kendrick vs. White Sox on June 13, 2007: 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 4 K for a ND

Scott Mathieson vs. Devil Rays on June 17, 2006: 6 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 5 K for Loss 

Cole Hamels vs. Reds on May 12, 2006: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 5 BB, 7 K for ND 

Gavin Floyd vs. Mets on Sept. 3, 2004: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 4 BB, 5 K for Win

Brett Myers at Cubs on July 24, 2002: 8 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K for Win 

Brandon Duckworth vs. Padres on Aug., 7, 2001: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 4 K for Win

David Coggin at Expos on June 23, 2000: 6 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 4 K for Win 

Randy Wolf vs. Blue Jays on June 11, 1999: 5.2 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K for Win

Carlton Loewer vs. Cubs on June 14, 1998: 9 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 8 K for Win

For those asking, Vance Worley's major-league debut was actually as a reliever. He threw 20 pitches and did not allow a baserunner in the ninth inning of a 10-2 Phillies win on July 24, 2009.

Pettibone debuts, sets up Phillies for win

Jonathan Pettibone made his big-league debut, pitched well and gave the Phillies a chance to win Monday night.

The Phillies took advantage by grabbing a one-run lead in the sixth and letting their bullpen do the rest for a 3-2 win over the Pirates.

Pettibone, 22, showed some good things right from the start. After giving up a leadoff double on his second pitch of the game, Pettibone impressively saw his way out of it. A fly ball moved Pittsburgh's Starling Marte to third with one out. Pirates All-Star outfielder Andrew McCutchen then worked a 3-0 count, but Pettibone came back to strike him out looking. John Mayberry helped Pettibone finish of his first major-league inning by making a diving grab running towards the right-field line.

The 6-foot-6, 225-pound Pettibone gave up a pair of solo home runs, but overall, he seemed to have kept his nerves in check and was confident in his stuff. He gave the Phillies 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball, punched out six, walked none and did it in 83 pitches. He even scored the Phillies' first run after walking and eventually crossing the plate on a wild pitch by A.J. Burnett.

The Phillies did enough offensively, but again, left many on base (8) and went 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position. Two of their three runs came with an assist from Burnett. One being the wild pitch, while the other was plunking Jimmy Rollins in the leg on a 2-2 pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Despite his nice catch in the first, Mayberry did not have himself a good night at the plate. The 29-year-old is seeing more starts against right-handers because of his early success against them. He came into Monday hitting .323 (10 for 31) off righties. On Monday, though, he went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts. Even worse, with runners in scoring position, Mayberry went 0 for 3 and left seven of the Phillies' eight stranded runners on base.

The offensive shortcomings, however, gave the Phillies' relievers some important innings. Antonio Bastardo pitched a scoreless seventh and has now thrown 7 1/3 innings without surrendering a run. Mike Adams saw his first opportunity for a hold and made it look easy. He pitched a 1-2-3 frame in 12 pitches, recording a strikeout, a weak grounder to himself and a foul out to first base. Jonathan Papelbon came on to shut the door for his fourth save in as many opportunities.

Raul Valdes earned the win after relieving Pettibone in the sixth. Rollins went 2 for 3 and collected the Phillies' go-ahead, RBI hit in the sixth with two outs. Rollins is now 5 for 8 in his last two games. Domonic Brown, after hearing some harsh criticism from fans on Sunday for letting a ball drop in front of him, made some solid plays in the field and fired a strike right on the second-base bag to throw out Russell Martin, who was trying to stretch a single into a double in the third inning.

The Phillies improved to 9-11 with their second straight win and turn to Cole Hamels to try and make it three in a row. Hamels, who is winless through his first four starts for the first time since 2009, opposes Pittsburgh's Jeff Locke (1-1, 5.17).

Minor-league report
Jesse Biddle, the Phillies' up-and-coming, 21-year-old prospect, dominated on Monday night at Double A Reading. The Phillies' No. 1 prospect dazzled the Harrisburg Senators, hurling a perfect game through six innings before giving up a walk and a hit in the seventh. His final line: 7 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 16 K, (104 pitches, 74 strikes).

Burnett maturing; bench producing; same lineup

The Phillies take on A.J. Burnett on Monday night in the opener of a four-game series with the Pirates. The Phils are 26-10 against the Bucs at home since 2001, and have hit Burnett regularly through the years. But this isn't the same A.J. Burnett.

Burnett has drastically cut down his walk totals since joining the Pirates. His 2.8 BB/9 last year was the lowest full-season walk rate of his career. The result was a 3.51 ERA, his lowest since 2005.

Burnett is off to a tremendous start again in 2013, with an NL-leading 35 strikeouts and just eight walks in 24 innings. The most remarkable aspect of his game is that he does this all with a hard fastball that sinks. He was fourth in the majors last season in groundball rate, and of the 938 batters he's faced the last two seasons, exactly 500 have struck out or grounded out. Kind of crazy.

The Phillies struggled after the first inning last night against sinkerballer Jake Westbrook. They made 10 outs on the ground in innings 2-6. Tonight could be more of the same, as Westbrook's stuff isn't even in the same realm as Burnett.

Expect to see a lefty-heavy lineup. Righties are just 7-for-49 (.143) off Burnett this year with 1 walk and 22 strikeouts.

How 'bout the bench?

The Phillies' bench was seen as a weakness coming into the season. Not a lot of power, mediocre backup catcher, no elite pinch-runner. But the bench has actually been the best in the National League.

Phillies pinch-hitters are 10-for-32 this season, but more impressive than the .313 batting average is the NL-leading .656 slugging percentage and major-league leading 10 RBIs.

Laynce Nix worked a brilliant, 10-pitch at-bat off Fernando Salas on Sunday night that led to a game-tying RBI double. Kevin Frandsen may have a walk-off double under his belt, but Nix has been the standout pinch-hitter so far. Nix is 5-for-10 with two homers, a double and 5 RBIs as a pinch-hitter, and 3-for-22 with no extra-base hits or RBIs as a starter.

Phillies lineup

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) John Mayberry, RF (leads Phils in OBP, SLG)
3) Chase Utley, 2B
4) Ryan Howard, 1B
5) Michael Young, 3B
6) Domonic Brown, LF
7) Ben Revere, CF
8) Erik Kratz, C
9) Jon Pettibone, P

Pirates lineup

1) Starling Marte, LF
2) Travis Snider, RF
3) Andrew McCutchen, CF (6 SB leads NL)
4) Garrett Jones, 1B
5) Neil Walker, 2B
6) Pedro Alvarez, 3B (hitting .125)
7) Russell Martin, C
8) Clint Barmes, SS
9) A.J. Burnett, P

Revere, Kratz halt struggles to lift Phillies

It was unlikely heroes propelling the Phillies on Sunday night.

Ben Revere and Erik Kratz, both scuffling at the plate, delivered clutch hits to turn a 3-3 deadlock in the eighth inning into a 7-3 Phillies win over the Cardinals.

With runners on first and third and one out in the second half of the eighth, Revere lined a laser up the middle to plate the go-ahead run. And before you could blink, Kratz crushed a three-run home run to deep left field on the very next pitch, putting the game away and sending the Phillies to 8-11 overall.

Prior to their timely hits, Revere and Kratz's batting averages were hovering just above the Mendoza line (.200). The speedy Revere lost his leadoff duties and grounded into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the sixth, while Kratz came into Sunday hitting .192 with an on-base percentage of .189.

In Sunday's win, however, they combined to go 3 for 8 and knocked in four of the Phillies' seven runs.

Before Revere and Kratz's heroics, Laynce Nix continued his terrific work pinch hitting. With the Phillies trailing 3-2 in the seventh, Nix came off the bench and tatooed an RBI double to left-center field to set up the Phillies' big eighth. Nix grinded out a 10-pitch at-bat before coming through with the game-tying base knock. The 32-year-old is now 5 for 10 with five RBIs as a pinch-hitter this season.

It wasn't all gravy, though, for the Phillies on Sunday.

Take away Revere and Kratz in the eighth, the Phillies are 1 for 10 with runners in scoring position instead of finishing 3 for 12.

Middle relief was an issue entering Sunday night and it only got worse. Chad Durbin inherited two runners in the seventh and let one score to give the Cardinals a 3-2 lead. The veteran right-hander has now inherited nine runners thus far, eight of which have scored.

The defense was also a bit shaky.

Here are some of the pluses aside from the aforementioned Revere and Kratz:

• Kyle Kendrick labored early (50 pitches in first two innings), but threw his third consecutive quality start (6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 6 K, 1 BB).

• Jimmy Rollins went 3 for 5 in the leadoff spot. It was his first three-hit game of 2013.

• Mike Adams earned the win by breezing through the eighth (nine pitches, six strikes).

• The Phillies worked four walks against St. Louis starter Jake Westbrook.

• Michael Young extended his hitting streak to 12 games with an infield single in the eighth inning.

The Phillies now welcome the Pittsburgh Pirates to Citizens Bank Park for a four-game set. Here are the probable pitching matchups:

Monday -- RH A.J. Burnett (1-2, 2.63) vs. RH Jonathan Pettibone (MLB debut)

Tuesday -- LH Jeff Locke (1-1, 5.17) vs. LH Cole Hamels (0-2, 6.46)

Wednesday -- LH Wandy Rodriguez (2-0, 0.56) vs. RH Roy Halladay (2-2, 6.04)

Thursday -- RH James McDonald (2-2, 4.12) vs. LH Cliff Lee (2-1, 2.83)

Game chat: Howard back, Pettibone to pitch Monday

The Phillies get back a Big Piece for Sunday night's matchup with the Cardinals.

Ryan Howard, who was sidelined the previous two games because of a sore groin, returns to Charlie Manuel's lineup and will hit fourth.

Before missing a pair of games, the Phillies' first baseman was in the midst of rebounding from another slow start. Entering an April 9 game vs. the Mets, Howard was hitting .148. Since then, he's batting .371 to improve his overall average to .274. During that span, however, Howard knocked in just one run. The Phillies desperately need his bat to produce runs.

John Mayberry, who's 5 for his last 12, will bat in the two-hole behind Jimmy Rollins. Ben Revere (.211 AVG, .253 OBP) remains in the No. 7 spot, while Erik Kratz is behind the plate to catch Kyle Kendrick.

The Phillies are up against Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook, who ERA-wise, has been perfect through 15 2/3 innings thus far. The 35-year-old righty is 2-1 (five starts) lifetime against the Phillies with a 4.39 ERA.

Phillies lineup

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. John Mayberry, RF
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Michael Young, 3B
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. Ben Revere, CF
8. Erik Kratz, C
9. Kyle Kendrick, P

Pettibone to start Monday
There will be a major-league debut on Monday night at Citizens Bank Park.

Jonathan Pettibone, a 22-year-old right-hander, will make his first MLB start for the Phillies against the Pirates. He's filling the void left by the injured John Lannan, who is expected to miss six to eight weeks with a quad strain. A roster move to make room for Pettibone will be made Monday.

Pettibone was selected in the third round by the Phillies in the 2008 MLB amateur draft. The 6-foot-6, 225-pounder went 4-1 in seven starts last season at Triple A Lehigh Valley. He posted a 2.55 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 22 walks.

Per CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury, Manuel had this to say regarding the young righty: "He's young. He's got a future ahead of him."

Lee takes first loss, bats silent again vs. Cards

One night after scoring eight runs and limiting the Cardinals to two hits, the Phillies flopped as Cliff Lee gave up five runs in just five innings and the offense was shut out in a 5-0 loss to the Red Birds.

Lee entered the game having walked just one batter in 23 1/3 innings. He also led baseball with a 73.3 percent first-pitch strike rating.

But on Saturday, Lee was uncharacteristically wild — particularly in the third inning, when he walked the bases loaded.

With two outs in the frame, he allowed a line-drive single to Allen Craig that scored Pete Kozma and Shane Robinson. Yadier Molina and David Freese each followed with singles of their own to make it 4-0 before Lee finally struck out Daniel Descalso to end it. The left-hander needed 41 pitches to get through the inning.

Lee finished with a line of five innings, seven hits, five runs (all earned), five strikeouts and three walks. He gave up a long solo homer in the fifth to Carlos Beltran, who went deep on the Phillies for the third straight night.

But Lee could've pitched a gem in this one and it wouldn't have mattered.

The Phillies didn't pick up their first hit off Cardinals starter Lance Lynn until the fifth inning. It was the only hit Lynn allowed in seven frames, during which he fanned eight batters and walked three. Michael Young went 0 for 3 with three whiffs before managing to extend his hitting streak to 11 games with a single in the ninth.

Excluding Friday's 8-2 romp over St. Louis, the Phillies have scored just 10 runs in their last seven games.

If you're looking for some positives, there was Phillipe Aumont, who didn't walk a batter for the first time all season. In two perfect innings, he struck out two and tossed 20 of 30 pitches for strikes.

There was also Freddy Galvis' impressive catch to lead off the game and rob Robinson of extra bases. But that's about it.

Sunday night, the Phillies will look to salvage a split when Kyle Kendrick squares off against Jake Westbrook.

Game chat: Howard sitting, Galvis in left again

Ryan Howard, who is considered day-to-day with a groin strain, will be out of the lineup for the second straight game. Meanwhile, Freddy Galvis is back in left field and starting for the sixth time in the last eight games.

Galvis made some plays in the outfield on Friday night — his spectacular diving catch on a Matt Holliday line drive to left comes to mind — and clearly Charlie Manuel is comfortable putting him out there.

Freddy's glove hasn't been his only hot commodity, as he's hit .412 in his last six games (five of which were starts), going 7 for 17 with a double, homer and three RBIs. And he's only struck out once while drawing two walks.

Interestingly, Galvis is the only man in Saturday's lineup who did not pick up a base knock in Friday's hit parade, other than obviously Domonic Brown and Erik Kratz, who did not play.

Michael Young will be in the cleanup spot as Howard nurses a sore groin. John Mayberry will start at first in place of Howard.

Here is Manuel's starting nine:

Phillies lineup

1) Jimmy Rollins, SS
2) Freddy Galvis, LF
3) Chase Utley, 2B
4) Michael Young, 3B
5) Domonic Brown, RF
6) John Mayberry Jr., 1B
7) Ben Revere, CF
8) Erik Kratz, C
9) Cliff Lee, P

Cardinals lineup

1) Shane Robinson, CF
2) Carlos Beltran, RF
3) Matt Holliday, LF
4) Allen Craig, 1B
5) Yadier Molina, C
6) David Freese, 3B
7) Daniel Descalso, 2B
8) Pete Kozma, SS
9) Lance Lynn, P

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