Here we go again: Phillies put up 20 spot on Cardinals

(AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

In late May, the Phillies scored 20 runs against the Colorado Rockies. Tonight, the Phillies repeated that effort, beating the St. Louis Cardinals 20-2.

3 Up
1. Phillies go back to back to back The Phillies offense starting early and didn't quit. In the first inning, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell combined for back to back to back homers off Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer:


2. Phils put up 9 runs in the 4th The offense erupted again in the 4th inning where the Phillies sent 15 batters to the plate and got 7 hits, walked 5 times and scored 9 runs. Here is the play by play from the inning:

Philadelphia - Top of 4th	SCORE
Todd Wellemeyer pitching for St. Louis	PHI	STL
C Ruiz grounded out to second.	4	1
K Kendrick hit a ground rule double to deep left.	4	1
J Rollins walked.	4	1
S Victorino singled to right, K Kendrick to third, J Rollins to second.	4	1
C Utley singled to center, K Kendrick and J Rollins scored, S Victorino to second.	6	1
R Villone relieved T Wellemeyer.	6	1
R Howard singled to center, S Victorino scored, C Utley to second.	7	1
P Burrell walked, C Utley to third, R Howard to second.	7	1
G Jenkins hit sacrifice fly to left, C Utley scored.	8	1
P Feliz walked, R Howard to third, P Burrell to second.	8	1
C Ruiz hit a ground rule double to deep right center, R Howard and P Burrell scored, P Feliz to third.	10	1
K Kendrick singled to center, P Feliz scored, C Ruiz scored, K Kendrick to second on throwing error by center fielder R Ankiel.	12	1
J Rollins walked.	12	1
S Victorino doubled to deep left, K Kendrick scored, J Rollins to third.	13	1
C Utley walked.	13	1
R Howard struck out swinging.	13	1
9 Runs, 7 Hits, 1 Errors

3. Howard homers twice After hitting the second of the back to back to back home runs in the first inning, Ryan Howard connected again for a 3-run shot in the 6th:

It was a good homecoming for Howard, considering he finished the night 3 for 5 with 5 RBIs and 4 runs scored. He also struck out twice.

3 Down
1. J-Roll hitless Jimmy Rollins was the only Phillie starter to not get a hit. He still drew three walks and scored a run.

2. Cardinals issue 8 walks The Cardinals pitching was terrible all night. It got so bad that they were forced to use second baseman Aaron Miles in the 9th inning. Miles did manage to pitch a one-two-three inning to finish off the game.

3. Cardinals ejections Three Cardinals were ejected in tonight's game, including pitcher Russ Springer, Manager Tony La Russa and Third Base Coach Jose Oquendo. La Russa was particularly heated after Springer was tossed for "throwing at" Ryan Howard in the 8th inning. The pitch looked like it just slipped out of Springer's hand so La Russa was justified in getting upset.

Phillies go back to back to back against Cardinals

The Phillies offense is exploding again tonight (13 runs through 4 innings), including back to back to back home runs by Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell in the first inning against the Cardinals:

Add in a 9 run 4th inning where 15 players stepped up to the plate and you have the makings of a huge night. More on the game later.

Eagles make a number of roster moves

Following OTA's, the Eagles roster is finally starting to take shape. The Eagles cut nine players and signed one, trimming their roster from 88 players to 80. The one player signed was defensive tackle Kimo von Oelhoffen, who has played 15 years in the NFL, including last season with the Birds. von Oelhoffen is really old, but he will be a serviceable part and a veteran presence who will help. Hopefully he doesn't play too much because if the team is forced to use him a lot they likely are in a dire situation.

Here are the nine players cut:
LB Gary Butler
DT Jeremy Clark
CB Tanard Davis
WR Terrell Golden
QB Casey Hansen
DE Xzavie Jackson
DT LaJuan Ramsey
DE A.J. Schable
LB Markell Staffieri

Clark, Davis, Jackson and Ramsey all were either on the roster or the practice squad last season while the rest of the cuts were rookie free agents. Ramsey is the most surprising of the group, but with the re-signing of von Oelhoffen and the drafting of Trevor Laws there is no room for him.

Moyer's gem salvages a win over Marlins

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Tonight's game was all about Jamie Moyer. There is no need for my usual article that includes the 3 Up and 3 Down from the game, Moyer was the game. He pitched 5 and 1/3rds no-hit innings to help lead the Phillies to a 3-0 win over Florida. Moyer ended up giving up only 2 hits in his 8 total innings. The veteran lefty was at his craftiest, confusing the young Marlins hitters with his vast array of slow pitches. Brad Lidge also earned his 18th save of the season.

The win tonight was big because it means the 1st place Phillies avoided being swept by the 2nd place Marlins. The Phils now have a 3 game lead over the Marlins, a gap that seems huge compared to the meager one game lead the would have had if they lost. Even more impressive is the 7.5 game lead they have over the fading Braves and Mets.

The Phils have a tough stretch coming up. This weekend they go to St Louis to take on the surprising Cardinals, then they head home next week for interleague play against two first place teams: the Red Sox and Angels. This will be a tough stretch for the Phils, finishing it with a .500 or better record would have to be considered an accomplishment.

Fish Fry Flash: Uggla's Slam beats Phillies

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

The second best second baseman in baseball, Dan Uggla, won Wednesday's game for the Marlins by hitting a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning off Tom Gordon. The game was a pitchers duel up until that point, and the Marlins won their second straight against the Phillies by a score of 6-2.

3 Up
1. King Cole (again) Cole Hamels pitched his second straight masterful game, striking out 13 batters in 8 innings. He did give up two solo homers on the night, but he certainly pitched better than the last time he faced the Marlins and gave up 7 runs. The lack of a Phillie offense killed his chances of earning a much-deserved win.

2. Miller also shines Andrew Miller's performance was overshadowed by Hamels' dominance, but he also pitched a gem, giving up only 4 hits and 1 run across 7 innings. Miller shut down one of the top offenses in baseball despite carrying a 5.65 ERA into the game. If the Marlins can get performances like that they are going to be a tough team down the stretch.

3. Cantu can-do Cheesy title here, but Jorge Cantu continues to own the Phillies this season. He hit two homers today off Cole Hamels after hitting one yesterday off Brett Myers. He also hit one off Hamels when they played back in May, giving him 4 homers in 5 games against the Phillies.

3 Down
1. Fish fry Flash Could it be anyone else but Tom Gordon? With the score tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth, Dan Uggla connected on a game-winning home run off Gordon:

Just a terrible outing by Gordon tonight. He walked two batters and gave up a hit to load the bases and then couldn't pitch himself out of the mess he created. Perhaps Brad Lidge should have been brought in to shut things down? Gordon now has an ERA of 5.19 on the season.

2. Phillies offense MIA I know I praised Andrew Miller for shutting down the Phillies, but the Phillies can't get anything going off Andrew Miller? They managed to squeak one run out in the 9th when Kevin Gregg came in but how do they only score 2 runs all game?

3. Kline released The Phillies announced today that they released left hander Steve Kline. Kline had been pitching for the Iron Pigs and was thought to be a possible candidate as a second lefty in the bullpen for the Phils. Unfortunately, a 5.16 ERA in Triple A and a suspension for bumping an ump won't get you to the big leagues any time soon. Guess he isn't the answer I thought he would be back in April when he signed.

Marlins take the first one over Philllies

(AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

The Phillies started an important three game stretch tonight with the second place Marlins and they came up short in the first game of the series, losing 5-4 in Florida.

3 Up
1. Fightin' Fish I am one of probably many who doubted that the Marlins were for real but as they continue to win, we have to start looking at them as a serious contender. With the Braves and Mets already fading in the Phillies rear view, the Marlins are the only team that has managed to keep up. With tonight's win, the Marlins are within 3 games of first place and have a record of six games over .500. Watching the game today I got a good idea why they have been successful. They have a bunch of guys who can hit for power (5 players with 10 or more homers), several quality starters and an above average closer. The scariest part of the team is their bats, with superstar Hanley Ramirez and the 2nd best 2nd baseman in the game, Dan Uggla anchoring the line-up. These Marlins appear to be for real, and with New York and Atlanta disappointing, the Fish might be the only competition the Phils will have in their quest to repeat as NL East Champs.

2. Nolasco owns Phils Ricky Nolasco has proven to be a thorn in the Phillies side. Back on May 31st, Nolasco beat the Phillies by giving up only 2 runs in 6 and 2/3rds innings. Tonight, Nolasco did even better, giving up no earned runs across 6 innings of work. Nolasco did end up allowing 3 unearned runs across the plate, but those were due to bad fielding plays. Nolasco is just another in the long line of no-name pitchers who seem to have the Phillies' number

3. Rollins, Burrell homer The Phils did manage two homers on the night, including this one by Rollins in the 5th inning:

Rollins hasn't really lit the world on fire this season but he now has two homers in his last three games after only hitting 3 through the first two months of the season.

3 Down
1. Myers' W-L record Brett Myers continues to have an up and down season and tonight's effort was another one on the down side. In 5 and 1/3rds innings, Myers gave up 7 hits and walked 4 batters and gave up 3 homers. Myers' record now moves to 3-8, an ugly number for an Opening Day starter. He still has plenty of time to bounce back, but he may never re-gain the form he once had before he was a closer.

2. Victorino's 0-fer After being the hero in the series against the Atlanta Braves, Shane Victorino didn't start off this series with the same effort, going 0 for 5 and making the last out of the game with a runner standing at second base. He ended up stranding 4 runners in all in the game.

3. Howard's K's Just thought I would point out that Howard struck out two more times tonight and is currently on pace for 218 strikeouts on the season. I know his hitting has improved lately, but that's just an astounding amount of K's.