Howard powers Phillies over Red Sox

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Ryan Howard was the story in tonight's win, hitting a pair of homers and a triple to lead the Phillies over the Red Sox, 8-2.

3 Up
1. Howard's big night Ryan Howard went 3 for 5, driving in 4 runs and scoring twice. He hit two homers, which was enough to make it a special night, but he also added a rare triple:

It was Howard's second triple of the season. He also struck out twice in the game, but I doubt anyone is going to complain.

2. Hamels goes 7 strong Cole Hamels looked dominant at times in going 7 innings and giving up only two runs on a pair of back to back homers. Hamels changed speeds effectively and seemed to frustrate the Boston hitters who couldn't figure out what pitch was coming next. Chad Durbin also pitched in two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

3. Burrell's triple Not to be outdone by Ryan Howard's triple, Pat Burrell added a triple of his own:

It was Burrell's first triple of the season and his first since August of 2006. I can honestly say I have never seen Burrell run that fast, I am surprised he didn't get hurt rounding second. So the Phillies ended up with two triples in the game, one by Howard and the other by Burrell. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino should be ashamed that the two big guys got three baggers and they didn't!

3 More Ups, because they weren't any Downs tonight for the Phillies!

1. The Phillie Phaithful For continuing to boo J.D. Drew whenever he comes to town. Unfortunately he did connect for a homer, but he deserves everything we Phillie fans can give him for spurning the team more than ten years ago.

2. J-Roll's power surge Jimmy Rollins might finally be finding his power stroke again. He hit a homer tonight to lead off the game, just his sixth home run of the season but his third in his last nine games.

3. Hamels' quote In the write-up on ESPN.com about the game, Cole Hamels gave the quote of the night when asked about the Red Sox:

"I believe we're destined to play each other in the World Series," Hamels said. "We can compete with them any day of the week."

Phillies vs. Red Sox in the World Series would make for a great match-up. While Cole would be ready for it, I just hope the rest of the Phillies starting pitchers are, too. I'm looking at you, Myers.

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.

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.

Howard leads Phillies to sweep over Braves

(AP Photo/Gregory Smith)

Ryan Howard has been the most criticized Phillie this season. His average has hovered around .200 and he has been racking up strikeouts at a record pace. Fortunately, he has still has monster games from time to time, including one on Sunday that led the Phillies to a 6-3 win over the Braves, completing a three game sweep in Atlanta.

3 Up
1. Howard's double-day Heading into Sunday's game, Ryan Howard had 8 total doubles on the season. He ended up hitting three two-baggers today which helped him to drive in 4 runs. Howard's average soared to .214, the highest it has been since April 5th, the 5th game of the season. With all the talk on how poorly he is hitting, Howard has still managed to do the thing the Phillies pay him to do: drive in runs. He has 49 RBIs on the year which puts him in the top 5 in the NL. His average will probably never go above .250 this year, but you can bet it will end up around .240 which means he will continue to put up good numbers in the next few months to raise it up. Howard will also likely hit 40 homers and drive in 120 runs, numbers that are all we can ask for from a someone in the middle of the order.

2. Victorino still Flyin' Shane Victorino nearly single-handedly beat the Braves on Friday, and after being held hitless on Saturday, he busted out again today. Victorino had 3 hits and scored 3 runs, and drove in the game winning run in the 9th. He also stole a base. Victorino may finally be proving that he can be an every day player. Let's just hope he can stay healthy.

3. Economical Lidge After striking out the side yesterday to earn his 16th save, Brad Lidge decided he wanted to get things over with quickly today. Lidge entered the 9th inning of Sunday's game and needed only 7 pitches to finish off the Braves and earn his 17th save. Lidge's numbers continue to be out of this world: 17 saves on 17 attempts, a 0.96 ERA and a WHIP of exactly 1.00. Mariano Rivera is the only other closer putting up numbers like that.

3 Down
1. Eaton's back! The real Adam Eaton came back today. After putting together two straight good starts, Eaton looked more like his old self in giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. Eaton was shelled for 8 hits and walked two more so he was lucky to only allow 3 runs across the plate. His performance was still good enough to earn a win, but he hardly deserved it.

2. The awful Braves bullpen Atlanta has some serious problems with their team, none more so than their terrible bullpen. Over the last three days, Braves starters did well to slow down the Phillies offense but once the bullpen came in the Phils feasted, scoring 10 runs from the 8th inning on during this series. With Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez injured and John Smoltz likely to retire, this bullpen is a mess and it could drive Atlanta right out of contention.

3. Bruntlett's bad base-running With one out and the game tied 3-3 in the 9th inning and Jimmy Rollins at the plate, Eric Bruntlett, who was on first base, took off for second on a hit-and-run play. Rollins singled to right field so Bruntlett should have ended up on third base where he could have been driven home on a sacrifice fly. Instead, for some reason, Bruntlett didn't realize Rollins actually hit the ball so he slid into second and stayed there. Luckily that base running mistake didn't matter because Shane Victorino drove Bruntlett home in the next at-bat. It's nit-picky, but it could have cost the Phils the win.

Here are the highlights from Sunday's win:


The Phillies have a day off tomorrow and then they go to Florida where they hope to stretch out their lead against the second place Marlins.

Victorino leads Phillies past Braves with arm, bat

(AP Photo/Erik S. Lesser)

Shane Victorino nearly single-handedly beat the Braves as the Phils squeaked by Atlanta 4-3 in 10 innings on Friday night.

3 Up
1. The Flyin' Hawaiian Victorino did it all tonight, going 2 for 3 with 2 triples, 2 runs scored, 2 walks and he drove home the run that gave the Phillies a lead in the 10th inning. Oh, and he ended the Braves rally in the bottom of the 10th by throwing out the possible tying run at the plate:

Victorino getting going has been a real plus for the line-up, especially when you factor in Jimmy Rollins' slump. Since Rollins has been unable to get on base with any consistency lately, it has been crucial for Victorino to get on to set the table for the middle of the order. The only negative about his game tonight was getting thrown out trying to steal second.

2. More Bullpen Dominance Jamie Moyer pitched well but was only able to go 5 2/3rds innings. Enter the bullpen. Chad Durbin, J.C. Romero, Rudy Seanez, Ryan Madson and Tom Gordon combined for 3 2/3rds innings of shutout ball, giving up only 2 hits in those innings. The shutout innings enabled the Phillies offense to get past Braves starter Tim Hudson and into the Braves weak bullpen where they subsequently were able to fight back into the game.

3. Chipper is ridiculously good I hate to give an Up to a Brave, but Chipper Jones had two hits on the night and pushed his batting average up to .421 for the season. It's still fairly early in the season, but that's an incredible number. Chipper is going to make it impossible for Chase Utley to even challenge for the Triple Crown.

3 Down
1. Lidge bailed out You'll notice I did not mention Brad Lidge when praising the Phillies bullpen. Lidge was spared from blowing his first save of the season by the rocket arm of Shane Victorino. Lidge looked shaky in giving up three hits, and while he did strike out 2 batters, he really didn't deserve the save that he is credited with tonight. He better be taking Victorino out to dinner.

2. The disappearing Phillie offense It's not time to sound the alarm because they are still winning games, but the Phils offense has really come back to Earth. After averaging 12 runs a game over a five game stretch last week, the Phillies are averaging 3.4 runs per game over their most recent five games. Much of this is likely due to Chase Utley coming down a bit from his recent hot streak, but they have been fortunate that the pitching staff has come through lately. On a positive note, this team is showing it can win ballgames in a variety of ways and we all know it's only a matter of time before the offense explodes again.

3. Feliz nailed at home I am not sure if we blame third base coach Steve Smith or Pedro Feliz on this one, but this play was just embarrassing, especially with two outs in the 9th:

The Phillies were pretty fortunate considering Eric Bruntlett scored on the play to send the game into extra innings but I have no idea what Feliz is thinking there.

King Cole dominates while J-Roll gets benched

(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

The Phillies finished off their series with the Reds by winning 5-0 behind a stellar performance by Cole Hamels. Hamels threw his second shut-out of the season, clearly bouncing back from getting shelled by the Marlins last week.

3 Up
1. King Cole dominates Cole Hamels was the story of the game as he completely shut down the Reds offense. Hamels needed 103 pitches to get through all 9 innings, motoring through the game in just over 2 hours. He gave up only 3 hits and walked 3 batters and managed to strike out 4. Hamels spent most of his time pitching to contact instead of going for strikeouts and that helped him economize his pitch total and remain fresh throughout the game. This was the third straight quality start from a pitching rotation that was widely thought of as the biggest weakness on the team. With the offense coming back to Earth, the rotation has picked up the slack and kept the Phils on a winning track.

2. Jenkins homers On a night where the Phillies got most their runs off mistakes by the Reds defense, Geoff Jenkins continued his recent hot streak by hitting a homer in the 6th:

Jenkins has quietly bounced back after a sluggish start to the season. Since May 14th, Jenkins has seen his batting average rise 30 points as he has belted 4 homers and driven in 10 runs. When he's hot, the Phillie line-up can be nearly unstoppable.

3. No K's for Howard! Ryan Howard finally gets off the Down list! I will not only give him credit for not striking out but he also singled in a run in the game.

3 Down
1. MVP benched Jimmy Rollins was benched today by Charlie Manuel for not running out a pop-up that ended up being dropped in the third inning:

Manuel felt that if Rollins was hustling on the play he would have easily ended up at second base. Here is another video showing Rollins not running out the pop-up:

Eric Bruntlett entered the game to play shortstop and after the game Rollins owned up to his mistake, saying Manuel "has two rules: Be on time and hustle. I broke one today. It's my fault. I can't be mad at him." Manuel did the right thing. Whether it's the reigning MVP or the 25th guy on the roster, everyone should be hustling, and if they don't, then they should take a seat for someone who will. This isn't an issue that will linger, in fact it could light a fire under J-Roll that could get him going offensively. He has really lost his power this season with only 3 homers so far.

2. Griffey stuck at 599 After four games in Philadelphia, Ken Griffey Jr leaves the city having failed to hit his 600th home run. Of course, when he only gets 6 plate appearances in those 4 games we shouldn't expect much from him. The Reds will likely continue to keep him on the bench until they return back home next Tuesday so he can make history in front of the home crowd.

3. Reds fielders Just an ugly game by the Reds in the field today. They made three errors that each lead to the Phillies putting runs on the board and ruined an otherwise good start by Homer Bailey. Can't say I really mind!

Duel! Volquez outpitches Myers to lead Reds over Phillies

(Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

The Phillies wasted an amazing outing by Brett Myers, who held the Reds hitless through 6 and 2/3rds innings, and fell to Cincinnati 2-0. Reds starting pitcher Edinson Volquez was the story of Wednesday night's game.

3 UP:
1. Volquez dominates When an opposing pitcher is this good, he gets top billing. Edinson Volquez has taken the league by storm this season and the Phillies never had a chance tonight. Volquez pitched 7 innings and gave up only 2 hits and 2 walks and struck out 8 batters. For the 4th time this season, Volquez didn't give up an earned run and lowered his major league low ERA to 1.32, a number that dwarfs the next lowest ERA in the NL, Tim Lincecum's 2.23. Volquez also leads the majors in strikeouts with 91. With all the talk about how good Brandon Webb was at the beginning of the year, Volquez has to be the NL Cy Young with numbers like that. The Phillies offense never stood a chance.

2. Myers takes no-hitter into 7th You can't blame tonight's loss on Brett Myers. Despite some wildness (6 walks), Myers held up his end of the pitchers duel by not allowing a hit until the 7th inning. Of course, that hit came after Myers walked a batter, so his first hit allowed turned into his first run allowed:

Myers pitched 7 1/3rd innings in all and gave up only the one hit and struck out 8 batters. In his last two outings, Myers has now struck out 19 batters in 15 1/3rd innings. It's safe to say the Phillies have their ace back, at least for now.

3. Burrell walks twice On a night where very few Phillies managed to reach base (2 hits, 3 walks as a team), Pat Burrell walked twice. Yep, that's the best I can do.

3 Down
1. Howard....again! For the third day in a row, Ryan Howard finds his way onto the Down list. Yes, Howard managed a hit, one of only two on the night for the Phillies, but he also struck out twice and stranded 4 runners on base in a game where getting a single run could have made a huge difference. That's 6 strikeouts in his last three games.

2. Utley hitless I thought about giving Chase Utley a pass, but if he's the MVP, he should still manage to fare better than an 0 for 3 with two strikeouts. Of course, Utley, being The Man that he is, still managed to get on base via a hit by pitch in the 5th inning, but one of his patented homers would have been nice.

3. Phillips kills a rally The Phillies had one of their few rallies going in the second inning when Pedro Feliz was robbed by Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips:

You'll definitely see that catch on SportsCenter's Top Plays.

Ace Adam Eaton pitches Phillies past Reds

(Photo by Drew Hallowell/Getty Images)

And the Phillies just keep winning. The Phils beat the Reds 3-2 Tuesday night for their 3rd straight win and their 8th win in their last 9 games. The game was a good display of how the Phillies can still win a game even if their offense doesn't explode. Just like I did after yesterday's game, here is the good and the bad from Tuesday night's win:

3 Up:
1. Eaton's on a roll! Meet your new ace of the Phillies, Adam Eaton. Coming off his first win of the season last week against the Rockies, Eaton put forth his second straight dominating effort. Eaton went 6 and 2/3rds innings, gave up only 3 hits and 1 run, and struck out 5 batters to earn his second straight victory. Eaton was in total control all night, making very few bad pitches, except for the one Edwin Encarnacion planted in the left field seats. Eaton has fared remarkably well lately and has done enough to tighten his grip on his spot in the rotation. It's a good thing, too, since there isn't really anyone else the Phillies could turn to right now, given how far Kris Benson seems to be from being ready.

2. Burrell supplies the offense The Phils offense was held off the scoreboard for most of the night despite getting 9 hits off Reds ace Aaron Harang. Pat Burrell had the big hit on the night, a two-run blast in the 6th inning that proved to be the game winner:


With 6 hits in his last 4 games, Burrell appears to be heating up again after going through a rough stretch for most of May. It seems like only one of Burrell or Ryan Howard can be hot at once, imagine what this line-up would look like if both were able to get going at the same time.

3. The bullpen holds another lead If Chase Utley is the team MVP then the bullpen has to be a close second. Even though they gave up a run in tonight's game, the trio of J.C. Romero, Tom Gordon and Brad Lidge continue to hold leads and shut down the opposition. Throw Chad Durbin into the mix and I have never been as confident with a 1 run lead in the late innings as I am right now. Most of the credit has to go to Pat Gillick for assembling this group; it appears that he has finally found the right mix for the late innings.

3 Down:

1. Utley goes homerless Chase Utley failed in his attempt to break the Phillie record of consecutive games with a homer when all he did was go 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and 1 run scored. Utley should be ashamed that he didn't hit a homer and was only able to muster a broken bat RBI single:


Obviously, Utley is still the man. He doesn't even need his bats to stay together to get hits.

2. Howard keeps missing and missing Like I said before, this team will really take off (as if it hasn't already) when Pat Burrell and Ryan Howard get hot at the same time. Howard went 0 for 4 tonight, striking out 2 more times. He also left 7 runners stranded on base. His average has now dipped down to .205. Howard has gone back into a mini-funk after two weeks of solid hitting. He'll bounce back.

3. Manuel benches Coste One day after Chris Coste hits his 6th homer of the season, Carlos Ruiz gets the start behind the plate tonight and goes 0 for 4. Hey, Charlie, play the hot bat! Keep Coste in the line-up! Manuel is known for riding the hot bat so why wasn't Coste in there tonight? Count on him to be penciled in tomorrow.

Utley once again powers Phillies

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Another great win by the Phillies, 5-4 over the Reds, capped by Chase Utley once again going yard. With this article, I am starting something new: after every Phillies game I will post 3 Up and 3 Down, where I highlight the good and the bad from the game.

3 Up:
1. Chase Utley = MVP Another day, another homer for Chase Utley. Utley smashed his major-league leading 21st home run in the 1st inning, his 7th homer in his last 8 games. Tonight's homer was of the line-drive variety and it came on a 3-0 count:

Utley is absolutely tearing it up right now, raising his average to .320 and picking up his NL leading 52nd RBI. Utley even made a diving catch in the 9th inning to finish off the game. He is making it a very real possibility that we will have back-to-back-to-back NL MVPs from Philadelphia.

2. Feliz and Coste go back-to-back Pedro Feliz and Chris Coste did their best Chase Utley impersonation in the 4th inning when they hit back-to-back home runs. Feliz hit a 2-run shot and Coste added a solo drive:

Coste has been getting more playing time lately and he has been making the most of it. There was some talk that Carlos Ruiz was taking time off to recover from a hand injury, but with the way Coste is swinging the bat (.327 average on the season), expect Charlie Manuel to keep finding a spot for him in the line-up.

3. Man-child Jay Bruce continues torrid hitting Not really a Phillies Up, but this guy deserves mention. Since being called up by the Reds on May 28th, 21 year old Jay Bruce is hitting .577 with 3 homers and 7 RBIs. Tell me again why the Reds wanted to keep him in the minors for so long? Oh, that's right, Corey Patterson and his .240 OBP needed to get playing time.

3 Down:
1. Kendrick has a weak outing Coming off his solid start last week against the Rockies, Kyle Kendrick looked good for the first three innings, but as soon as Bruce took him deep in the 4th, he seemed to lose confidence, giving up another homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the 5th and then a pair of hits in the 6th before getting yanked. Giving up 4 runs in 5 innings will earn you a win with this offense, but it still isn't very good.

2. Howard strikes out two more times Ryan Howard still occasionally looks lost at the plate and he struck out twice tonight, although he did manage to get a double. Howard is now on pace for well over 200 strikeouts, a total that would shatter his previous MLB record of 199 from last year.

3. Lidge fails to strike out the side in the 9th So I am grasping for another negative here, but in picking up his 14th save of the season, Brad Lidge only struck out two batters in the 9th instead of all three. Get it together, Lidge!

TRANSACTION NOTE: Chris Snelling is back! Snelling was activated from the disabled list today and T.J. Bohn was sent back down to the minors. Snelling has a few days to prove he should stay with the big club before Jayson Werth comes back. I hope we don't see Bohn again for a long time.