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Congrats to the Phillies and all their awesome fans on the division-clinching win today over the Nats at home! The photo below sums it up perfectly. Download Philscast’s latest episode for free in iTunes.

I wanted to let you all know that I’ll be appearing on WIP this morning (Friday the 7th) at around 2:30am with Steve Trevelise.  I hope this is the first of many appearances, and I hope you guys can listen.  But if not, I am going to try to post some of the audio from it as a podcast.  More to come…

We’re finally starting to get some information about yesterday’s injury to Brad Lidge. He’ll have arthroscopic surgery on his no-longer-surgically-repaired right knee to fix a torn meniscus. The surgery will most likely keep him out 3-6 weeks, which means he’ll miss opening day.

Philscast, of course, will have a special report on this coming up as soon as possible. But in the meantime, you have to wonder about this injury. All we heard when the Phils signed Lidge was that his knee was fine and he would be ready for opening day. But he threw one pitch, and now he’s hurt already. One pitch. That’s upsetting, to say the least.

I remember last year when the Phillies made a trade to bring in pitching help. They brought in Freddie Garcia and they told us he was healthy and would be ready for opening day. He was never healthy, he was never ready, and he was certainly never effective in any of his starts.

Later, it came to light that the Phils had never bothered giving Garcia a physical, even though scouts had noticed a major drop in his velocity. You have to wonder if they gave Lidge a proper, thorough physical, or if they just repeated history.

Either way, it doesn’t seem to matter at this point. They can’t predict if Lidge’s injury will be something that nags him all season long. But he’s thrown one pitch, and his health count is at oh-and-one. All they can do now is show us their backup plan. Expect Tom Gordon to handle the closing duties for now. But if he can’t handle it, they’re really out of options. Brett Myers will have to move back to the bullpen.

That’s a move that would devistate their starting rotation, which leaves them in a tough spot. Of course, if they’re willing to spend the money, I have another suggestion:

Sign Kyle Lohse, and sign him now.

Every team is in camp and Spring Training games start this week. Lohse is still a free agent, and he has to be willing to lower his contract demands in the interest of finding a home. If Myers goes to the ‘pen, Lohse gives the Phils a viable number three starter to soften the blow. If Myers stays in the rotation, your starters just got that much stronger. It’s the perfect time to pull the trigger on this. Of course, they’d have to be willing to spend the money…

We’ll get back to our NL East Preview starting next week when I talk about first base, including everything you need to know about Ryan Howard’s arbitration win over the Phillies.

But for today’s show, we’re talking with Dan Gordon, the co-author of Haunted Baseball. It’s a great baseball book and a fun collection of ghost stories, and if you like what you hear, I encourage you to pick up a copy. You can check it out on the web at www.hauntedbaseball.com.

            I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s damn near impossible to go through an entire baseball season without somebody getting hurt.

            Phillies fans don’t need to hear that.  We watched this team go without Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Brett Myers, Tom Gordon, Cole Hamels, and Shane Victorino for long stretches last year.  Injuries are a part of the game.  It’s what makes the 162-game season so exciting, so romantic.  Miss one of those 162 games, and you could miss something that changes the outlook of the season.

            As I continue to take a look at the National League East as part of the Philscast Spring Training preview, I would be foolish if I didn’t take a look at the benches of each team to see who has the greatest depth.  Frankly, only two teams even have a claim to it.  So naturally, we’ll start with the worst team and work our way up.

 5. Florida Marlins

             The Florida Marlins are the worst team in the division.  That’s pretty apparent no matter what part of their team you look at.  They’ve got Luis Gonzalez on their bench, and that’s a help.  The guy hit 15 homers last year and drove in 70 runs.  He won’t come near that production this year if he stays on the bench, but the guy is a veteran and he knows how to hit. 

            But other than that, I’d venture to guess you’ve never heard of any of the players on their bench.  Alfredo Amezaga?  Jai Miller?  To quote Major League, “I’ve never heard of half of these guys, and the ones I have heard of are way past their prime.  Some of these guys never had a prime.  This guy here is dead.”  It’s absolutely the worst bench in the division.  I’d say they can’t afford to lose a starter at any position, but you’ve probably never heard of any of their starters either.  Let’s call it even.

 4. Atlanta Braves

             I’ve ranked the Braves first in starting pitching and catching.  Their top three pitchers are fierce, and Brian McCann might just be the best catcher in baseball, let alone the division.  Disagree?  Fine, but if he’s not number one, he’s probably number two.

            But frankly, when it comes to their bench, they’re not exactly what you’d call dangerous.

            They’ve picked up Omar Infante (unfortunately for my bank account, no relation), and he’ll come off the bench as a utility infielder.  He’s a solid player, too.  He hit .271 in his limited time last year, and he fields every position reasonably well.  He even played some outfield last year.

            They also have Scott Thorman, but he can’t really play anything other than first base, and with Mark Teixeira over there, Thorman figures to struggle for plate appearances.

            Take away Infante and Thorman, and do you know how many at-bats the rest of the Braves bench has?  158.  That’s it, and that’s between four players.  How many times have you heard a player or a manager talk about what it takes to come off the bench and be ready to play instantly?  They always say it’s about experience, and that it’s about having a veteran guy who understands his role and can use his maturity in the game to keep his focus so that when his number is called, he’s ready. 

            If any of that is true – and conventional baseball wisdom is that it’s ALL true – the Braves are in some serious trouble.

 3. New York Mets

             People ask me why I think the Phillies will still win this division, and I honestly think this is one of the biggest reasons why.  Take a look at this Mets bench: Ruben Gotay, Damion Easley, Anderson Hernandez, Ramon Castro and Endy Chavez.

            First of all, Endy Chavez is hurt.  And other than Easley, Chavez is their only reserve outfielder.  When Moises Alou goes down (and he will, even if it’s only for a month in the middle of the summer), they’re going to be hurting for outfielders. 

            Second, do any of those names scare you?  They shouldn’t.  Hernandez is a nobody with a mere 87 at-bats and a career .138 batting average to his name.  Gotay and Easley are decent, but if something happens to a starter, I guarantee you the Mets wouldn’t feel comfortable having either of them start every day.

            If that’s the case, the Mets are in trouble.  Since the Santana deal, they don’t have any chips to use in a potential bargain.  They’d be negotiating out of need, and so every other team in the league would have the upper hand on them.  And they cleaned out their minor league system, which means not only can they not make a trade, but they can’t even call anyone up in a tight situation.  This team is a David Wright or a Carlos Beltran injury away from being mediocre at best. 

 2. Washington Nationals

             They’re good, and it’s close between them and the Phils for first place.  I’ll tell you why I put them second in just a bit.  For now, take a look at what they have.

            They come into camp with five catchers.  Obviously, we’re only looking at the bench.  Paul LoDuca will be the starter, which leaves Jesus Flores, Humberto Cota, Chad Moeller, and Johnny Estrada fighting for the backup catcher spot.  My guess is it goes to Estrada, especially with LoDuca starting the season hurt.  But you’ve got to admit, they have options.

            From there, they have some real veteran players.  You have to think Nick Johnson isn’t healthy, but what a backup to Dimitri Young if he is.  Aaron Boone is a solid veteran presence, and if his brother Bret makes the team, that’s two products of my hometown of Medford, New Jersey on the team.  You have to like that.

            From there they have other solid veterans like Willie Harris, Ryan Langerhans, and Rob Mackowiak.  They also have either Felipe Lopez or Christian Guzman, depending on who wins the starting job at short (bet on Lopez being the starter).  They also have some young players like Elijah Dukes and Justin Maxwell.

            Position battles breed competition, and competition brings out the best in professional athletes.  This is a team that should have plenty of depth, even if they lack impact players in the starting lineup.  If you’re strictly looking at the guys that can come off the bench, this team is loaded.

            So why didn’t I put them number one?

 1. Philadelphia Phillies

             I didn’t put the Nats number one because this team has it all.  The difference between the Phillies and every other team in the division is the simple fact that they have guys that started on a division championship team sitting on their bench.

            Greg Dobbs played in 142 games last year and hit .270.  He’s on the bench.

            Jayson Werth was the starting right fielder for this team in the second half of the season.  He plays reasonably good defense and hit .300 last year.  He’s on the bench.

            So Taguchi played in 143 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and was a starter the year they won the World Series.  He’s on the bench.

            Is there a more consummate bench player in all of baseball than Chris Coste?  He’ll do a great job as the backup catcher.  If he doesn’t, Jason Jaramillo is ready and waiting at Triple-A Lehigh Valley (boy, is that weird to write).

            Eric Bruntlett is a career utility infielder, and while that doesn’t sound all that impressive, consider two things. 

First, the Braves only have one guy who is of the caliber of Bruntlett in terms of being a utility man, and Bruntlett is easily the Phils weakest link on the bench. 

Second, the Phils went into last season without a backup second baseman and shortstop.  They ended up swinging a deal for Tadahito Iguchi, maybe the single most underrated deal of the entire season last year.  There’s no reason to think they won’t swing a deal like that again this year if they have to.  As I mentioned already, the Mets wouldn’t be able to pull off something like that with the players they have.

Phillies fans know what an advantage that kind of depth can be, because they saw it first hand last year.  The Mets didn’t have it, they wore down.  The Phillies had it, they won.

Plus, the Phillies bench is probably better than it was last year.  The same can’t be said for the Braves and Mets; neither team added a single player.

Add it all up, and the answer is clear: Advantage, Phillies.  

It’s official! Jimmy Rollins is the National League
MVP! We all got to enjoy watching J-Roll play this
year, and now that he’s been recognized, you can look
for a special Philscast tomorrow morning.

But in the meantime, you can get your thoughts in
about the latest Phillies MVP by e-mailing host@philscast.com or
giving us a call at 215-253-3712.

Thanks for listening, and Go Phils!

I just wanted to post something quickly to keep you
all up to date.

Tomorrow at 2 PM, the National League MVP will be
announced. One way or another, Jimmy Rollins’ name is
going to come up. And so you can look for a Philscast
Special on the MVP Award Wednesday morning.

In the meantime, after the announcement is made,
whether J-Roll won or got snubbed, you can always get
your thoughts in by e-mailing host@philscast.com or
giving us a call at 215-253-3712.

Thanks for listening, and GO PHILS!

The Phillies, who conveniently waited until just after I had uploaded the latest Philscast, have made their first move of the winter. They acquired relief pitcher and former closer Brad Lidge and utility infielder Eric Bruntlett in exchange for Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary, and minor league third base prospect Mike Costanzo.

No reliever has more strikeouts over the past four seasons than Lidge, and so it’s clear to see why the Phils would be interested in him. But he’s also been prone to giving up the long ball, which won’t serve him well in the hitter-friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park. Bruntlett is a backup and will fill the void left at backup shortstop and second base caused by the departure of Abraham Nunez. But Bruntlett is no Nunez at third, and he’s essentially a throw-in for this deal.

On the surface, I really just feel like the Phillies gave up too much in this trade. Also, what does this mean for the negotiations with both Aaron Rowand - who seems more necessary now that one of the key role players in the outfield is gone -and J.C. Romero - who may have just had his job taken from him by Lidge?

Unfortunately, after recording the latest episode of Philscast, I went away for a few days, and so I will not be able to update again until Saturday morning. But maybe it’s better that way. Because right now I really don’t understand this deal. Maybe by then, things will make a little more sense. One thing is for sure, you can tell by the make-up of this roster that the Phillies are not done dealing. This deal is just a precursor of things to come. So, until Saturday…

The Phillies answered the first of many off-season questions today when they signed manager Charlie Manuel to a two-year extension. Manuel, who is 63 years old, will be the skipper until at least the end of the 2009 season, and his contract has a club option for 2010.

At the end of next season, Pat Gillick will step down as General Manager of the Phillies, and so there is no guarantee that Manuel will be the choice of the next GM. But considering Gillick’s successor is probably coming from within the organization, it’s a good bet Charlie will see the end of this deal.

And I never thought I’d hear myself say this (or even watch myself write this, as the case may be) but it’s the right decision. Even if his press conferences cause my ears to bleed.

In the most recent Philscast, I compared Manuel to Danny Ozark. Ozark was the manager of the Phillies from 1973 to 1979, won three straight division titles, and led the team to it’s highest win total in franchise history in ‘76 and ‘77 (101). He was also an idiot, and he once said that the Phillies still had a chance to win the division, even though they were seven games out with only six to play. You just can’t make that stuff up.

I stand by my comparison between Manuel and Ozark, because they have a lot in common. Strategically, Charlie is not the sharpest tool in the shed. We all know that now. And yet Manuel is the first Phillies skipper to lead the team to three straight winning seasons in his first three years since Pat Moran did it from 1915 to 1918. He is one of only seven managers to ever lead the Phillies to a division title. He is the second fastest to 250 victories as a Phillies manager (Moran, again). And his .539 career winning percentage is eighth-best among the 30 active managers in Major League Baseball. It hasn’t been Ozark’s run quite yet. But then again, it took Ozark until his fourth season before the run began. Manuel is only in his third year.

Eventually, Ozark was famously replaced when Dallas Green came rumbling down from up above in the front office, and managed the team to their only World Series victory. Why did that happen, considering the Phillies were in the middle of the most successful stretch in the history of their franchise? And I don’t just mean they were dominant. Ozark did in three years what the franchise had never done in the 94 years before that combined: He won three division titles.

It happened because the decision was made by Paul Owens, then GM of the Phils, that the team was winning in spite of Ozark, and not because of him. The result, as I said, was a championship.

So isn’t it possible, considering how promising this young group of players looks, that Manuel isn’t really the reason for the team’s success?

I guess we won’t really know unless a few years from now, in 2010, the team declines the option on Manuel’s contract, hires Jim Leyland, and wins the World Series.

But for now, I go back to what I said in the beginning of this rant. This was the right decision. Because in one regard, Charlie Manuel is incomparable to Danny Ozark.

Ozark never had his team the way Manuel does. These guys will kill for him. Ask anyone on the team, and they’ll tell you the same thing. They love this guy.

Just listen to what Jayson Werth said a few weeks ago before a game with the Nationals. Werth hadn’t started the series before against the Cardinals.

“You can go through the mental shutdown thing (when you’re not starting),” Werth said. “He could just tell it was still on my mind. That was just something to help me get over it and get ready for Washington, because at some point I was going to be hitting with a good chance of the game being on the line. The talk lasted a minute, but I went on with my day and didn’t think about St. Louis. It put a smile on my face and changed my perspective.”

Werth, you’ll remember, hit the pinch-hit homer that brought the Phillies back into the game; one they would eventually win 7-6.

Or how about what Aaron Rowand said just before the playoffs?

“There’s a lot more to him than what everybody gets to see,” Rowand said. “He doesn’t showboat the fact that he’s doing this and that. He’s the leader of this group. The manager is the key and it’s not just pushing buttons during the game. He does a great job communicating and doesn’t need notoriety for it.”

Rowand is one of the key free agents – if not the key free agent – this winter for the Phils. Having Manuel, one of Rowand’s best friends in the game, will only help the team in their quest to persuade him to stay.

These guys love their manager. There’s no other way to say it. Ozark may have had the talent, but his coaching didn’t get them any further than they would have gotten on their own.

For Manuel, it’s a different story. He’s kept this team together through injuries and losing streaks. He kept them together well enough for them to win their division for the first time in 14 years. And now it was the front office’s turn. By bringing back Manuel, they are the ones keeping things together for at least two more years. They are the ones giving this magical group a chance to finish what they started.

The first playoff game in the history of Citizens Bank Park? The first playoff game period for the Phillies in fourteen years? The potential for a great pitching duel? I only had one thing on my mind: Running Diary.

I have to say that TBS has done an exceptional job so far with their coverage. I generally really hate Fox’s coverage of all sports, regardless of the announcers. But TBS has been pretty good. They even started off with a bad-ass montage at the beginning of their pregame show. “Twenty-two have fallen. But eight remain standing, and they play for one championship.” I’m ready to go.

2:50 - Just wanted to mention this, but the Braves studio team has Frank Thomas and Cal Ripken. Brilliant. Why don’t more networks (ESPN, we’re looking in your direction) get significant players to be their analysts? ESPN has Eric Young and John Kruk, and for their GM role they have Steve Phillips, the guy who ruined the Mets and traded away Scott Kazmir. Why not get legitimate people like The Big Hurt and The Iron Man? Can’t they provide a better perspective than mediocre players? If nothing else, can’t they at least fake it better?

2:56 - The guys wonder if you can overstate the value of a home crowd, and they switch to a shot of the Bank. The place looks great, and the fans look rowdy. Then they talk about how great the Philly crowd has been down the stretch, and how they expect it to be louder today. This is going to start going to our heads if they keep it up. I’m just not used to this kind of press.

3:00 - Another great montage brings us live to Philadelphia, where Don Orsillo and Joe Simpson are ready to call the action. I’ve never heard of either of them, I won’t lie.

3:05 - It’s really time to stop showing that Kenny Lofton DHL commercial. Not only is it about the trade deadline, which has long since passed, but Lofton actually GOT traded and is playing on a team that is in the playoffs. Film something new.

3:07 - As they give the lineups, I can’t help but think that Phillies fans are going to say playing Wes Helms is a mistake. I don’t like him either, but he’s a righty against a lefty, and he’s 6-9 with two homers against Jeff Francis. It’s the right play.

3:09 - Matsui grounds out to Rollins for the first out, and the crowd gets to chant MVP at Rollins for the first time. I get the feeling that the Rockies fans will have an answer when this series moves to Colorado.

3:11 - Hamels strikes out Tulowitzki, but boy are they making Cole throw pitches. The boos rain down as Matt Holliday steps to the plate.

3:13 - Howard tags Holliday awkwardly, but the Phils start it with a 1-2-3 inning. Putting up early runs is going to be a huge part of this series for either team, so we’ll see what the Phils can do here in Game 1.

3:18 - Rollins strikes out after being up 3-0 in the count. Not a great start.

3:20 - Victorino and Utley go down on a pair of 3-pitch K’s, and that’ll do it. Ouch.

3:23 - Todd Helton triples to open up the second inning. Hamels doesn’t look all that sharp. Even in the first inning, guys were fouling a lot of balls off, instead of swinging and missing like you see when Cole is on. This could be bad.

3:25 - Atkins lines a double into left, 1-0 Rockies. Hamels’ curve is catching an awful lot of the plate.

3:28 - Ryan Spilborghs comes to bat. This team has a bunch of annoying names to spell. No more running diaries after today.

3:29 - Hamels walks Spilborghs on four pitches. What in the world is wrong with Cole?

3:30 - Another crazy name, Yorvit Torrealba singles into center. 2-0 Rockies. The bleeding has to stop here.

3:35 - Hamels walks Matsui to load the bases. That will invite a visit from Rich Dubee.

3:38 - Hamels walks another one, this one drives in a run. And not only that, but now Holliday gets to bat with the bases loaded. That’s a bad situation.

3:39 - Holliday hits a rocket, but it’s foul. Grand Slam distance though. Don’t throw that one again.

3:40 - Pitch number forty in the INNING coming up for Hamels.

3:40 - Hamels gets Holliday to strike out, but it’s 3-0 Rockies. Yeah, it’s only three runs, but with the number of Pitches Hamels has already thrown, Kyle Lohse could find his way into this game sooner rather than later.

3:48 - Aaron Rowand becomes the first Phillie not to strike out. He grounded out softly to short. And he was down 0-2 anyway.

3:50 - Pat Burrell draws a walk. I mean…at least it’s a base runner. Or, in Pat’s case, a base walker.

3:52 - Career numbers, so what? Helms pops out and the inning is over.

3:59 - Hamels gets the 1-2-3 inning, just what the doctor ordered.

4:04 - Cole breaks up the no-no with two outs in the bottom of the third. Doesn’t that mean someone else should actually be able to get a hit? No? How about not strike out?

4:05 - Alright, maybe the strikeout was a better way to go. Rollins grounds into the around-the-horn double play, and the inning is over. The Phillies are playing one of those games again. The ones where they look asleep. My guess is the Rockies only put up another run or two, and the Phils get one in the sixth and one in the eighth just to tease us before giving up two more in the top of the ninth to lose 6-2.

4:11 - Hamels gets Jeff Francis for another 1-2-3 inning. He’s settling in nicely, but he’s still up around 80 pitches already. If he can go six, it would be a monumental effort.

4:12 - Our first Sonic commercial of the day. All I can say is this: Does anyone in the Philly area know where a Sonic is? I keep seeing commercials, and everything looks so good. Where are they? And if they aren’t around, why do they spend so much in advertising here?

4:18 - Howard strikes out, and the Phillies go down in order again. That’s seven strikeouts for Francis so far, for those of you scoring at home.

4:23 - Helms makes a brilliant diving stop to get Hamels another 1-2-3 inning, this one on just six pitches. The good news is that this game is settling down. The bad news is that the Phils are the team that needs to get something going.

4:27 - Well, there’s a start. Rowand goes deep to get the Phillies on the board. 3-1 Rockies.

4:29 - Pat Burrell waited a long time to get to the playoffs. That home run had to feel SO good. I know it felt good watching it. The Phils go back to back, an it’s 3-2 Rockies.

4:31 - I know that Helms just made an out, but it was a screamer to left. All I’m going to say is that Jeff Francis looks rattled. Burrell’s homer was a cheap one, and opposing pitchers tend to hate giving those up. I know John Smoltz has always found it unpleasant. The Phils are taking some really good swings now.

4:32 - Ruiz singles to left, and he’s a one out baserunner. Here come the Phils bats. Maybe they won’t sleep their way through this game after all. Hamels should bunt Carlos over here.

4:33 - Hamels pops up the bunt, two outs.

4:35 - Francis has thrown 20 pitches this inning. This should really help take the pressure off. At least it’s a one-run game now. And as I type this, Ruiz takes off and steals second. I said coming into this series that baserunning would be a huge advantage for the Phillies. Joe Simpson tells me that Torrealba has only thrown out 2 of his last 32 baserunners. You can run on these guys.

4:36 - Rollins draws a walk, so now it’s first and second with two outs. The Phils would love to take the lead here and take all the wind out of Colorado’s sails. Shane Victorino has had two pitiful at-bats so far. He’s taken his sunglasses off for this at-bat, which is a nice start. Now if we could just get him to ditch that little league helmet with the flaps on both sides.

4:38 - Victorino grounds out to end the inning, but we have ourselves a ballgame now. Let’s see how Cole reacts.

4:43 - Cole starts it with a strikeout of Todd Helton. Not bad.

4:45 - Hamels gets another strikeout for the third out of the inning. He has now retired 13 in a row, and the Phils offense gets to go right back at it.

4:49 - Chase Utley strikes out for the third time in three at-bats, and he’s looked ugly doing it. The top four guys in this lineup have been dreadful, and they need to step it up.

4:51 - Howard pops out on one of the ugliest swings I’ve ever seen. But look on the bright side. At least he made contact.

4:52 - Rowand flies out, and it’s a 1-2-3 inning for Francis. Three innings to go, and we look like we’ve got a good one on our hands.

4:57 - Spilborghs walks to start the inning. Cole is over 110 pitches. Why is he even still in there?

4:59 - Jeff Francis is going to hit for himself and pitch in the seventh after Torreabla flew out to right. This is an interesting decision, considering the Phillies are seeing him better.

5:00 - Francis grounds out to Utley, but the runner moves to second.

5:01 - That will be all for Cole Hamels. His final line is 6.2 inings, 3 runs, 3 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts. He threw 115 pitches, 72 for strikes. He really just had one awful inning, and he leaves trailing by one run, the one he walked in. It’s the first time since June he’s walked more than two in a game. But he recovered gracefully.

5:03 - Tom Gordon is into the game to try to get the Phils out of this inning. Spilborghs is at second, and they really can’t let him score.

5:05 - Flash strikes out Matsui, inning over. This sets up perfectly for the Phillies. Romero will come in for the eighth for the lefties, and then you’d have Myers for the bottom of the order in the ninth. All the Phillies have to do now is take the lead, which is easier said than done. Oh, and there’s the part where Gordon and Romero actually have to get everyone out. I know they’ve been good, but Holliday and Helton can flat out rake.

5:09 - Clint Hurdle waited until the start of the inning to take out Francis. What a jerk. He does this all the time, and it’s annoying. First, he let Francis bat. That’s just weird. Second, why wait until the beginning of the inning to take a guy out? It’s the equivalent of a coach waiting until the field goal is already good to call a timeout, a recent trend in the NFL. It’s obnoxious, and I hate it.

5:11 - LaTroy Hawkins comes in to pitch, and Burrell pops out on the first pitch. That forces my father into the following: “Why in the world would you swing at the first pitch from a reliever? Shouldn’t you wait to see what he’s got? Isn’t that just common sense?” Amen.

5:13 - Greg Dobbs comes on to pinch hit for Helms. So much for numbers, Helms didn’t help out at all today. He made a nice play defensively, but he was worthless again at the plate.

5:16 - Dobbs is having a good at-bat, fouling off pitches. Meanwhile, the Phanatic is putting the hex on Hawkins.

5:17 - Dobbs draws a walk with one out, and the Phils are going to use Michael Bourn to pinch-run. Think he’s stealing?

5:19 - Ruiz is buried in an 0-2 count, and that might prevent Bourn from running. Personally, I’d still send him.

5:20 - Ruiz gets the count back to 2-2 before grounding into the inning-ending double play. And we move to the eighth.

5:23 - Gordon stays in the game to go after Tulowitzki.

5:24 - Gordon blows him away with a fastball.

5:24 - Holliday takes Gordon deep, and I mean deep to left center. That was a bomb. 4-2 Rockies.

5:28 - Romero gets Helton right away. Regardless of what happens in this game, that’s a good sign for the rest of this series. Those two will meet again.

5:29 - Jimmy Rollins make a ridiculous play at short to get Garrett Atkins. But the lead is back up to two.

5:31 - This is sort of boring for a running diary. The announcers aren’t say stupid things for me to make fun of…what kind of network is this?

5:33 - Tadahito Iguchi comes out to pinch-hit for the start of the eighth against Brian Fuentes. The Phils need a baserunner in the worst way.

5:34 - And Iguchi walks. Now the top of the order comes up with a chance to redeem themselves for how terrible they have been up to this point.

5:36 - Rollins is 3-1 now, and the crowd is ready for something electric.

5:37 - Of course, Rollins pops up what might have been ball four. So if you’re keeping track, Holliday has a huge home run and Jimmy is 0 for 3.

5:39 - Victorino grounds to short, but he beats the relay throw to keep the inning alive for Chase. This is the first of what will probably be many matchups between Utley and Fuentes throughout this series.

5:40 - Utley flinched and backed away at a called strike on the outside corner. What’s wrong with him today? Also, Victorino looks runner-ish, to borrow a term from Richie Ashburn. Why would he run with two outs, down by two?

5:41 - Utley strikes out for the fourth time in four at-bats. Wow. Just wow.

5:44 - Brett Myers comes on to pitch the ninth. It’s real simple: He needs to keep the deficit at two. And it would be best for him if he could do it with a 1-2-3 inning, because he has the bottom of the order up right now.

5:45 - Speaking of which, Brad Hawpe is gone on strikes.

5:46 - Spilborghs is caught looking at a curveball. People were worried about Myers, and the fact that his emotions can get the best of him. He looks as comfortable as could be out there right now.

5:47 - Joe Simpson makes the point that Myers would be more amped up and his emotions would be more of a factor if it was a save situation and the crowd was going nuts. Touche.

5:48 - Torrealba gets an infield hit, and that will bring on Cory Sullivan to pinch-hit. The Phillies really don’t want the top of this order to come back up.

5:49 - Well, so much for that. Sullivan singles to center (say that quickly), and that will turn the lineup over.

5:51 - Myers strikes out Matsui for one of the more interesting “Strike out the side” innings I’ve ever seen. And we go to the bottom of the ninth. I hope the Phils come back. Not just because I want them to win, and not just because it would probably be good for business. I really can’t stand the Rockies’ uniforms. I hate any baseball team that wears the sleeveless shirts over top of another shirt. I just hate it. Like Lou Brown says in Major League, “We wear caps and sleeves in this league, son.”

5:54 - Ryan Howard will lead it off in the ninth. He’s a mere 0-3 today.

5:55 - Howard goes down on strikes again. He’s still striking out way too much. In the words of Tom Hanks, “That’s something that I’d like you to work on before next season.”

5:57 - Rowand grounds out to second, and it looks like the Phillies are going to go down fast and quiet. Not only that, but Nunez is due up behind Burrell because of all the switches. So now even if Burrell reaches, Nunez would come up as the tying run. They can’t pinch-hit, he’s the last third baseman on the roster. They could always use Coste or Werth, but that doesn’t make it a good idea.

5:58 - Burrell takes a pitch low for strike two. I’m sorry, but that pitch just isn’t a strike. I’ve been watching this game pretty intently, and I can honestly tell you I have no idea what a strike is today. It’s not why the Phillies are going to lose, but it certainly didn’t help.

6:01 - And just after hour number three of this catastrophe, Burrell pops out to center to end the ballgame. The Phillies offense was miserable today, and if you look at the top four guys in the order, it’s probably enough to make you cry.