Things were looking good in the bottom of the first inning. Cole Hamels had just taken care of the Rockies lineup in the top half of the inning and Jimmy Rollins worked a 3-0 count against a nervous Jeff Francis. But that was probably the highlight of the day, because as it turned out, Francis's anxiety lasted for only 3 pitches. What followed were three strikeouts, a foreboding tale of the remainder of the game.

Dominated: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, and Howard were completely overmatched against Rockies pitching today, going a combined 0-15 with 9 K's. Even though the Phillies made it close with back to back home runs in the 5th inning, the offense was largely quiet. As a result, the Phillies are now in a 0-1 hole in the series with the visiting team grabbing home field advantage. The home field has shifted, but an 0-1 deficit is not a very deep hole to climb out of.

Decent Outing: If only Cole Hamels did a better job of damage control in the 2nd inning, the Phillies wouldn't have had to play from behind for so long. But giving up 3 runs in the 2nd inning is like a soccer team scoring the first goal. The team that scores first is in control. Hamels pitched an outstanding game otherwise when he finally settled down. He kept us in the ballgame.

Vision Problem: I don't like to blame umpires for a pitcher's mistakes, but Home Plate Umpire Dale Scott was sure picky about some pitches that seemed to catch the corner of the plate in that 2nd inning. Of course it only got worse in the 9th inning when Ryan Howard was called out on a pitch inside that had to be at least 2 or 3 inches off the plate. It's like the umpire wore down at the end of the game.

Overly Cautious: Success for the Phillies means being patient in the batters box and aggressive on the basepaths. It was tough to be patient against Francis because hitters were missing at pitches in the strike zone. The base paths were a different story.

There were two opportunities that the Phillies could have stolen a base. Once in the 7th inning with Michael Bourn on and once in the 8th inning with Victorino on first. In the 7th, Bourn could have easily stolen 2nd with one out to put a man in scoring position, or heck, the Phillies could have at least started the runner, but instead, the Phillies played it cautious and there was no attempt to even run. Carlos Ruiz ended up hitting into a double play.

In the 8th, the Phillies were down 4-2, so I could understand them being cautious there with a man aboard. Still, Victorino demonstrated his tremendous speed throughout the season, why not utilize it in that situation? At least try to move the runner up with 2 out and maybe a base hit could bring the score 1 run closer. I believe the Phillies missed two opportunities to put some pressure on the Rockies, but they mysteriously decided to hold back. Or maybe Charlie Manuel knew Chase Utley was having a tough day and would strike out anyways. Utley went 0-4 with 4 K's today. Just throwing that out there.

We know what the Phillies have to do to get back on track and that's get the top of the order on base. Both home runs today were solo shots and while it pumped up the crowd, the Phillies were still down a run. The bad news is the Phillies face a rookie left-hander Franklin Morales who is 3-0 in his last 4 start and will probably be tough again on Utley and Howard. Look for them to improve on their Game 1 outing despite facing a left handed pitcher, because they need to if the Phillies are to take Game 2.  

Phillies the Talk of the Town

Let's face it. The Eagles have owned the city of Philadelphia for at least the last five to ten years and rightly so, the Phillies haven't gone to 4 straight NLCSes. But after watching the pathetic effort the Eagles put forth in last night's Sunday Night football game, I wasn't as pissed as I normally get when they fumble a chance away. I watched each Giants sack and I found myself comforted that I could always fall back to the thought that seemed impossible a couple weeks ago... at least the Phillies are division champs! It's nice to have a positive outcome every once in a while and it looks like the balance of power has shifted between sports teams in Philadelphia. Everyone loves to talk about the Phillies now.

The press has been all over the Phillies first pennant in 14 years are many had similar thoughts: Mets collapse is unbelievable, the Phillies overcame many obstacles, the fans deserved this special year, and Jimmy Rollins is the MVP.

Phillies beat writer, Todd Zolecki, of the Philly Inquirer:

They're In!!

Two months later... and the Phillies found a way to steal a division championship from the New York Mets! This truly is a special moment after waiting around for 14 years for another postseason appearance. And they did it the hard way too. As of last week, the Phillies were gunning for the wild card, thinking that perhaps they could put together a final run. But then the Mets started losing and the Phillies couldn't stop winning until finally, on September 30, 2007, the Phillies won the pennant.

Jimmy Rollins fulfilled the prophecy that he made in April and while there were many doubters out there, what counts is the attitude in the clubhouse and from what we have read and others have reported, the Phillies never wavered on the quality of their team. Rollins backed up his words with one of the greatest seasons by a Phillies shortstop, hitting .296 with 30 HR 94 RBI 41 SB 38 Doubles and 20 Triples, with the final triple coming today, allowing him to become only the 4th player in MLB history to join the 20-20-20-20 club. He is the Phillies MVP and deserves strong consideration for National League MVP.

The bullpen also deserves major credit for the late season success. The Phillies have finally found a dependable formula with J.C. Romero, Tom Gordon, and Brett Myers, a group we can count on in the postseason.

I'm gonna keep this entry short and just savor the moment, because the feeling is just spectacular and it's even sweeter for the players.

Phillies Lose 2, Gain 1

Losing two games isn’t much of a story, but losing two right fielders in one game can seriously cripple a team. With the season Shane Victorino is having, the intangibles he brings to the top of the lineup will be missed as much as Utley’s. Michael Bourn also went down in last night’s game with a mildly sprained ankle. For the next week, manager Charlie Manuel must restructure the lineup yet again to compensate for the fallen.

Although I like Jimmy Rollins at #3, it looks like he will have to move back to leadoff. Leaving Taguchi second, I suggest moving the original 4-6 up one spot (Howard, Rowand, and Burrell) and placing Greg Dobbs in the 6^th spot followed by either Wes Helms or Abraham Nunez at 7, and finally the catcher at 8. It’s less formidable, but perhaps the Phillies will have to rely on their pitching now.

Apparently, Pat Gillick shares this sentiment as he went and got Kyle Lohse from the Cincinnati Reds to strengthen the pitching staff. Kyle Kendrick and J.D. Durbin have been solid, but they will inevitably fall back to earth and you can’t count on rookie pitchers to deliver in pressure situations. That’s where Lohse will fit in despite his undesirable 6-12, 4.90 ERA. How the Phillies plan to structure the rotation with 6 starters is yet to be determined. Someone will have to move back to the bullpen.

Can the Phillies contend without Utley?

Last Thursday, rookie pitcher John Lannan wound up and as he was about to throw his next pitch, the ball started to slightly slip out of his hand. That slight slip is responsible for the Phillies losing .336, 17 home runs and 82 RBIs in 399 ABs from the middle of their lineup. It’s tough to sympathize with Lannan because he obviously didn’t want to hit Chase Utley, but accident or not, the Phillies now have to manage at least a month without Utley’s presence in the 3^rd spot. Lannan nearly did the same to Ryan Howard a batter lately, his pitch hitting Howard’s upper body. That would have been disastrous to say the least.

While Utley recuperates from his injury, the Phillies have temporarily filled his spot through another trade with the White Sox. Unlike the Freddy Garcia trade, I have a much better feeling that this one will work out. Tadihito Iguchi in my mind, is like a poor man’s Placido Polanco. His offense and defense may be inferior to the former Phillie, but Iguchi is a natural #2 hitter. Last year, he hit .281 with 18 HR, scored 97 runs and stole 8 bases. He has a bit of speed, and should serve as a good fill-in while Utley’s out. Hopefully, he can play 3^rd base when Utley comes back because ever since Rolen left, the position has never been the same. It’s like a curse…

Even with Iguchi filling in, the production will be hard to match. They haven’t felt the effects yet, going 3-0 since Utley’s trip to the DL. Charlie Manuel has made several adjustments to his lineup, batting Rollins third and Iguchi second. I assume Victorino will now lead off if Iguchi takes the 2 spot. Rollins’s move to Utley’s spot takes advantage of a power surge that has seen him hit 25 home runs last year and 20 so far this year. As some people have suggested, we could be watching the best Phillies shortstop of all time.

Pat Burrell and Ryan Howard have also stepped up their production, which has helped the Phillies to a season high, 6 games over .500. Once again, we find the Phillies contending for the playoffs and once again, we will wonder to the end whether the team can actually get it done this year. At least the Phillies have started their surge early this year by climbing out of their April hole. As of now they sit 3.5 games behind the Mets and 1 ahead of Atlanta. However, if the Mark Teixiera trade goes through with the Braves, the balance of power could shift again. Utley out, Lo Duca out, Beltran out, Teixeira in? Things look good for the Braves, but that’s only if the Phillies overcome the flaws left behind by injury.

Mike Krueger believes that despite the Phillies' failures of the past two seasons and even in the years before that, there's reason to hope with this year's team. The Phillies boast the best offense in the league and are supported by less-than-mediocre pitching, but other than that, certain elements of the team remind him of the 1980 Phillies...

Click here to read the article!

The Cardinals dominated the Phillies on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball and it was a microcosm of the way the Phillies have been dominated throughout their franchise's history. However, the Phillies have been around for longer than most franchises, so it's conceivable that they could lose 10,000 in about 120+ years since there are so many games played in one season. No other sports franchise outside of baseball is even close to 10,000 losses which makes this number so unique.

This distinction has brought some attention to the Phillies organization due to increased media coverage. Baseball writers and fans are making a big deal out of something that most people were never aware of. The Phillies have won 1 World Series in their history and it was pretty recent too (sort of). Now all of a sudden, people see 10,000 losses and they begin to have discussions about the Phillies being the worst sports franchise...ever.

I hear this and I can't help but laugh because there are definitely worst franchises out there that a.) have not won a championship and b.) do not care about the fans. I wasn't around to experience how the Phillies were like pre- 1980s so I can't really weigh in on that part of Phillies history. But I know that recently, the Phillies have shown that they care about the city and they care about winning. Phillies executives weren't just there to hire some ballplayers to play and collect their paychecks. Although there have been small bumps in the strength of that philosophy, Scott Rolen comes to mind, I've always believed that the front office's biggest desire is to deliver a championship to a championship-starved city.

It hasn't really worked out recently (the Phillies haven't made the playoffs since '93), and it's a bit embarrassing for such a large-market team. This milestone is just one of those things that we can laugh about and move on. Because now that the Phillies have lost 10,000 times, maybe the journey towards the next 10,000 losses will define the Phillies as a franchise with a history of winning. You never know, some dreams can come true.

Three Phillies will play in the July 10th All-Star Game while Ryan Howard has stated today that he will defend his Home Run Derby crown. Howard had an especially rough time this season, battling injuries and an April slump, but he has come on strong and has managed to hit 19 home runs up to this point. However, that wasn't enough to get him to the All-Star game. Prince Fielder in Milwaukee is a beast right now and is having a great year. He will also participate in the home run derby. Have you noticed most of the big names participating in the Home Run contest are left-handed hitters? There will be a lot of action in McCovey Cove on July 9.

Chase Utley led all National League second baseman in voting, earning him a start in the All-Star Game and deservingly so since it has been a major down year for productive second basemen in both leagues. It looks like Chase could play in many future All-Star games barring injury.

The big surprise to me was the selection of Aaron Rowand. He's had a good, but not great year in terms of overall numbers. To Phillies fans he's having a great year since we know all that he's had to go through to get to this point. We'll also remember how he crashed into the wall against New York last year, saving what would have been the game deciding 3 runs. But to the rest of the league, his numbers aren't spectacular, but I'm glad they got one right for a change since Rowand deserves to be on just for how he's bounced back from a frustrating 2006.

Cole Hamels will be the lone representative from the Phillies pitching staff. Beginning the year, there no reason not to believe that Brett Myers would also make the All-Star team, but certain...injuries and situations have caused the Phillies to alter their pitching plans. Hamels started off hot at 9-2, but has cooled down as of late. He's currently fourth in the majors with 116 K's and looks to continue maturing as the season progresses.