Steve Quinto

In an interesting development, the Phils decided to send struggling SP Brett Myers to the minors to try to regain his form as a starter.  He has not seemed to be comfortable while back in his starting role this year.  Is he better off as a closer? With Brad Lidge pitching well this year, that is not an option. If Myers does not regain his form, what will GM Pat Gillick do? Personally, I would try to get AJ Burnett from Toronto for Geoff Jenkins. With Jayson Werth showing he can be an everyday player, a player like Jenkins becomes expendable in my opinion.

After taking Game 1 from the Braves, the Phils need to push for a sweep to gain some momentum from an otherwise disappointing road trip.

Steve Quinto

A basic play: ground ball to second, flip it over to the pitcher covering to end an inning. The Phils had 2 chances to do this in the bottom of the 10th the end the inning but failed both times against the Cardinals on Sunday.  An odd way to lose a game, but the Phils still ended the road trip with a 5-4 record.

Cardinals Catcher Yadier Molina deserves a lot of credit for the win. With pinch runner Eric Bruntlett on third and going on contact, Jimmy Rollins hit a ground ball to first base. The throw pulled Molina slightly toward first, and as he turned back to his right, Bruntlett ran right into him. He held onto the ball for the out but was taken away on a cart as a precaution. It is said to be back and neck pain. The odd part of the play is that Bruntlett could have avoided the collision if he slid into home. But there was no time to assume that the throw was going to pull Molina off the plate.

This was a game the Phils should have won. Cards pitchers walked in two runs, but Brett Myers did not help matters by allowing 6 earned runs in 6 innings. He continues to struggle in regaining his form as a starter.

On a positive note, Ryan Howard went 3 for 5 with 2 HR and 4 RBI to lead the Phils to an 8-2 win over the Red Sox on Monday night. He is now hitting .224, the highest for him since he was hitting .235 after 17 at bats on April 5.  Cole Hamels pitched 7 solid innings, while only giving up back to back HR to Duston Pedroia and JD Drew.

Kyle Kendrick goes for the Phils tonight in Game 2 of the series.

Steve Quinto

The Phils swept the Braves in a 3 game series over the weekend.  They responded well after Jimmy Rollins was benched mid-game by coach Charlie Manuel in the last game of the previous series for not running hard on a pop up. Rollins accepted blame and the situation has turned into a non-issue with the team.

Game 1 ended in dramatic fashion. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and 2 outs, the Braves were trailing by 2.  Yunel Escobar singled up the middle and Phils CF Shane Victorino threw out Gregor Blanco trying to score from second.

HR’s from Carlos Ruiz, Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins helped the Phils take Game 2. Adam Eaton pitched his 4th quality start in his last 5 games to keep the Phils in Game 3, where they won it in the 9th.

In the series against the Marlins, it will be interesting to see how much Jayson Werth plays. He was just activated from the DL and was getting a lot of playing time even with CF Victorino and RF Geoff Jenkins healthy. The Phils stand 3.5 games ahead of the Marlins and taking 2 of 3 would be an great way to head into St Louis and finish up the road trip.