Monday, May 10th

Coors Field

Game 1 of 3

HEROES

• Carlos Ruiz is probably the best catcher in the NL right now (don’t you f*ckin’ dare say Rod Barajas). Chooch was 4-for-4 with the game-winning RBI single in the ninth inning. Ruiz has been an on-base machine. Can you believe that he leads the team in hitting (.364) and leads ALL OF BASEBALL in on-base percentage (.481). He’s hit .500 over the last 10 games… this from a guy who is normally the eight-hole hitter in the lineup! Goes to show how great this lineup can be.

• Ross Gload popped his Phillie cherry with a line drive, three-run homer off Manny Corpas to seal the win. Gload hasn’t played much at all save a few pinch hit appearances. Don’t know much about the guy, unfortunately, but I think he can hit… he just hasn’t had the chance.

• Chase Utley had a couple hits aand made a diving stop at second place that resulted in a double play.

BUMS

• J.C. Romero was terrible. He faced four batters, got only one out and allowed the Rockies to tie the game in the seventh inning.

• Wilson Valdez is a New York Mets reject, which explains why he can look so lost and so bad.

• It appears the Phillies will not re-sign relief pitchers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre before the end of the winter meetings Thursday. Park remains the team’s No. 1 priority in terms of the bullpen, but according to multiple local reports, the Phillies seem willing to move on without Eyre because they believe Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona have the potential to be effective left-handers out of the pen.
• Brandon Lyon’s asking price is too high, according to multiple reports. The Phillies were aggressively pursuing Lyon to be, perhaps, the closer if Brad Lidge falters next year.
• The Phillies have the pieces to obtain Roy Halladay in a trade. According to reports, the Phillies have had dialogue with the Blue Jays during the winter meetings.
• The Phillies have until Saturday to offer salary arbitration to right-handers Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey. Durbin, in all likelihood, will return.
• The addition of Ross Gload, signed late Tuesday, probably marks the “official” end of Matt Stairs’ tenure. Eric Bruntlett declined a minor-league contract last month and Juan Castro was signed to take his place.
• GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Phillies.com that Kyle Kendrick will “fight” for a spot in the starting rotation come spring training. Oft-injured, hard-throwing right-hander Scott Mathieson will compete for one of the bullpen spots.

The Phillies signed veteran Ross Gload to a two-year contract late Tuesday, according to a Phillies.com report.

The left-handed hitting Gload, 33, batted .261 with six home runs and 30 RBIs in 230 at-bats last season with the Marlins. He hit .318 as a pinch hitter.

Gload, a first baseman/outfielder, joins a bench that includes Ben Francisco,  Brian Schneider and infielders Greg Dobbs and Juan Castro.