It’s one big “no duh” that the Phillies haven’t quite looked like the Phillies all season.

Well, ever since Jimmy Rollins went down, the team has resembled some kind of warped edition of the 2009 Mets.

J-Roll might not be back until mid-May (ugh), but Joe Blanton and is on his way.

What about Brad Lidge? He’s probably the most important pitcher on the staff. We can overrated Cole Hamels all we want… the guy is what he is – a No. 2 starter at best, but never an ace.

Lidge, though, is a bigger question mark.

He returns to the bullpen Friday. Now that he’s back, Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero can go back to playing set up men; Chad Durbin and Danys Baez the middle relief.

Everything, at long last, is beginning to take shape.

We don’t need a 2008 Brad Lidge. Please, not a 2009 version, either ….

Somewhere in between, perhaps. If Lidge can shows flashes of 2008, the Phils are in good shape.

But ’09 is still fresh in everybody’s mind.

And he still scares the living &^%$ out of me each time he takes the hill….

Tuesday, April 21st

Braves 4, Phillies 3

Ryan Madson had two outs and a three-run lead in the ninth inning Tuesday. Troy Glaus hit a two-run shot and a few pitches later Jason Heyward muscled one out of the park.

Two batters later, in the bottom of the 10th, Nate McLouth delivered a walkoff homer off Jose Contreras.

Just like that, the Phillies’ losing streak expanded to three games.

Madson ruined Kyle Kendrick’s much-needed strong performance. Kendrick didn’t allow run over eight innings, an encouraging sign after two disastrous outings.

Obviously, Madson doesn’t have a closer’s mentality. That was as big of a choke job that I’ve seen from a so-called closer, and remember, we had more than 10 of those with Brad Lidge last season…

All in all, the Phils played well. This was a game that could bite them down the road. One of those “What If…” games that don’t seem too important right now…. but come September, who knows?

Charlie Manuel is loyal to his players — sometimes too loyal to a fault — so I suspect Madson will remain the closer until Brad Lidge returns…. whenever that might be.

The bullpen isn’t quite a mess just yet, but it ain’t looking good.

It’s Dec. 20 and the bullpen situation is very questionable.

Brad Lidge is going to be the closer, as everyone in the Delaware Valley crosses their fingers for a bounce back season.

Chan Ho Park likely will play elsewhere in 2010

Chad Durbin, Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero, who expects to be healthy by spring training, are locks to go along with Lidge. Sergio Escalona and Antonio Bastardo, both left-handed hurlers, will compete for a spot.

What about the Phillies’ best relievers, Scott Eyre and Chan Ho Park? According to Todd Zolecki on Phillies.com, there’s still a possibility Eyre returns. However, Park brief tenure in Philly is all but over.

Oft-injured right-hander Clay Condrey was not offered arbitration and will not return, either.

“I would assume Park is going to go someplace else, because the price point between us and Park is just too far apart,” GM Rubern Amaro Jr. said. “Unless something were to change in the next couple of nights, I would say that it looks less probable that we would bring Chan Ho back.”

The Phillies are reportedly interested in free agent Fernando Rodney, who saved 37 games as a member of the Tigers last season. John Smoltz’s name has been thrown around, too.

Bob Howry (San Francisco) and Kiko Calero are also on the radar, according to Zolecki.

Howry posted a 2-6 record with a 3.69 ERA last season. Calero had a stellar campaign with the Marlins, finishing 2-2 with a minuscule 1.95 ERA in 60 appearances.

“We have to be careful and make sure we have somebody we think is going to be healthy and durable for us,” Amaro said.

The Stud

The Man who saved the World Series.

Chase Utley made sure the Phillies would play a Game 6 in the Bronx. The slugging second baseman hit two home runs, tying Reggie Jackson for most round trippers in a single World Series (five).

Utley’s second homer – a solo shot in the seventh – proved to be the game-winning run.

The Story

The three-days rest experiment failed for the Yankees in Game 5.

A.J. Burnett, who was brilliant in Game 2, was rocked right from the start. In the first inning, Jimmy Rollins singled, Shane Victorino was hit by a pitch (more on that in a second) and Utley hit a first-pitch fastball out of the yard. That set the tone for the Phillies, who with their back against the wall, came out firing.

Burnett pitched two-plus innings and allowed six runs. So, you got to believe the lack of proper rest hurt the guy. And you’ve got to believe Joe Girardi is having some reservations on pitching Andy Pettite in Game 6…

Anyway, the Philleis adjusted well to Burnett and made him pay.

Meanwhile, Cliff Lee was effective for the Phillies. Lee didn’t dazzle like in Game 1, but he gave a gutsy performance. The Yankees scored a quick run in the first inning, but the lefty pretty much shut them down until the eighth, when Alex Rodriguez smashed a two-run double to cut the lead to 8-4. Lee lasted seven-plus frames and gave up five runs on seven hits. Again, it wasn’t his best, but it was certainly good enough.

The Phillies bombarded Burnett and went quiet until the seventh, when Utley and Raul Ibanez launched homers to make it 8-2. Those were two HUGE runs.

Like a zombie that never dies, the Yankees kept crawling and crawling their way back in the game. Against Ryan Madson in the ninth, the Yanks got the first two guys on base before Derek Jeter hit a 6-4-3 double play to kill the rally.

So you thought.

Johnny Damon had another amazing at-bat, eventually getting on when he roped a single to left field. Madson, though, struck out Mark Teixeira to end the game. Great job by Ryan to work himself out of trouble.

By the way, I can’t stop raving about Damon. He’s MVP if the Yankees go on to win it…

One big concern is the health of Victorino, who was pulled in the eighth inning. He got drilled by a Burnett fastball right on his knuckles. X-rays taken were negative and Victorino said afterward that he feels fine. We’ll see.

The Turning Point

You can look at the Jeter twin-killing in the ninth. That prevented another nightmare on Broad and Pattison, for sure.

Utley’s first-inning bomb sent a pretty loud message. The Yanks had gotten a quick run off Lee, so they had the momentum right away. Utley’s homer really gave the Phillies early hope that, yes, they can do this. They can comeback from a 3-1 deficit.

You know, if nothing else, I’m just glad as hell the Yankees didn’t celebrate in Philly. Honestly, it won’t hurt as nearly as much if they win it all in New York.

The Next Game

It’s Game 6 on Wednesday night as Pedro Martinez takes the mound for the Phillies. It’s almost certain that Pettitte will start for the Yankees, but no official announcement has been made.

If I had to put a number on it, I’d say the Phillies have about a 25 percent chance of doing this. If there is a Game 7, I can almost guarantee we’ll see Lee in some capacity.

Then again, you gotta win Game 6 first, so … that’s a moot point right now.

The Stud

J-Werth's three-run homer off the drunk flotilla set the tone.

Jayson Werth had a stellar at-bat with two outs in the first inning with runners on first and second. You figured that mental midget Vicente Padilla would cave eventually.  Werth made him pay for being so erratic.

The Story

The Phillies pounded the Dodgers into submission and dominated in all facets. Yes, that includes relief pitching, national know-it-alls who predicted the Dodgers to win in five games. Suck a big one.

Cole Hamels’ season-long period continued. Don’t get me started on him. Today’s a happy day.

Ryan Howard, while he didn’t have a hit in Game 5, won NLCS MVP honors.

The Turning Point

Werth’s homer was pretty huge, but go back to the eighth inning and the Phillies up, 9-3. Chan Ho Park allowed back-to-back singles to start the frame. Ryan Madson walked a guy and allowed a bases loaded single that plated a run.

9-4. Nobody out. Bases Mannyjuiced.

Madson buckled down and got three gigantic outs. That definitely shut the door on the overrrated Dodgers.

The Next Game

Off to the World Series to face… we’ll see.

Let’s get one for the middle finger! Hah!

The Stud

The Bearded Menace (Full beard not pictured here)

The Stud(s)

Game-tying, two-run double in the ninth inning...

... Game-winning, RBI single

The Story

Like a good suspense novel, this game had layers and layers of intriguing storylines.

First, there was the starting pitching. Cliff Lee  and Ubaldo Jimenez shined, save for a mistake here and there.

Jimenez made two big mistakes to Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth. Victorino belted a solo homer in the first inning and Werth blasted a one-run shot in the sixth in give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.Jimenez exited after seven strong innings.

Lee lasted into the eighth inning. He escaped a few jams earlier in the game, but for the most part dominated the Rockies in typical Lee fashion. It was in the eighth inning that the Rockies took advantage of a costly Chase Utley error, setting up a first-and-second situation with one out.

Leading 2-1, Ryan Madson was summoned from the bullpen and promptly allowed the Rockies to tie the game on a run-scoring single by Jason Giambi. With runners on first and second, Yorvit Torrealba hit a shot over Shane Victorino’s head, plating two runs and giving the Rockies a 4-2 advantage going into ninth.

The Phillies, though, never surrendered. Jimmy Rollins got on base with an infield hit. With two outs, Chase Utley coaxed a walk. Ryan Howard stepped up and smashed a two-run double to right field to tie the game. Werth poked a single into right to give the Phillies the lead for good. For the second straight night, Huston Street choked in the ninth inning. Good stuff.

The Phillies took a one-run lead into the bottom half the ninth. We know it wasn’t going to be easy.

Scott Eyre started the frame, showing no side effects from Sunday night’s ankle injury. However, he got only two outs and was pulled with runners on first and second.

Brad Lidge came on and threw probably the best I’ve seen him all year. He had pinpoint precision with his slider and got Troy Tulowitzki to strike out on a 2-2 count.

The celebration ensued.

 What a freakin’ thrill!

The Turning Point

Where to begin? I think it would have to be Utley’s at-bat. One of Utley’s greatest assets is his ability to work counts and get on base any way he can, especially in the most adverse situations. That’s precisely what he did to set the stage for Mr. Clutch.

Howard sucked the energy out of Coor’s Field with his rocket to right field and Werth followed with the go-ahead RBI hit. The entire inning showcased the Phillies’ resiliency and infectious, winning spirit. It’s what makes them the world champions.

What’s Next?

Off to Los Angeles for the start of the National League Championship Series. The Dodgers will look to exact revenge on the Phils, who will likely go with proud new papa Cole Hamels to start Game 1.

The Stud

"Baseball be very good to me."

 Carlos Ruiz continues to amaze in postseason play. Dating back to last year, Ruiz has come through with big hits when it’s mattered the most, and Sunday night/Monday morning was no different

Ruiz was responsible for giving the Phillies the lead on two occassions. In the fourth inning, the Phillies had some patient at-bats against Matt Hammel, resulting in a revolving door of runners getting on base.  With the bases loaded, nobody out and the game knotted at 3-3, Pedro Feliz grounded into a 1-2-3 double play. It appeared that Hammel would get out of the inning without allowing any further damage.

Ruiz, though, managed to poke one in the hole on the third-base side of the infield, knocking in Raul Ibanez to put the Phillies ahead, 4-3.

Later in the game, Ruiz smacked one up the middle to give the Phillies a 5-4 advantage.

The Story

Three points: Clutch hitting, a solid bullpen and Brad Lidge.

The Phillies are excelling at the plate in all situations. It just seemed as if every hit was a big one, whether it was Ruiz’s two RBI knocks, Chase Utley’s first-inning solo homer or Jimmy Rollins’ leadoff single to set the tone in the top of the ninth inning. All in all, the Phillies have been getting the job done at the dish.

Considering the circumstances, the relievers did a great job. After J.A. Happ exited in the fourth inning, Joe Blanton pitched OK — his only real blemish was a solo dinger off the bat of Carlos Gonzalez, who has been killing everything. Scott Eyre was injured in the seventh inning when he rolled his ankle in an attempt to field a sacrifice bunt. No word on the severity of the injury.

Ryan Madson entered for Eyre in the seventh inning with runners on first and third and nobody out. Madson allowed a sacrifice fly, but also got a pair of hugh strikeouts. Finally, Chad Durbin pitched a spotless eighth inning to perserve the 5-5 tie.

As usual, Brad Lidge wasn’t sharp, but he battled through the adversity and that’s a great sign. Lidge worked himself out of a one-out jam to put the finishing touches on a Phillies win.

The Turning Point

Utley hit a tapper in front of the plate in the ninth inning and beat the throw to first base. Yes, it was a questionable call (s), but it allowed Ryan Howard to drive in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.

The… Uh… Next Game

Cliff Lee will duel with Ubaldo Jimenez in a rematch of Game 1. First pitch is scheduled for 6:07 p.m. EST later today. If Lee can mimic his Game 1 performance, in which he hurled a complete game, the Phillies will be off to Los Angeles for the NLCS.

The Dud

Wifey's having our baby. I crapped the bed.

Right before Cole Hamels was escorted by a police car to a nearby hospital, where he would be with his wife, Heidi, who reportedly went into labor, Hamels allowed four runs over five sub-par innings. We’ve seen this type of performance all to often from the left-hander, who fell to 0-7 on the year in day games.

I thought Hamels didn’t pitch poorly, he just was no where near the same pitcher who carried the Phillies in the playoffs last year. Then again, his un-clutch performance was not surprising.

Hamels labored in the first inning, allowing a run on a Todd Helton fielder’s choice. He made one huge mistake — a two-run homer off the bat of  Yorvit Torrealba in the fourth inning to give the Rockies a 3-0 lead.

The Story

Hamels failed to make into the sixth inning, which resulted in a carousel of relief pitchers used, including projected Game 3 and 4 starters, Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ.

Charlie Manuel did an abolsutely terrible job of managing the bullpen. Awful. He used Joe Blanton for an inning or so, and when he got into trouble, Manuel summoned Happ, who had to leave the game after facing one batter due to an apparent leg injury. From there, Manuel called on Scott Eyre, Brett Myers, Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson to pitch four innings.

The Phillies scored three runs in the sixth to make things interesting. Jayson Werth belted a solo home run to cut the deficit to 5-4 in the eighth.

The Turning Point

I think it was Carlos Ruiz’s double play that ended the Phillies’ threat in the sixth.

Yes, the Phils had already scored three runs off Aaron Cook, and Raul Ibanez was the only runner on base.  However, had Ruiz worked the pitch count a little more and gotten a better swing on the ball… who knows? We might be talking about a Phillies win, not a loss.

While Ruiz didn’t suck the air out of the balloon, I thought he had the perfect chance to keep things rolling. The momentum was on our side.

The … Uh… Next Game

Jason Hammel toes the slab for the Rockies in Colorado for Game 3 Saturday night. The Phillies counter with TBD.

Manuel has not yet decided who he will start. And that uncertainty is a product of how he managed the bullpen in Game 2. The choices are Blanton, Happ and Pedro Martinez.

Oh yeah, the weather is expected to be in the freezing range and snow flurries are a good possibility. Great times.

The Phillies lost to the Marlins, 4-3, Saturday afternoon. They cannot clinch home field advantage throughout the National League playoffs.

Good news, though, is that the Cardinals lost to the Brewers. Thus, the Phils have home field advantage in the first round ONLY.

Todd Zolecki of Phillies.com blogged Saturday that Charlie Manuel is leaning toward carrying 13 pitchers and 10 position player on the first-round playoff roster. Here’s the breakdown as far as position players are concerned:

C: Carlos Ruiz and Paul Bako

INF: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Pedro Feliz, Jimmy Rollins, Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett.

OF: Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Matt Stairs and Ben Francisco.

The pitching is a whole lot blurrier. With season-ending injuries to J.C. Romero, Jamie Moyer and possibly Chan Ho Park… there are questions here. Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will start Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS, respectively. Joe Blanton should pitch the third game. The No. 4 spot has not yet been determined.

J.A Happ and Pedro Martinez are the candidates. Happ could be moved to the bullpen because of the team’s shortage of left-handed relievers. As of now, Scott Eyre

Don't lie to us, Charlie. If Brad Lidge has another 1-2-3 outing in a meaningless game Sunday (like he did Saturday), you're gonna put him in a save situation the first chance you get, right?

is probably the Phillies’ only lefty specialist.

However, if Sergio Escalona and Antonio Bastardo pitch well over the weekend, either one could be included on the postseason roster. At this point, you’d have to think that both are long shots…

Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Tyler Walker, Brett Myers and Eyre are “locks”. I’m pretty sure Kyle Kendrick has earned the role of long reliever.

Either Happ or Martinez is guaranteed a spot in the pen. Clay Condrey is iffy because he hasn’t pitched a whole lot this season because of injuries…

The pitching roles are pretty much undefined at this point. With one day left to go in the regular season, Manuel has some crucial decisions to make.