phrustrated philly phan

Scout.com has released their annual top 300 prospects and I thought I would list and comment on them.

• Phillies in Top 300 Prospects

29) Gio Gonzalez (AA)- 4-10, 4.66 ERA, 114 INN, 125 SO, 60 BB

125) Mike Constanzo (A)- .238/10/57, 108 SO

157) Mike Bourn (AAA, Phillies)- .330 AVG, 94 ABs, 12 SBs, .418 OBS

201) Jason Jaramillo (AA)- .225/4/28,

213) Greg Colson (A)- .346 AVG, .370 OBP, 26 ABs, 5 SO

232) J.A. Happ (AA)- 5-1, 2.17 ERA, .212 Opp Avg, 45 SO, 37.1 INN

260) Scott Mathieson (AA, AAA, Phillies)- recently called up and will start tomorrow

291) Scott Mitchison (Low A)- 3-3, 3.76 ERA, .231 Opp Avg

In addition C.J. Henry, acquired in the Bobby Abreu trade is ranked 116 overall by Scout.com

Gio Gonzalez is ranked as the 9th overall ranked pitcher. He looks to have a very bright upside and could contribute for a long time although he has struggled at times in Reading. After that though there is a big drop-off until there next ranked pitcher. J.A. Happ is rated as the 109th overall pitcher. His fastball is his best pitch but his change up is developing well. He has compared to Randy Wolf. Scott Mathieson, who is now back up with the Phillies, is rated 123 overall. So far, I have liked what I have seen from him and believe he will become a very good pitcher for the Phillies. Ten spots lower is Scott Mitchinson (133). He has very good control and keeps the ball low in the zone well. In 2004, he throw 61.1 innings while walking only one batter. Coming into this year he had thrown 135.1 innings and only surrendered three home runs. One scout compared him to Cory Lidle.

Their infield prospects are scarce and have not had much success in the minors. Jason Jaramillo is a highly regarded defensive catcher at Reading but has not proved himself with the bat. Jaramillo is ranked as the 14th best catching prospects. He is not the answer at catcher next year, and may take a couple more years to develop. Mike Costanzo, 10th rated third basemen, is struggling at Single A. He has had a tendancy to strike out too much and has probably at least three years to go before he will be able to sniff Philadelphia. The best prospect acquired in the Yankees trade was C.J. Henry. Henry is ranked as the ninth overall shortstop. He is a pure athlete who had committed to play basketball at Kanas before being drafted by the New York Yankees. He is still many years away.

Their top outfield prospect, Michael Bourn, has been called up to Philadephia. He started the year at Reading before being called up to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and really had his production skyrocket. He is ranked as the 41st overall outfield prospect. Greg Colson is the other ranked outfielder. He is ranked 51st overall. He is very highly regarded but has struggled at Single A.

Overall this is not the strongest minor league system but their are some definite positives. I like the pitching prospects but some of the position players I am not convinced are the real deal.

The Phillies lose 15 to 2. Not much positive happened today at Citizens Bank Park. Chase Utley did extend his hitting streak to 32 games by getting a single to right field past a diving Dan Uggla. Utley went 1 for 3. Chris Coste hit a solo homer, his third. The rest of the offense was awful. Abe Nunez went hitless with two strikeouts. Nunez also committed his second error in three games. Ryan Howard had a bad day. He could not seem to figure out how Josh Johnson was pitching him. Part of the Phillies problems were Josh Johnson. He was very good. He located well, mixed speeds and pitches very well to keep the Phillies off balance. The Phillies were also in a deep hole quickly as Jon Lieber was terrible today. In 4 2/3 innings, he surrendered 13 hits and 9 earned runs. He made himself untradable now. In relief Fabio Castro was excellent again. He went 2 1/3 perfect innings striking out two. After Castro though the bullpen was rough. Brian Sanches came in and promptly gave up 2 hits, 2 walks, and 3 runs. Rick White pitched the ninth giving up 3 unearned runs. Pat Gillick has begun his overhaul of the Philadelphia Phillies with the trades of Bobby Abreu, David Bell, Cory Lidle, and Rheal Cormier. He seems to have a plan unlike Ed Wade, he wants to stockpile young pitchers. He has talked about giving new players an oppurtunity and I'm excited. I want to see Castro and Mathieson pitch more. I want to see Victorino, Delluci, and Bourn get some playing time. I would love to see Carlos Ruiz get recalled and have Mike Lieberthal designated for assignment. The Phillies have begun a rebuilding plan and there is no reason to expect that Gillick won't have the same success here that he has had everywhere else.

Tip of the Cap- Chase Utley for extending his hitting streak to 32 games despite being tired. He played two games yesterday and again today. Smart move by Charlie Manuel to pull him out after he got his hit.

Wag of the Finger- Jon Lieber for a terrible start and eating way too many doughnuts. Lieber is out of shape and has been ineffective. What a way to reward the team that gave him a 21 million dollar deal. A close second is Charlie Manuel for pinch hitting Lieberthal in the ninth inning instead of a younger player such as Mike Bourn.

Tomorrow's Game- Scott Mathieson return to the big leagues and will make the start against the St. Louis Cardinals. Jeff Suppan will counter. He has a 8-5 record with an ERA almost 5. This series will feature the two best home run hitters in the National League in Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols. Should be an exciting series. Chase Utley also will look to extend his hitting streak. Game time is set for 8:05 in St. Louis.

Should the Phillies name Chase Utley captain? As I switch between the Phillies game and Baseball Tonight's Trading Deadline Special, I saw John Kruk and Steve Philips discuss Utley and his hitting streak. Kruk and Philips agree that Gillick should sign Chase to a long-term contract and designate him as captain. The Yankees have Derek Jeter as captain and the Red Sox have Jason Varitek. Utley is up to their level in every aspect. He puts up numbers comparable to or better than them and has become very popular with the fans. This move would show that the Phils are going to build around Utley and this is his team. It would be a bold moves by the Phillies but a good one.

This morning the Phillies agreed to send Rheal Cormier to the Reds for Justin Germano. This is a good deal for the Phillies as they get a starting pitcher prospect for a relief pitcher on his last leg. Germano has made two appearaces for the Reds with an ERA slightly over 5. At Triple A, Germano has an 8-6 record and 3.69 ERA. The better part of this deal is that it allows the Phils to recall Brian Sanches who has been dominating at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. The Phillies seem to finally be moving to a youth movement as the season is just about over and for that matter Gillick said that competing in 2007 in would be a stretch. The Phillies have called up Scott Mathieson from the Red Barons and will get the start on Tuesday. Micheal Bourn also got his first call-up to the parent club. Bourn got his first career AB yesterday and flew out to right field. I am excited to watch this Phillies team right now.

A few other minor deals have been made including Kyle Lohse going to the Reds and Sean Casey headed to the Tigers. Miguel Tejada, Barry Zito, Jason Schmidt, and Alfonso Soriano are still with their respective teams so it could make for an exciting last three hours until the trade deadline. Lets not forget the Phils could still pull the trigger on another deal.

My original post for this topic was deleted by my computer. So suffice it to say, it was a busy and exciting day for the Phillies. Here are the highlights:

• Randy Wolf makes his comeback
• Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle are traded to the Yankees for four prospects
• Chase Utley extends hitting streak to 31 games and hits for the cycle in the doubleheader
• Ryan Howard draws 5 walks in game 1 and then hits a homer and a double in game 2
• Phillies complete sweep of Florida Marlins

Today's Game- Jon Lieber toes the rubber against Josh Johnson who has been very good for the young Marlins. Johnson has a ERA of 2.60. Today's game is a businessperson special with a starting time of 1:00.

The Phils knock out 10 hits and 11 runs. The Phils win 11-5 on the day they trade Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle. Randy Wolf making his comeback from Tommy John surgery went 4 1/3 innings and gave up 3 earned runs. He had a rough first inning but then settled down and pitched better the rest of the way. Chase Utley continues hitting at a torrid pace, getting two hits today including a triple. Ryan Howard ties a major league record by drawing 5 walks in a nine inning game. Those two continue to prople the offense but Aaron Rowand had two big hits and 3 RBI's. The bullpen was servicable although Fultz surrendered two home runs. Geoff Geary threw two scoreless innings. This team has had two of their best offensive games in back to back games and will look to continue it in the night game of the doubleheader. Ryan Madson will look to have a strong start tonight against the recently activated Brian Moehler. The Phillies will say good-bye to Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle then focus on winning their third straight game.

Tip of the Cap- Bobby Abreu for a productive nine years in Philly. Yes he may not have won a championship but often that was more about the players around him. Good luck in New York.

Wag of the Finger- Pat Gillick for including Cory Lidle in a deal for four midlevel prospects who will probably never be much.

Tonight's Game- Ryan Madson versus Brian Moehler. The Phillies will be short on the bench again tonight with this afternoon's trade. It is dollar dog night tonight at the ballpark so I am going to head down there to see the game.

Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle appear headed to the New York Yankees in what is nothing more than a salary dump. In return, ESPN is reporting the Phillies will acquire 27 year old LHP Matt Smith. They also will acquire SS C.J. Henry and a player to be named. Smith is at AAA and Henry is at A. Neither of these are top prospects and will probably never help the Phillies. I totally disagree with this deal and after reading some forums many fans are angered to have lost Bobby Abreu for nothing in return. My biggest problem with this deal is including Cory Lidle. Lidle probably would have been a Type A Free Agent in the offseason meaning the Phillies would have received the a first round pick if he signed with another team. That seems like a better route to take than flipping him for two marginal prospects. I was hoping for a prospect like Eric Duncan or maybe even Melky Cabrera. This almost guantees that Delluci will be around for the rest of the year before departing in the offseason.

Second, Ryan Franklin has been designated for assignment. This gives the Phils 10 days to decide what to with Franklin. A minor trade may be made or he may be released. I can't see Franklin accepting a demotion to Triple A.

The Phillies are currently leading the Marlins 7-4. Chase Utley extended his hitting streak to 30 games. Randy Wolf went 4 1/3 innings giving up 3 earned runs. He looked good at times but also struggled mightily

The Phillies took care of business tonight against the rookie-laden Florida Marlins to even the series at 1-1. The Phils received contributions from just about everyone including Danny Sandoval who was called up from Triple A to take the place of David Bell. Sandoval started at shortstop and went 1-2 with two walks. 4 years to the day Scott Rolen was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals, Abe Nunez started at third and looks to be the starter for the rest of the season. Nunez went 1-4 with an error in the 8th inning. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard who both have become immensively popular in Philadephia both had big nights. Howard hit a 3 run homer for his 34th of the season. Chase Utley hit a single to extend his streak to 29 games then followed that up by hitting his 20th home run of the season. Chris Coste continues to earn his playing time by going 2-4 with 2 RBI's to raise his batting average to .339 in his limited AB's this season. On the pitching side of things, Cole Hamels had his best outing recently and got his 3rd win of the season. Hamels went 7 1/3 giving up just 3 earned runs while striking out 7. The only bad moment came in the eighth when a line drive off the bat of Marlins' centerfielder Joe Borchard hit him in the leg right below the knee. X-rays taken were negative. Ryan Franklin came in and threw 2 pitches and got a double play to get out of the eighth inning jam. Charlie Manuel then read his roster for the first time in 3 weeks and realized the Fabio Castro is actually on the roster. Castro was brought in for the ninth and after shaking off the rust, he walked the first batter on four pitches, he had a quick inning. He proved that he deserves more innings as the rest of the bullpen continues to tire out.

Tip of the Cap- Cole Hamels for putting together a solid outing. This was necessary on several fronts. It will improve his confidence but also helped the bullpen out going into tomorrow's doubleheader. Hopefully Hamels will not have to miss any time after getting hit in the leg by a batted ball

Wag of the Finger- Charlie Manuel for sending Hamels out for the 8th. I thought it was obvious that Hamels was out of gas but Manuel saw it differently and nothing good happened in the inning. Manuel should have let Castro throw two innings since it will probably be September until he pitches again.

Tomorrow's Doubleheader- In the 1:35 game, Randy Wolf makes his season debut and return from Tommy John surgery. I have no idea what to expect from him. Five innings of quality pitching would be a sign that he really is feeling good. Wolf faces Anibal Sanchez (4-0, 3.00) as the Phils hope to take control of this 5 game series. In the 7:05 game, Ryan Madson takes the ball against Brian Moehler, who is returning from the DL. Madson has had three crappy starts in a row and needs to have a good one tomorrow against the light hitting Marlins. This could be Madson's last start unless Lieber or Lidle is dealt in the next 40 hours or so.

Good bye to David Bell. Tonight Pat Gillick traded Bell to the Milwaukee Brewers for 22 year old Wilfredo Laureano, a righthanded pitcher. Laureano has been assigned to the Lakewood BlueClaws in the South Atlantic League. This is a good deal by Gillick to get something for Bell who was not coming back next season. The only downside is that Abe Nunez is now the everyday third basemen for the rest of the season. We will see if he can improve on that .150 average. I have been saying that with Bell's recent hot streak, I thought he might be traded but I felt the Padres would make a play for him. The Brewers make this trade just hours after trading Carlos Lee to the Rangers for among others Francisco Cordero and Kevin Mench. Mench is a player I would have liked the Phils to acquire but it doesn't look good now. This is the Phils second minor deal also trading Sal Fasano. We are still waiting for a blockbuster involving Abreu or Burrell but it is increasingly looking like we will have to wait until the offseason. I still believe that both Lieber and Lidle are headed out of town in addition to maybe a relief pitcher or two. Finally though after watching 3 1/2 years of David Bell man the hot corner we can turn th page...to Abe Nunez.

The Phillies offense was nonexistent again tonight except for Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Howard hit his 33rd home run of the season to deep right-center field. Chase Utley went 1 for 2 to extend his hitting streak to 28 games. He also was hit by a pitch and drew a walk. The Phils only other hit was a groundball off the top of Marlins' pitcher, Ricky Nolasco's glove that Abraham Nunez beat out. Brett Myers was again the story for the Phightin' as he asserted how he has become the ace of the staff and the true #1 pitcher this team has searched for. David Delluci got the start in leftfield and leadoff, with Jimmy Rollins getting the day off, and hit a couple ball hard but could not find any holes in the defense. The bullpen is clearly worn out from being overworked early in the season when the starting pitchers could not make it past the 5th inning. Yet, Charlie Manuel refuses to use Fabio Castro. It has been almost three weeks since his last appearance. The Phils are clearly not going anywhere this year so it would be wise to get Castro some innings so he can get accustomed to big league hitters and be a consistent contributor next year. Another game, another predictable outcome as Myers pitches brillantly but the offense goes into hybernation.

As a side note, I was down in Philly today and took a tour of Citizens Bank Ballpark. When our tour was down on the field, Joe Girardi came out the the visiting clubhouse and took pictures with anyone in our group that wanted. I will try to get my picture with him up in the near future.

Tip of the Cap- Brett Myers for having his third consecutive brillant outing since coming back from personal leave. He has given up a total of 6 earned runs and 14 hits in 23 innings.

Wag of the Finger- The Phillies offense for squandering another chance for victory behind Brett Myers. Myers should have double digit wins but instead is stuck at 6. Bobby Abreu continues to struggle mightily at the plate

Tomorrow's Game- Cole Hamels takes his 5.98 era up against Dontrelle Willis whose record is currently under .500. Cole Hamels has shown flashes of brillance but has also struggled. Hopefully he puts it all together tomorrow so the Phils can steal one from the D-train and the Marlins

Chase Utley gave the Phillies a three run lead in the second and they went on to win. Utley extended his hitting streak to 26 games, tied for 4th longest in Phils history. David Delluci continues to prove that he deserves to play everyday either here or somewhere else. Delluci hit his 7th homerun of the season tonight. Overall the Phillies pitching was good. Jon Lieber helped his trade value by going seven innings while surrendering 4 earned runs. Arthur Rhodes had his first uneventful inning in recent memory. Flash Gordon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 24th save.

Tonight was Ryan Howard bobblehead night and if there was any question how popular he is in Philly it was answered tonight. 45,459 showed up tonight which is the largest crowd in Citizens Bank Park history. That is quite an accomplishment since the Phillies are stumbling towards the trading deadline and appear ready to sell. Ryan Howard's bobblehead was probably responsible for 10 to 15 thousand of those that attended the game.

Tip of the Cap- Chase Utley once again for his three run homerun and his double which extended his hitting streak to 26 games. I hope everybody heard Utley's finance in the booth during the game. It seems like she has taken a lead amongst the Phillies' wives and girlfriends and is embracing Philadelphia.

Wag of the Finger- Bobby Abreu for going hitless and striking out. I am a big Abreu supporter but he has struck out way too much this year. This is probably partly because he works deep counts but he is now only one strikout behind Pat Burrell who takes a lot of flak for his strikeouts. Even saying all this, I still don't believe Abreu should be traded.

Tomorrow's Game- Claudio Vargas squares off against Cory Lidle who will look to build on his 8 inning outing last time. This could possibly be Lidle's last start in red pinstripes so enjoy his 6 inning, 3 run outing just like 90% of his other starts. Tomorrow's start is a 1:05 start. I am headed to Philly for the next two days but will not be at the game. No updates until Friday evening.

Friday's Game- Brett Myers will likely make his second home start against the young but talented Florida Marlins. Also the most publicized Phanatic goes to Hollywood DVD is give away. The Phils are expecting a big crowd for this game.

Trading Deadline Update- Nothing new to report. Jon Lieber had a good audition tonight and could be headed to New York or Boston. Ditto Cory Lidle who will look for another strong outing on Thursday. The Abreu rumors have cooled down and the Burrell interest seems weak. Delluci will most likely be traded possibly to either St. Louis or New York. A couple relief pitchers could also be headed to contenders. This is Pat Gillick's first trading deadline in Philly and it could be a big one.

Sal Fasano was traded today to the New York Yankees and got the start tonight behind the plate for the Yanks. In return the Phillies got Single A prospect 2b Hector Made. I have heard mixed reports on him but he is hitting .289 in the Florida State League. On the other side though, how good of a prospect can you expect for a backup catcher that would have been a free agent in another week? Good luck to Sal and hopefully Hector Made develops because the Phils farm system is completely devoid of any talent in the middle infield.

Sixers GM said yesterday that Allen Iverson will be with the team next year. Obviously King could not get comparable talent for AI. The Nuggets wanted to trade Andre Miller and Kenyon Martin for AI but that would only have made the team worse and it would have been hard to sell a trade to Boston to the fans. I, for one, is happy that AI will be around next year, but wish Chris Webber would disappear into the Delaware River and float out to the Atlantic. Read Phil Jasner's article on AI at http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/sports/. Debuting for the first time is the Threatdown (in tribute to the Colbert Report). He are the 5 biggest threats to the Sixers chances off making the playoffs next year.

#5) Billy King- So far he has not proved himself as a GM. He has made many ill-advised moves including the trade for CWebb. Hopefully King adds a quality vetern with the midlevel exception so that the only addition isn't just the rookies. I think it goes without saying that he should try to trade Webber but I think that is impossible

#4) Chris Webber- Is he still upset about "Fan Appreciation Night?" He has also said he does not want to help with the development of younger players. Sure sounds like a "team player" and good teammate.

#3) The Bench- The Sixers got no production from the bench last year and without increased performance from them there will be no improvement. A healthy Willie Green and rookie Rodney Carney should help but there is still not much depth there.

#2) Development- The Sixers desperately need their younger players to develop quickly around AI. Kyle Korver needs to improve defensively to justify his playing time, Andre Igoudala needs to develop a midrange game that has been nonexistent thus far. Lastly Sam Dalenbert needs to take another step in his development. A few short years ago he looked like he would be an elite center in the Eastern Conferance and now he looks lost. The Sixers need these players to step up big time next year.

#1) The Competition- The Eastern Conferance is improving. The Miami Heat won the championship and the Detroit Pistons had the best record. In the offseason, the Chicago Bulls signed the best free agent, Ben Wallace. The East is still not up to par with the West but is catching up. The Celtics look like they have improved also. That could be trouble for the Sixers.

The lone bright spot was that Chase Utley extended his hitting streak to 25 games yesterday with 2 home runs last night, a solo one in the first inning and a game tying one in the bottom of the ninth. The rest of the game was ugly. Madson had 4 wild pitches and it looks like the Madson starting experiment is over with Wolf coming back on Saturday. Overall the Phillies pitchers walked 11 batters. Gordon was shaky again, blowing another save although the second base umpire helped by missing a call at second.

Tip of the Cap- Chase Utley for extending his hitting streak and providing most of the offense

Wag of the Finger- Ryan Madson for having his third consecutive poor start and looks like he is headed back to the bullpen

Tonight's Game- Jon Lieber takes his 5.00+ era into a game versus NL CY Young frontrunner, Brandon Webb who the Phils did beat earlier this year. Doesn't look like the Phils have much of a chance tonight. We are also only 6 days from the trading deadline so changes could be imminent

Catcher- Mike Lieberthal needs to go. He is hitting around .220 and blocking Carlos Ruiz's way to the major leagues. If they think that Ruiz can be their big league catcher next year they should give him the last two months to get accumulated to the staff and big league pitching. Chris Coste has also proved to be a fine backup and could retain that job next year. I don't think Lieby would bring much in a trade but he is taking up a roster spot and needs to go. For the right price the Colorado Rockies may be interested in having him for the rest of the year. At worst Lieby will be gone at the end of the year as he is a free agent.

First Basemen- Ryan Howard has been just amazing this year with 32 home runs. This position looks to be set for the next 10 to 12 years.

Second Basemen- Chase Utley has been the most consistent Phillie this year. He will probably be an all-star performer for the next decade or so.

Shortstop- Jimmy Rollins has been spectacular defensively but has left a lot to be desired offensively. I don't think it is all his fought though because he is miscast as a leadoff hitter. If he was dropped down to the about the seventh spot in the lineup he would be very valuable.

Third Basemen- This is wher it gets interesting. David Bell is having by far his best streak as a Phillie. It seems that the San Diego Padres could use him as their third basemen after releasing Vinny Castilla last week. I don't know what they could get in return or even the interest level but Bell is better than Geoff Blum who is starting for the Padres. Replacing Bell would also be a problem. Nunez (don't laugh) could get some of the starts along with maybe a younger player

Left Field- Pat Burrell should be dealt to either Baltimore or St. Louis for whatever they can get. Victorino and Delluci should split playing time in the second half. I think that the Phillies could improve offensively by replacing Burrell's 160 stikeouts. Also it would free up close to 10 million dollars for free agency that could be spent on pitching.

Center Field- I am split on what should be done with Aaron Rowand. I love his grit and heart but his stats don't measure up. This is a question that will be dealt with in the off-season.

Right Field- I would not trade Bobby Abreu without getting top value in return like the Yankees' Phil Hughes or the Tigers' Humberto Sanchez. His production would be hard to replace. Read Bill Conlin's article at http://philly.com/mld/dailynews/sport.

Starting Pitching- Jon Lieber should be traded for anything. Every team is looking for starting pitching and he could fit in nicely as a number 4 starter. This would also rid the payroll of almost 8 million dollars. Cory Lidle should also be traded. He would complement a team like St. Louis well as their fourth or fifth starter. He should bring more in return than Lieber. The rotation the rest of the way should go Myers, Madson, Wolf, Hamels, Mathieson

Relief Pitching- Arthur Rhodes needs to go. By this point he may be untradable, but they need to let a younger pitcher fill his spot like Yoel Hernandez or Brian Sanches from Triple A. Cormier should be dealt to a contender because he is having his best year and would be a very valuable lefty out of the pen. Same with Aaron Fultz and both are free agents after the year. There is much interest in Tom Gordon but I would not trade him unless a team blew me away with a trade offer. One last note is does anyone remember that Fabio Castro is on the 25 man roster? He deserves more time as everyone else is getting tired.

Tonight's Game- The Phillies try to stay undefeated against Arizona with Ryan Madson on the mound. The Phrase of the Night is "stop the bleeding." When it rains it pours with Madson. He needs to control his emotions and not allow the big innings.

Cole Hamels had another frustrating start for the Phillies tonight as he was dominant through 5 innings striking out 12 but then gave up 5 runs in the sixth. The offense tried to rescue Cole but it was too big of a hole. As the season is all but officially over it is time to look for small victories inside the game. Cole strikes out 12 and impresses Bobby Cox who has seen his share of star pitchers. Charlie Manuel uses a different line-up. He sat both Rowand and Burrell tonight and instead started Victorino and Delluci. They went a combined 3 for 6 with 2 runs, 4 walks and only 1 strikeout. Howard continues to hit home runs at a astonishing rate for a player in only his first full big league season. He hit his 32nd home run to tie the league leader tonight. Chase Utley extended his hitting streak to 24 games, the longest this season, with an overall great night at the plate. He went 2 for 3 with 2 runs and 2 walks. Last, David Bell continues his hot streak, his first as a Phillie, and it has come at the right time. Maybe some contender (Padres are you reading this?) will take a chance and give up a mid-level prospect hoping that Bell continues hitting this way the rest of the year. He hit his 6th home run tonight along with 3 more RBI's. The other lowlight tonight is how the offense continues to struggle with runners in scoring position leaving 11 runners on base tonight.

As a tribute to one of my favorite shows, The Colbert Report, I am going to boring Tip of the Cap/Wag of the Finger.

Tip of the Cap: Charlie Manuel for finally using a different line-up and giving playing time to both Shane Victorino and David Delluci

Wag of the Finger: Bobby Abreu for striking out looking with runners in scoring position

Coming Tomorrow: Ryan Madson and his inconsistency take the mound versus the Diamondbacks' Miguel Batista

Also checkback tommorrow for what I would do in the next week if I was Pat Gillick

Tonight Cole Hamels faces off against a former member of the A's Big Three, Tim Hudson. Hudson has had an up and down year and has yet to find the consistency that he had in Oakland. Cole has been like many first year pitchers and struggled at times while showing brillance at other times. A win tonight would give them a series victory and hopefully give them some momenetum for the rest of the homestand. One week until the trading deadline when this team could look significantly different.

First this is a new blog dedicated to Phillies, Sixers, Flyers and Big 5 basketball. Randy Wolf is going to make his season debut this Saturday in the day-night doubleheader. This can only be a good thing. The starting rotation can only improve. It will be interesting to see how he finishes off the rest of this year since he will be a free agent afterwards. It would be nice to see him finish strong and come back next year on a hometown discount. He could help solidify the rotation after Brett Myers and take some pressure off the young guns (ie Cole Hamels).

Second, Brett Myers threw a hell of a game yesterday and got a well-deserved standing ovation after he departed in the 9 inning. Charlie Manuel left him in the game probably one batter too long. I have no problem with him starting the inning but Manuel needed to go get him after the Marcus Giles walk as it was obvious he was tiring. I was impressed that Myers was not booed before his start as many had predicted. I personally cheered for him because he has gone to counseling and apologized. He also took a lot of heat in the days after the incident and it was deserved but it has a been a month now and I cheered for him to show that I supported his family as they work to put this incident behind them and hopefully create a stronger family.