phrustrated philly phan

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.