For the third time in four starts, Myers gave the Phils a miserable outing. The Diamondbacks were all over him and he exited down 7-1 after five innings.

The contrast with Diamondbacks’ ace Brandon Webb wasn’t so hot. Webb threw a complete game and didn’t allow an extra-base hit.

The Phillies lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks today, falling 8-3 to drop to 20-16 on the season. The teams split the four-game set. The Phillies haven’t lost a series since the Mets beat them two out of three April 18-20. They’ve played six series since and won four and split two.

Myers got the start for the Phillies and went five innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits and three walks. Only six of the runs were earned. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, a double, a triple and a home run. He struck out five. Myers continues to be hurt by the home run, among other things. After the one he allowed today he has now given up 12 in his last 44 innings.

With one out in the first, Augie Ojeda singled and Chris Young followed with a home run to left, putting Arizona up 2-1. Myers got the next two.

Mark Reynolds and Chris Snyder started the second with back-to-back singles that put men on first and second for Chris Burke. Burke hit into a double-play with Reynolds safe at third. Myers struck out the pitcher Brandon Webb to end the inning.

Myers threw a 1-2-3 third.

In the fourth, Myers walked Justin Upton and Stephen Drew to start the inning before Mark Reynolds reached on an infield single. Snyder hit a two-run double to left that put Arizona up 4-1 with men on second and third. Burke hit a ground ball between third and short that went off the glove of Dobbs for a single. Reynolds scored and it was 5-1. Webb flew to right for the first out before Byrnes hit a double-play ball to second that Utley dropped for an error, loading the bases. Ojeda flew to center and Snyder scored. 6-1. Young popped to short to end the inning.

The first five batters in the inning went walk, walk, single, double, single, which isn’t really what you’re looking for.

Drew tripled to right with one out in the fifth and scored when Reynolds followed with a single. 7-1. Snyder popped to second for the second out before Reynolds stole second. Myers got behind the righty Burke 2-0 and walked him intentionally to pitch to Webb. He struck Webb out to end the inning. Walking Burke intentionally is not a good decision. You really need to try to get him out so the pitcher starts the next inning. You’re already down by six runs and Burke ended the day hitting .149 for the year. That might not have been the difference in this one, though.

Condrey pitched the rest of the game for the Phils. He threw a 1-2-3 sixth. Upton lead off the seventh with a home run that made the score 8-1, but Condrey got the next three in order. He got three ground outs in a 1-2-3 eighth.

Nice job by Condrey to pitch well enough to save the bullpen. He was in just his second game since April 27. That’s not enough. He threw 34 pitches, which should put him out at least one game.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Brandon Webb went (1) Victorino (2) Bruntlett (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Jenkins (6) Dobbs (7) Taguchi (8) Coste. Burrell, 4-for-16 with a home run against Webb in his career, on the bench with Taguchi in left. Dobbs gets a start at third despite the big home run from Feliz the night before. Coste catches Myers.

Victorino led off the first with a ground ball to first that Burke knocked down but couldn’t handle cleanly. Victorino was safe with a single. Bruntlett hit a ground ball to short and it looked like Drew could have gotten Victorino at second, but threw to first for the first out with Victorino safe at second. Victorino went to third on a passed ball before Utley flew to center deep enough to score him, putting the Phils up 1-0. Howard struck out for the third out.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the second and again in the third.

Bruntlett was hit by a pitch to start the fourth and stole second after Utley flew to left for the first out. Howard grounded to first and Jenkins popped to third.

1-2-3 in the fifth. Bruntlett singled with two outs in the sixth but Utley grounded to first behind him.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the seventh.

In the eighth, Coste singled with one out. Harman, who entered the game in the sixth as a pinch-hitter and stayed on to play second and give Utley some rest in the blowout, hit into a double-play to end the frame.

With Webb still on the mound, Victorino started the ninth with a single and stole second. Bruntlett followed with another single, scoring Victorino to cut the lead to 8-2. Ruiz hit for Condrey and grounded to third for the first out with Bruntlett moving to second. Howard lined a single into right and Bruntlett scored. 8-3. Jenkins hit into a double-play to end the game.

The Phils had six singles in the game and didn’t draw a walk.

Victorino was 2-for-4 in the game and 6-for-17 with a double and two walks in the series. He’s hitting 256/322/317 on the year.

Bruntlett was 2-for-3 with an RBI. 7-for-18 with two doubles, a triple and a home run in the series. 250/308/352.

Utley was 0-for-2 with an RBI and his fifth error in the game. 3-for-13 with two doubles in the series. 345/423/727 on the year.

Howard was 1-for-4 with an RBI. 2-for-13 with two singles and six strikeouts in the set. 165/285/331.

Jenkins was 0-for-4. 4-for-14 in the series. 255/292/349. He has one extra-base hit in his last 51 at-bats.

Dobbs was 0-for-3. 1-for-5 in the series. 283/333/457.

Taguchi 0-for-3. 0-for-5 in the series. 182/217/227. 2-for-his-last-23 with two singles.

Coste was 1-for-3. 1-for-6 in the series. 288/383/481 on the season. Ruiz was 0-for-1 in the game and 5-for-11 with five singles in the series. 235/293/318.

Burrell was 1-for-12 with five strikeouts in the series. 305/432/627 on the year.

Feliz was 5-for-11 with a double and a home run in the series. 237/293/421 on the year. That gives him an OPS for the season of .714 — from 2005 through 2007 the range on his OPS at the end of the season went from .708 to .717.

Cole Hamels (3-3, 3.10) faces lefty Pat Misch (0-0, 5.40) on Friday in San Francisco as the Phils play the first of three against the Giants. Misch has made just two appearances with the Giants this season, and one of them was a start against the Phils on May 2. The Phils scored four runs against Misch in four innings in that start. Utley and Feliz both homered off of him. Righties are hittting .333 against Misch, lefties are 1-for-12. On the year he’s allowed four home runs in ten innings. Over his last three starts Hamels has allowed 11 runs in 20 1/3 innings and seven of the runs have come on the four home runs he’s allowed. Opponents are hitting .213 against him, lefties .211 with an 0.87 ratio. He faced the Giants on May 4 and allowed four runs in six innings. Rich Aurillia hit two doubles and a home run off of him in that game.

The Phils got a fantastic win last night with the help of key back-to-back hits from Bruntlett and Utley in the eighth and more great work from the pen. It’s safe to say that Snakes’ first baseman Conor Jackson will never forget his 26th birthday. Also in the eighth, after Jackson had been hit by a pitch early in the game, Jackson and Victorino attempted to occupy the same space at the same time and produced one of the uglier baseball collisions you’ll ever see. Jackson had to leave the game.

This quotes Jackson as saying he is all right. Also says he’s day-to-day.

Jimmy Rollins is poised to return soon for the Phils, perhaps as soon as tomorrow against the Giants, which will surely mean an end to regular playing time for the red-hot Eric Bruntlett. Bruntlett had one of the biggest hits of the game last night as his eighth-inning double scored Victorino and tied the game. When Utley followed with a single, Bruntlett game around to score what would prove to be the game-winner. Bruntlett is 5-for-15 with two doubles, a triple and a home run and seven RBI in the first three games of the set.

On the other end of the spectrum, Ryan Howard continues to struggle horribly. After going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts last night, Howard is hitting .163 on the season. He’s 1-for-his-last-20 with 11 strikeouts.

The Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, winning 5-4 to improve to 20-15 on the season. Five of the Phillies’ last seven games have been decided by one run and the Phils have gone 4-1 in those one-run games.

Kyle Kendrick got the start for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing three runs on ten hits and a walk. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, a double, a triple and a home run. He struck out two.

Augie Ojeda singled to left with one out in the first. Kendrick got Eric Byrnes on a fly ball to Victorino for the second out before Conor Jackson moved Ojeda to third with a single. Stephen Drew was next and he laced a single into left. Ojeda scored to put Arizona up 1-0 and Jackson went to second. Mark Reynolds hit a slow grounder to third. Feliz charged and made a nice play to throw Reynolds out at first.

Jeff Salazar started the second with a single, but Ruiz threw him out trying to steal second. Chris Snyder walked before Kendrick struck out pitcher Micah Owings for the second out. Chris Young smoked a single into left-center, moving Snyder to second. Kendrick struck Ojeda out swinging at a 2-2 pitch for the third out.

Salazar’s stolen base cost the Diamondbacks at least a run. Through two innings the Snakes had five hits, all singles, and a walk against Kendrick and had scored one run.

Jackson was hit by a pitch with one out in the third, but Drew followed and hit into a double-play.

Snyder singled with one out in the fourth. It brought up Owings, who lined a ball into right. Jenkins made a nice diving catch coming in to end the inning.

Young started the fifth with a home run that put Arizona up 2-1. Ojeda followed with a triple before Byrnes grounded back to the pitcher for the first out. Jackson hit a slow ground ball to second for the second out. Ojeda scored and it was 3-1. Drew flew to center for the third out.

Salazar singled with one out in the sixth. Snyder was next and hit a ground ball to third. Feliz threw to second for the first out, but Howard didn’t handle the relay from Utley for an error and Snyder was safe at first with two outs. Owings doubled into left and Snyder went to third. Young grounded to Feliz for the third out.

Madson started the seventh with the game tied at 3-3. Byrnes singled with one out and stole second. Jackson lined one into left-center and Victorino took a bad angle on the ball. It got past him and to the wall for a double — it should have been a hit but just a single. Byrnes scored to make it 4-3. Romero came in to pitch to the lefty Drew and Drew grounded to second, moving Jackson to third. Righty Justin Upton hit for the lefty Salazar and struck out.

Interesting to see Manuel to put Madson into the game in such a pressure situation. Madson hasn’t been one of Manuel’s first options of the pen for much of the year. This time didn’t go well, but it’s nice to see anyway. Manuel needs to use his whole pen or Lidge and Romero are going to be done long before the season is.

Madson has now allowed six hits in his last 2 1/3 innings.

Gordon started the eighth with the Phils up 5-4 and Snyder led off with a double. Snyder was left stranded when Gordon set down Montero (flew to left), Young (struck out) and Ojeda (ground ball to second).

Lidge started the ninth with a one run lead and struck out Byrnes and Chris Burke before getting Drew to ground to first to end the game.

Great day for Romero, Gordon and Lidge, who combined to allow a hit and a walk while striking out five in 2 1/3 innings after Madson was hit hard in the seventh. Madson and Lidge both threw 15 pitches, Romero 13 and Gordon 11. Gordon pitched on Tuesday so he probably won’t go three days in a row, but my guess would be the other three are available this afternoon.

The Phillies’ lineup against right Micah Owings went (1) Victorino (2) Bruntlett (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Feliz (8) Ruiz. Jenkins in right field with Werth on the bench despite the home run from Werth last night. Coming into the game Werth was hitting 218/290/400 against righties on the season, Jenkins 287/323/402. Howard back in the lineup and Utley back at second. Ruiz catches Kendrick.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the first.

Howard struck out to start the second and Burrell followed with a walk. Jenkins struck out and Feliz popped to third.

Ruiz started the third with a single and Kendrick bunted him to second. Victorino singled into center and Ruiz slid in to the plate just in front of the throw from Young to tie the game at 1-1. Really good base-running from Ruiz on the play. Bruntlett flew to right for the second out before Utley walked and stole second. Howard struck out for the third out.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

They started the seventh down 3-1. Jenkins singled with one out and it brought up Feliz and Feliz jerked Owings’ 0-1 pitch down the line in left and just out. 3-3. Ruiz grounded out behind him and Werth hit for Kendrick and struck out.

Victorino led off the eighth and struck out swinging at a 2-2 pitch. Strike three got away from Snyder and Victorino took off for first base. It looked like Jackson at first set up to receive the throw from Snyder on the dugout side of the first base line, but the throw came on the second base side. Jackson reached across his body to catch the ball just as Victorino arrived and a horrific collision ensued. Victorino’s legs came out from under him and he wound up on his back, while Jackson wound up lying face down in front of first. Jackson had to leave the game but Victorino stayed in. Bruntlett was next and he ripped a double down the left field line and into the corner. Victorino scored to tie the game at 4-4. Utley singled into center and Bruntlett scored. 5-4. Howard and Burrell both struck out before Jenkins walked. Feliz grounded to short for the third out.

Dobbs hit for Gordon with one out in the ninth and singled, but Victorino and Bruntlett went down behind him.

Victorino was 1-for-5 with an RBI. Amazing that he could stay in the game after a play like that and score from first when the next hitter doubled — he got a great jump cause he was trying to steal second on the pitch that Bruntlett doubled on (the ball rattled around, so he may have been safe anyway).

Bruntlett was 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Big hit for Bruntlett.

Utley was 1-for-3 with a walk and a single that won the game.

Howard was 0-for-4 and struck out three times.

Burrell 0-for-3 with a walk.

Jenkins 1-for-3 with a walk. Nice play in right to take a hit away from Owings.

Feliz was 1-for-4 with a big homer, his fifth on the season, and two RBI. He’s 5-for-11 with a double and a home run so far in the series.

Ruiz 1-for-4 with a single.

Brett Myers (2-2, 4.70) faces righty Brandon Webb (7-0, 2.49) this afternoon. Righties are hitting .152 against Webb and have drawn three walks this season. Lefties do at least a little better, but you’d sort of have to. They are hitting .247 against Webb and have hit both the home runs that Webb has allowed on the year (Helton and Delgado). Webb didn’t face the Phils last season. Myers threw 121 pitches his last time out, but he’s a big strong kid so it’s probably nothing. Over his last six starts Myers has allowed 11 home runs in 39 innings — if he allowed home runs at that rate over 200 innings he would surrender 56. That would be too many. Myers didn’t start against the Snakes in ‘07, mostly cause he was being a big strong kid in the bullpen just about all the time he wasn’t on the DL.

Not that outpitching Eaton was that remarkable a feat. Eaton again was hurt by the big inning, and for the second time in three starts didn’t get an out in the fifth inning. The lowlight was walking The Big Unit on four pitches with the bases loaded, but if lowlights are your thing the three-run bomb by Stephen Drew two batters later is highly recommended.

Ryan Howard started the game on the bench for the Phils against the lefty Johnson. After striking out in a pinch-hitting appearance Howard is hitting .168 on the year. He’s 1-for-his-last-16 with eight strikeouts.

The Phillies lost to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, falling 6-4 to drop to 19-15 on the season. The four-game series is tied at one game apiece.

Eaton got the start for the Phillies and went four innings, allowing six runs on five hits and three walks. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, two doubles and a home run. He struck out one.

In the first he got ahead of Chris Young 0-2 before Young ripped a double down the left field line. Stephen Drew grounded back to Eaton for the first out, with Young holding second. Eric Byrnes was next and he hit a chopper down the third base line. It went off the heel of Feliz’s glove and Feliz flipped to Eaton covering third to try and get Young at third, but the flip was wild and the ball rolled down the third base line towards home. Byrnes went to second on the flipping error by Feliz. Fourth error on the year for Feliz. Conor Jackson was next and he lined a single into left-center off the tip of the glove of a diving Bruntlett. Young scored to make it 1-0 and Byrnes went to third. Justin Upton followed with a ground ball back to the mound and Byrnes was caught between third and home in a rundown. Upton went to second on the rundown, so it put men on second and third for Mark Reynolds with two outs. Reynolds popped to short for the third out.

Eaton hit Augie Ojeda with a 1-2 pitch with one out in the second. Pitcher Randy Johnson couldn’t bunt him to second and struck out for the second out. Young grounded to third for the third out.

Eaton threw a 1-2-3 third.

He started the fourth with a 2-1 lead and everything went bad quickly. He walked Upton on five pitches to start the inning. Reynolds was next and hit a ball to deep right that went in and out of the glove of Werth for a double. Miguel Montero followed with a walk to load the bases. Ojeda flew to center for the first out and the runners had to hold. The pitcher Randy Johnson was next and Eaton walked him on four pitches, forcing in Upton to tie the game at 2-2. Young hit a ground ball to short and Johnson was forced at second for the first out as Reynolds scored. 3-2 with men on first and third for Drew. Drew hit a three-run homer to right-center. 6-2. Byrnes flew to right for the third out.

Eaton allowed three walks, a double and a home run in the inning.

Seanez threw a 1-2-3 fifth and a 1-2-3 sixth to drop his ERA on the year to 1.38. After walking eight hitters in his first nine innings on the season, he hasn’t walked a batter in his last four innings.

Gordon started the seventh and gave up a one out single to Drew. Flash threw away a pickoff attempt at first with Byrnes at the plate and Drew went to second. Drew moved to third when Byrnes grounded out for the second out. Jackson flew to right for the third out.

Chad Durbin started the eighth with Brad Harman playing third base after Howard hit for Feliz in the top of the inning. Upton led off with a single, but Durbin struck out Reynolds and Montero flew to left for the second out. With Ojeda at the plate, Upton was caught stealing to end the inning.

Durbin threw 17 pitches in his inning. Seanez needed just 16 to throw two. Gordon threw 13.

The Phillies lineup against lefty Randy Johnson went (1) Victorino (2) Bruntlett (3) Utley (4) Burrell (5) Werth (6) Feliz (8) Coste (8) Harman. Howard starts the game on the bench against the lefty. Utley plays first with Harman at second. Werth in right and Victorino in center. Coste catches.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the first.

Feliz walked with two outs in the second and moved to second when Coste was hit by a pitch. Harman flew to center for the third out.

Eaton led off the third and hammered a 1-0 pitch into center for a double. Victorino put down a pretty bunt and it took a nice bare-handed play by Reynolds at third to get him at first. Eaton went to third, but it didn’t matter cause Bruntlett hit the first pitch he saw out to left to put the Phillies up 2-1. Johnson struck out Utley and Burrell to end the frame.

Werth singled to start the fourth. Feliz followed and looped a ball into shallow left-center, but Byrnes made a nice diving catch for the first out. Werth stole second with Coste at the plate and went to third on a throwing error by catcher Miguel Montero. Coste struck out and Harman flew to right, so the Phils couldn’t score after the Phils put a man on third with one out.

With one out in the fifth, Victorino walked and scored when Bruntlett ripped an 0-1 pitch into the right field corner for a double, cutting the Arizona lead to 6-3. Utley grounded to first and Burrell struck out swinging.

Werth started the sixth with a home run, making the score 6-4. Feliz was next and singled off the glove of Conor Jackson and into right field, but he was thrown out going for second. Coste popped to short and Harman struck out swinging.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the seventh.

Burrell singled with one out in the eighth and went to second on a ground out by Werth. With righty Tony Pena on the mound, Howard hit for Feliz and struck out to end the frame.

Howard and not Dobbs was a choice Manuel made in the eighth. Howard got a chance as the tying run with a man on and the Phils down 6-4, but it meant that Harman had to play third in the bottom of the eighth. Dobbs would get a chance to tie the game with a man on in the ninth against a righty anyway.

Righty Brandon Lyon came on for the Diamondbacks in the ninth to protect a 6-4 lead. Coste popped out to the catcher for the first out before Ruiz hit for Harman and singled into left. It brought Chad Durbin up as the winning run and Dobbs hit for Durbin and flew to left for the second out. Victorino singled, moving Ruiz to third and putting the tying run on base for Bruntlett, but Bruntlett flew out to left to leave both runners stranded and end the game.

Victorino was 1-for-3 with a walk. He’s 5-for-his-last-13 with two doubles. He still has just four extra-base hits and a .315 slugging percentage on the season.

Bruntlett was 2-for-5 with a home run, a double and three RBI. He’s 4-for-10 with three extra-base hits and six RBI in the first two games of the series.

Utley was 0-for-4 and struck out three times.

Burrell 1-for-4 and struck out twice.

Werth was 2-for-4 with his sixth home run.

Feliz 1-for-2 with a walk and robbed of another hit by a nice catch by Byrnes.

Coste 0-for-3.

Harman 0-for-3.

Kyle Kendrick (2-2, 5.01) faces righty Micah Owings (4-1, 4.42) tonight. Owings was 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA in his first four starts. In his last two he’s allowed 11 earned runs in 10 2/3 innings. Overall on the season he’s allowed six home runs in 36 2/3 innings. Lefties are hitting .310 against him, righties .145. He made two starts against the Phils in 2007 and went 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA. May 8 and May 29. Lefties are hitting .350 with a 2.05 ratio against Kendrick, righties .247, 1.18. He hasn’t walked a batter in his last two starts and has never faced Arizona.

After the schedule-makers gave them the struggling Pirates, Padres and Giants all in a row you would have to think going to Arizona to face the Diamondbacks with their NL-best 21-10 record would be something of a shock for the Phils. If it was they didn’t show it. The pounded out 11 runs on 17 hits and took the first game of the four-game set 11-4.

The Phils won by seven runs, but the game wasn’t that close. Jamie Moyer outpitched fireballing prospect Max Scherzer and the Phils hit up and down their lineup. The first three in the order for the Phils went 6-for-14. At the bottom of the lineup, Jenkins, Feliz and Ruiz combined to go 8-for-16. The Phils scored 11 times without a home run.

The Phillies beat the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, winning 11-4 to improve to 19-14 on the season. The Phils are five games over .500 for the first time in 2008.

Moyer got the start for the Phillies and was fantastic. He went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, a triple and a home run. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

With two outs in the first, Orlando Hudson singled to right and moved to second on an error by Jenkins. Conor Jackson flew to right for the third out.

Justin Upton singled to start the second with the Phils up 1-0. Mark Reynolds flew to center for the first out before Chris Snyder ripped a ball ticketed for left. Feliz made a great play at the line and threw to second to force Upton for the second out. Stephen Drew followed and tripled into the gap in right-center. Snyder scored to tie the game at 1-1. The pitcher Max Scherzer grounded to short to end the inning.

Moyer threw a 1-2-3 third with the Phillies up 5-1.

He struck out Upton and Reynolds in a 1-2-3 fourth.

And Drew in a 1-2-3 fifth.

Chris Young and Eric Byrnes started the sixth with back-to-back singles. It put men on first and second with nobody out for Hudson, who hit into a double-play. Jackson grounded to short for the third out.

Moyer started the seventh with a 9-1 lead. He got the first two before Snyder homered to left. 9-2. Drew struck out to end the inning.

Madson pitched the eighth and gave up a one-out single to Young, but got the next two to leave him stranded.

Condrey started the ninth, seeing his first action since April 27. In that time the Phillies called on Brett Myers to throw 121 pitches in a start and asked both Romero and Lidge to pitch four days in a row. If you’re going to have a problem, seventh guy in the bullpen is a nice place to have one. But the Phils need someone they are willing to put in the game when the score isn’t 11-2. Pinch-hitter Miguel Montero and Upton started the inning with singles. Reynolds was next and he bounced one into right. Jenkins failed to field the ball as he charged and was given his second error of the game. Montero scored to cut the Phillies’ lead to 11-3. With men on first and third and nobody out, Robby Hammock hit one to third and Feliz came home with the ball to get Upton for the first out. Drew loaded the bases with a single to left. Chris Burke hit a ground ball to second for the second out. Reynolds scored and it was 11-4. Young grounded to short to end the game.

Condrey’s ERA is up to 7.45 on the season after allowing two runs on four hits in the inning. He threw 17 pitches, Madson 11.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Max Scherzer went (1) Victorino (2) Bruntlett (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Feliz (8) Ruiz. Werth again on the bench against the righty with Jenkins in right and Victorino in center. Ruiz catches.

Victorino led off the game with a double and Bruntlett followed and was hit by a pitch while trying to bunt. Utley grounded to first and Bruntlett was forced at second for the first out as Victorino moved to third. Howard flew to center and Victorino scored to put the Phils up 1-0. Burrell struck out to end the frame.

Jenkins started the second with a single, but Feliz and Ruiz struck out behind him. Moyer singled into left, moving Jenkins to second. Victorino grounded back to the pitch to leave both runners stranded.

In the third, Utley doubled with one out and Howard followed with a walk. Burrell struck out for the second out but Jenkins followed with a single into center. Utley scored to put the Phillies up 2-1. With Feliz at the plate a wild pitch moved Howard to third before Feliz smoked a ball at the feet of Drew at short. It bounced once and went off his glove for an error. Howard scored to put the Phillies up 3-1. Jenkins went to second, but he came around to score when Ruiz followed with a single up the middle. 4-1 with first and second and two down for Moyer. Moyer sliced a double down the left field line scoring Feliz to make it 5-1 and moving Ruiz to third. Victorino popped to short for the third out.

Utley walked with one out in the fourth, but Howard and Burrell went down behind him.

Feliz singled with one out in the fifth, but Ruiz popped to the catcher and Moyer flew to left.

Victorino and Bruntlett put runners on first and second with nobody out in the sixth when they started the inning with back-to-back singles. Utley flew to center, Howard flew to left and Burrell grounded to third.

Jenkins started the seventh with a single before Feliz flew out for the first out. Ruiz moved Jenkins to third with a single and Moyer hit for himself and bunted Ruiz to second for the second out. Righty Edgar Gonzalez walked Victorino intentionally to pitch to the righty Bruntlett. Bruntlett lined a ball into right-center and Upton dove for it and missed. It rolled for a while and Bruntlett had a three-run triple that put the Phils up 8-1. Utley walked to put men on first and third before Howard singled, scoring Bruntlett to make it 9-1. Burrell grounded to short to end the inning.

Feliz doubled with one out in the eighth and moved to third when Ruiz followed with an infield single. Dobbs hit for Moyer and hit a ball to center for the second out, deep enough to score Feliz and put the Phils up 10-2. Victorino fouled out to third to end the frame.

Utley doubled with one out in the ninth and moved to third on a ground out to second by Howard. Taguchi hit a ball to third that Reynolds couldn’t handle, Utley scored on the error to extend the lead to 11-2. Jenkins grounded to second for the third out.

Victorino was 2-for-5 with a double and a walk.

Bruntlett 2-for-5 with a triple and three RBI. Great day for Bruntlett, but he doesn’t belong hitting second. Even after the big day he’s hitting 231/333/308 as a number two hitter.

Utley 2-for-4 with two doubles and two walks.

Howard 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBI.

Burrell 0-for-5, struck out twice and left eight men on base.

Jenkins 3-for-6 with an RBI and two errors.

Feliz 2-for-5 with a double.

Ruiz 3-for-5 with an RBI.

Adam Eaton (0-0, 4.72) faces lefty Randy Johnson (1-1, 4.79) tonight. Johnson had a 2.70 ERA in his first three starts before he allowed six runs in four innings against the Astros on Wednesday. Lefties have one hit against him on the season, they’re hitting .083. Righties are hitting .286. Johnson only made ten starts in 2007, but two of them game against the Phils. In the two starts, which came on May 9 and May 30, Johnson went 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA. Eaton is still looking for his first decision on the year. He hasn’t allowed more than four runs in any of his six starts. His home runs are way down compared to last season, he’s allowed just three in 34 1/3 innings. Lefites are hitting .292 against him, righties .236. He made one start against Arizona last year and allowed three runs over seven innings on May 8.

Ugly or not, a win is a win and this one kept the Phils atop the NL East for at least another day. Charlie Manuel’s use of his bullpen in the series with San Francisco was curious to say the least. Brad Lidge was the latest Phillie reliever to pitch for the fourth straight day with several pitchers in the pen who pitch rarely if ever. Whether this is by choice or necessity it could signal bad times ahead for the bullpen, cause if you think the Phils need Lidge and Romero pitching well in the beginning of May just wait till you see how much they need them pitching well in the beginning of September.

The Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants yesterday afternoon, winning 6-5 to improve to 18-14 on the season. The Phils take the series two games to one.

Hamels got the start for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits. Four of the hits went for extra-bases, three doubles and a home run. He struck out five and didn’t walk a batter.

He threw a 1-2-3 first.

With two outs in the second Rich Aurillia doubled high off the wall in right. Hamels struck Dan Ortmeier out on a 2-2 pitch that was low and outside for a called strike three to end the frame.

Hamels struck out Steve Holm, Tim Lincecum and Eugenio Velez is a 1-2-3 third.

Emmanuel Burriss singled to start the fourth with the Phils up 2-0. He moved to second when Winn followed with a ground out. Rowand struck out for the second out before Jose Castillo singled into center. Victorino came home and his throw was on the first base side of home. Burriss really hammered Ruiz, who held the ball, but Burriss was safe anyway. Odd looking play because Burriss had already crossed home when he collided with Ruiz. Aurillia followed with a double to left-center that scored Castillo and tied the game at 2-2. Ortmeier flew to right to end the frame.

Holm started the fifth with a double and Lincecum bunted him to third. Velez popped up to third and Burriss grounded to short on a nice play by Bruntlett behind second for the third out.

Rowand singled to left with one out in the sixth. Castillo was next and flew to Burrell on the warning track right in front of the wall. Aurillia was next and he blasted one out to left, tying the game at 4-4. Ortmeier flew out to center to set the Giants down.

Durbin started the seventh for the Phillies. With one out, John Bowker hit for Lincecum and looped a single into center. Velez hit into a double-play to end the frame.

Durbin returned for the eighth. He got the first two before Rowand singled to left. Castillo was next and he hit a ball down the line in right field and into the corner. Jenkins hit Utley and Utley’s throw arrived home about the same time as Rowand, but Ruiz dropped the ball and Rowand slid under the tag as well. Rowand was safe to put the Giants up 5-4. Fred Lewis hit for Ortmeier and flew to left for the third out.

Lidge started the ninth with the score tied at 5-5, pitching for the fourth straight day and the third straight day in a non-save situation. He threw a 1-2-3 inning. It took five pitches.

Durbin threw 38 pitches, Lidge five.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Tim Lincecum went (1) Victorino (2) Bruntlett (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Feliz (8) Ruiz. Victorino and Bruntlett at the top of the order. Werth on the bench with Jenkins in right against the righty. Ruiz back behind the plate.

Victorino led off the first with a double into left-center. Bruntlett struck out swinging and Utley looking before Howard flew to left to end the inning.

Burrell lashed a double to left-center to start the second. Jenkins struck out before Feliz singled just over the glove of Castillo at third and into left. Burrell went to third. Ruiz popped to shallow right, Winn took it for the second out and Burrell had to hold third. Lincecum struck Hamels out on three pitches to leave both runners stranded.

Victorino started the third with a ground ball to short and was safe when the throw pulled Aurillia off the bag. Error on Burriss at short, although it looked like Aurillia tagged Victorino and he should have been out. Bruntlett moved him to second with a single into right before Utley flew to shallow center for the first out. Howard moved the runners to second and third with a ground out before Burrell doubled off the wall in left. Both runners scored and the Phils led 2-0. Jenkins struck out for the third out.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the fourth with the game tied at 2-2.

Victorino started the fifth with a single. Bruntlett hit a ground ball to third and Castillo threw low to second where Velez didn’t handle it. The ball went into right and Victorino took third on Castillo’s error, but Velez should have caught the ball. Utley flew to shallow right for the first out and the runners had to hold. Howard drew a walk that loaded the bases. Lincecum’s first pitch to Burrell was in the dirt. Holm blocked it and it dribbled towards third base. Victorino scored from third to put the Phils up 3-2 and the other runners moved up to second and third. Burrell was walked intentionally to load the bases. Jenkins flew to left and Bruntlett scored, extending the lead to 4-2. Another wild pitch, this one way over the head of Holm, moved the runners to second and third before Feliz flew to center to end the inning.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the sixth. Brad Harman hit for Hamels and grounded to short for the second out.

With one out in the seventh, Utley was hit by a pitch in the middle of the back and stole second. Howard walked and righty Vinnie Chulk struck Burrell out swinging at a 3-2 pitch for the second out. Chulk stayed in to pitch to Jenkins and Jenkins flew to right to end the inning.

Ruiz homered to left with one out in the eighth, tying the game at 5-5. Dobbs, who hit for Durbin, and Victorino went down behind him.

With two outs in the ninth Keiichi Yabu walked Howard and Burrell back-to-back. Jenkins hit a ground ball to second that went under the glove of Velez for an error and Howard stormed home to score the winning run and give the Phils a 6-5 win. Nice jump by Howard with two outs. Holm didn’t catch the throw home, but it wouldn’t have matter if he did.

Victorino was 2-for-5 with a double. 3-for-14 with a double in the series. 231/296/292 on the season.

Bruntlett was 1-for-5. 2-for-11 with two singles in the series and 222/278/267.

Utley 0-for-4 with a strikeout and left five men on base. 4-for-11 with two home runs in the series. 357/432/762.

Howard 0-for-2 with three walks and scored the winning run. 0-for-11 with six strikeouts and three walks in the series. 167/294/351.

Burrell 2-for-3 with two doubles and two walks. 3-for-10 with two doubles, a home run and four walks in the series. 330/459/689.

Jenkins was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, an RBI, four men left on base and a game-winning ground ball to second base. 1-for-9 with a home run in the series. He has one walk in his last 37 at-bats. 250/286/359.

Feliz was 1-for-4. 3-for-8 with a home run in the series. 214/270/379.

Ruiz 1-for-4 with a big home run. 1-for-5 with a home run in the series. 203/272/297.

Dobbs was 0-for-1 in the game and 0-for-5 in the series. 293/356/488.

Werth 1-for-6 in the series. 258/343/506.

Coste was 0-for-6 with a walk in the series. He’s hitting 304/396/522 on the season.

Taguchi did not have an at-bat in the series and is hitting 205/244/256 on the year.

Harman 0-for-1 in the series. 200/333/400 in five at-bats on the year.

Jamie Moyer (1-2, 4.50) faces righty Max Scherzer (0-0, 0.00) tonight for the first of four in Arizona. Superstar to be Scherzer turns 24 in July and has made one appearance with the Diamondbacks. It was memorable. On Tuesday he came on in relief of Edgar Gonzalez against the Astros and went 4 1/3 innings without allowing a hit or a walk while striking out seven. Opponentws are htting .336 against Moyer on the year, although he has yet to allow more than four earned runs in any start. Moyer went 1-1 with a 4.30 ERA and a 1.09 ratio in two starts against Arizona last season. May 9 and May 30.

Brett Myers pitched well for the Phillies, but he needed 121 pitches to get through seven innings. Win or lose, it’s a mistake to let Myers throw that many pitches when the season isn’t on the line, just like it was a mistake to let Hamels go that many last month in Milwaukee. The Phillies lost both of those games.

Finally, reports of life in the bat of Ryan Howard have been greatly exaggerated. Despite opening May with a huge day, Howard has gone 0-for-9 with six strikeouts in his last two games.

The Phillies lost to the San Francisco Giants last night, falling 3-2 in ten innings to drop to 17-14 on the season.

Myers got the start for the Phils and went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks. Only one of the hits went for extra-bases, a home run. He struck out a season-high ten.

Myers walked Fred Lewis to start the first. With Eugenio Velez at the plate, Lewis stole second. Coste’s throw beat Lewis, but Bruntlett didn’t get the tag down and didn’t tag Lewis out when Lewis slid past the bag. Velez grounded to short for the first out and Lewis went to third. Randy Winn singled to center and Lewis scored to put the Giants up 1-0. Bengie Molina moved Winn to third with another singled and Aaron Rowand walked to load the bases with one out. Myers got out of it without further damage by striking out John Bowker and Rich Aurillia.

Myers threw 29 pitches in the first inning. The Phils could have prevented a critical run if they had gotten Lewis stealing second.

Pitcher Matt Cain singled to left with one out in the second, but Myers got the next two.

Rowand single with two outs in the third, but Myers picked him off and Rowand was tagged out as Howard threw to Bruntlett to end the frame.

Myers struck out Bowker and Aurillia in a 1-2-3 fourth.

He started the fifth with the game tied at 1-1. With one out Lewis lined a 3-2 pitch out to right, putting San Francisco up 2-1. Velez walked and stole second, but Myers struck out Winn for the second out. Molina hit a ball back to the mound that Myers deflected but didn’t field. Molina had an infield single and Velez went to third. Rowand grounded to third to set the Giants down.

The game was tied at 2-2 when Myers started the sixth. He struck out Bowker and Brian Bocock in a 1-2-3 frame.

He came back with a 1-2-3 seventh.

Durbin started the eighth after 121 pitches for Myers. He got the first two before Rowand drew a walk. Bowker was next and hit a ground ball to Utley’s right. Utley dove towards second to make the play and threw to first. Howard made a nice stretch at first and Bowker was out to end the frame.

Lidge started the ninth inning, pitching for the third straight day and for the second straight day in a non-save situation. Aurillia grounded to short for the first out. Ray Durham hit for Bocock and reached on an infield single up the middle. Utley fielded going towards second base but Durham just beat it out. Durham stole second with Emmanuel Burriss, pinch-hitting for the pitcher Tyler Walker, at the plate. Burriss hit a soft ground ball to third for the second out and Durham moved to third. Lewis grounded softly to first to end the frame.

Seanez started the tenth and got the first out before Winn singled. Winn stole second before Molina hit a ball to left that rolled to the wall for a long single. Winn scored to put the Giants up 3-2. Rowand struck out looking for the second out before Bowker and Aurillia loaded the bases with back-to-back singles. Molina is absurdly slow not to be able to 1) get to second on his single to the wall or 2) score from second on the single into left by Aurillia with two outs. Jose Castillo hit for the pitcher and grounded to short for the third out.

Three innings for the pen in which they allowed a run on five hits, all singles and four allowed by Seanez, and a walk. Lidge threw 14 pitches but was throwing for his third day in a row. Durbin 19, Seanez 21.

Condrey still doesn’t get into the game. The Phillies need to use their whole bullpen even if it means losing a game. Tonight they used Myers too much and Lidge too much and they lost anyway.

The Phillies lineup against righty Matt Cain went (1) Victorino (2) Dobbs (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Coste (8) Bruntlett. Werth on the bench with Jenkins in right and Victorino in center. Dobbs plays third and hits second, putting lefties 2-3-4 in the order for the Phils. Second start in two games for Coste behind the plate.

With two outs in the first, Utley singled and moved to second on a balk. Howard struck out for the third out.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the second and again in the third.

Dobbs struck out to start the fourth. Utley was next and drove a 2-1 pitch out to left-center to tie the game at 1-1. Howard and Burrell struck out behind him.

Jenkins started the fifth and hit the first pitch he saw just out down the line in right. It tied the game at 2-2. Coste and Bruntlett struck out and Myers popped to second to end the inning. Five strikeouts and two home runs allowed in the fourth and fifth for Cain.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the sixth and again in the seventh.

Coste walked to start the eighth and Ruiz ran for him at first. Cain left the game with a problem with his right hamstring before Bruntlett bunted Ruiz to second against righty Tyler Walker. Werth hit for Durbin and grounded to third for the second out. Victorino flew to Rowand in left-center to end the inning with Ruiz stranded.

Feliz started the ninth and walked on a 3-2 pitch. Utley lined a ball back through the middle, but the pitcher Traschner got a glove on it, deflecting it and slowing it down. Velez took it at second and started a double-play. Howard struck out for the third time in the game.

Brian Wilson was back on the job in the bottom of the tenth to protect a 3-2. Burrell led off and drew a walk. Eaton ran for him. Jenkins hit a double-play ball to short but the Giants only got one. Eaton did a nice job sliding into Velez at second and the relay to first was bad. Ruiz struck out and Bruntlett grounded softly to short on a nice play by Burriss to end the game.

Three hits and two walks in the game for the Phillies.

Victorino was 0-for-4.

Dobbs 0-for-3. The guys who start the game in the one and two spots, Victorino/Werth on Friday and Victorino/Dobbs on Saturday, are 2-for-17 in the last two games.

Utley 2-for-4 with a home run, one of two extra-base hits for the Phils.

Howard 0-for-4 and struck out three times.

Burrell 0-for-3 with a walk.

Jenkins 1-for-4 with a home run, his first extra-base hit since April 17.

Coste was 0-for-2 with a walk. The Giants stole four bases in the game, three with Coste behind the plate.

Bruntlett 0-for-3.

Cole Hamels (3-3, 2.70) faces righty Tim Lincecum (4-1, 1.73) this afternoon. Lincecum has allowed more than two runs in just one of his six appearances on the season, five of which have been starts. Lefties are hitting .290 against him, righties .238. He’s allowed 15 walks in 36 1/3 innings, which is too many, but just one home run. He made two starts against the Phils last year and was hit hard in both of them. May 6 and June 3. Hamels has given the Phillies at least seven innings in each of his six starts on the season. Righties are hitting .197 against him, lefties .216. He was 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in two starts against the Giants last season. He started the May 6 game against Lincecum and also pitched on June 2.

The pitchers, relievers in particular, have carried more than their share of the load in the early going for the Phils. More than once they’ve helped the team come out with a win in a game where the performance of the offense was lack-luster. Last night the bats returned the favor.

After the Giants came back from down 4-1 to force extra-innings and then pulled ahead with a run in the top of the tenth off of the overused JC Romero, San Francisco closer Brian Wilson came on to protect a one-run lead in the bottom of the tenth. He threw fastball after fastball past the heart of the Phillies order. Utley managed to loop a single into right-center field, but Werth and Howard both struck out. The Phils were down to their last strike when Pat Burrell blasted a 3-2 pitch out to left to win the game.

The Phillies beat the San Francisco Giants last night, winning 6-5 in ten innings to improve to 17-13 on the season. They are four games above .500 for the first time on the season.

Kendrick got the start for the Phils and went six innings, allowing three runs on eight hits. Just one of the hits went for extra-bases, a double. He struck out six.

Randy Winn singled to left with two outs in the first, but Kendrick got cleanup hitter Bengie Molina on a fly ball to left to end the frame.

He started the second up 2-0. John Bowker singled to center with one out, but Kendrick got the next two to leave him stranded.

Kendrick struck out Fred Lewis and Ray Durham in a 1-2-3 third.

Winn singled to start the fourth, but Molina followed and hit into a double-play. Aaron Rowand was next and he doubled into left. Bowker was next he lined a single to center. Rowand held third, but Jose Castillo followed with a single into right-center. Rowand scored to cut the Phillies’ lead to 2-1 and Bowker went to second. Emmanuel Burriss grounded to short for the third out to leave both runners stranded.

Kendrick started the fifth with a 4-1 lead. Dan Ortmeier hit for the pitcher Pat Misch to start the inning and was hit by a pitch. Kendrick set down the next three, striking out Lewis and getting Ray Durham on a fly ball to left before he struck out Winn to end the frame.

Kendrick threw a 1-2-3 sixth.

Castillo and Burriss started the seventh with back-to-back singles. It put men on first and second with nobody out for the pitcher’s spot and switch-hitter Eugenio Velez hit for reliever Keiichi Yabu. Madson came in to pitch to him and Velez singled into center to load the bases. Madson struck Lewis out swinging at a 1-2 pitch for the first out. Durham singled into right and Castillo and Burriss both scored to cut the Phillies’ lead to 4-3. Velez went to second. Winn singled off the glove of Feliz and into left, loading the bases for Molina with one out. Madson got ahead of Molina 0-2 before Molina reached out for a pitch way low and outside and hit a slow grounder to short. Bruntlett had to go to first for the second out as Velez scored to tie the game at 4-4. With men on second and third and two, Madson struck Rowand out to end the frame.

Gordon started the eighth. Bowker led off with a single and went to second on a curve ball in the dirt that Coste couldn’t find with Castillo at the plate. Gordon was charged with a wild pitch. With Castillo still at the plate Coste couldn’t handle another pitch from Gordon, this one low and outside, and Bowker went to third with nobody out. Gordon struck Castillo out for the first out. Burriss was next and hit a ground ball back to Gordon. Gordon did a great job, chasing Bowker back to third and then tossing to Feliz who tagged him out. Flash hurt something on the play, but stayed in the game. Velez grounded to short to end the frame.

Miserable inning for Coste, but Gordon worked around it.

Lidge started the ninth for the Phils with the game tied at 4-4 after having pitched an inning the night before. He got ahead of Lewis 0-2 before Lewis singled into right. Brian Bocock hit for the pitcher Tyler Walker and bunted Lewis to second. Winn hit a slow ground ball to first for the second out and Lewis went to third. Molina flew to right to set the Giants down.

I was surprised to see Lidge enter in a tie game. Other choices were Durbin, who threw 36 pitches on Wednesday and probably wasn’t available, Seanez, who threw eight and probably was, and JC Romero who would have been pitching in his fourth game in four days.

Romero came on to pitch the tenth. Rowand hit his first pitch out to center to put the Giants up 5-4. Bowker followed with a single, but Castillo hit into a double-play. Burriss singled and stole second before Velez walked to put men on first and second with two down. Romero struck out Lewis to end the frame.

Manuel didn’t have a good game and Burrell bailed him out. Romero pitching for the fourth day in a row and giving up the go-ahead home run in the tenth to a righty isn’t what you’re looking for. Unless they were not available I think you have to let Seanez or even Condrey pitch.

The Phillies should stop using Romero in the way they have been. The risk of injury seems high and his loss would be a huge problem given the lack of lefties. If you hear them say anything like, “Romero is a big, strong kid and we really know his arm” it’s time to head for the hills.

Bad day for the pen. Phils’ relievers went four innings and allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk. Madson threw 19 pitches, Gordon 22, Romero 20, Lidge 14. Romero cannot pitch five days in a row. Gordon was pitching for the second straight day, so he’s probably out tonight even if he is not injured from the play on the comebacker. Lidge would be going three days in a row if he goes tonight. Phils need a long outing from Myers.

The Phillies’ lineup against lefty Pat Misch went (1) Victorino (2) Werth (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Feliz (7) Coste (8) Bruntlett. Jenkins on the bench against the lefty with Victorino in center and Werth in right. Coste catches Kendrick. Interesting decision tonight for Manuel in center and right with a righy on the mound for the Giants. I assume Jenkins will play right, but I think we might see Victorino in center with Werth on the bench. Werth is 2-for-his-last-20.

Werth singled with one out in the first and stole second before Utley homered down the line in right, putting the Phils up 2-0. Howard and Burrell went down to end the inning.

Feliz started the second with a single and Coste struck out behind him for the first out. Bruntlett drew a walk, moving Feliz to second. Kendrick tried to bunt and failed, striking out for the second out. Victorino flew to right to end the inning.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the third.

Burrell walked to start the fourth and Feliz followed and hit the first pitch of his at-bat out down the line in right, putting the Phils up 4-1. Coste flew to left for the first out before Bruntlett bunted for a single. Madson bunted him to second for the second out, but Victorino popped to third to end the inning.

Utley walked with one out in the fifth, but Howard and Burrell went down behind him.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the sixth.

With the score tied at 4-4 in the seventh, Dobbs hit for Madson to start the inning and flew to right. Victorino followed with a single and stole second with Werth at the plate. Werth flew to right for the second out, deep enough for Victorino to go to third. Utley was walked intentionally and lefty Jack Traschner came in to pitch to Howard and struck him out to end the inning. San Francisco would still rather pitch to Howard than Utley even after Howard beat them the night before.

After Howard’s strikeout he was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Had me wondering if I was a little premature with yesterday’s headline.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the eighth.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the ninth. Jenkins hit for Lidge against the righty Merkin Valdez and flew to center for the second out.

Werth led off the tenth against Giants’ closer Brian Wilson. Werth got ahead 3-0 but Wilson threw three straight fastballs and struck him out swinging. Utley looped the first pitch of his at-bat into right-center field, bringing up Howard as the winning run. Howard struck out looking at a 2-2 pitch and was ejected as he walked away from the plate complaining. The pitch that Howard struck out on was most definitely a strike. Burrell got ahead 3-0 and Wilson threw two fastballs past him. He didn’t throw three. The 3-2 pitch was a little outside, but Burrell hammered it out to left to give the Phils a 6-4 win.

Victorino was 1-for-5 with a stolen base.

Werth 1-for-5 with a stolen base.

Utley 2-for-3 with a home run and two walks.

Howard 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.

Burrell 1-for-4 with a walk and a game-winning homer.

Feliz 2-for-4 with a two-run homer against his former team.

Coste 0-for-4 and a bad night behind the plate.

Bruntlett 1-for-3 with a walk.

Brett Myers (2-2, 5.11) faces righty Matt Cain (1-2, 4.41) tonight. Cain got bombed by the Cardinals for nine runs in 3 2/3 innings on April 18. In his two starts since he’s allowed one run on nine hits in 12 1/3 innings. Opponents are hitting just .248 against him for the year, righties .233. He has walked way too many, 23 in 32 2/3 innings. The Phillies scored seven runs in three innings against him the only time they faces him last year, which was on May 3. Myers has allowed ten runs in 12 innings over his last two starts. Over his last five starts he’s allowed ten home runs in 32 innings. He didn’t make a start against the Giants last year but threw two scoreless innings in relief.

Ryan Howard had a miserable April, but April is over. Last night after driving in the Phils’ first run with an RBI-double in the third, Howard blasted a mammoth shot out to right in the bottom of the eighth that proved to be the game winner for the Phils.

The Phillies only scored three runs on the night, but thanks to a nice outing by Eaton and three hitless, shutout innings from the amazing Phillies bullpen, three was enough.

The Phillies beat the San Diego Padres last night, winning 3-2 to improve to 16-13 on the season. The Phils take the series two games to one. For the second time in seven games the Phils get a win in a game where they scored three runs, so a word of thanks to the pitching, and the bullpen especially, is in order. Last year the Phils were 4-16 in games when they scored three runs and 4-41 in games where they scored less than four runs. So far this year they’re 2-2 in games where they score three runs and 2-9 in games where they score less than four.

The Phillies start the day in first place in the NL East, a half game ahead of the Marlins and the Mets.

Eaton got the start for the Phillies against his former team and went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks. Just one of the hits went for extra-bases, a home run. He struck out two. Eaton was hit hard early but pitched better as the game went on.

Tad Iguchi singled to left with one out in the first and Adrian Gonzalez followed with a home run to right. 2-0. Eaton got the next two.

Jim Edmonds singled with one out in the second. Josh Bard smashed a line drive to third for the second out. Pitcher Randy Wolf hammered a ball to deep right, but Werth caught it with a jump on the warning track to end the frame.

Brian Giles started the third with a walk and Iguchi moved him to second with a single. Gonzalez hit a line drive to second that Utley caught and glove-hand flipped to second to double Giles off. Kevin Kouzmanoff followed with a single that sent Iguchi to second with two outs. Khalil Greene swung at a 3-2 pitch low and outside and lined to first on a nice jumping play by Howard to leave both runners stranded.

Edmonds walked with one out in the fourth and the game tied at 2-2, but Eaton got the next two.

Eaton threw a 1-2-3 fifth and a 1-2-3 sixth. Nice play by Bruntlett to take a hit away from Giles on a ball up the middle for the first out of the fifth.

Madson started the seventh and got the first two before lefty Paul McAnulty hit for Wolf. McAnulty walked on four pitches and Manuel called on Romero to pitch to the lefty Giles. Third straight day for Romero after throwing 23 pitches on Wednesday. He struck Giles out swinging at a 3-2 pitch.

Gordon pitched a 1-2-3 eighth.

Lidge started the ninth up 3-2 in his first appearance since Sunday. He got Greene on a fly ball to center, struck out pinch-hitter Tony Clark and got Edmonds on a ground ball to short to end the game.

Three scoreless innings, one walk for the bullpen. Madson threw 13 pitches, Romero seven, Gordon nine, Lidge 12. Phils should try hard to keep Romero out of tonight’s game. The pen allowed two runs in the three-game set, which came on a home run against Madson with the Phils up 7-2 in the ninth in game one of the series.

The Phillies’ lineup against lefty Randy Wolf went (1) Victorino (2) Werth (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Feliz (7) Bruntlett (8) Ruiz. Victorino gets the start in center. He should start again tonight with another lefty on the mound of the Giants and Jenkins, presumably, again on the bench. Ruiz catches Eaton.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the first.

Burrell singled with one out in the second. Feliz popped to short for the second out before Bruntlett moved Burrell to second with a single. Ruiz walked to load the bases, but Eaton struck out looking at a 2-2 pitch.

Victorino doubled to start the third, but Werth and Utley both struck out behind him. Howard doubled to left-center to score Victorino, getting the Phils on the board at 2-1. Burrell followed with another double and Howard scored. 2-2. Feliz flew to left for the third out.

Ruiz walked with one out in the fourth. Eaton tried to bunt him to second, but Bard took the bunt and threw to second to force Ruiz for the second out with Eaton safe at first. Victorino walked before Werth struck out again, ending the inning.

Utley singled to start the fifth, but Howard, Burrell and Feliz struck out behind him.

With two outs in the sixth Taguchi hit for Eaton and was robbed of yet another hit by a fantastic defensive play, this one by Greene at short. Taguchi has been victimized by a ton of great defense and he’s got a .205 batting average to prove it.

Victorino walked to start the seventh and was running on the pitch as Werth lined to center. Victorino couldn’t get back in time and was doubled-off. Utley struck out for the third out.

Howard led off the eighth and got ahead 2-0 before he hit a long home run to right, putting the Phils up 3-2. Burrell, Feliz and Bruntlett went down behind him.

Victorino was 1-for-2 with a double and two walks. He was 1-for-4 in the series and is hitting 235/316/294.

Werth was 0-for-4, struck out twice and left four men on base. 1-for-11 with a triple in the series and 0-for-his-last-7 with five strikeouts. 1-for-his-last-15 has him at 265/354/530 on the year.

Utley was 1-for-4 and struck out three times. 4-for-12 with a double and a home run in the series. 357/424/748.

Howard was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBI. 3-for-11 in the series and 184/303/388 on the year.

Burrell was 2-for-4 with a double. 2-for-10 in the series. 333/454/677.

Feliz was 0-for-4 and left three men on base. 2-for-11 with a double in the series. 200/255/347.

Bruntlett was 1-for-4 and struck out twice. 3-for-10 with two walks in the series. 228/282/278.

Ruiz 0-for-1 and walked twice. 2-for-5 with a big double in the series. 203/276/261.

Jenkins was 4-for-7 in the series. 265/307/349.

Taguchi was 0-for-1 in the series and is hitting 205/244/256 on the season.

Dobbs was 1-for-2 with a double in the series. 333/400/556.

Coste was 1-for-4 in the series. He’s hitting 350/435/600.

Kyle Kendrick (2-2, 5.15) faces lefty Patrick Misch (0-0, 3.00) tonight as the Phils play the first of three with San Francisco. Misch appeared in 18 games for the Giants last season, including four starts. Overall in ‘07 he went 0-4 with a 4.24 ERA and a 1.46 ratio. Righties hit .316 against him and lefties just .238. He’s made just one appearance in ‘08 for the Giants, which came in long relief against the Reds on Sunday. After Zito got bombed and exited after just three innings, Misch came on to toss six innings in which he allowed two runs on five hits and a walk. Kendrick’s numbers are pretty bad on the year and he’s actually pitched worse than his numbers look at first glance as seven of the 22 runs he’s allowed have been unearned. Lefties are hitting .356 against him after hitting .321 against him last year. He didn’t face the Giants last season.

What do you see as the most significant developments for the Braves since the start of the season?

There are several significant developments since the start of the season. First, Bobby Cox and Frank Wren look like magicians trading Edgar Renteria away. Both Jair Jurrjens, whom the Braves got in return for Renteria, and Yunel Escobar, who replaced Renteria at short, are playing like regulars. Jurrjens may be the most stable arm on the pitching staff right now, and Escobar is batting .297 with 11 RBIs and is showing great plate discipline for a youngster with 14 walks. Second, we’ve seen our starting rotation show its age a LOT faster than we thought it would. Smoltz is on the DL for the second time, Glavine just got activated from the DL, and Hampton is being… well… Hampton. This has proven Jair Jurrjens to be even more valuable. If you haven’t seen him pitch yet, you don’t want to face him - his two or four seam fastball gets up to 96, his slider is good, and his changeup as absolutely devastating.

Even with all the injuries, the Braves are among the top teams in the NL in runs scored. They have also been among the best teams in the NL overall at preventing runs. Still, their record is probably not the start the many fans were expecting or hoping for. Any thoughts on why a team that seems to be able to both score and prevent runs so effectively is having trouble getting wins?

Our offense is very, very potent. There’s no doubt about that. And we can prevent runs too (sometimes, if the bullpen is on) - but the killer is our offense is either very hot or very cold. As a result, we’ve lost a LOT of one-run games. We’re 0-9 this season in one-run games. It’s quite frustrating that we haven’t been able to pull one of those out yet. Even if just under half of those go our way, we’d be tied for first in the division. The top of the order really is a catalyst for the offense, and Kelly Johnson at leadoff is a very streaky hitter. Mark Teixeira is just warming up for the season with his right-handed swing still not being as hot as his left-handed swing. Once he gets going, the offense will be even better.

Are the Braves going to be able to overcome the loss of Peter Moylan in the bullpen? How will they adjust to his absence?

The loss of Moylan is a blow - we labeled him as one of the main five keys to the Braves bullpen being strong this season. That said, it’s not something we can’t recover from. Jorge Campillo has been strong in middle relief for the Braves since we brought him up from AAA Richmond. Manny Acosta is also working out well and picking up some innings. The bigger key is getting back Rafael Soriano from the DL - he’s had elbow tendinitis issues, and we need a strong, healthy closer. If Smoltz can’t return to the starting rotation, he’s said he’d go close for us - and we all know he’s not someone anyone wants to face in the ninth.

Is Mark Kotsay going to play well enough to keep his job in center field for the whole season? Are there any position players in danger of losing regular playing time?

Kotsay is not in any danger of losing his starting job - though he did have some back issues (uh oh) that kept him out of the lineup last week a couple times. Not good to see. That said, Matt Diaz was benched a few games in a row last week and Gregor Blanco got the start in left field. He’s since rebounded and is batting .295. I don’t think anyone else is in danger of losing their starting spot.

With Glavine and Hampton returning from injuries it looks like the rotation for the time being is Smoltz/Hudson/Glavine/Jurrjens/Hampton with Chuck James as the sixth guy who will come up from the minors if one of them goes down. Is that how you see the rotation? Is there anyone else in the mix?

The lineup no longer has Smoltz at the front, at least not for 15 days. He has tendinitis in his biceps and an inflamed rotator cuff. So now it’s Hudson/Glavine/Jurrjens/James/Jeff Bennett. If (big if - nobody counts on him anymore) Hampton comes back from his rehab starts in one piece, he’ll bump Bennett back to the ‘pen. The other arms we have that can start include Buddy Carlyle and Jo-Jo Reyes. Jo-Jo has great stuff in the minors but he can’t make the transition from pitching down there to pitching in Atlanta. We’ve got to get Smoltzie healthy and keep Glavine healthy. Hudson hasn’t been lights out recently either, which isn’t good. I know I’ve said it before, but watch this Jurrjens kid. He’s only 22, but he pitches like he’s been in the big leagues for much longer. Nobody has anything but good stuff to stay about him.

Thanks a lot to Colin. If you don’t read it regularly, be sure to check out Braves Blast, where today they are discussing the possibility that Smoltz returns to the team as a reliever.

Colin also wrote this morning to point out that since he wrote his answers yesterday Hampton has re-strained his pectoral muscle in a rehab start. Always something.

I also answered some questions from Colin about the Phils here.

After holding the Phillies to two hits in seven shutout innings as he beat Cole Hamels 1-0 last year, Young was too much for the Phils to handle again last night. Chase Utley connected for a two-run home run in the first, but it would prove to be the team’s only extra-base hit in the contest.

The Phillies got more nice work from their bullpen, who contributed another 3 2/3 scoreless innings after Moyer left after allowing four runs through 5 1/3 innings. The Phils didn’t score another run after Utley’s early blast.

The Phillies lost to the San Diego Padres last night, falling 4-2 to drop to 15-13 on the season. Despite all of the excitement about how well the Phils are playing without Rollins, on the first day of May they are on pace to go 87-75 for the season. That’s not going to be good enough.

Moyer got the start for the Phillies and went 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits and a walk. Four of the hits went for extra-bases, two doubles and two home runs. He struck out one. Moyer has now made six starts on the season and, using game score as the measure, has been worse than his opponent in each of the six starts.

Moyer got Brian Giles on a ground ball to second to start the first inning. Tad Iguchi was next and he hit a ground ball up the middle. Bruntlett fielded, but his throw was in the dirt and Iguchi had an infield single. Adrian Gonzalez got ahead 2-0 and hit one out to right to put the Padres up 2-0. Kevin Kouzmanoff followed with a ground ball to short. Again Bruntlett’s throw to first was in the dirt. Howard couldn’t scoop it and Bruntlett was given the error. Howard should have made the play. Khalil Greene was next and he hit a soft line drive into center. Werth got to the ball, but it went off his glove for another error. Kouzmanoff went to second, but Moyer got the next two to leave both runners stranded.

Three bad defensive plays in the field for the Phils in the inning. Two bad throws by Bruntlett, but a better defensive first baseman would have helped. Werth just missed the ball.

Moyer started the second with the game tied at 2-2. Giles and Iguchi singled back-to-back with two outs, putting men on first and third for Gonzalez. Gonzalez grounded to third to end the frame.

Kouzmanoff started the third with a home run to left that put San Diego up 3-2. Greene followed with a single, but Moyer got the next three.

Giles hit a fan interference ground-rule double with one out in the fourth, but Moyer got the next two.

Kouzmanoff singled to start the fifth, but Moyer got the next three to leave him stranded.

Josh Bard started the sixth with a double and the pitcher Chris Young bunted him to third. Moyer walked the lefty Giles to put men on first and third with one out for the righty Iguchi. After 98 pitches for Moyer, Manuel called on Durbin to pitch to Iguchi. Iguchi singled back up the middle. Bard scored to extend the San Diego lead to 4-2 and Giles went to second. Durbin got Gonzalez to pop to third for the second out before Kouzmanoff grounded to second to set San Diego down.

Durbin returned for the seventh. With one out Scott Hairston reached on an infield single to short. Bruntlett played it deep and Hairston just beat it out. Durbin got Edmonds on a ground ball to first for the second out, Hairston moved to second. Bard walked and Tony Clark hit for the pitcher. Durbin got Clark on a ground ball to second to end the frame.

Romero started the eighth. Iguchi singled with one out before Gonzalez flew to center for the second out. Romero hit Kouzmanoff with a 1-1 pitch and then walked Greene on five pitches to load the bases with two outs for Hairston. Romero got the righty Hairston looking at a 1-2 pitch to end the frame. I was a little surprised Manuel thought Romero was his best option trying to get Hairston after Romero loaded the bases, but it worked out for the Phils.

Seanez threw a 1-2-3 ninth.

Another 3 2/3 scoreless innings for the pen. Durbin, Romero and Seanez combined to allow three hits and two walks. Second appearance in two days for Romero, so he may be unavailable tonight after throwing 23 pitches (although he threw just six on Thursday). Durbin threw 36, so he probably can’t pitch tonight. I would guess Seanez is available after throwing just eight.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Chris Young went (1) Werth (2) Bruntlett (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Feliz (8) Coste. Werth in center with Victorino on the bench again. Jenkins in right against the righty. Coste gets a start behind the plate. Bruntlett is a really bad two-hitter.

That said, the suddenly hottish Bruntlett singled with one out in the first and Utley followed with his eleventh home run of the year, tying the game at 2-2. Howard walked, but Burrell hit into a double-play to end the inning.

Jenkins singled to start the second. Feliz followed and hit into a double-play. Coste fouled out to the catcher for the third out.

Moyer singled to start the third, but Young struck out Werth, Bruntlett and Utley behind him.

With one out in the fourth, Burrell walked and Jenkins moved him to second. Feliz hit into another double-play.

With two outs in the fifth, Werth walked and stole second. Bruntlett struck out to end the inning.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the sixth.

Coste singled with two outs in the seventh and Victorino hit for Durbin. He hit an 0-1 pitch out but a few feet foul before popping out to first to end the inning.

Bruntlett walked with one out in the eighth, but Utley and Howard went down behind him.

Trevor Hoffman came on to protect the 4-2 Padres’ lead in the ninth. Jenkins singled with one out. Feliz was due up next and Dobbs hit for him as the tying run with the righty Hoffman on the mound. Hoffman struck Dobbs out for the second out. Coste fouled out to the catcher to end the game.

Werth was 0-for-3 with a walk and an error. With the lefty on the mound tonight I assume it’s Werth in right and Victorino in center.

Bruntlett was 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.

Utley was 1-for-4 with his eleventh homer, which was the only extra-base hit for the Phils in the game.

Howard was 0-for-3 with a walk but hit the ball well.

Burrell 0-for-3 with a walk. He’s 2-for-his-last-13.

Jenkins 3-for-4.

Feliz 0-for-3 and hit into two double-plays. I have to wonder if he would have gotten the call at third against the tough righty Young if it hadn’t been ground baller Moyer on the mound for the Phils.

Coste 1-for-4.

Adam Eaton (0-0, 5.08) faces lefty Randy Wolf (2-1, 3.68) tonight. It’s safe to say Randy Wolf is not a favorite of Phillies’ GM Pat Gillick after Wolf decided to sign with San Diego this off-season. Wolf had a 1.42 ERA after his first three starts of the season. In his last two outings he’s allowed nine earned runs in 10 1/3 innings (7.84 ERA). Overall on the season opponents are hitting just .221 against him with a 1.06 ratio and he’s struck out 28 in 29 1/3 innings. He has never faced the Phillies. Eaton didn’t make it out of the fourth inning his last time out, on Friday against the Pirates. He has been much better at preventing home runs this year — he’s allowed just two on the season in 28 1/3 innings after giving up 30 in 161 2/3 innings in 2007. Lefties are hitting .306 against him, righties just .233. He made one start against the Padres last year, on July 20.