I’ve seen Kyle Kendrick work out of jams time after time over the past two years and it still isn’t enough for me to know whether he’s really good or really lucky. He’s definitely one or the other. Either way, the record will forever show that he threw six shutout innings last night to help the Phils get a much-needed win over the Florida Marlins.

Kendrick left one man stranded in the first, two in the second, two in the third, three in the fourth and one in the sixth. He didn’t get a double-play in the game and walked five batters.

Chad Durbin continues to be a workhorse for the Phillies out of the pen. After tossing two shutout frames with a five-run lead, Durbin has now thrown 63 innings in relief for the Phillies this season. One NL pitcher has thrown more — Washington’s Joel Hanrahan has thrown 63 1/3. Maybe that bill never comes due — but I think it will.

Of the 20 NL pitchers who have thrown the most innings in relief this season, none of them has an ERA that’s within one run of Durbin’s while pitching as a reliever.

The Phillies beat the Florida Marlins last night, winning 5-0 to improve to 62-51. The teams have split the first two games of the three-game set.

Kyle Kendrick got the start for the Phillies and went six shutout innings, allowing four hits and walking five. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a double. He struck out four.

Kendrick walked Jeremy Hermida with one out in the first. Hermida was running as Cantu grounded to short and Rollins had to take the out at first. Josh Willingham flew to center for the third out.

Kendrick started the second up 1-0 and got the first two before Cody Ross singled to left. John Baker followed with a walk, but pitcher Anibal Sanchez lined to Howard at first to leave both runners stranded.

Hermida singled with one out in the third with the Phils up 3-0. Cantu followed with a walk, but Kendrick struck out Willingham and got Dan Uggla grounded to second for the third out.

The Phils were up 4-0 when Kendrick started the fourth, apparently frustrated by only leaving two men stranded on base for the last two innings. He got the first two before he walked Baker and then Sanchez. Hanley Ramirez hit a ground ball to deep third and Bruntlett threw to second, but not in time to get Sanchez. Hermida lined to Rollins to end the frame with the bases loaded.

Kendrick finally threw a 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. He got two nice defensive plays in the inning, one from Bruntlett and one from Rollins.

He got the first two in the sixth before Baker doubled to left. Lefty Luis Gonzalez hit for the pitcher Sanchez and looped a popup that Bruntlett caught cutting in front of Rollins for the third out.

Durbin struck out Ramirez and Hermida in a 1-2-3 seventh with the Phillies up 5-0.

He returned for the eighth. Jacobs singled with two outs, but Ross grounded to short behind him for the third out.

Durbin has been charged with one run in 10 2/3 innings over 11 appearances since June 11. He’s allowed six hits and three walks.

Madson threw a 1-2-3 ninth after throwing two pitches Tuesday night.

Three scoreless innings for the pen in which they allow one single. Durbin threw 23 pitches, Madson six.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Anibal Sanchez went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Coste (8) Bruntlett. Jenkins in right against the righty. Bruntlett at third with Dobbs on the bench. Coste catches and hits seventh with Bruntlett dropped to eighth.

Victorino walked with one out in the first. Utley was next and doubled to right-center. Victorino scored from first to put the Phillies up 1-0. Howard lined to short and Burrell flew to left to leave Utley stranded.

Jenkins led off the second with a ground ball back to the mound and off the glove of Sanchez for an error. Coste was hit by a pitch before Bruntlett ripped a ball down the third base line that took a crazy bounce off the stands and into left-center field. Jenkins scored to make it 2-0 with Coste going to third. Bruntlett had a double. Kendrick hit a ground ball to short that scored Coste (3-0) and moved Bruntlett to third as Kendrick was thrown out at first for the first out of the inning. Rollins walked, putting men on first and third, but Victorino fouled out to the catcher and Utley flew to center for the third out.

Victorino doesn’t get it done with one out and a man on third.

Howard led off the third and got behind 0-2 before he hit a 1-2 pitch out to left-center. 4-0. Burrell, Jenkins and Coste went in order behind him.

Rollins singled with two outs in the fourth, but Victorino popped to short behind him.

Howard doubled to left with one out in the fifth. Burrell grounded to third and Howard had to hold second. Sanchez walked the lefty Jenkins intentionally. It put men on first and third for Coste. Coste hit a ground ball to third and Cantu tagged out Howard to end the inning.

Bruntlett led off the sixth with a single. Mike Cervenak hit for Kendrick. Bruntlett took off for second and Baker’s throw went off of Uggla’s glove and into right field. Bruntlett took third. The Marlins brought the infield in and Cervenak chopped a ball over Cantu’s head at third. It game him his first major league hit 11 days before his 32nd birthday. Bruntlett scored and it was 5-0. Rollins followed with a double into right that moved Cervenak to third. Victorino struck out, again unable to bring the runner in from third with less than two outs. Utley fouled out to Cantu who made a nice play in-between third base and home plate near the stands. Howard flew to left for the third out.

Phils can’t get more with men on second and third and nobody out.

Burrell and Jenkins went down to start the seventh, with Jacobs making a nice play on a ball hit hard by Jenkins for the first out. Coste doubled to left and Bruntlett was walked intentionally ahead of the pitcher. Durbin hit for himself and lined to first for the third out.

Utley walked with two outs in the eighth. Howard struck out behind him.

Rollins was 2-for-4 with a double and a walk. He’s 4-for-his-last-8 with two walks.

Victorino had a terrible game. 0-for-4 with a walk and five men left on base.

Utley was 1-for-4 with a double, a walk and an RBI.

Howard 2-for-5 with his 32nd home run. On August 7, 2007 he hit two home runs against the Marlins, which gave him 32 for the year.

Burrell was 0-for-4 and left two men on base. He’s 2-for-his-last-14.

Jenkins was 0-for-3 with a walk. He hit the ball pretty well, though. He once was retired on a nice play by Jacobs. In the second he could have been given a hit on the comebacker to the mound.

Coste was 1-for-3 with a double. He’s 2-for-his-last-16.

Bruntlett played good defense and went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI.

Cole Hamels (9-7, 3.37) faces righty Chris Volstad (2-2, 3.25) this afternoon. Volstad has appeared in five games for the Marlins this season, four of which have been starts. The Marlins took the 21-year-old in the first round of the 2005 draft and no Phillie has ever faced him in the majors. In 27 2/3 innings this season he’s allowed just one home run. Lefties are hitting .293 against him, righties just .227. Over his last three starts he’s walked seven in 17 innings. Hamels comes off back-to-back bad starts in which he’s allowed 14 runs in 9 2/3 innings.

The outcome wasn’t good for the Phils as the pen turned a tight game into a blowout. Nonetheless, I think you have to be glad to see Manuel using all of his bullpen even when the game is on the line. There’s no way he’s going to go through fifty more games and the playoffs just using Durbin, Romero and Lidge. And, well, Les Walrond pitching against righties in the seventh in a two-run game is about as close to using the whole pen as the Phillies are going to get.

Last night’s loss can’t all be blamed on the bullpen. The Phils managed just two runs in the game, all of which came on a single swing by Victorino.

The Phillies fell to the Florida Marlins last night. They lost 8-2 and are 61-51 on the season.

Jamie Moyer got the start for the Phillies and went five innings, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a double. He struck out four.

Hanley Ramirez led off the first with a single to center. Jeremy Hermida popped out behind him before Jorge Cantu moved Ramirez to second with another single. Josh Willingham popped to short and Mike Jacobs flew to right for the third out.

Dan Uggla led off the second with a double and John Baker was hit by a pitch behind him. Alfredo Amezaga popped to Utley for the first out before pitcher Josh Johnson bunted the runners to second and third for the second. Ramirez was walked intentionally to load the bases, but Moyer walked Hermida on a 3-2 pitch to force in Uggla and put Florida up 1-0. Cantu flew to left for the third out.

The intentional walk to Ramirez costs the Phils a run.

With one out in the third, Jacobs walked and moved to second when Uggla followed with a single. Baker singled into center and the bases were loaded. Moyer struck out Amezaga and Johnson to leave the runners stranded.

Ramirez led off the fourth with a single and moved to second when Hermida was hit by a pitch. Cantu struck out before Ramirez stole third. With men on first and third and one out, Willingham grounded to third and Bruntlett threw to second to force Hermida, but the Phils couldn’t get the double-play. Ramirez scored and it was 2-0. With Willingham on first and two down, Jacobs hit a ball through Howard’s legs and into right field for an error. Willingham tried to score from third but Rollins took Jenkins’ relay and threw him out at the plate to end the inning.

Moyer threw a 1-2-3 fifth.

Condrey started the sixth after the Phils hit for Moyer in the bottom of the fifth. Johnson led off and doubled to left-center. Ramirez bunted back to Condrey and Condrey threw Johnson out at third for the first out. Hermida hit a sinking line drive to right that Jenkins made a nice diving play on for the second out before Ruiz threw Ramirez out stealing second to end the frame.

I wouldn’t ask Hanley Ramirez to bunt very much.

Condrey came back for the seventh and gave up a leadoff single to Cantu. He got Willingham on a fly ball to left and 31-year-old lefty Les Walrond came in to pitch to the lefty Jacobs. Walrond was called up when Seanez was put on the DL on Tuesday. He was making his Phillies’ debut having thrown 25 1/3 innings in the majors previously, with the Royals in 2003 and the Cubs in 2006. Walrond struck out Jacobs, but stayed on to pitch to Uggla and walked him before uncorking a wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third. He walked the lefty Baker to load the bases with two outs. Amezaga was next and he looped an 0-1 pitch over Dobbs’ head and into left field for a single. Cantu and Uggla both scored and it was 4-0. Wes Helms hit for the pitcher Johnson and Madson came in to pitch to him. Helms lined to right for the third out.

JA Happ started the eighth, making his first career relief appearance. Ramirez led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch before Hermida singled into center. Ramirez scored to put the Fish up 5-2. Happ got the next three to leave Hermida stranded at first.

Happ returned for the ninth. Baker walked with one out and moved to second on another single by Amezaga. Cody Ross singled to right and the bases were loaded. Ramirez hit a fly ball to left deep enough to score Baker and make it 6-2 with the runners advancing to second and third. Hermida was next and he singled into center. Amezaga scored and Ross slid in just ahead of Victorino’s throw to make it 8-2. Hermida went to second on the play at the plate. Cantu struck out for the third out.

The Phils used four relievers in the game and all of them but Madson didn’t pitch well. As a group they allowed six runs on seven hits and four walks. Happ threw 44 pitches, so you won’t be seeing him for a while. Condrey 24, Walrond 19 and Madson two.

The Marlins scored eight runs on 13 hits in the game — 11 singles and two doubles.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Josh Johnson went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Bruntlett (8) Ruiz. Bruntlett plays third against the righty with Moyer on the mound. Jenkins in right and Ruiz catching. Bruntlett is a bad starting third baseman, no matter who is pitching.

Victorino singled with one out in the first but Utley and Howard both flew out behind him.

Burrell and Jenkins started the second with back-to-back walks. Bruntlett flew to center and Ruiz struck out. Moyer sliced a ball into left and Willingham made a nice catch diving into foul territory to end the inning.

Rollins walked to start the third. Victorino flew to center and Utley hit into a double-play. Rollins was running on the ground ball that Utley hit up the middle, putting the covering Ramirez in perfect position to field the ball and start the double-play.

Howard started the fourth with a single. Burrell and Jenkins struck out before Bruntlett flew to right.

Third straight inning the Phils got their leadoff man aboard.

With one out in the fifth, Cervenak hit for Moyer and flew to left. Moyer had thrown 96 pitches and was down 2-0. Rollins followed and dribbled a single down the third base line, but Victorino flew to left for the third out.

Utley led off the sixth with a single but Howard hit into a double-play behind him. Burrell hit a ball off the top of the fence in left for a double. The righty Johnson walked Jenkins. Dobbs hit for Bruntlett and grounded to first.

The Phils started the seventh down 4-0. Ruiz led off with a single. Taguchi hit for Madson and lined into a double-play to second with Ruiz doubled-off first. Rollins singled into left before Victorino hit a 2-2 pitch out on a controversial fair-foul home run to left that got the Phils within two at 4-2 (it was foul). Utley was hit by a pitch before Howard struck out swinging to end the inning.

Burrell struck out to start the eighth and former Phil Arthur Rhodes came in to pitch to Jenkins. Werth hit for Jenkins and struck out. Dobbs struck out to end the inning with the Phils out of guys who could play third.

Ruiz led off the ninth with a walk with the Phils down 8-2. Coste hit for Happ and flew out for the first out. Rollins and Victorino went down behind him to end the game.

Rollins was 2-for-4 with a walk.

Victorino 2-for-5 with a two-run homer. It was the second home run in two days for Victorino. Using OPS as the measure, the Phillies have gotten the fourth-most offense in the NL from their center fielders this season.

Utley was 1-for-3.

Howard 1-for-4 with another error. He is miserable fielder.

Burrell 1-for-3 with double, a walk and two strikeouts.

Jenkins 0-for-1 with two walks. He’s hitting 308/419/615 since the All-Star break.

Bruntlett 0-for-2.

Ruiz 1-for-3 with a walk. He’s hitting a much more respectable 294/351/324 since the All-Star break. Still only has one extra-base hit in his last 77 at-bats.

Kyle Kendrick (9-5, 4.59) faces righty Anibal Sanchez (1-0, 3.18) tonight. Sanchez has made just one start this season after missing most of the year coming off of shoulder surgery. On Thursday he allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Rockies. He threw 95 pitches in that game and five of the six hits he allowed came from left-handed batters. Kendrick has allowed three runs in 12 2/3 innings over his last two starts. Lefties are hitting .321 against him.

A little hard to see through all the Victorino was the second straight excellent start from Brett Myers. Myers held the Cards to a pair of runs over six innings. In the three-game set the Phils rolled out the new top of their rotation. Blanton and Myers came up huge. Hamels, not so much.

Getting Hamels, Blanton and Myers all going would be a big boost for the Phillies. As good as the bullpen has been, it needs rest and Manuel continues to call on the same guys over and over. It’s hard not to remember back to 2007 when Romero, Geary, Myers and Gordon seemingly pitched every day down the stretch. For the ‘07 Phils it turned out to be good enough to get them into the playoffs, but once they were there they didn’t win a game while their relief pitchers allowed seven earned runs in 9 1/3 innings. Arguably, the core of the Phillies’ pen isn’t what made the playoff numbers so bad for relievers last season — Kyle Lohse gave up a big home run in relief and Mesa got shelled. But Myers, Gordon and Romero didn’t pitch very well against the Rockies.

The Phillies beat the St Louis Cardinals last night, winning 5-4 to improve to 61-50 on the season. The Phils win the series two games to one.

Brett Myers got the start for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing a run on four hits. He allowed two extra-base hits, both to Ryan Ludwick, a double and a home run. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out three.

Myers threw a 1-2-3 first.

Ryan Ludwick led off the second with a double. Troy Glaus was next and singled into right. Ludwick scored to put the Cards up 1-0. Myers got the next three to leave Glaus stranded.

He need six pitches to set the Cards down in order in the third.

With one out in the fourth, Ludwick hit the first pitch of his at-bat out to left. It was his fourth home run of the series and put St Louis up 2-0. Myers got the next two to end the inning.

Myers threw a 1-2-3 fifth. He had thrown 55 pitches through five innings.

Skip Schumaker led off the sixth with a ground ball up the middle and off the glove of a sliding Rollins for a single. Mather hit into a double-play behind him and Pujols flew to center.

Durbin started the seventh with the Phils down 2-1, pitching for the fifth time in six days (in three of the five appearances he threw five pitches). He walked Ludwick on four pitches to start the inning. If I never see Ryan Ludwick again I really don’t have a problem with that. He struck out Glaus for the first out before Molina moved Ludwick to second with a single. Durbin got Miles to hit into a double-play to end the inning.

Durbin came back to start the eighth with the Phils up 5-2. Righty Brendan Ryan hit for the pitcher Russ Springer and singled. With lefty Adam Kennedy due to hit, Romero came in to pitch and switch-hitter Cesar Izturis hit for Kennedy. A balk by Romero moved Ryan to second before Izturis grounded to short with Ryan going to third. Righty Nick Stavinoha hit for the lefty Schumaker and hit a ball to first that Howard didn’t handle for an error. Ryan scored and it was 5-3. Romero hit Joe Mather to put men on first and second and Madson came in to pitch to Pujols. Pujols walked, loading the bases with one out. But the Phils finally got Ludwick out and it came at a big time — Madson got him to hit into a double-play to turn the Cards away.

Lidge started the ninth and Glaus led off with a home run that cut the Phillies’ lead to 5-4. He got Molina for the first out before Miles singled to left. Lefty Rick Ankiel hit for the pitcher Ryan Franklin and singled into right on a ball deflected by Howard. It put men on first and third with one down for Izturis. Izturis was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Lidge got a huge out, though, striking Stavinoha out swinging 1-2 with the tying run on third for the second out. He struck Mather out on three pitches to end the game.

Manuel continues to use Romero, Durbin and Lidge a ton. If you aren’t starting to see the problems associated with all that work you will soon. Nice to have a day off today, but Lidge and Durbin both didn’t pitch well last night. They both got huge outs, though, Durbin getting the double-play to end the seventh and Lidge getting back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded to end the game.

Overall the pen went three innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Todd Wellemeyer went (1) Rollins (2) Werth (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Dobbs (8) Coste. Werth in center against the righty. Jenkins and Dobbs both in the lineup against the righty. Coste catches.

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

Jenkins doubled to right with two outs in the second, but Dobbs flew to left for the third out.

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

Howard singled with two outs in the fourth. Burrell grounded to short behind him.

Dobbs doubled to left with one out in the fifth. Coste moved him to third with a fly ball well-hit to center for the second out. Myers, who came into the game 4-for-101 (.040) with four singles over the last three seasons, hit a dribbler to third and was thrown out to end the frame.

Myers hit .159 (32-for-201) with seven extra-base hits from 2002 to 2005, hitting at least .130 every season.

Rollins and Werth went down to start the sixth before Utley lined a 1-0 pitch just out to right, cutting the St Louis’ lead in half at 2-1. Howard struck out swinging at a 2-2 pitch for the third out.

Burrell walked to start the seventh. Lefty Ron Villone came on to pitch to Jenkins with the Phils down 2-1. With Werth already in the game, Victorino hit for Jenkins and flew to center for the first out. Dobbs drew a walk against the lefty, moving Burrell to second. Righty Kyle McClellan came in to pitch and struck out Coste for the second out. Taguchi hit for Myers and grounded to short to leave both men stranded.

Werth singled to right with one out in the eighth. Lefty Jaime Garcia came in to pitch and got Utley on a ground ball to first and Werth was forced at second for the first out. Howard singled to right and Utley moved to second. Righty Russ Springer came in to pitch to Burrell and Burrell singled into left field. Utley scored to tie the game at 2-2 with Howard going to second. Victorino was next and he got ahead 3-1 before he slung one out down the right field line for a three-run homer that put the Phils up 5-2. Dobbs grounded to first for the third out.

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

Rollins was 0-for-5 with a strikeout in the game and 0-for-11 in the series. 263/330/431 for the year.

Werth was 1-for-4 in the game and 1-for-8 in the series. He’s hitting 266/351/480 for the year. Victorino was 1-for-2 with a three-run homer in the game. 2-for-11 with a double and a home run in the series. 286/351/444 for the year.

Utley was 1-for-4 with a homer. 3-for-11 with two doubles and a home run in the series. 292/372/575.

Howard was 2-for-4. 3-for-8 with a home run and four walks in the series. 242/330/502. He was hitting 219/312/472 a month ago.

Burrell was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. 2-for-10 with a home run in the set. 277/400/576 for the year.

Jenkins was 1-for-2. 2-for-5 with two doubles in the series. 245/299/405.

Dobbs 1-for-3 with a walk. 2-for-7 with a double and a home run. 305/344/454. Needs to play third with a righty on the mound more than he has been. Bruntlett was 0-for-1 in the game and 0-for-4 with two walks in the series. 226/312/310.

Coste was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. 1-for-8 with four strikeouts in the series. 278/325/474 for the year. Ruiz was 0-for-3 in the series and is hitting 214/307/277 for the year. One extra-base hit since June 13.

No game today.

Blanton went seven innings, allowing a run on four hits and two walks. Romero, Durbin and Lidge shut the Cards down in the eighth and the ninth.

The Phillies beat the St Louis Cardinals last night, winning 2-1 to improve to 60-50 on the season. The teams have split the first two games of the three-game series. The Phils are in first place in the NL East — with a late-inning collapse in Houston last night the Mets are in third place, two games behind the Phils. The Phillies lead the Marlins by a game and a half.

Blanton got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing a run on four hits and two walks. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a home run. He struck out five.

He walked Albert Pujols with two outs in the first, but struck Ryan Ludwick out behind him.

He threw a 1-2-3 second.

He started the third up 1-0. Aaron Miles drew a walk with one out before Schumaker moved Miles to second with a single. Blanton struck Joe Mather out looking and then struck out Pujols looking at a 3-2 pitch to end the inning.

Up 2-0 in the fourth, he set the Cards down 1-2-3.

Adam Kennedy led off the fifth with a single and pitcher Braden Looper bunted him to second for the first out. Miles was next and lined a ball to Utley at second. Utley threw to second to double Kennedy off and end the inning.

He had another 1-2-3 inning in the sixth.

Ludwick led off the seventh and pounded a 1-1 pitch out to left, cutting the Phillies’ lead to 2-1. Third home run in two games for Ludwick. Blanton got Troy Glaus to ground to short before Yadier Molina singled into center. Kennedy flew to right and righty Nick Stavinoha hit for the pitcher Looper and popped to Rollins.

Romero started the eighth with a one run lead and gave up a leadoff single to Miles. Switch-hitter Cesar Izturis hit for lefty Skip Schumaker and Romero struck him out for the first out. Righty Joe Mather was next and Manuel called on Durbin to come on and pitch to him. Durbin got behind Mather 2-0 but got him to hit a 2-2 pitch into a double-play to end the inning.

Lidge started the ninth. Pujols led off and hit a rocket to short that Rollins took and threw to first for the first out. Lidge struck out Ludwick on a 2-2 slider in the dirt for the second out, with Ruiz throwing to first to retire the batter. Glaus was next and Lidge walked him on a high 3-2 fastball. Brendan Ryan ran for Glaus as the tying run. Lefty Rick Ankiel, who had been left out of the lineup with an abdominal strain, hit for Yadier Molina and Lidge’s first pitch to him was wild and moved Ryan to second. After that Lidge threw three straight strikes, getting Ankiel swinging to end the game.

Two scoreless innings for the pen in which they allow a single and a walk. Lidge threw 16 pitches, Romero ten and Durbin six. None of the three had pitched on Friday.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Braden Looper went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Werth (7) Dobbs (8) Coste. Werth in right despite the righty with Dobbs playing third. I think you may have to conclude that Manuel does not want to put both Jenkins and Dobbs in the lineup against a righty cause he wants to have a lefty on the bench to call on to pinch-hit. I think I’d put them both in the lineup. Coste catches.

The Phils went 1-2-3 on three popups in the first.

Howard led off the second with a walk, but Burrell struck out and Werth hit into a double-play. Howard came into the game 3-for-4 in his career against Looper with three home runs.

Dobbs led off the third and hit the first pitch he saw out to right. It put the Phils up 1-0. The Phils went in order behind him.

With two outs in the fourth, Howard hit a 3-2 pitch out to right-center. 2-0. Burrell flew to center for the third out.

Coste singled with two outs in the fifth, but Blanton struck out behind him.

1-2-3 in the sixth.

Howard led off the seventh with a walk. Burrell hit into a double-play and Werth grounded to short.

With two outs in the eighth, Bruntlett hit for Blanton and walked. The catcher Molina picked him off first with Rollins at the plate to end the inning. Second time in two days Bruntlett has been picked off. Yesterday it was the pitcher.

Utley doubled with two outs in the ninth. Howard was walked intentionally to put men on first and second for Burrell, but Burrell flew to center for the third out.

Rollins 0-for-4.

Victorino 0-for-4.

Utley 1-for-4 with a double.

Howard 1-for-1 with his 31st home run and three walks.

Burrell 0-for-4 and left four men on base.

Werth 0-for-3.

Dobbs 1-for-3 with his fourth home run.

Coste 1-for-3.

Brett Myers (4-9, 5.46) faces righty Todd Wellemeyer (8-4, 4.13) tonight. The Phillies pounded Wellemeyer on June 13 — Wellemeyer was charged with eight runs in 3 1/3 innings in that game. Wellemeyer has been pretty good in his last two starts, allowing just two runs in each game but going just 11 innings combined. He has a 4.96 ERA with a 1.52 ratio in 11 starts at home this year and a 3.28 ERA with a 1.09 ratio in ten starts away. Myers was great on Tuesday against the Nats, holding Washington to an unearned run in seven innings. He hasn’t allowed a home run in his last two starts, which is critical for him since he’s allowed 24 in 113 2/3 innings this year. Righties are also hitting .316 against him compared to .226 for lefties. Righties hit for a higher average against Myers in 2007, 2004 and 2003 as well, but not as dramatically as they have this season.

Not having Lohse is unfortunate for the Phils, but they apparently have bigger and more immediate problems. Cole Hamels doesn’t have a broken arm, but he does have two bad starts in a row now. And a lot of people have a bad feeling that all the innings the 24-year-old has thrown this season might have caught up to him. Hamels is second in the NL in innings pitched and third in pitches thrown.

The Phillies fell to the St Louis Cardinals last night, losing 6-3 to drop to 59-50 on the season.

Cole Hamels got the start for the Phils and went six innings, allowing five runs on eight hits and a walk. Only four of the runs were earned. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, both home runs. He struck out five.

Over his last two starts Hamels has allowed 14 runs in 9 2/3 innings.

Joe Mather singled to left with one out in the first. Albert Pujols flew to center before Ryan Ludwick moved Mather to second with a single. Troy Glaus flew to left for the third out.

Hamels threw a 1-2-3 second.

Skip Schumaker started the third with a single and Cesar Izturis followed with a four-pitch walk. Walking Cesar Izturis on four pitches doesn’t usually bode well and it didn’t in this case. Mather was next and blasted a 2-1 pitch out to left to put St Louis up 3-0. Pujols was next and he hit a rocket to third, but Bruntlett made a nice diving play and threw him out at first for the first out. Ludwick was next and hit a slow ground ball to third. Bruntlett charged and fielded but threw in the dirt and Howard didn’t handle it. The ball got by Howard for an error on Bruntlett that let Ludwick go to second. Glaus singled on a ball back up the middle that Rollins knocked down. Ludwick moved to third. Yadier Molina hit a fly ball to left for the second out, deep enough to score Ludwick and put the Cards up 4-0. Aaron Miles grounded to second for the third out.

Hamels struck out the pitcher Kyle Lohse and Schumaker in a 1-2-3 fourth.

He got the first two in the fifth before Ludwick hit the first pitch of hit at-bat out to left to put St Louis up 5-0. Hamels struck out Glaus to end the inning.

With the Phils down 5-3, Hamels gave up a single to Miles with one out, but got pinch-hitter Brendan Ryan and Schumaker to leave him stranded.

Madson threw a 1-2-3 seventh.

He returned for the eighth and Ludwick led off with another home run that put St Louis up 6-3. Molina followed with a single, but Miles hit into a double-play behind him. Pitcher Jason Isringhausen hit for himself and grounded to Utley.

Madson threw 28 pitches, allowing a run in two innings. Over his last five appearances he has allowed runs four times, surrendering seven runs in 5 2/3 innings.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Kyle Lohse went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Bruntlett (8) Ruiz. Bruntlett again plays third against a righty, which is a pretty bad idea. Jenkins in right against the righty. Ruiz catches.

Rollins led off the first with a walk and stole second as Victorino struck out for the first out. Utley popped to second before Howard walked, but Burrell went down swinging to end the frame.

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

Rollins walked again with one out in the third. Victorino and Utley both went down on fly balls to leave him stranded.

1-2-3 in the fourth.

With two outs in the fifth, Hamels singled to left on an inside-out swing for the Phillies’ first hit. Rollins smashed a line drive back up the middle that Lohse snared to set the Phils down.

Victorino started the sixth with a double to left-center. Utley was next and he sliced a ball into left field off the chalk and into the stands on a bounce. Victorino scored to cut the St Louis’ lead to 5-1. Howard struck out looking and Burrell got behind 0-2 before he hit a 2-2 pitch out to left to make it 5-3. Jenkins followed with a double to right, but Bruntlett struck out and Ruiz grounded to short for the third out.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the seventh. Taguchi hit for Hamels and popped to short for the first out.

Utley was hit by a pitch to start the eighth. Howard smashed a ball but right at Pujols, who caught it and stepped on first to double-off Utley. Burrell walked to put a man on first for Jenkins with lefty Jaime Garcia on the mound for St Louis. Werth hit for Jenkins and the Cards brought in righty Jason Isringhausen, who struck Werth out to end the inning with Burrell stranded and the Phils down 6-3.

Bruntlett led off the ninth with a walk. Coste hit for Ruiz and struck out for the first out. Dobbs hit for Madson and flew to center for the second out before Rollins walked on a pitch that got passed Molina and allowed Bruntlett to go to third. It brought Victorino up as the tying run. He grounded to second to end the game.

Rollins was 0-for-2 and walked three times. He had as many walks last night as he did in his previous 57 at-bats combined.

Victorino was 1-for-5 with a double and left four men on base.

Utley 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Howard 0-for-3 with a walk.

Burrell 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer.

Jenkins 1-for-3 with a double. He hit 256/333/458 in July, which isn’t great but it’s just about all the Phillies need him to do.

Bruntlett was 0-for-3 with a walk, struck out three times and made an error (and one really good play) at third. He’s 1-for-his-last-12. Dobbs should be playing third against righties with Feliz out.

Ruiz was 0-for-3.

Joe Blanton (5-12, 5.13) faces righty Braden Looper (10-8, 4.38) tonight. Opponents have hit .291 against Looper this season, lefties .290 and righties .292. Jenkins is 8-for-19 against him in his career (.421). Howard has faced him four times and gone 3-for-4 with three home runs. Blanton has a 7.88 ERA in his two starts with the Phillies and has allowed seven runs in eight innings. Overall on the season he’s been hit hard by righties. Right-handed batters are hitting .328 with a 1.76 ratio against him.

The Phils pounded Nationals’ started John Lannan for eight runs in 5 2/3 innings. Washington made three errors behind him.

The Phillies beat the Washington Nationals last night, winning 8-4 to improve to 59-49 on the season. The Phils have won five in a row and are in first place in the NL East. The Mets trail them by one game.

Kyle Kendrick got the start for the Phils and went 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk. Just one of the hits went for extra-bases, a double. He struck out four.

Ryan Zimmerman singled with two outs in the second, but Kendrick struck out Austin Kearns behind him.

He started the second up 3-0. Kory Casto doubled with one out. Ronnie Belliard was next and he hit a ground ball to short. Casto went to third and Rollins looked there but took the out at first. With Pete Orr at the plate, Kendrick delivered a ball in the dirt that went through Ruiz’s legs for a passed ball. Casto scored and it was 3-1. Pitcher John Lannan grounded to second for the third out.

With two outs in the third, Zimmerman started to swing at a 2-2 pitch that was up and in and was hit on the hand. He would leave the game in the top of the fourth. Kearns moved Zimmerman to second with a single before Jesus Flores singled to left. Zimmerman scored to make it 3-2. Kearns went to second on the single, but Casto grounded to short for the third out.

Kendrick started the fourth up 5-2. With one out Orr lined a ball off the glove of Rollins and into left for a single. Lannan bunted Orr to second, but Harris flew to center for the third out.

Kendrick threw a 1-2-3 fifth.

He hit Belliard with two outs in the sixth. Orr flew to center for the third out.

He came back for the seventh and got the first two before Milledge singled and Ryan Langerhans followed with a walk. Condrey came into the game and struck out Kearns to end the inning.

Condrey got three ground balls in a 1-2-3 eighth. His ERA on the year is down to 3.61.

Seanez started the ninth. Orr led off with a single and Felipe Lopez hit for pitcher Colome and doubled. With men on second and third, Harris grounded to first and Orr scored to cut the Phils’ lead to 8-3. Lopez moved to third on the play. Milledge was next and he swung and dribbled a ball down the first base line for the second out, but Lopez scored to make it 8-4. Seanez walked the lefty Langerhans. Durbin came in to pitch and got Kearns to fly to left to end the game.

The pen goes 2 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk. Condrey pitched well and Durbin got the only man he faced. Seanez wasn’t good. In his last two appearances he’s gotten three outs and been charged with six runs on four hits and two walks. Would have been nice to not have to use Durbin, who only threw five pitches but was pitching for the third straight day.

The Phillies’ lineup against lefty John Lannan went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Werth (7) Bruntlett (8) Ruiz. Werth in right against the lefty and Bruntlett at third. Ruiz catches.

Victorino was hit by a pitch with one out in the first. Utley flew to right before Howard moved Victorino to third with a single. Burrell fouled out to third to leave both runners stranded.

Werth led off the second and hit a 2-1 pitch out to left for his fifteenth home run of the year. Bruntlett singled and went to second on a wild pitch before Ruiz singled, moving Bruntlett to third. Kendrick bunted Ruiz to second before Rollins hit a ground ball to third. Zimmerman took the out at first and Bruntlett scored to make it 2-0 with Ruiz holding second. Victorino hit a ball to third and Zimmerman’s throw to first and Victorino arrived at about the same time. The ball went in Casto’s glove and off of Victorino for an error that allowed Ruiz to score and Victorino to move to second with the Phils up 3-0. Utley walked before Howard struck out to end the frame.

Burrell led off the third with a walk but the Phils went in order behind him.

Still up 3-2, Kendrick led off the fourth and struck out on a pitch not handled by Flores. Kendrick turned towards the dugout and then ran to first. Flores lobbed a ball to first but offline and Kendrick was safe on the throwing error. Rollins got ahead 2-0 and hit one out to left to extend the lead to 5-2. Victorino was next and bunted for a single. He stole second before Utley and Howard struck out to leave him stranded.

Burrell led off the fifth with a walk. Werth struck out before Bruntlett grounded to short, with Burrell forced at second and Bruntlett safe at first. Bruntlett was picked off and thrown out at second base to set the Phillies down.

Rollins doubled to left with two outs in the sixth. Victorino followed with a ball slowly hit to third where Belliard barehanded the ball and then threw wildly to first. Victorino had a single and Rollins scored to put the Phillies up 6-2. Belliard was charged with the Nats’ third error of the game. Utley moved Victorino to second with a single before Howard singled to right. Victorino scored to make it 7-2 and Utley went to third. Burrell singled to left and Utley scored. 8-2. Werth popped up to the pitcher to end the frame.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the seventh. Kendrick hit for himself with two outs and the Phils up 8-2. He had thrown 97 pitches.

With two outs and nobody on in the eighth, Jesus Colome drilled Utley with a 1-0 pitch after Kendrick had hit Zimmerman and Belliard earlier in the game. Howard grounded to second baseman Willie Harris playing in right field for the third out.

The Phils went in order in the ninth.

Rollins was 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI. He was 4-for-13 in the series with two doubles and a home run. He’s hitting 272/334/444 for the season.

Victorino was 2-for-4 in the game. 6-for-13 with a home run in the series. 289/355/441 for the year, all of which be career highs for him at the end of any season in which he’s had more than 20 at-bats.

Utley was 1-for-3 with a walk. He was 5-for-11 with two home runs in the series and is hitting 293/373/571 for the year.

Howard 2-for-5 with an RBI. 4-for-13 with four singles in the series. 239/323/498, all of which would be career lows for him.

Burrell was 1-for-3 with two walks. 4-for-11 in the series. 279/402/578 for the year.

Werth was 1-for-5 with his fifteenth home run. 1-for-5 in the series. 271/358/492 for the year. Jenkins was 2-for-7 with a walk in the series and is hitting 242/297/397 for the year.

Bruntlett 1-for-5 with a strikeout. 2-for-10 in the series. Dobbs was 0-for-3 in the series but needs to play more given the injury to Feliz and the struggles of Jenkins. Dobbs is hitting 306/343/433 for the year.

Ruiz was 1-for-4 in the game and 3-for-8 in the series. 217/311/281 for the year. Coste was 0-for-4 in the series and is hitting 285/333/489 for the year. Phillies’ catchers have hit to a .696 OPS for the season, which is tenth best in the NL (.725 (5th) in 2007 and .793 (5th) in 2006).

Cole Hamels (9-6, 3.27) faces righty Kyle Lohse (12-3, 3.68) tonight in St Louis. Lohse got hammered his last time out, allowing seven runs in five innings against the Mets on Sunday. Wright, Tatis and Castro all homered against him in that game. Before that start he had allowed seven earned runs in 36 innings (1.75 ERA) over his last five appearances. In 13 starts in St Louis this season he’s 6-1 with a 2.79 ERA. In ten starts away he’s 6-2 with a 5.16 ERA. Speaking of getting hammered in your last start, Hamels allowed nine runs in the fourth inning on Saturday against the Braves. Before that he had allowed two runs or fewer in four straight starts.

Victorino drove in three runs last night, including one that came on his seventh home run of the month. He is hitting 327/370/624 in July and has hit six home runs in his last 54 at-bats. His .994 OPS for the month is the best among the Phillies’ hitters (but not by much — Howard is hitting 306/364/622 (.987 OPS) in July) .

Victorino and Utley combined to drive in five of the eight runs the Phillies scored last night. Utley homered for the second straight game and Jamie Moyer was solid enough. After a rough first inning, Moyer put up five scoreless frames and the Phils cruised behind a five-run fifth inning.

The Phillies beat the Washington Nationals last night, winning 8-5 to improve to 58-49 on the season. It was the fourth straight win for the Phils and with the win they have reclaimed the lead on the NL East. They lead the Mets by half a game.

Jamie Moyer got the start for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. Five of the hits went for extra-bases, three doubles and two home runs. He struck out five.

Moyer started the first with a 2-0 lead. Willie Harris hit his first pitch of the game out to right. 2-1. Moyer got the next two before Austin Kearns doubled to left. Jesus Flores was next and he hit a 2-0 pitch out to left to put Washington up 3-2. Ronnie Belliard doubled before Paul Lo Duca flew to center to end the inning.

Moyer threw a 1-2-3 second.

He walked Ryan Zimmerman with one out in the third. Moyer struck out Kearns for the first out before Flores flew to center to set the Nats down.

Belliard led off the fourth with a walk. Lo Duca flew to center and Felipe Lopez struck out swinging as Belliard was caught stealing to end the inning.

Moyer started the fifth up 7-3. Harris doubled with one out and moved to third when Jenkins misplayed the ball in right for an error. Lastings Milledge grounded back to the pitcher for the second before Moyer walked Zimmerman. With men on first and third and two down, Kearns grounded to short to leave the runners stranded.

Flores led off the sixth with a single to left and Burrell threw him out at second as Flores went for two with his team down four runs. Moyer got the next two.

Madson started the seventh up 8-3. Lefty Kory Casto hit for pitcher Steven Shell and singled to left to start the inning. Pete Orr was next and hit a ground ball to first that Howard fielded and threw to second to force Casto for the first out. Harris followed with a double, his third extra-base hit of the game, moving Casto to third. Milledge grounded to short and Orr scored, cutting the Phils’ lead to 8-4. Zimmerman hit a ball to the warning track in left. Werth fell down and didn’t catch it — the ball bounced on the track and over the fence for a ground-rule double that scored Harris and made it 8-5. Kearns grounded to second for the third out.

Durbin pitched the eighth. He walked Belliard with one out but got Lo Duca to hit into a double-play behind him.

Lidge pitched the ninth. Pinch-hitter Ryan Langerhans led off with a double, but Lidge got the next three behind him.

Durbin continues to see a lot of time in the eighth inning. Madson got a tough break with Werth falling down on the track on a play that could have been made, but his outing was shaky as he allowed three hits, including two doubles, in an inning. In his last four outings Madson has gone 3 2/3 innings and allowed six runs on eight hits and five walks. That’s not good.

Overall in the game the pen went three innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk. Durbin and Lidge both pitched for the second straight day. I would have liked to have seen Manuel use someone from the bottom of his pen with the Phils up 8-3 in the seventh instead of Madson.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Tim Redding went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Bruntlett (8) Ruiz. Jenkins in right against the righty. Dobbs on the bench with Bruntlett at third, which is a poor decision. Echoes of Nunez at third for Moyer’s starts ring in my ears. Ruiz catches.

Victorino, Utley and Howard singled back-to-back-to-back with one out in the first. It loaded the bases for Burrell and Burrell lined a single into left that scored Victorino and Utley and put the Phils up 2-0. Jenkins hit into a double-play behind Burrell to end the frame.

Ruiz singled with one out in the second and Moyer bunted him to second. Rollins grounded to second for the third out.

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

In the fourth, Jenkins singled with one out and Bruntlett hit into a double-play behind him.

The Phillies started the fifth down 3-2. Ruiz led off with a single and Moyer drew a walk. Rollins doubled to right and Ruiz scored, tying the game at 3-3, with Moyer going to third. Victorino was next and singled into center, scoring Rollins and Moyer to make it 5-3. He went to second when Lo Duca mishandled the throw in from the outfield for an error. Utley was next and he clubbed a 1-0 pitch out to center. 7-3. Howard and Burrell grounded out before Jenkins walked. Bruntlett struck out for the third out.

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

Victorino led off the seventh with a home run that put the Phils up 8-3. Utley, Howard and Burrell went in order behind him.

Jenkins singled to right to start the eighth, but Bruntlett hit into a double-play behind him and Ruiz flew to left for the third out.

Werth led off the ninth with a walk and Rollins hit into a double-play behind him, the fourth on the day for the Phillies. Victorino flew to center for the third out.

Rollins was 1-for-5 with a double.

Victorino 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI.

Utley was 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.

Howard 1-for-4.

Burrell 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Jenkins 2-for-3 with a walk.

Bruntlett was 0-for-4 with a strikeout and grounded into two double-plays.

Ruiz 2-for-3. He has one extra-base hit since June 14.

Kyle Kendrick (8-5, 4.70) faces lefty John Lannan (6-10, 3.33) tonight. Lannan has allowed three or fewer runs in nine of his last ten starts, but the Nats have lost eight of those games. He’s actually been worse in his eight starts at home (2-5 with a 4.71 ERA) than in his 12 starts away from home (4-5 with a 2.57 ERA). Lannan made his major league debut on July 26, 2007 and broke Chase Utley’s right hand with a pitch. The Phillies have lost three of Kendrick’s last four starts. In those starts Kendrick has allowed 34 hits in 22 2/3 innings. Lefties are hitting .324 against him for the year. He has a 1.80 ratio against lefties and a 1.18 ratio against righties.

Meek offense or not, though, Myers gave the Phils his best start in a long time. He held the Nats to four singles and a walk over seven innings and needed just 88 pitches to pitch well into the eighth inning. He probably would have gotten through the eighth, but Utley booted a double-play ball in front of a left-handed hitter in a close game.

We’ll have to forgive Utley, what with winning the game and all. Bad hip or not, he gave the Phils all the runs they would need in the game with a two-run homer in the third. It was his first extra-base hit in 31 at-bats.

The Phillies beat the Washington Nationals last night, winning 2-1 to improve to 57-49 on the year. The Phillies have won three in a row.

Brett Myers got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing a run on four hits and a walk. The run was unearned. All four hits were singles and he struck out two.

He set down the first six hitters he faced before he grazed Paul Lo Duca with an 0-1 pitch to leadoff the third. Felipe Lopez was next and a ground ball to first. Howard stepped on the bag and Lo Duca stopped in-between first and second and was eventually tagged out. Pitcher Collin Balester singled up the middle for the first hit of the game for the Nats before Willie Harris popped out to end the inning.

He hit Ronnie Belliard with another 0-1 pitch to start the fourth, drilling him in the middle of the back. Ryan Zimmerman hit into a double-play before Austin Kearns grounded to short.

Jesus Flores led off the fifth with a single, but Myers got the next three. Third straight inning the Nats put their leadoff man on base and he never made it to second.

Myers threw a 1-2-3 sixth.

Zimmerman walked to start the seventh. Myers got Kearns and Flores on fly balls before Lastings Milledge smashed a ground ball to third. Bruntlett, who had just entered the game defensively, didn’t field it cleanly. Rollins tried to pick it up but dropped the ball. Zimmerman rounded second and Bruntlett picked it up and threw to second where Zimmerman was tagged out. Awful base-running by Zimmerman gets Myers out of the worst situation he had faced all night.

The mistake on the bases also kept Myers’ pitch count down — he had already thrown 18 pitches in the inning.

Lo Duca led off the eighth with a single. Lopez was next and hit a double-play ball to Utley that Utley booted. With men on first and second nobody out, lefty Ryan Langerhans hit for the pitcher Charlie Manning and Cristian Guzman ran for Lo Duca at second. Romero came in to pitch to Langerhans and Langerhans put down a pretty bunt. Romero got on it quickly and nipped Langerhans at first for the first out as the runners moved to second and third. The lefty Harris was next and chopped a ball to third. Bruntlett threw to first for the second out, but Guzman scored and Lopez moved to third with the Phils’ lead cut to 2-1. Durbin came in to pitch to the righty Belliard and got him to ground to second for the third out.

Lidge started the ninth with the Phils up 2-1 and set the Nats down in order.

Two perfect innings for the pen coming off of a miserable series and then a day off, accentuating how critical rest (and pitching against terrible offensive teams) can be. Lidge threw 15 pitches and Durbin and Romero five each.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Collin Balester went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Jenkins (7) Dobbs (8) Coste. Prior to the game the Phillies put Feliz on the DL and called right-handed hitter Mike Cervenak back up. Dobbs plays third against the righty. Jenkins in right against the righty. Coste catches.

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

Burrell singled with one out in the second. Jenkins was next and hit a ball back up the middle that Lopez fielded and flipped to Belliard at second. Belliard tried to barehand the ball and dropped it. Both runners were safe. Dobbs fouled out to first and Coste flew to left.

Rollins singled to left with one out in the third. Victorino flew to center for the second out before Utley hit a 1-0 pitch out to right to put the Phils up 2-0. It was Utley’s first home run since July 7 against the Mets. Howard followed with a single before Burrell went down swinging for the third out.

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

In the fifth, Victorino singled with two outs and was thrown out stealing second with Utley at the dish.

Burrell singled with two outs in the sixth, but Jenkins struck out to end the frame.

The Phils went 1-2-3 in the seventh. Myers hit for himself and struck out for the third out. He was up 2-0 and had allowed two singles in seven innings. He had only thrown 65 pitches.

Utley singled with two outs in the eighth but Howard flew to left for the third out.

Bruntlett singled with two outs in the ninth. Coste grounded to third for the third out.

Rollins was 1-for-4.

Victorino was 1-for-4.

Utley 2-for-4 with his 26th home run, which was the Phillies’ only extra-base hit in the game.

Howard 1-for-4 with a strikeout.

Burrell 2-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Jenkins 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. Just a brutal season for Jenkins and it’s hurting the Phils. Even forgetting the possibility of a trade, though, you’d think the Phils would have a left-handed hitter in their organization that could hit better than 237/290/394 playing almost exclusively against righties. If they don’t they should. Think you need to think about Dobbs in right against righties when Feliz comes back off the DL.

Dobbs 0-for-3.

Coste 0-for-4.

The Phillies didn’t have a walk in the game.

Jamie Moyer (9-6, 3.76) faces righty Tim Redding (7-5, 3.98) tonight. In two starts against the Phils this season Redding is 2-0 and has thrown 13 scoreless innings. Burrell, Howard and Rollins are a combined 0-for-17 against him this year. Righties have hit for a higher average against him (.270) this season than lefties (.252). The Phillies have lost five of the last seven games that Moyer has started and Moyer hasn’t allowed more than three runs in any of them. He also hasn’t allowed a home run over 26 2/3 innings in his last four starts. Lefties are hitting .203 against him this season after hitting .309 against him in ‘07. In 11 starts away from home he’s 5-3 with a 2.93 ERA and a 1.18 ratio.

Atlanta scored 27 runs in the three-game set and the Phils got more miserable work from the weary pen yesterday — the bullpen threw 15 1/3 innings in the series. In games one and three of the set they allowed 15 runs in ten innings.

Only way to overcome that is to score a whole bunch of runs. And the Phillies did. After coming back from a 9-3 deficit to win on Saturday, the Phils rallied behind five home runs yesterday after trailing 5-0.

The Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves yesterday, winning 12-10 to improve to 56-49 on the season. The Phillies win the series two games two one.

Joe Blanton got the start for the Phillies and went two innings before being forced from the game by a long rain delay. He allowed two runs on three hits and a walk. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a double. He struck out one. The Phillies have won both games that Blanton has started, but he’s allowed seven earned runs in eight innings (7.87 ERA).

With one out in the first Yunel Escobar singled to left. Mark Teixeira followed with a walk that moved him to second before Brian McCann ripped a 2-0 pitch into right field for a single. Escobar slid in just ahead of Werth’s throw to put Atlanta up 1-0. Mark Kotsay was next with men on first and third with one out and he doubled to left-center. Teixeira scored to make it 2-0 with McCann holding third. Blanton struck out Jeff Francoeur with men on second and third before Kelly Johnson grounded to first for the third out.

Blanton threw a 1-2-3 second.

Eaton started the third after a long delay. Teixeira singled with one out, but McCann grounded into a double-play behind him.

Eaton returned for the fourth. Kotsay led off with a single and went to second on a wild pitch before Francoeur struck out for the first out. Kelly Johnson was next and he blasted a 1-0 pitch out to right field to make it 4-0. Infante was next and he hit a 2-2 pitch out to left. 5-0. Pitcher Jo-Jo Reyes was next and he doubled to left. Gregor Blanco followed with a walk, but Eaton got Escobar to hit into a double-play to end the frame.

Condrey started the fifth with the game tied at 5-5 and gave up a leadoff single to Teixeira. He got the next two before walking Francoeur. With men on first and second, Johnson grounded to first for the third out.

With the Phils up 6-5, Condrey threw a 1-2-3 sixth.

Romero started the seventh, pitching for the fourth straight day. He walked Teixeira with one out but got Corky Miller to hit into a double-play behind Teixeira.

It’s been a brutal couple of days for the Phils in terms of how much they’ve had to use their pen. I’d try pretty hard not to pitch guys four days in a row, though.

Seanez started the eighth with the Phillies up 12-5. Kotsay led off with a single before Francoeur popped to second for the first out. Johnson moved Kotsay to second with a walk before Infante blasted a ball into the corner in left for a double that scored Kotsay and made it 12-6 with Johnson moving to third. Greg Norton was next and hit a ball back to Seanez that the pitcher didn’t handle for an error. It loaded the bases for the lefty Blanco and Madson came in to pitch to him and walked him on five pitches to force in Johnson. 12-7. Escobar popped to third for the second out, but Martin Prado hit for the pitcher Buddy Carlyle and cleared the bases with a three-run double to right that made the score 12-10. Werth made a dive for the ball in right and didn’t get it — he probably would have saved the Phils a run by playing back on it. Corky Miller grounded to third for the third out.

Awful inning for both Seanez and Madson. Seanez got bombed and Madson, a day after walking three hitters in an inning, walks in a run with a six run lead.

Over his last four appearances, Seanez has been charged with six runs on five hits and five walks in two innings.

Lidge started the ninth, pitching for the third straight day. He walked Francoeur with one out, bringing Johnson to the plate as the tying run. Lidge struck out the lefty for the second out before Francoeur took second on defensive indifference with Infante at the plate. Infante grounded to second for the third out.

Long day for a tired pen, forced to throw seven innings. They allow eight runs on nine hits and six walks. Eaton, Seanez and Madson all pitched badly. Eaton threw 42 pitches. Everyone should enjoy the off-day today.

The Phillies’ lineup against righty Jorge Campillo went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Werth (7) Bruntlett (8) Coste. Bruntlett at third with Feliz still out and surprisingly Dobbs on the bench against the righty. Werth also starts in right against the righty with Jenkins on the bench. Campillo has been tough on lefties, they are hitting .204 against him this season compared to .254 for righties. Coste catches.

Utley singled with two outs in the first. He was running on a 3-2 count when Howard singled into center. Utley tried to score and was thrown out easily to end the inning.

With two outs in the second lefty Jo-Jo Reyes relieved Campillo after a long rain delay and walked Bruntlett. Coste moved Bruntlett to second with a single. Eaton hit for Blanton, who was going to have to leave the game, and drew a walk to load the bases. Rollins struck out looking for the third out.

Would have been nice to use someone other than Eaton with two men on to hit for Blanton. Assuming Feliz cannot hit, Taguchi and Ruiz were two right-handed options the Phillies had on a short bench. Both hit later in the game, but it’s not a lot of right-handed depth on the bench that Manuel gave himself by putting Werth and Bruntlett in the starting lineup.

Victorino was hit by a pitch to start the third. Utley struck out and Howard grounded into a double-play.

The Phils started the fourth down 5-0. Werth walked with one out and Bruntlett struck out behind him. Coste was next and he got the Phillies on the board, hitting a 2-1 pitch out to left-center to cut the Atlanta lead to 5-2. Taguchi hit for Eaton and reached on an infield single. Rollins followed with a walk. It put men on first and second for Victorino and he hit an 0-1 pitch out to left for a three-run homer. Utley flew to center for the third out.

Another pinch-hit for Taguchi, although it wasn’t really a majestic blast. Victorino has six home runs in July and is slugging .609 for the month. He had two home runs coming into July.

Burrell homered with one out in the fifth to put the Phils up 6-5. Werth was hit by a pitch, but Bruntlett struck out and pitcher Julian Tavarez made a circus catch between his legs on a line drive Coste hit back up the middle to end the inning.

Ruiz hit for Condrey to start the sixth and doubled to left. Rollins followed with a single that sent him to third before Victorino singled into center field. Ruiz scored to make it 7-5 with men on first and second for Utley. Utley struck out for the first out of the inning. Rollins and Victorino pulled off a double-steal that put men on second and third with one down. Rollins scored easily to make it 8-5. Victorino and Francoeur’s throw from right arrived at about the same time and Victorino hammered McCann, who dropped the ball and would have to leave the game with the Phils up 9-5. Burrell flew to left for the second out before Werth popped a 3-2 pitch out to left-center, putting the Phils up 11-5. Bruntlett flew to right for the third out.

Rollins homered with two outs in the seventh to make it 12-5. Victorino lined to second for the third out to end the inning.

With the lead cut to 12-10, Utley led off the eighth with a single but was caught stealing (he was safe but didn’t get the call). Howard and Burrell went down behind him.

Rollins was 2-for-4 with a walk and his seventh home run of the season in the game. He was 4-for-13 in the series and is hitting 271/333/435 for the season.

Victorino was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. 5-for-12 with a triple and a home run in the series. 283/350/431 for the year.

Utley was 2-for-5 and struck out twice. 4-for-12 in the series. 288/368/559 for the year with no extra-base hits in his last 27 at-bats.

Howard 2-for-5 with two RBI. 4-for-12 with a home run in the set. 237/324/504.

Burrell 1-for-5 with a home run. 2-for-12 with a double and a home run in the series. 277/400/585.

Werth 1-for-2 with a walk, a home run and two RBI. 2-for-7 in the series and 272/358/485 for the year. Jenkins was 1-for-3 with a walk in the series. 241/295/400.

Bruntlett 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. 0-for-6 with two walks in the series. 234/318/325 for the year. I don’t think it’s a good idea to start him against a righty with Dobbs on the bench. Dobbs was 0-for-1 in the game and 2-for-5 with a huge home run in the series. 313/350/443 for the year.

Coste was 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. 5-for-7 in the series, raising his average for July up to .227. 291/340/500 for the year. Ruiz was 1-for-2 with a double in the game and 1-for-5 in the set. 211/309/277 for the year. Seems like he’s picked it up of late, but he’s hitting just .195 in July with one extra-base hit (the double yesterday, which was his first extra-base hit since June 13).

No game today.

Adam Eaton accepted a minor league assignment and JA Happ is likely to be called up, presumably to work as the second left out of the pen.

Pat Gillick says that Utley has a problem with his right hip. Utley says no.

The Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves yesterday afternoon, winning 10-9 to improve to 55-49 on the season.

Cole Hamels got the start for the Phillies and went 3 2/3 innings, allowing nine runs on six hits and three walks. Only four of the runs were earned. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, a double and a home run. He struck out two.

He walked Yunel Escobar with one out in the first, but Mark Teixeira hit into a double-play behind him.

Brian McCann led off the second with a single, but Hamels got he next three.

He threw a 1-2-3 third.

The fourth started with the Phils up 3-0. Didn’t end that way. Escobar led off with a walk and moved to second on a single by Teixeira. A walk to McCann loaded the bases for Omar Infante. Infante doubled to left and two runs scored. 3-2 with men on second and third. Jeff Francoeur flew to left for the first out and McCann tagged and scored to tie the game at 3-3 with Infante holding second. Martin Prado hit a ground ball to second that Utley didn’t handle for an error. Infante went to third. Mark Kotsay ripped a single into right and Infante scored to make it 4-3. With men on first and second pitcher Mike Hampton hit a ball back to Hamels that Hamels threw into left-center. Odd choice. Prado scored and Kotsay went to third with Atlanta up 5-3. Gregor Blanco was next and put down a beautiful bunt that went passed Hamels and had to be fielded by Utley. Utley had no chance and Blanco had a single. Kotsay scored (6-3) and Hampton went to second. Escobar flew to right for the second out before Teixeira hit an 0-1 pitch out to left-center for a three-run shot that made it 9-3. Seanez came in and got the lefty McCann to pop to second.

Pretty frustrating inning for Hamels with the error by Utley, his own error and the pretty bunt by Blanco. He didn’t respond real well. In the inning he allowed two walks, three singles, a double and a home run. Teixeira’s shot looked like it had put the game out reach in the fourth inning.

Eaton started the fifth, making his first appearance since July 12. Francoeur singled with one out before Prado flew to right for the second. Kotsay singled on a ball behind Rollins, but Rollins threw Francoeur out going for third to end the frame.

Madson started the sixth with the Phils up 10-9. Kelly Johnson led off with a walk. Blanco flew out for the first out before Madson walked Escobar. Teixeira went down looking before McCann walked on four pitches to load the bases with two down. Infante flew to right for the third out.

Durbin pitched the seventh. With one out, Greg Norton hit for pitcher Will Ohman and singled. Kotsay followed with a walk, but Durbin got the next two to end the frame.

Escobar led off the eighth with a single off of Durbin. Romero came in to pitch and set down Teixeira, McCann and Infante to leave him stranded. Great job by Romero against Teixeira and McCann.

Coming off a miserable game on Friday, Lidge threw a 1-2-3 ninth.

The pen goes 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and four walks. Madson and Durbin bend but don’t break. Romero pitched for the third straight day, Lidge his second and Durbin his second. Madson threw 27 pitches, Durbin 22. Everyone else was under 15.

Mike Hampton, just off the DL, and not Jo-Jo Reyes, got the start for the Braves. The Phillies’ lineup against the lefty went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Burrell (6) Werth (7) Bruntlett (8) Coste. Victorino stays in the two spot against the lefty, maybe because Bruntlett is in the lineup and maybe not. Werth plays right against the lefty. Bruntlett at third for Feliz, who was scratched Friday with back problems. Coste catches, which is unusual for a start made by Hamels (and the results for Hamels weren’t so good).

Rollins led off the first with a single. Victorino and Utley went down behind him before Rollins was caught stealing second to end the inning.

Howard walked to start the second and moved to third when Burrell followed with a double. Werth grounded to third for the first out with the runners holding. Bruntlett was walked intentionally to load the bases and Coste lined a 1-2 pitch into left-center for a single that scored Howard and Burrell and put the Phils up 2-0. Hamels bunted the runners to second and third, but Rollins grounded back to the pitcher to end the inning.

Victorino led off the third with a triple and scored when Utley followed with a sac fly to right. 3-0. Howard and Burrell went down behind him.

Down 9-3 in the fourth, Coste doubled with two outs. Taguchi hit for Seanez and flew to center.

Rollins, Victorino and Utley loaded the bases with singles to start the fifth. Howard singled to center and Rollins and Victorino scored, cutting the lead to 9-5 with men on first and third. Burrell hit a sac fly to center and Utley tagged and scored. 9-6 with one out and a man on first. Werth singled before Bruntlett flew to center for the second out. Coste singled to right and Howard scored to make it 9-7 with Werth moving to third. With righty Blaine Boyer on the mound, Dobbs hit for Eaton and hit a 1-2 pitch out to right to put the Phils up 10-9. Rollins tried to bunt for a hit but was thrown out by Boyer to end the inning.

1-2-3 sixth a 1-2-3 seventh.

With one out in the eighth and righty Julian Tavarez pitching for Atlanta, Jenkins hit for Romero and drew a walk. Rollins and Victorino went down behind him.

Rollins was 2-for-5 and started the rally in the fifth.

Victorino 2-for-5 with a triple. He’s slugging .580 in July.

Utley 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Howard 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI.

Burrell 1-for-3 with a double.

Werth 1-for-4.

Bruntlett 0-for-3 with a walk.

Coste 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI.

Dobbs had the biggest hit of the game, his third home run of the year.

Joe Blanton (5-12, 5.08) faces righty Jorge Campanillo (5-4, 2.83) this afternoon. Opponents are hitting .230 against Campanillo, lefites just .196. The Phillies have hit him hard this year. He’s made four appearances against the Phils this season, two of which are starts, and the Phils are hitting .368 against him. Blanton didn’t pitch well in his Phillies debut, allowing a pair of two-run homers as he gave up five runs in six innings against the Mets on Tuesday.