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The Phillies continue to win and win behind fantastic pitching. Kyle Kendrick’s amazing run continued last night as he allowed a run on two hits over seven innings while striking out eight as the Phils topped the Marlins 3-1 for their fifth-straight win.

The Phillies are 13-4 over their last 17 games. In nine of the 13 games they’ve won they’ve scored four runs or less. In four of those 13, including last night’s game, they scored three runs.

Brown hit a two-run homer off of Miami starter Wade LeBlanc in the bottom of the fifth. The Phils added a third run later in the same inning when Martinez doubled, moved to third on a ground out by Kendrick and scored on a wild pitch. Kendrick took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and allowed just one run in the game, which came in the top of the seventh when Carlos Lee led off with a double, moved to third on a ground out and came home to score on a sac fly.

The bullpen went two scoreless frames after Kendrick left. Over the last four games the bullpen has thrown 11 2/3 scoreless innings.

Kendrick was fantastic in the game, but it was arguably just his third-best start of his last six. He threw seven shutout innings against the Marlins on August 14 and eight shutout innings against the Brewers on August 19. Since the start of July, Kendrick has now thrown to a 2.09 ERA with an 0.97 ratio over 64 2/3 innings in 16 appearances (nine starts).

The Phillies are 70-71 on the year after beating the Miami Marlins 3-1 last night. The Phils lead the series one games to none and have won five in a row. They remain in third place in the NL East, 17 games behind the first-place Nationals. For the first time since July 26, Baseball Prospectus’s Playoff Odds report gives them a chance of making the playoffs that’s greater than 0%. It’s 1%. They are five games back for the Wild Card and have 21 games left to play.

Kendrick got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing a run on two hits and three walks. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a double. He struck out eight.

He struck out Justin Ruggiano and Jose Reyes in a 1-2-3 top of the first.

Struck out Giancarlo Stanton and Greg Dobbs in a 1-2-3 second.

He walked Rob Brantly with one out in the third. The pitcher Wade LeBlanc was next and bunted Brantly to second with the second out. Kendrick got Bryan Petersen on ground ball to Utley to end the frame.

Kendrick struck Ruggiano out again in a 1-2-3 fourth.

He set the Marlins down in order again in the fifth.

The Phillies led 3-0 when Brantly singled to center to start the top of the sixth. Righty Gorkys Hernandez hit for the pitcher LeBlanc and walked on five pitches, putting runners on first and second for Petersen. Petersen hit a ball softly towards second and Utley made a nice play, charging and throwing to first for the first out as the runners moved up to second and third. Ruggiano was next and Kendrick struck him out swinging 1-2 for the second out before walking Reyes on five pitches to load the bases for Stanton. Kendrick struck Stanton out swinging 1-2 to leave them loaded.

Biggest at-bat of the game for Kendrick and he gets Stanton swinging. Ruggiano can’t bring the runner home from third with less than two outs as Kendrick strikes him out for the third time in the game. Utley made a nice play to get the first out of the inning for the Phils.

Carlos Lee led off the seventh with a double to left. He moved up to third when Dobbs grounded to second for the second out and scored on a sac fly to deep left off the bat off Donovan Solano, cutting the lead to 3-1. Brantly flew to left for the third out.

De Fratus started the eighth with a two-run lead. Righty Austin Kearns hit for the pitcher Ryan Webb and struck out looking 2-2 for the first out. Petersen singled to right before De Fratus struck Ruggiano out looking for the second out. Diekman came in to pitch to Reyes and got him on a fly ball to center to end the frame.

Not sure you need to bring a lefty in there to face the switch-hitter Reyes, but it worked out for the Phils. Reyes’s numbers are a tiny bit better against righties than lefties this year (287/348/446 vs righties and 265/337/404 against lefties). For his career he’s been better against lefties than righties — 300/355/438 against lefties and 288/337/442 against righties. So I’m not sure you need to go out of your way to bring a lefty in there.

De Fratus was pitching for the second straight day. He faced three hitters, struck out two and allowed a single to Petersen, which is the only hit he’s allowed in his first four appearances.

Diekman faced one batter in the game and got him out, dropping his ERA on the year to 4.43. He was also pitching for the second day in a row.

Bastardo started the ninth and struck Stanton out on a wild pitch that allowed Stanton to take first. Lee was next and Bastardo got him to ground to Martinez at third. Martinez went to second to start the double-play that cleared the bases. Bastardo struck the lefty Dobbs out swinging 1-2 to end the game.

Bastardo gets the ninth after Papelbon pitches in both games of the double-header on Sunday. Bastardo was pitching for the second day in a row. Over his last 11 appearances, he’s allowed one run in nine innings on six hits and a walk while striking out 20. 20?

Overall the pen goes two scoreless innings in the game, allowing one single and striking out four.

All three of the pitchers that appeared have thrown two days in a row. De Fratus threw 13 pitches in the game, Bastardo seven and Diekman two.

The Phillies lineup against lefty Wade LeBlanc went (1) Rollins (2) Mayberry (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Wigginton (6) Brown (7) Kratz (8) Martinez. Mayberry hits second against the lefty. Wigginton plays left the day after going 2-for-4 with a double and a homer. Kratz catches and Martinez plays third.

Rollins singled to center to start the bottom of the first, but Mayberry hit into a double-play behind him. Utley followed that with a double to left, but was left stranded when Howard struck out swinging.

Howard is hitting 183/234/338 against left-handed pitching for the year with 35 strikeouts in 77 plate appearances.

No run for the Phils despite a single and a double in the inning.

The Phillies went in order in the second, third and fourth.

Wigginton led off the fifth and walked on the ninth pitch of his plate appearance. It brought Brown to the plate and he hit a 3-1 pitch down the first base line and out for a two-run homer, putting the Phillies up 2-0. Kratz popped to Reyes for the first out of the inning before Martinez doubled to left. Kendrick moved Martinez up to third with a ground out to first for the second out. With Rollins at the plate, Martinez scored on a wild pitch, putting the Phils up 3-0 before Rollins struck out swinging to end the inning.

Wigginton gets on base by walking in a long at-bat before Brown homers off of the lefty.

Martinez gets a big hit, doubling to left. Kendrick moves him up to third with a ground ball on the right side, which allows Martinez to score on the wild pitch.

Mayberry singled off of lefty Dan Jennings to start the sixth, but the Phillies went in order behind him.

Brown drew a walk off of Jennings to start the seventh with the led cut to 3-1. Righty Ryan Webb took over for Jennings and got Kratz on a fly ball to left for the first out and Martinez on a popup to first for the second. Schierholtz hit for Kendrick and popped to Reyes to leave Brown stranded.

Lefty Mike Dunn set Rollins, Mayberry and Utley down in order in the eighth.

Rollins 1-for-4 with a single. 6-for-his-last-30.

Mayberry 1-for-4 with a strikeout. 300/374/500 in 147 plate appearances since the trades.

Utley 1-for-4 in the game. 5-for-his-last-13.

Howard 0-for-3 with a strikeout. 167/254/315 over his last 63 plate appearances.

Wigginton 0-for-2 with a big walk ahead of Brown’s home run. 2-for-13 in September with four walks.

Brown 1-for-2 with a walk and a home run in the game. 5-for-his-last-16 with a double, a home run and two walks.

Kratz 0-for-3. 0-for-his-last-10. 184/200/327 over his last 50 plate appearances.

Martinez 1-for-3 with a double. He’s 5-for-his-last-12.

Halladay (9-7, 3.87) faces righty Nathan Eovaldi (4-11, 4.44) tonight. Halladay’s left/right splits for 2012 are very similar to the same numbers for his career with the exception that righties have hit for more power against him this season. Eovaldi came from the Dodgers to the Fish in the Hanley Ramirez trade at the end of June. He’s thrown to a 4.85 ERA in his eight starts with the Marlins and opponents have hit .294 against him.

The Phillies came up short last night as the old guard folded late and the Reds beat them 5-4 to even the series at a game apiece.

The Phils went into the top of the seventh with a 1-0 lead, but Lee allowed three runs in a top of the seventh that included errors by Howard and Utley. Bastardo allowed a solo homer in the eighth and Papelbon allowed a solo homer in the ninth.

The Phillies allowed five runs after the start of the seventh inning.

Kevin Frandsen was outstanding in the game and his effort is hard to ignore as the Phils think about 2013 and their never-ending gaping hole at third. He had three hits, including a triple with two outs in the eighth inning that tied the game at 4-4 and upped his average on the year to .350 after 80 at-bats. He also made two spectacular diving plays at third base, one of which came in the sixth as the Phils held a one-run lead with the bases loaded, following them up with throws from his knees in time to get the runner.

Kratz was merely 1-for-4 with a double last night, but he’s slugging .723 in his 65 at-bats with the Phils this year.

Less spectacular was Antonio Bastardo, who allowed yet another home run in the top of the eighth to put the Phils behind 4-3. Since the end of May, Bastardo has thrown to a 7.71 ERA and allowed seven home runs in 23 1/3 innings. The Phils are apparently willing to go the extra mile to make Bastardo their eighth inning guy, but that’s really not working in dramatic fashion and hasn’t been for a long time.

The Phillies are 57-66 on the year after losing to the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 last night. The teams have split the first two games of the series. They are still tied for third place in the NL East, 20 games behind the first-place Nats. If they went 39-0 in their remaining games, the Phils would finish with six fewer wins than they had in 2011.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and went 6 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits and a walk. Only two of the runs were earned. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, all doubles. He struck out nine.

The Phillies have lost three games in a row that Lee has started and are 7-15 in his starts for the year.

He struck out Zack Cozart and Drew Stubbs for the first two outs in the top of the first before Brandon Phillips doubled to center. Ryan Ludwick flew to Brown in right for the third out.

The Phillies were up 1-0 when Lee started the second. He struck Jay Bruce out for the first out and got Scott Rolen on a fly ball to right for the second before Todd Frazier doubled. Ryan Hanigan lined to Rollins to leave Frazier at second.

Lee struck out the pitcher Homer Bailey and Stubbs in a 1-2-3 third.

He struck out Phillips and Bruce as he set the Reds down in order in the fourth.

Hanigan singled with two outs in the fifth. Lee got Bailey looking behind Hanigan to leave Hanigan at first.

Singles by Cozart, Stubbs and Phillips loaded the bases to start the sixth. Ludwick hit a ball hard to third, but Frandsen made a fantastic play, diving to his left to make the play and then throwing strong to home from his knees to force Cozart for the first out. Bruce was next and Lee got him to ground into a double-play to keep the Reds off the board and the Phils still ahead 1-0.

Huge play by Frandsen.

Lee didn’t have as much luck getting out of his jam in the seventh. Rolen led off with a double and Frazier walked behind him. Hanigan was next and twice tried to bunt and fouled it off. Swinging away 1-2, he singled into center. Rolen scored from second, tying the game at 1-1. Howard didn’t handle the throw in from center and the ball got away around the mound, allowing the runners to move up to second and third with nobody out. Lee struck out Bailey for the first out before Cozart hit a fly ball to center deep enough for Frazier to tag and score, putting the Reds up 2-1. Stubbs was next and lined a single to left, scoring Hanigan from second. 3-1. Rosenberg came in to pitch to the righty Phillips. Phillips hit a ground ball to second that Utley didn’t handle for another error, putting runners on first and second. Rosenberg struck out Ludwick to leave them there.

Two errors for the Phillies in the frame. Whether you think it cost them a run or not depends on whether you think anyone could take a base on the Cozart fly out for the second out if the runners were on first and second rather than second and third and how many runs you think would have scored on the Stubbs single. I don’t think it’s likely that Frazier goes from second to third on Cozart’s ball had he been on second.

Rosenberg was pitching for the second straight day for the first time in his career. Big strikeout of Ludwick with two men on for the final out of the inning. Actually faced two man in the frame and handled both, but one was safe on the Utley error.

Bastardo started the eighth with the score tied at 3-3. He got the first two before Frazier hit an 0-1 pitch out to left. 4-3. Hanigan walked and righty Miguel Cairo hit for the pitcher Sean Marshall. Cairo struck out looking to leave Hanigan at first.

Bastardo was also pitching for the second straight day. 7.71 ERA since the end of May.

Papelbon started the ninth with the game tied again, this time at 4-4. Cozart was the first batter he faced and Cozart hit his first pitch out to left. 5-4. Papelbon got the next three. Frandsen made another outstanding defensive play to get the second out on a grounder by Phillips, diving to make the play and again throwing from his knees in time to nip the runner.

Almost saw Phillippe Aumont make his debut in the ninth. He was warming in the eighth before the Phillies tied things up.

Papelbon was charged with his first run since July 21 when he gave up a run in his second inning of work to the Giants. He came into the game having thrown 10 1/3 scoreless innings.

The bullpen goes 2 1/3 innings in the game for the Phillies, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out four. They are out-bullpened by the Reds, who allow a run in 2 2/3 innings on four hits and two walks.

Rosenberg has pitched two days in a row, but threw six pitches last night and two in the first game. Bastardo has also thrown two days in a row. He threw 17 pitches yesterday and ten in game one.

The Phillies lineup against righty Homer Bailey went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Mayberry (6) Brown (7) Frandsen (8) Kratz. Again, Mayberry can’t really hit fifth against a righty and break up four lefties 2-4 and another lefty in the six-hole.

Rollins led off the bottom of the first and hit a ball that Phillips didn’t handle at second for an error. Pierre flew to center for the first out before Utley moved Rollins to third with a single. Howard was next and hit a ball off the base of the wall in right. Rollins scored to put the Phils up 1-0, but the ball rolled right to Bruce in the outfield and Utley had to hold third. It brought Mayberry to the plate with runners on the corners. He roped a ball just foul down the left field line before striking out for the second out. Brown got ahead 3-1 and then struck out looking at a 3-2 pitch on a ball that looked real low.

Howard smoked the ball, but it goes right back to Bruce and costs the Phils a run. Mayberry strikes out with one out and a man on third to keep the Phillies from getting more.

Kratz and Lee struck out as the Phils went in order in the second.

Utley singled to right with two outs in the third, but Howard struck out swinging to leave him at first.

Frandsen singled with two outs in the fourth, but Kratz grounded to short to end the inning.

Rollins singled to right with one out in the fifth. Pierre popped to Cozart before Rollins was caught stealing for the third out.

Utley was hit by a pitch to start the sixth. Howard lined to left and Mayberry hit into a double-play.

The Phillies were down 3-1 when they hit in the seventh. Frandsen singled with one out and moved to third on a double by Kratz. Nix hit for Rosenberg and lefty Sean Marshall came in to pitch to him. Wigginton hit for Nix and walked, loading the bases for Rollins. Rollins doubled to left, scoring Frandsen and Kratz to tie the game at 3-3 with men on second and third and one out. Pierre bunted on a safety squeeze and Marshall made a fantastic play, getting to the play and throwing across his body in time for Hanigan to apply the tag and avoid Wigginton’s attempt to separate him into two distinct entities. Utley lined to second to leave the runners at first and third.

Righty Jonathan Broxton started the eighth for the Reds with the Phils down 4-3. He walked Howard and Martinez ran for Howard at first, but Mayberry grounded into another double-play, his second in two at-bats, to clear the bases. Brown was next and hit a hard ground ball to second that went through Phillips and was called a single. It put a man on for Frandsen and Frandsen tied the game with a triple to right that scored Brown. 4-4. Kratz grounded to third to leave Frandsen stranded.

Phillips should have made the play on the ball hit by Brown. Calling that a hit instead of an error is a gift. Martinez running for Howard might have mattered a lot — Howard’s spot was on-deck in the bottom of the ninth when Utley struck out swinging to leave Rollins at third.

Lefty Aroldis Chapman started the ninth with the Reds up 5-4. Polanco hit for Papelbon and reached on an infield single. Rollins was next and bunted, but too hard. Chapman fielded and threw to second where Polanco was just out for the first out. Chapman struck out Pierre. Rollins stole second and then third before Utley struck out swinging to end the game.

The Phils have to send the lefty Pierre to the plate with close to no chance of getting a hit against Chapman cause they’re out of righties. The stolen bases by Rollins in the inning could have been key. Chapman overpowered Utley, but had the option to pitch around him with Martinez and not Howard due to hit next for the Phils after Martinez ran for Howard in the eighth.

Rollins was 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI. He came into the series 1-for-his-last-19, but he’s 3-for-10 in the first two games of this set. He stole two bases that could have been critical in the ninth and was caught stealing in the fifth.

Pierre was 0-for-5 with a strikeout and five men left on base.

Utley 2-for-4 with an error that didn’t hurt the Phils. He’s 6-for-his-last-14.

Howard 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and an error that did hurt the Phillies in the seventh.

Mayberry 0-for-4 with a strikeout. He grounded into two double-plays and left four men on base.

Brown was 1-for-4 with a single on a ball that is often called an error.

Frandsen 3-for-4 with a triple and an RBI.

Kratz 1-for-4 with a double.

Worley (6-8, 4.11) faces righty Bronson Arroyo (9-7, 3.96) tonight. Opponents have hit .367 against Worley over his last three starts as he’s thrown to a 7.90 ERA. He has a 5.92 ERA in his nine starts since the end of June. Arroyo has walked just 27 in 150 innings this year, which is the best walk rate of his career. He’s been a lot better against righties (238/275/381) than he has against lefties (305/336/480).

The bullpen collapsed again last night, allowing six runs after the sixth inning as the Braves hammered the Phils 12-6.

The worse news is that Josh Lindblom, who many hope will play a big role in turning things around in a miserable bullpen, was at the center of the collapse.

Jimmy Rollins hit Tim Hudson’s first pitch of the bottom of the first out to right for his fourth home run in the last nine games, giving the Phils an early 1-0 lead. Kendrick had a miserable outing, though, allowing six runs and not making it out of the fourth inning. The Phils went into the bottom of the fifth down 6-1, but mounted a rally that included back-to-back doubles from Rollins and Brown and a three-run homer from Howard to tie the game at 6-6. Bastardo and Lindblom were terrible in the seventh, allowing four runs as the Phils fell behind to stay. Lindblom came back to face three batters to start the eighth and all three of them reached base — two would come around to score as LA tacked another pair of runs onto their lead.

It looked like the Phils were going to get out of the seventh with the game still tied at 6-6. Bastardo got the first two men he faced before Atlanta loaded the bases on a double and two walks (one of which was intentional). Lindblom came in to face righty Dan Uggla with two outs, the bases loaded and the game still tied. Uggla won that battle in a big way, clearing the bases with a three-run double down the left field line.

Bastardo has had a miserable season. Lindblom hasn’t had much success in his initial outings with the Phillies, either. His 10.32 ERA after four appearances won’t go very far towards easing the nervousness some fans had about his 5.32 ERA away from Dodger Stadium when he joined the Phils.

Oh, and the Phillies just can’t beat the Braves. At all. The Phils are 13-11 since the All-Star break — 1-5 against the Braves and 12-6 against everyone else. They were also swept by Atlanta in a three-game series in Atlanta in their final set before the break. So they’re 1-8 over the last nine against the Braves and the one took an outstanding pitching performance by Hamels.

The Phillies are 50-61 on the year after losing to the Atlanta Braves 12-6 last night. The Braves take the series two games to one. The Phils are all alone in last place in the NL East again, 18 games out of first.

Kendrick got the start for the Phillies and went 3 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, a double and a home run. He struck out one.

He has a 5.01 ERA in his 15 starts for the year.

Michael Bourn was the first hitter of the game and singled to center, but Kendrick got Martin Prado to bounce into a double-play behind him. Jason Heyward grounded to second behind Prado.

Kendrick started the second up 1-0. Freddie Freeman walked with one out and moved to second on a single by Dan Uggla. A wild pitch moved the runners up to second and third before David Ross grounded to short for the second out with Freeman scoring (1-1) and Uggla moving up to third. Kendrick walked Paul Janish, putting two men on for the pitcher Tim Hudson and Hudson cleared the bases with a double to center. 3-1. Kendrick walked Bourn to put two men on before Prado singled to right. Hudson scored to make it 4-1 and Bourn moved up to third. Heyward popped to Rollins for the third out.

Ugly inning for Kendrick. He still had allowed just one run and had a runner on third with two outs and the eight-hitter coming to the plate. He walked Janish, though, and the pitcher hit a two-run double.

Three walks in the frame for Kendrick. That’s too many.

Uggla singled with two outs in the third. Kendrick got Ross on a grounder to short for the third out.

Janish led off the fourth with a single to left on a ball deflected by Frandsen. Hudson tried to bunt Janish to second, but struck out for the first out. Bourn was next and hit a 1-2 pitch out to right center, putting the Braves up 6-1. Valdes took over for Kendrick and got Prado and Heyward to end the frame.

Ninth homer of the year for Bourn.

Valdes was back for the fifth and set Atlanta down in order.

Another solid outing for Valdes. He’s appeared twice for the Phillies this month and been good both times, throwing three shutout innings without allowing a hit or a walk while striking out five.

Schwimer pitched the sixth with the game tied at 6-6 and threw a 1-2-3 frame. Lefty Eric Hinske hit for the pitcher Cory Gearrin and struck out swinging for the third out.

Schwimer has a 2.01 ERA over 22 1/3 innings in his last 22 appearances.

Bastardo started the seventh and got the first two before Heyward doubled to center. Chipper Jones was walked intentionally to get to the lefty Freeman behind him. Bastardo didn’t get a call a 1-2 pitch that was close on the outside of the plate and went on to walk Freeman. Lindblom came on to pitch to the righty Uggla. Uggla hit an 0-1 pitch down the line and into the left field corner, clearing the bases and putting Atlanta on top 9-6. Ross was next and hit a ball to third that should have ended the frame, but Frandsen’s throw to first was in the dirt. Howard tried to scoop it but didn’t. Frandsen was charged with an error that kept the inning alive, Uggla scored and it was 10-6. Ross stole second before Janish grounded to third to end the frame.

Awful. Two outs, nobody on and five straight Braves reach base on two doubles, two walks and an error. Bastardo walks the switch-hitter Jones to get to the lefty behind him and then walks the lefty. Lindblom comes in to the game and immediately crumples, giving up the three-run double to Uggla.

Howard should have handled the throw by Frandsen.

Bastardo’s ERA for the year is up to 5.45 with the outing. He has a 7.61 ERA over his last 27 outings. Opponents have hit just .253 against him in those appearances, but he has walked 14 and allowed six home runs in 23 2/3 innings.

Lindblom walked Tyler Pastornicky to start the eighth and Pastornicky came around to score when Bourn followed with a double. 11-6. Lindblom walked Prado, putting two men on for the lefty Heyward and Horst came in to face Heyward. Heyward flew to center for the first out with the runners moving up to second and third. The Phillies again walked Chipper intentionally, loading the bases for Freeman. Freeman went down on a ball handled by Horst for the second out with Bourn scoring from third. 12-6. Horst walked Uggla to load the bases again, but struck Ross out to leave them loaded.

Twice in two innings is too many times to walk Chipper Jones intentionally.

Miserable outing for Lindblom. He came into the game with two outs and the bases loaded and allowed a three-run double. In the eighth he faced three hitters and allowed two walks and a double. He has a 10.13 ERA and a 2.63 ratio in his four appearances with the Phillies so far.

Horst set the Braves down in order in the ninth.

Horst goes two innings in the game, allowing no hits but two walks. He has a 1.29 ERA with a 1.14 ratio in 14 innings with the Phillies. A lot of walks (six in 14 innings), but opponents are hitting just .204 against him and he has not allowed a home run. With two Triple-A teams from 2011 to 2012, he allowed just five home runs in 89 2/3 innings.

Overall the pen goes 5 2/3 innings in the game, allowing six runs on three hits and six walks. Only five of the runs were earned due to the Frandsen throwing error. Six is too many to walk in 5 2/3 innings. Two of the three hits the bullpen allowed went for extra-bases, both doubles.

Second time in the three-game set the bullpen has to throw more than five innings in the game. Worley exited early in game one and the pen allowed two runs over 5 1/3.

The Hamels complete game and the off-day today will help get the pen some rest. Horst threw 32 pitches in the game. Lindblom 22 and Bastardo 20.

The Phillies lineup against righty Tim Hudson went (1) Rollins (2) Brown (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Mayberry (6) Schierholtz (7) Kratz (8) Frandsen. Kratz catches against the righty with Schneider on the DL. Frandsen keeps on playing third. Lefty veterans Nix and Pierre keep watching while Brown, Mayberry and Schierholtz man the outfield.

Rollins hit Hudson’s first pitch of the bottom of the first out to right, putting the Phils up 1-0. Howard singled with two outs, but Mayberry grounded to third to end the inning.

Down 4-1, the Phillies went in order in the second.

Kendrick and Rollins struck out as the Phils went in order in the third.

It was 6-1 when the Phillies hit in the fourth. Mayberry and Schierholtz walked back-to-back with two outs, but Kratz struck out to leave them both stranded.

Any inning in which Mayberry and Schierholtz both walk should count as a run for the Phillies.

Frandsen singled to right to start the fifth. Pierre hit for Valdes and flew to right for the first out. Rollins was next and he doubled to right with Frandsen scoring to make it 6-2. Brown was next and lined a ball into center. Rollins scored from second (6-3) and Brown went for two, sliding in just safe. Utley was hit by a pitch, putting two men on for Howard. Howard hit a 2-2 pitch out to left-center, tying the game at 6-6. Mayberry was next and drew a walk. Lefty Luis Avilan took over for Hudson and Schierholtz flew to center for the second out. Mayberry went to second on a passed ball with Kratz at the plate before Kratz drove one to deep center. A jumping Bourn tracked it down at the wall to end the inning.

Schierholtz hit his ball to center well also. Second walk in three innings for Mayberry.

Righty Chad Durbin, set the Phillies down in order in the sixth, dropping his ERA on the year to 3.07. Martinez hit for Schwimer with one out and tried to bunt for a hit. Durbin fielded and applied a not particularly gentle tag in front of first base to record the out.

Lefty Jonny Venters set Brown, Utley and Howard down in order in the seventh with Atlanta up 10-6.

Lefties 2-3-4 in the order for the Phils allow a single left-handed reliever to go through all three. Brown struck out for the first out of the frame. He has struck out just twice in 32 plate appearances so far.

Lefty Eric O’Flaherty pitched the eighth. Kratz walked with two outs and moved to second when Frandsen followed with a single. Nix struck out swinging to leave both runners stranded.

Nix against a lefty isn’t really what you’re looking for there. The Phils are pretty low on right-handed hitters on their bench these days.

Down 12-6, the Phils went 1-2-3 in the ninth. Wigginton hit for Horst and struck out swinging for the second out.

Rollins was 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and three strikeouts in the game. 4-for-12 in the series with a walk, two doubles and a home run. 248/306/414 for the season. Over his first 234 plate appearances of the year, Rollins hit .237 and slugged .312. That’s an isolated power of .075. Over his last 251 plate appearances, he has hit .258 and slugged .511. That’s an isolated power of .253. There are seven players in the NL this season who have at least 300 plate appearances and an isolated power better than .253 for the year.

Brown 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. 3-for-10 with a walk and two doubles in the set. 286/375/393 after 32 plate appearances for the year.

Utley 0-for-4 last night and 1-for-12 with a double and a hit by pitch in the series. 246/348/375 on the year. 264/409/566 over his last 66 plate appearances.

Howard 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, his second big home run in the series. 3-for-12 with two home runs and five RBI in the set. 213/300/438 for the season in 100 plate appearances. He’s hitting .176 against lefties and has struck out in about 47.4% of his plate appearances against them.

Mayberry 0-for-2 and walked twice. 1-for-10 with two walks and a home run in the series. He’s started nine games in a row and posted a 250/333/438 line over 36 plate appearances. 232/277/391 for the year.

Schierholtz 0-for-3 with a walk. 3-for-10 with a walk and a double in the series. 280/321/440 in 29 plate appearances with the Phils.

Kratz 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. 2-for-6 with a walk and a double in the series. 371/436/857 in 39 plate appearances for the year.

Frandsen 2-for-4 with a throwing error. 4-for-10 with a walk in the series. He’s started the last ten games in a row at third base for the Phillies. 306/342/389 for the year. Not sure what the long term plan is here, cause he’s 30 and has hit more than six home runs in a season once (he hit 13 in 2009 with an assist to the PCL).

The Phillies are off today and start a series with the Cardinals tomorrow.

The next update to Philliesflow will be around August 21.

The Phillies have played half their season. Let’s hope it’s the bad half, cause they looked absolutely awful this weekend as they were swept by the Marlins.

After 81 games, the Phils are on pace to 72-90 for the season and win 30 games less than they won in 2011.

Blanton pitched okay yesterday in game three of the series, but Bastardo allowed a two-run homer in the eighth that opened up a one-run game, which the Marlins went on to win 5-2.

The Phillies are 36-45 on the year after losing to the Miami Marlins 5-2 last night. The Marlins sweep the three-game series. The Phils are nine games under .500 for the first time since July 25, 2006. They are 11 games out of first place and have lost five in a row.

Blanton got the start for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, two doubles and a home run. Blanton has been un-terrible over his last two starts, allowing five earned runs over 13 innings (3.46 ERA and a 1.23 ratio). Still way to many home runs — he’s allowed 17 over his last 55 1/3 innings. The Phillies have won four of the last five games he’s started.

Up 1-0, he set the Marlins down in order in the bottom of the first.

Logan Morrison singled to right to start the second. Justin Ruggiano was next and singled to left, but Pierre threw Morrison out at third for the first out. Greg Dobbs grounded to Blanton for the second out with Ruggiano moving up to second. Omar Infante was the next batter for Miami and he doubled to left, scoring Ruggiano to tie the game at 1-1 with two down and a runner on second. John Buck followed with a double to right. Infante scored. 2-1. The pitcher Ricky Nolasco flew to center to end the inning.

Again, Blanton isn’t walking anyone but he is giving up way too many hits. No walks but four hits in the frame gets the Fish two runs. Would have been more without the throw by Pierre. Buck doubles home the second run in front of the pitcher with first base empty.

Blanton got the first two in the third before Giancarlo homered to right to extend the lead to 3-1. Blanton walked Morrison before striking out Ruggiano to end the inning.

At least he walked someone.

Dobbs led off the fourth with a single, but Blanton struck out Infante, Buck and Nolasco in a row behind him.

Blanton struck out Hanley Ramirez and Stanton in a 1-2-3 fifth.

It was 3-2 when he started the sixth. He walked Ruggiano with one out, Blanton struck Dobbs out swinging for the second out and Ruggiano was caught stealing for the third.

Schwimer threw a 1-2-3 seventh with the Phils still down a run. Righty Austin Kearns hit for Nolasco and struck out for the third out.

Over his last nine appearances, Schwimer has been charged with one earned run over 11 innings (0.82 ERA with a 1.00 ratio). Yesterday he was throwing for the second straight day.

Bastardo started the eighth. He walked Reyes. Reyes stole second before Ramirez homered to center, extending the Miami lead to 5-2. Bastardo got the next three, striking out Stanton and Ruggiano for two of the outs.

Bastardo has a 9.45 ERA and a 2.25 ratio over his last seven appearances.

Two innings for the pen in which they allow two runs on a hit and a walk. With the off day today, everyone should be ready tomorrow.

The Phillies lineup against righty Ricky Nolasco went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Pence (4) Ruiz (5) Victorino (6) Polanco (7) Wigginton (8) Fontenot. Pierre in left against the righty and the lefty Fontenot at second. Victorino continues to play center against righties despite a 230/299/317 line against them for the season coming into the game. I’d guess we might see the lefty Pridie get some chances in center against righties before too long. Wigginton plays first and he came into the game on-basing .307 and slugging .364 against righties.

Pierre tripled to right with one out in the top of the first. The Marlins played the infield back, but when Pence grounded to third, Ramirez fielded and threw home. He would have had Pierre with a better throw, but it was high and on the first base side of the plate. Pierre slid in safe to put the Phils up 1-0 with Pence safe at first. Ruiz hit into a double-play to set the Phillies down.

The Phils went in order in the second.

Down 2-1 they went in order in the third.

They were down 3-1 when they hit in the fourth. Pence and Ruiz both struck out as the Phils went in order.

Victorino singled to right to start the fifth. Polanco and Wigginton both popped out before Fontenot moved him to third with a single to right. Blanton stuck out swinging to leave both runners stranded.

Rollins struck out to start the sixth, but Pierre bunted for a single up the first base line behind him. Pence was next and rocketed a single into left, moving Pierre up to second and putting two men on for Ruiz. Ruiz flew to shallow center for the second out with the runners holding. The runners moved up to second and third on a wild pitch before a 2-1 pitch skipped through Buck’s legs, allowing both runners to advance again. Pierre scored and the Miami lead was cut to 3-2. Victorino grounded to first 3-2 to leave Pence at third.

Fontenot reached on an error by Reyes with two outs in the seventh. Pridie hit for Blanton, making his debut with the Phillies, and flew to left for the third out.

Lefty Mike Dunn started the eighth for the Marlins and got Rollins on a fly ball to center for the first out. Mayberry hit for Pierre. Righty Steve Cishek came in to pitch to Mayberry and Mayberry singled to center. Pence struck out for the second out before Ruiz singled to left, moving Mayberry up to second. Victorino flew to center to leave both runners stranded.

Righty Health Bell got Polanco, Wigginton and Fontenot in order in the ninth.

Rollins was 0-for-4 in the game and 0-for-11 in the series. He’s hitting 259/313/404 for the season.

Pierre was 2-for-3 with a triple. He was 3-for-7 with a triple in the series. 318/357/390 for the year.

Pence 1-for-4 with an RBI and two strikeouts in the game and 6-for-12 with two home runs in the series. He’s 14-for-his-last-35 with five walks, three doubles, a triple and three home runs (400/475/800). 285/350/495 for the year.

Ruiz 1-for-4 with a strikeout. 3-for-12 with two doubles in the set. 356/420/579 for the year.

Victorino was 1-for-4 in the game and 3-for-11 in the series. He’s hitting a miserable 254/322/386 for the season. 231/298/315 against right-handed pitching for the season.

Polanco 0-for-4 yesterday and 2-for-12 with two singles in the series. June was his best month of the year — he hit 284/361/392. 273/317/353 for the season.

Wigginton was 0-for-4 in the game and 0-for-6 in the series. 167/219/283 over his last 64 plate appearances. 243/312/387 for the year. 252/300/352 against right-handed pitching in 170 plate appearances against righties for the year.

Fontenot was 1-for-4 with a single yesterday and 1-for-4 in the series. He’s 2-for-his-last-12 with three singles. 315/359/370 over 78 plate appearances for the year.

The Phillies don’t play today. Mets tomorrow night.

Joe Blanton had yet another strong outing for the Phillies last night, pitching into the eighth inning and holding the Astros to a single run as the Phils topped Houston 5-1.

Over his last four starts, Blanton has thrown to a 2.10 ERA and averaged seven and a half innings per start. Through eight appearances (seven starts) he has walked one right-handed batter this season. His walk rate is the best it has been since 2007. His hit rate is the best it has been since 2005. He has allowed two home runs in 48 2/3 innings for the year, which gives him the best home run rate of his career.

Placido Polanco notched his 2,000th career hit in the game as well and did it in style, popping out a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth, providing some much-needed insurance runs for a team that still sports the worst bullpen ERA in baseball.

The Phillies are 17-19 on the year after beating the Houston Astros 5-1 last night. They have won three of their last four games.

Blanton got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing a run on six hits and a walk. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a solo home run in the top of the eighth. He struck out seven.

On April 12, Blanton walked Hanley Ramirez with one out in the top of the sixth. He hasn’t walked a right-handed batter in his six starts since.

He walked Jed Lowrie with two outs in the top of the first. Carlos Lee was next and blooped a single into center, moving Lowrie up to third. Blanton struck Brian Bogusevic out to leave both runners stranded.

Chris Snyder singled to left with two outs in the second. Blanton got pitcher Lucas Harrell on a ground ball to second to set the Astros down.

Blanton set the Astros down in order in the third. Jordan Schafer tried to bunt for a single, but Blanton threw him out for the second out.

Lee led off the fourth with a single to left, but Blanton set the Astros down in order behind him.

He got three ground outs in the fifth.

The Phillies led 1-0 when Blanton started the sixth. He got the first two before Lee singled again, this time to center. Blanton struck Bogusevic out swinging to leave Lee at first.

It was 3-0 when he set the Astros down in order in the seventh.

Switch-hitter Marwin Gonzalez hit for pitcher Fernando Abad to start the eighth and homered to right, cutting the lead to 3-1. Jose Altuve followed that with a single and Bastardo came in to pitch to the lefty Schafer. Rigthy Justin Maxwell hit for Schafer. Bastardo struck out Maxwell and Lowrie behind Maxwell before Qualls came in to pitch to the righty Lee. Qualls got Lee on a ball hit well to right to leave Altuve at first.

Bastardo and Qualls get the job done after Blanton has a rough start to the frame, facing three hitters and retiring all three.

Bastardo was pitching for the second day in a row and dropped his ERA on the year to 1.64 with the outing. He has made eight appearances in May in which he has allowed one hit and three walks over 7 2/3 scoreless innings. He ended April with a 5.40 ERA through his first seven appearances.

Qualls hasn’t been charged with an earned run over his last four appearances, but has given up three hits and a walk over 2 1/3 innings. Lefties are hitting 292/370/464 against him for the season.

Papelbon started the ninth with a 5-1 lead after the Phils scored two in the bottom of the eighth. Chris Johnson singled on a ball that could have been an error on Polanco, but Papelbon struck out the next two batters to end the game.

Papelbon has made 15 appearances on the year and been charged with a run or more in two of them. Three of the four runs he has allowed for the season came on one swing, Jordany Valdespin’s three-run homer on May 7.

Great night for the pen in which they go two scoreless frames, allowing one single and striking out five.

Papelbon has thrown for three days in a row. He threw 14 pitches in the game. Bastardo has thrown two days in a row and threw eleven. Four pitches for Qualls.

The Phillies lineup against righty Lucas Harrell went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Victorino (4) Pence (5) Ruiz (6) Polanco (7) Mayberry (8) Galvis. Pierre in left against the righty. Mayberry at first for a Phils team without Thome or Nix, but hitting behind Polanco. Galvis at second with the lefty Orr on the bench.

Rollins, Pierre and Victorino all hit the ball well in the bottom of the first, but all three went down on line drives. Rollins and Pierre lined to left and Victorino lined to third.

Pence reached on an infield single to start the second, but Ruiz hit into a double-play behind him. Polanco drew a walk, but Mayberry struck out swinging to leave him at first.

The Phillies went in order in the third. Galvis led off and tried to bunt for a single, but Johnson handled it and threw him out at first.

The Phils went in order in the fourth.

Ruiz led off the fifth and was hit by a pitch. Polanco was next and hit a ball that Harrell handled, throwing to second to force Ruiz for the first out with Polanco safe at first. Mayberry was next and hit a ball to short that Lowrie didn’t handle for an error, putting men on first and second with one down. Galvis followed with a single into center, scoring Polanco to out the Phils up 1-0 and moving Mayberry up to third. Blanton bunted Galvis to second with the second out. Harrell got behind Rollins 3-0 and then put him on intentionally, loading the bases for Pierre. Pierre grounded to first to end the inning.

Big hit for Galvis helps make the Astros pay for the Lowrie error.

Victorino tripled to center to start the sixth. Pence popped up to second behind him for the first out, but Ruiz followed with a single into center, scoring Victorino to put the Phils up 2-0. Polanco grounded to short with Ruiz forced at second for the second out. Mayberry was next and lined a double to left, putting men on second and third for Galvis. Righty Wilton Lopez came in to pitch to Galvis and Galvis singled into left. Polanco scored to extend the lead to 3-0, but Mayberry was thrown out at the plate to end the inning.

No RBI for Pence with nobody out and a runner on third. Big hits in the inning from Ruiz and Galvis.

Lefty Fernando Abad set the Phillies down in order in the seventh. Blanton hit for himself to start the inning and popped to first.

The lead was cut to 3-1 when the Phillies hit in the bottom of the eighth. Righty David Carpenter struck out Victorino and Pence before Ruiz singled into left. Polanco was next and hit a 1-0 pitch out to left-center for a two-run homer, the 2,000th hit of his career, putting the Phils up 5-1. Mayberry and Galvis followed that with back-to-back singles, putting runners on first and second for Qualls. Lefty Mike Fontenot, called up on Friday, hit for Qualls and flew to center to leave both runners stranded.

Rollins was 0-for-3 with a walk, dropping his average on the year to .225. He’s 8-for-his-last-42 (190/261/310 over his last 47 plate appearances).

Pierre was 0-for-4 and left three men on base. Of the 104 NL players with at least 100 plate appearances, his .387 on-base percentage is 12th. He’s hitting .387 over his last 34 plate appearances.

Victorino 1-for-4 with a triple. He’s 6-for-his-last-16.

Pence was 1-for-4 and struck out twice. He’s hitting 198/237/429 over his last 97 plate appearances. It wasn’t a factor in last night’s game, but for the season he’s hitting 179/233/357 against left-handed pitching.

Ruiz was 2-for-3 with an RBI. He’s 6-for-his-last-12 with a walk. He (.583) and Nix (.587) are the only Phillies slugging better than .450 for the season. He, Nix and Pence (.450) are the only Phillies slugging better than .429 for the season.

Polanco 1-for-3 with a walk and a two-run homer. 354/382/492 over his last 70 plate appearances.

Mayberry 2-for-4 with a double to up his average to .247. 346/379/538 over his last 29 plate appearances — 9-for-26 with two walks, two doubles and a home run. After striking out in 20 of his first 60 plate appearances on the season, he has struck out in just three of his last 29. His power for the year against righties is still virtually non-existent. His double off of Harrell in last night’s game was just his second extra-base hit of the year against a righty. For the season he’s hitting 224/269/265 against righties and about 58.4% of his plate appearances have come against right-handed pitching.

Galvis was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Over his last five starts he’s gone 8-for-18 with two walks, three doubles, a triple and seven RBI, upping his line on the season from 189/215/289 to 231/265/361.

Cliff Lee (0-1, 2.17) pitches this afternoon against a Houston starter TBD. Lee has made just one start since returning from the DL, holding the Mets to two runs over six innings. The team is 0-4 in the games he has started this season, despite Lee’s 2.17 ERA and 0.76 ratio.

The ugliness continued for the Phillies last night as bad defense and awful work from their pen got together late and the Mets topped them 7-4.

Joe Blanton was charged with four runs over 6 2/3 innings in the game, but pitched a whole lot better than his line. He left with a 4-2 lead with two men on in the seventh. Qualls and Bastardo took over after that, facing three batters and getting just one out as the other two delivered RBI-singles. The Phils also put together just about the ugliest rundown you’ve ever seen in the frame.

The miserable performance of the bullpen continues as the Phils remain, by ERA, the worst bullpen in either league. The team’s bullpen ERA for the season is up to 4.95.

Over the last five games, the bullpen has been charged with more than one run in every game, allowing 13 runs (12 earned) in 13 innings and throwing to an 8.31 ERA with a 2.30 ratio. In 13 innings they’ve allowed 20 hits and ten walks. Those numbers don’t include the game they lost 15-13 on May 2 — in that game the bullpen was charged with seven runs in 4 2/3 innings.

The pen has also allowed more than one run in eight of the last ten games. In one of those games they didn’t appear at all (Blanton’s complete game on May 3). There’s only one game in the last ten where the bullpen got at least one out and allowed less than two runs (May 1 against the Braves).

The Phillies are 14-17 on the year after losing to the New York Mets 7-4 last night. The Mets have won the first two games of the series. The Phillies have lost four of their last five games.

Blanton got the start for the Phillies and went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, both doubles. He struck out seven.

Blanton walked Kirk Nieuwenhuis with one out in the first, but got David Wright on a fly ball to right and Lucas Duda swinging to leave him at first.

Up 2-0, he set the Mets down in order in the second.

Up 4-0, he threw a 1-2-3 third.

Nieuwenhuis doubled to center to start the fourth and moved to third when Wright flew to right for the first out. Duda followed with a walk, putting runners on first and third for Daniel Murphy. Murphy singled into left, scoring Nieuwenhuis to make it 4-1 with men on first and second. Blanton got Ike Davis and Jordany Valdespin, both on fly balls to center, to end the frame.

Blanton hit Mike Nickeas to start the fifth. Pitcher Miguel Batista bunted Nickeas to second with the first out and Nickeas took third when Andres Torres grounded to second for the second. Blanton struck out Nieuwenhuis to leave Nickeas at third.

Wright led off the sixth with a double. Blanton struck out Duda before Murphy moved Wright up to third with a ground out. He got behind Davis 2-0 before striking him out swinging 3-2 to end leave Wright at third.

Blanton walked Valdespin to start the seventh. He struck Nickeas out for the first out and righty Scott Hairston hit for the pitcher Manny Acosta. Hairston popped to second for the second out, but Torres followed and singled softly to right, moving Valdespin up to third. Nieuwenhuis followed with a single to right that scored Valdespin (4-2) and moved Torres to second. Qualls came in to pitch to Wright. Wright singled to right. Hunter fielded and threw home, but his throw wasn’t close to getting Torres, who scored to make it 4-3. Ruiz moved out in front of the plate to take the throw and Wright was caught up between first and second. Rollins threw to Orr covering first and Orr ran Wright towards second, but there was nobody covering second. Orr threw to third to try and Nieuwenhuis there, but his throw was in the dirt and got away for an error, allowing Nieuwenhuis to score and tie the game at 4-4 with two outs and Wright on third. Bastardo came in to pitch to the left Duda and Duda singled to right, scoring Wright to put New York on top 5-4. Murphy flew to center for the third out.

The Wright single play was really ugly. Don’t know why Pence threw home in the first place, cause there was no chance to get Torres. Don’t know why his throw wasn’t cut before making it home. Don’t know why nobody was covering second when Orr was running towards second. The thing that bothers me least about the play was the throw to third, which was in the dirt but could easily have been handled there to prevent the second run.

Qualls and Bastardo face three batters in the inning, allowing two singles and getting one out. Two runs score on the first single, with the help of ugly defense, and one on the second.

Qualls has with at least one run in four of his last six appearances, although the run he was charged with last night was unearned due to Orr’s throwing error. Over his last 4 1/3 innings, he has allowed nine hits and three walks.

Bastardo started the eighth. Davis led off and hit a ball to second that Orr didn’t handle for an error, his second in four batters. The lefty Valdespin flew to left for the second out. Contreras took over for Bastardo, pitching to the righty Nickeas. Ruiz threw Davis out trying to steal second before Nickeas fouled out to Mayberry to end the frame.

Bastardo allows the RBI-single to Duda in the seventh with the run charged to Qualls, then comes back to work around the Orr error in the eighth. He has allowed one hit and two walks over 4 2/3 innings without being charged with a run over his last five appearances. He has thrown two days in a row.

Schwimer started the ninth. Lefty Mike Baxter hit for the pitcher Tim Byrdak and walked on six pitches. Torres moved Baxter to third with a single. Nieuwenhuis flew to left with both runners moving up a base. Baxter scored to make it 6-4 with one out and a man on second. Schwimer struck Wright out swinging for the second out. Savery came in to pitch to the lefty Duda. Duda singled to center on a ball deflected by Savery, scoring Torres to make it 7-4. Murphy grounded back to the pitcher to end the frame.

Second time in three innings that the Phillies bring in a lefty to face the lefty Duda and Duda delivers an RBI-single.

Schwimer has made five appearances on the season and been charged with runs in four of them. He has an 8.53 ERA for the year and opponents have on-based .400 against him. He’s allowed way too many hits and way too many walks in his short time with the Phillies this year. On the plus side, six of the seven hit he’s allowed have been singles.

Savery dropped his ERA to 4.50. It was the only outing of his last three in which he was not charged with a run.

Overall the pen goes 2 1/3 innings in the game, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk. It was worse than that, though, cause two of the runs that scored after Blanton left were charged to Blanton.

Bastardo has thrown two days in a row and threw 18 pitches in the game. Schwimer 17 and everybody else was under ten.

The Phillies lineup against righty Miguel Batista went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Victorino (4) Pence (5) Ruiz (6) Polanco (7) Mayberry (8) Orr. Mayberry starts at first against the righty with Nix on the bench with a sore calf. Pierre in left and hitting second. Ruiz hits fifth. The lefty Orr at second with the righty Galvis on the bench.

Pierre singled with one out and stole second before Victorino popped out for the second. Pence was next and hit a 1-1 pitch out to center for his seventh home run of the year, putting the Phils up 2-0. Ruiz followed that with a double to center, put Polanco grounded to the pitcher to end the inning.

Mayberry led off the second and reached on a throwing error by Valdespin at short that left Mayberry on second. Mayberry took third on another error, a bad pickoff attempt by Batista. Orr singled into center and Mayberry scored, putting the Phils up 3-0. Blanton struck out trying to bunt before Orr stole second. Rollins followed that with a walk, putting men on first and second for Pierre. Pierre flew to center for the second out, but Victorino was next and lined a ball over short and into the gap in left center for a double that scored Orr (4-0) and moved Rollins to third. Pence flew to center for the third out.

Mayberry singled with two outs in the third, but Orr flew to left behind him.

Blanton started the fourth with a walk with the lead cut to 4-1. Rollins grounded into a double-play behind him. Pierre grounded to second to end the inning.

The Phillies went in order in the fifth.

Mayberry singled to center with one out in the sixth and moved to third when Orr followed with a double. Righty Manny Acosta came in to pitch to Blanton and Blanton went down on a ground ball to second with the runners holding for the second out. Rollins struck out swinging to leave the runners stranded.

No runs for the Phils after putting men on second and third with one out.

The Phillies were down 5-4 when they hit in the seventh. Righty Ramon Ramirez walked Victorino with one out. Pence was next and grounded to third with Victorino forced at second for the second out. Ruiz grounded to second to end the inning.

Polanco reached on an infield single off of Ramirez to start the eighth. He took second on a wild pitch before Mayberry lined hard to second for the first out. He took third on another wild pitch before Orr struck out swinging at a 3-2 pitch that was off of the plate. Nix hit for Contreras. Lefty Tim Byrdak came in to pitch to Nix. Wigginton hit for Nix and flew to center to set the Phillies down.

No run for the Phillies after putting a runner on third with one out. Awful at-bat by Orr, striking out on a pitch out of the strike zone when the Mets were looking like they might be happy to let the righty Ramirez walk the lefty Orr.

Down 7-4, Pierre singled off of righty Jon Rauch with one out in the ninth. Victorino flew to left and Pence grounded to third to end the game.

Rollins was 0-for-4 with a walk in the game. 3-for-his-last-21.

Pierre 2-for-4. 337/396/361 for the season. Among the 115 NL players with 75 plate appearances, his .396 on-base percentage is 12th.

Victorino 1-for-4 with a walk and a double. 10-for-his-last-30 with four walks and four extra-base hits.

Pence 1-for-5 with a two-run homer. 1-for-8 so far in the series.

Ruiz 1-for-4 with a double.

Polanco 1-for-4. 5-for-his-last-12.

Mayberry 2-for-4. 296/310/370 over his last 29 plate appearances.

Orr was 2-for-4 with a double, two errors and an ugly strikeout in the eighth. His .455 slugging percentage is fourth-best on the team.

Lee (0-1, 1.96) returns from the DL to face righty Dillon Gee (2-2, 4.50) tonight. Lee threw ten shutout innings against the Giants on April 18, which was his last start before hitting the DL. Gee has walked just one right-handed batter in his five starts on the season. He’s made four appearances against the Phils in his career (three starts) in which he’s thrown to a 7.85 ERA and a 1.85 ratio.