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It was ugly take two last night as the Phils fell to the Astros 5-2. The Phils made two errors in the game and got all their offense on two swings of the bat, solo home runs by Pence and Ruiz.

In the first two games of the series, Brett Myers and JA Happ, two pitchers who have struggled this season, have held the Phils to two runs over 14 innings. The Phillies, meanwhile, have been awful. Looking sloppy and tired they have slogged through the first two games against one of the worst teams in baseball and lost them both.

The game was also notable because Cole Hamels was again hurt by the long ball. Clint Barmes delivered the biggest swing of the game, a three-run homer off of Hamels in the fourth. The homer was preceded by a Howard error, but the fact that Hamels gave up another big home run seems like a bigger deal than the Phils presumably temporary sloppy play in the field. From the beginning of the season to the end of July, Hamels allowed eight home runs in 152 innings (0.47 home runs per nine innings). Over his last seven starts he has allowed seven in 47 innings (1.34 home runs per nine). Over his last three starts he’s allowed five home runs in 21 innings.

The Phillies are 94-51 on the year after losing 5-2 to the Houston Astros last night. The Phils have lost three in a row, but still lead the NL East by 11 games. They have 17 games left to play and a magic number of one to reach the post-season and a magic number of five to win the division.

Hamels got the start for the Phillies and went five innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and a walk. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, two doubles and a home run. He struck out six.

Hamels got Jason Bourgeois to ground to Rollins for the first out of the bottom of the first. Clint Barmes was next and he doubled to left. JD Martinez followed that with another double to left, scoring Barmes to put the Astros up 1-0. Carlos Lee followed with a single to right that pushed Martinez to third before Hamels hit Matt Downs with a pitch to load the bases. Hamel struck Chris Johnson out swinging at a 3-2 pitch for the second out. Jason Michaels was next and he hit a ground ball to third with Polanco going to Martinez to force Downs and end the inning.

Big strikeout for Hamels for the second out with the bases loaded, which helps limit the damage to a single run.

He got Humberto Quintero on a fly ball to left for the first out in the second and struck pitcher JA Happ out for the second. Bourgeois singled to center and stole second before Hamels struck Barmes out swinging to end the inning.

Matt Downs singled to center with two outs in the third, where the ball went through Mayberry legs for an error that left Downs at third. Johnson grounded to Hamels to leave him there.

JB Shuck singled to right to start the fourth with the score tied at 1-1. Shuck stole second before Hamels struck Quintero out for the first out. Happ was next and he hit a ground ball to first that Howard didn’t handle. The Phils still might have gotten Happ at first, but Hamels was late to cover and the Astros had men on first and third with one out. Bourgeois singled to left, Shuck scored (2-1) and Happ took second. That brought Barmes to the plate and he delivered the swing of the game, hitting the first pitch he saw from Hamels out to left-center. 5-1. Hamels got Martinez and Lee behind Barmes to end the inning.

Second error in two innings for the Phils, but the real problem is the three-run homer that Hamels allowed to Barmes. The error did cost the Phils a run ahead of the homer, but even with the out Barmes would still have hit a two-run homer if everything else went the same way.

Hamels walked Downs to start the fifth. Johnson flew to center for the first out before Shuck moved Downs to second with a single to right. Hamels struck Quintero out again for the second out and Happ flew to Mayberry to leave both runners stranded.

Herndon set the Astros down in order in the sixth and again in the seventh.

Great outing for Herndon, who now has made two appearances in which he has thrown three scoreless innings since his 69-pitch outing on September 4.

Schwimer pitched the eighth. Shuck led off with a single and Quintero followed that with a single that moved Shuck up to second. Right Angel Sanchez hit for the pitcher Fernando Rodriguez and bunted. Polanco fielded the bunt and went to third, where Shuck was forced for the first out. Bourgeois flew to right for the second out before Schwimer hit Barmes with a pitch, loading the bases. Martinez flew to right to leave them loaded.

Two hits and a hit batter in the inning for Schwimer. That’s also two scoreless appearances in a row for him.

Schwimer threw 21 pitches in the game and Herndon threw 17. Neither has pitched more than one day in a row.

The Phillies lineup against lefty JA Happ went (1) Rollins (2) Polanco (3) Pence (4) Howard (5) Mayberry (6) Francisco (7) Ruiz (8) Martinez. Victorino finally gets a much-needed day off with Mayberry in center. Francisco plays left with Ibanez on the bench against the lefty. Martinez at second with Utley sidelined — Orr is the other choice, but he’s not a great option against a lefty.

The Phils went in order in the first.

They were down 1-0 when they hit in the second. Mayberry doubled to left with one out. Francisco popped to third for the second out. Ruiz got ahead 2-0, but grounded to short 3-1 to leave Mayberry at second.

The Phils went in order in the third.

With one out in the fourth, Pence hit an 0-1 pitch out to left-center, tying the game at 1-1. Howard walked behind him. Mayberry struck out swinging for the second out before Francisco moved Howard to second with a single. Ruiz grounded to short to set the Phillies down.

The Phils were down 5-1 when they hit in the fifth. Martinez and Hamels went down to start the inning before Rollins singled to right. Happ walked Polanco and Pence on ten total pitches, loading the bases for Howard. Howard hit a 3-2 pitch well to left, but a jumping Martinez caught it at the wall to turn the Phillies away.

Almost a big swing for Howard against a lefty. He’s hitting 230/291/358 against lefties for the season.

Ruiz walked with two outs in the sixth, but Martinez grounded to short behind him.

Right Fernando Rodriguez struck out Victorino and Rollins as he set the Phils down in order in the seventh.

Victorino was double-switched into the game in the bottom of the sixth. Would like to see him get more rest. I’d guess Manuel is thinking that he’ll get it after the Phillies lock up the division, but I kind of wish he would get it now.

Rodriguez was back to strike out Pence and Mayberry in a 1-2-3 eighth.

Righty David Carpenter started the ninth for Houston. Bowker hit for Schwimer and struck out looking for the first out. Ruiz followed and hit a 2-2 pitch just out to right, cutting the lead to 5-2. Orr hit for Martinez and popped to short for the second out. Victorino struck out swinging to end the game.

Glad to see Manuel knows that Bowker is on the team. Bowker is now 0-for-5 with four strikeouts with the Phils.

Rollins 1-for-4. 2-for-8 since returning to the starting lineup.

Polanco 0-for-3 with a walk. 0-for-his-last-7.

Pence 1-for-3 with a walk and his 20th home run of the year. 400/462/743 (14-for-35 with four walks, four doubles, a triple and two home runs) over his last 39 plate appearances.

Howard 0-for-3 with a walk and a long fly ball. He’s 3-for-his-last-19 with two home runs.

Mayberry 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and an error. 200/293/343 over his last 41 plate appearances.

Francisco 1-for-3. 7-for-his-last-13 with two walks. He only has 26 plate appearances since July 23 but is hitting 364/423/455 in those plate appearances. 277/367/361 n his last 99 plate appearances since May 28.

Ruiz 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run. 13-for-his-last-37 with seven walks, a double and a home run (351/455/459 over 45 plate appearances).

Martinez was 0-for-3. He’s 2-for-his-last-22 with two singles. I feel like I’m kind of out of words on this one.

Roy Halladay (17-5, 2.44) faces righty Bud Norris (6-9, 3.78) this afternoon. Norris has been very effective against righties this year, but lefties have had more success. Righties have hit just 208/281/346 against him while lefties have put up a 287/357/478 line. He’s tailed off a little towards the end of the year, throwing to a 4.86 ERA over his last eight starts. Over his last 11 starts he’s given up 12 home runs in 64 1/3 innings, which is too many (at that rate he’d allow about 37 over 200 innings). Halladay faced Houston on opening day, holding them to a run over six innings.

IronPigs up 1-0 over Columbus after winning game one of the five-game series 5-2. Brandon Moss hit a three-run homer in the first and Mathieson got the start and the win for the Pigs.

Matt Gelb tweets that Domonic Brown, 1-for-4 in game one of the series, may be back with the Phils when it’s over.

Kendrick looking forward to returning to start on Thursday.

The Phils cruised to a 5-0 win last night behind the fifth straight outstanding start by Cliff Lee. Lee threw a complete-game shutout, holding the Red Sox to two hits and two walks, and was backed by two-run homers from Brown and Victorino.

It continues an amazing run for Lee. After his third consecutive complete-game shutout, he has now thrown 32 scoreless innings in a row. In five starts in June, he’s allowed one run on 21 hits and eight walks in 42 innings (0.21 ERA and an 0.69 ratio).

Lee is the first Phillie to throw three consecutive shutouts since 1950. Grover Cleveland Alexander holds the team record for consecutive scoreless innings — he threw 41 2/3 in 1911.

The Phillies are 50-30 on the year after beating the Boston Red Sox 5-0 last night. They lead the NL East, 4 1/2 games ahead of the second-place Braves.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and threw a complete game, allowing two hits and two walks. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a double. He struck out five.

Lee has thrown an average of 117 pitches over his last five starts. In his last nine starts he’s been over 110 pitches eight times and over 120 three times.

He set Boston down in order in the first.

He walked Kevin Youkilis to start the second, but left him stranded there. He struck Darnell McDonald out looking, got Jason Varitek on a fly ball to center and then got Mike Cameron looking.

Lee started the third up 2-0 and set Boston down in order.

In the fourth he got Dustin Pedroia on a fly ball to right, Adrian Gonzalez on a popup to second and Youkilis looking.

He got McDonald, Varitek and Cameron in the fifth.

The Phils led 3-0 when Lee started the sixth. Marco Scutaro led off and lined a single to left. Beckett was next and was looking to bunt. Having just finished screaming at the home plate ump about balls and strikes from the bench after the end of the bottom of the fifth, Beckett took strike one and fouled off strike two. He swung away 1-2 and hit a double-play ball to Rollins. Jacoby Ellsbury was next and smashed a ball to first, but Howard handled it and took it to first himself for the third out.

Up 5-0, Lee walked Pedroia to start the seventh. Adrian Gonzalez flew to center for the first out and Youkilis to hit into a double-play behind him.

Seems like this is the place where one should mention that you shouldn’t walk the leadoff hitter up 5-0, but the 30 scoreless innings in a row at this point thing is compelling.

McDonald lined a double to left to start the eighth. Varitek was next and smashed a ball towards short, but Rollins took it on one hop and Howard scooped the ball at first for the first out with McDonald holding. Lee struck Cameron out looking for the second out and Scutaro grounded to third for the third.

Switch-hitter Drew Sutton hit for pitcher Bobby Jenks and struck out to start the ninth. Ellsbury grounded to third for the second out and Pedroia lined to third to end the game.

The Phillies lineup against righty Josh Beckett went (1) Rollins (2) Polanco (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Victorino (6) Ibanez (7) Brown (8) Ruiz. Victorino hits fifth with Polanco second, which makes a lot more sense to me.

The Phils went in order in the first.

Howard started the second with a single to center. Victorino was next and grounded to short with Howard forced at second for the first out. Beckett threw the ball away trying to pick Victorino off of first, allowing Victorino to move up to second. Brown hit a 2-2 pitch out to center, putting the Phils up 2-0. Ruiz grounded to short for the third out.

Rollins walked with one out in the third and stole second. Polanco and Utley both flew to center to leave him there.

The Phils went in order in the fourth.

Brown doubled to left to start the fifth. He went to third on a deep fly ball by Ruiz and scored when Lee followed that with a fly ball to left for the second out. 3-0. Rollins grounded to first to end the inning.

Polanco started the sixth with a single and Utley bunted him to second. Howard got ahead 3-0, but flew to right for the second out. Victorino hit a 3-1 pitch out to right, putting the Phils up 5-0. Ibanez grounded to first to set the Phillies down.

Hope we don’t see Utley bunting the runners along that much.

The Phils went in order in the seventh.

Utley reached on an infield single with two outs in the eighth. Howard was next and walked 3-2, putting men on first and second for Victorino. Victorino struck out looking at a 2-2 pitch that looked outside to me. I think he thought so too.

Rollins was 0-for-3 with a walk in the game. He’s 4-for-his-last-17. All four of the hits came on Sunday against Oakland.

Polanco 1-for-4 with a strikeout. He’s 3-for-8 with a double over the last two games, but hitting 231/286/282 in 218 plate appearances since the end of April. He’s on pace to walk a career-high 53 times.

Utley was 1-for-3. He’s 7-for-his-last-20 with seven singles. His last extra-base hit came on June 15.

Howard 1-for-3 with a walk. He’s 1-for-his-last-12 with four walks.

Victorino 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. 342/405/605 over his last 85 plate appearances. Didn’t happen last night, but he is pounding left-handed pitching this year to the tune of 353/459/745. He’s been better against lefties for a while now, but doesn’t usually put up a 1.200 OPS against them.

Ibanez 0-for-3 with a strikeout. He’s 1-for-his-last-22 and has awful numbers for the year against both righties and lefties. His home/road splits are dramatic, though: 278/324/468 at home and 167/227/258 on the road.

Brown was 2-for-3 with a double and a two-run homer. He’s 4-for-his-last-9 and 5-for-his-last-26.

Ruiz 0-for-3. He’s 2-for-his-last-14. Again, not a factor last night, but he’s hitting 196/328/235 against lefties for the year.

Vance Worley (2-1, 2.83) faces righty John Lackey (5-6, 7.36) tonight in game two of the series. Lackey threw to an 8.01 ERA in his first seven starts of the season and hit the DL in mid-May with a right elbow strain. He returned in June and was at least a little better, throwing to a 5.03 ERA in his next three starts before allowing five runs in 3 1/3 innings to the Padres in his most recent start. He’s been bad all over — at home and away, against righties and lefties. For the year he’s allowing hits and walks both a career high levels and striking out just 5.5 batters per nine innings, which is the worst mark for his career. Worley will be making his seventh start with the Phils this year. The Phils have gone 4-2 in his starts so far and all but one, a May 29 mess he pitched against the Mets, have been pretty good. He pitched well against Oakland in his most recent start, holding the A’s to one hit and four walks over six shutout innings. He’s walked ten of the 83 left-handed batters he’s faced this season.

Impressive turnout. The weren’t all that attractive, but there sure were a lot of them.

The Phils scored ten runs without an extra-base hit last night, pounding the Cardinals 10-2. Down 2-1 in the eighth, the Phils put together a monster inning, plating nine runs on five singles, four walks and two memorable hit batters.

The game was also notable because the bullpen gave up a run — St Louis scored one charged to Stutes in the seventh. That’s the first run charged to the Phillies bullpen since June 10. The pen came into the game having thrown 17 1/3 scoreless innings over the last nine games. After finishing tenth in bullpen ERA in the NL in 2010, the Phils are second this season as their relievers have thrown to a 2.80 ERA

The Phillies are 46-28 on the year after beating the St Louis Cardinals 10-2 last night. They lead the NL East by 4 1/2 games over the Braves.

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

He walked Ryan Theriot to start the bottom of the first, but Ruiz threw Theriot out trying to steal second for the first out. Halladay struck Jon Jay out for the second out before walking Matt Holliday. Lance Berkman grounded to second to end the inning.

Two walks in the frame for Halladay. He came into the game having not walked more than two batters in any of his 15 starts on the year.

Daniel Descalso doubled with two outs in the second, but Halladay struck pitcher Kyle McClellan out looking 1-2 to leave him at second.

Halladay set St Louis down in order in the third and again in the fourth.

Yadier Molina and Descalso singled back-to-back to start the bottom of the fifth, putting men on first and second. McClellan tried to bunt the runners up, but popped it up to Ruiz for the first out. Molina was way off of second and could have been doubled-off, but there was nobody covering second. Skip Schumaker was next and he blooped a single that dropped just in between Rollins and Victorino for a single. Victorino threw to third and Molina was nearly forced, but was safe and the bases were loaded with one out for Theriot. Theriot rolled an 0-2 pitch to Polanco. Polanco didn’t get it out of his glove cleanly. He threw to second to force Schumaker for the second out, but Theriot beat Utley’s relay to first and Molina scored to put St Louis up 1-0. Jay popped to Rollins to leave the runners at first and third.

Tough inning for Halladay, who should have got a double-play on Theriot’s ball after the bloop falls in shallow center for Schumaker.

Not a good day for bunting by pitchers. McClellan can’t do it there and Halladay can’t do it twice for the Phils.

Halladay threw a 1-2-3 sixth.

Stutes started the seventh with the game tied at 1-1. He walked Descalso with one out and lefty Mark Hamilton hit for the pitcher McClellan. Hamilton moved Descalso to third with a single before Schumaker flew to center, deep enough for Descalso to score without a play at the plate. 2-1 St Louis with two outs and a runner on first. Theriot flew to center for the third out.

For Stutes it was the first time in his last six appearances he has been charged with a run. In those appearances he has allowed just two hits but walked six. A walk hurt him last night.

The Phillies led 10-2 when Bastardo started the eighth. He walked Holliday with one out, but got the next two hitters behind him.

Bastardo hasn’t allowed a run in ten innings over his last 12 appearances. In those ten innings he’s allowed just one hit and walked five.

Herndon got two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 ninth.

He hasn’t allowed an earned run in any of his last nine appearances. In those nine games, Herndon has thrown 13 innings, allowing one unearned run on nine hits and a walk. He’s dropped his ERA for the year from 9.28 to 4.18.

Bastardo threw 25 pitches in the game. Stutes 20 and Herndon ten. Nobody has thrown more than one day in a row.

The Phillies lineup against righty Kyle McClellan went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Polanco (6) Ibanez (7) Brown (8) Ruiz. Five-hitter Polanco comes into the game hitting 233/279/285 since the end of April. 130/192/304 in 26 plate appearances in the five-hole for the year (3-for-23 with a double, a home run and two walks). Polanco isn’t a five-hitter when he’s hitting well.

The Phils went in order in the first.

Howard walked on a 3-2 pitch to start the second. Polanco flew to right for the first out before Ibanez hit into a double-play.

Ruiz singled to center with one out in the third and Halladay struck out trying to bunt him to second. Rollins walked on four pitches, putting men on first and second for Victorino. Victorino popped to third to leave both runners stranded.

Howard walked again with one out in the fourth. Polanco flew to right for the second out and Ibanez grounded to first to set the Phils down.

Not a good night for driving in Howard after a walk in the early going.

Ruiz singled with one out in the fifth. Halladay again tried to bunt him to second and again couldn’t do it. This time he got the bunt down, but McClellan fielded and threw to second to force Ruiz for the second out. Rollins grounded to first to end the frame.

Halladay isn’t such a good hitter. Or bunter. So let’s hope the Phils don’t put him in the lineup for his stick.

Down 1-0 in the sixth, Utley singled with one out. Howard hit into a double-play behind him.

Ibanez walked with one out in the seventh. Brown flew to right behind him for the second out, but Ruiz followed with a single to left that moved Ibanez up to second. Halladay was up next having thrown 97 pitches in the game and demonstrated his inability to do much anything with the bat. With the righty McClellan still on the mound for St Louis, Gload hit for Halladay and singled to left. Ibanez rounded third and came home. Descalso took the throw from Holliday between second and third almost exactly where Ruiz was in the base path. Descalso tagged Ruiz out at almost the same time Ibanez crossed the plate. Ibanez was called safe, the frame was over and the game was tied at 1-1.

Very close play whether Ibanez actually got home before Ruiz was tagged out.

The Phillies started the eighth down 2-1. Victorino singled off of lefty Trever Miller with one out and Utley walked behind him. St Louis brought righty Jason Motte in to face Howard and Motte hit Howard on the arm with an 0-1 pitch to load the bases. Polanco was next and he was hit on his left hand, forcing in Victorino to tie the game at 2-2. Valdez ran for Polanco at first. Lefty Brian Tallet took over for Motte and struck Ibanez out swinging for the second out. Francisco hit for Brown against the lefty and singled to left, moving everyone up a base and scoring Utley to put the Phils up 3-2. Righty Miguel Batista came in to pitch and walked Ruiz. 4-2. Martinez hit for Stutes and walked on four pitches. 5-2. Rollins singled to center, scoring Ruiz and Francisco and moving Martinez to second. 7-2 with men on first and second. Righty Maikel Cleto came in and walked Victorino on five pitches to load the bases. Utley singled to left, scoring Martinez and Rollins and moving Victorino to second. 9-2 with men on first and second. Howard singled to center, scoring Victorino to make it 10-2 and moving Utley to third. Valdez flew to right to end the frame.

Bringing in a righty to hit Howard probably didn’t please a lot of people. Big strikeout for Ibanez with one out and the bases loaded, but the Phils pick him up in a big way. The Phils get nine runs in the inning on five singles, four walks and two hit batters. Manuel lets Francisco hit for Brown against the lefty and Francisco delivers a big single.

Polanco’s pinky finger on his left hand isn’t broken, but this says he’s day-to-day.

Ruiz singled with one out in the ninth and Martinez reached behind him on an error by Molina, who was now playing first. Rollins followed that with a walk, but Victorino flew to right to leave the bases loaded.

Rollins was 1-for-4 with two walks and two RBI. He’s 4-for-his-last-15.

Victorino 1-for-5 with a walk and five men left on base.

Utley 2-for-4 with a walk and two RBI. 2-for-his-last-12.

Howard 1-for-2 with a walk and two RBI. 5-for-his-last-10.

Polanco 0-for-3 with an RBI. He’s 6-for-his-last-43 and hitting 229/278/280 since the end of April.

Ibanez 0-for-4 with a walk and five men left on base. He’s 4-for-his-last-27.

Brown 0-for-3 and taken out for a pinch-hitter in a big situation against a lefty. He’s 9-for-61 in June (.148).

Ruiz 4-for-4 with a walk and an RBI.

Cliff Lee (7-5, 3.12) faces righty Kyle Lohse (7-3, 2.88) tonight in game two of the set. Lohse has been great this year, but less fantastic over his last four starts. In his last three outings, Lohse has allowed four runs in each start without getting an out in the seventh inning in any of the three. In those three starts he’s thrown to a 6.48 ERA and opponents have hit .333 against him. Lee has been amazing in his last three starts, allowing one run in 24 innings (0.38 ERA with an 0.75 ratio).

After four whirlwind games, the Florida Marlins are finally leaving town. They’ll be welcome back whenever they want to come, though. The Phils dismantled the Fish in the series, outscoring them 25-6 and winning all four games.

Yesterday it was Cliff Lee who dominated. Lee threw a complete game shutout, allowing two singles and two walks. The Marlins didn’t put a runner on second base in the game.

The Phillies are 44-26 on the year after beating the Florida Marlins 3-0 yesterday afternoon. They sweep the four-game series and have won seven in a row and are 18 games above .500 for the first time on the season.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and threw a complete game shutout, allowing two singles and two walks. He struck out four and dropped his ERA on the year to 3.12. Over his last three starts, he’s allowed one run in 24 innings on 13 hits and five walks.

He got Emilio Bonifacio, Omar Infante and Logan Morrison on three ground balls in the first.

Gaby Sanchez walked on five pitches to start the second. Jose Lopez was next and he flew to center for the first out. Mike Stanton struck out looking for the second. With John Buck at the plate, Sanchez was picked off of first and Howard threw to second where Rollins applied the tag to end the frame.

Lee got Buck on a ground ball he handled himself for the first out in the third. Chris Coghlan flew to center for the second out. Pitcher Javier Vazquez grounded to Lee for the third.

Lee had faced the minimum through three innings and thrown 33 pitches.

In the fourth he got Bonifacio on a popup to Martinez and Infante and Morrison on a pair of ground outs.

Sanchez flew to right and Lopez struck out swinging to start the fifth with the Phils up 1-0. It brought Stanton to the plate and he singled into center, the first hit of the game for the Marlins. Buck flew to right behind him for the third out.

Lee had a 2-0 lead when he started the sixth. He walked Bonifacio with two outs, but got Infante to fly to left to leave him at first.

The Phils led 3-0 when Morrison started the seventh with a single to center. Sanchez flew to left for the first out and Lee got Lopez to hit into a double-play behind him.

Lee struck Stanton and Coghlan out while setting the Marlins down in order in the eighth.

Hanley Ramirez hit for pitcher Ryan Webb to start the ninth and grounded to short for the first out. Bonifacio grounded to third for the second out and Infante popped to Howard in foul territory to end the game.

The Phillies lineup against righty Javier Vazquez went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Polanco (4) Howard (5) Ibanez (6) Ruiz (7) Brown (8) Martinez. Martinez plays second with Utley on the bench after the Phils played a day/night double-header on Wednesday and a day game yesterday. Ibanez hits fifth with Polanco out of the five-hole and hitting third.

Rollins lined to first for the first out in the bottom of the first, but Victorino and Polanco both singled behind him. It put runners on first and third with one down for Howard and Howard struck out swinging. Ibanez walked to load the bases, but Ruiz popped up to Sanchez in foul territory to leave the bases loaded.

Howard strikes out with a runner on third and less than two outs after failing to bring a runner in from third with less than two outs twice in the night game of the double-header the day before.

Lee singled with two outs in the second, but Rollins popped to short behind him.

Victorino led off the third with a single, but Polanco hit into a double-play behind him. Howard drew a two-out walk, but was left at first when Ibanez followed and grounded to second.

Martinez singled with two outs in the fourth. Lee was next and he roped a ball into the gap in right center. Martinez scored from first and the Phils led 1-0. Rollins popped to second for the third out.

Just another of those Martinez/Lee rallies to plate a run for the Phils.

Victorino struck out and Polanco flew to right for the first two outs in the fifth. It brought Howard to the plate and he hit a 1-1 pitch out to left-center, extending the lead to 2-0. Ibanez followed that with a double to left, but Ruiz flew to right to leave him at second.

That’s home run number 15 on the year for Howard, all 15 of which have come against right-handed pitching. He came into the game hitting for a higher average against left-handed pitching for the year (.256 against lefties and .247 against righties), but slugging .547 against righties and .360 against lefties.

Brown started the sixth with a single off of lefty Michael Dunn. He moved to second on a ground out by Martinez and third on a ground out by Lee. Rollins was next and he lined a double to right. Brown scored and the Phils led 3-0. Victorino struck out swinging to leave Rollins at second.

Brown starts a rally with a single off of a lefty. He came in to the game 2-for-14 against lefties for the year. It was his first hit that wasn’t a home run since June 6 against the Dodgers. In 35 plate appearances June 7 to June 15, Brown went 3-for-29 with three homers and six walks.

Ryan Webb set Polanco, Howard and Ibanez down on three ground balls in the seventh.

Webb was back for the eighth and got Ruiz and Brown on ground outs before Martinez flew to left to end the inning.

Rollins was 1-for-4 with an RBI in the game. 5-for-18 with a double, two home runs and seven RBI in the four-game series. He’s hitting 257/330/377 for the year.

Victorino 2-for-4 with two singles and two strikeouts. 8-for-19 with two doubles in the series. 292/359/476 for the year.

Polanco 1-for-4. 2-for-11 with a walk and a double in the set. 303/351/386 for the year. 244/291/299 in 183 plate appearances since the end of April.

Howard 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo homer. 4-for-12 with a double and two homers in the series. He walked four times and drove in four runs. 251/347/494 on the year.

Ibanez 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. 1-for-12 with a walk and a double in the series. 242/293/407 on the year.

Ruiz 0-for-4 and left four men on base. 3-for-11 with two walks in the series. 245/362/335 on the year. He has one extra-base hit in his last 58 plate appearances. He’s hitting .209 and slugging .233 in June.

Brown 1-for-4 with a strikeout. 3-for-15 with two walks and two home runs in the series. He’s hitting 160/263/360 in 57 plate appearances in June and 229/309/434 in 94 plate appearances for the year. Francisco didn’t play yesterday, but went 0-for-3 with two walks, one of which was intentional, in the set. He’s hitting 216/340/365 for the season. 1-for-his-last-14 with seven walks. In his last 22 plate appearances, he has one hit and a .381 on-base percentage. That’s nutty. I don’t know what it means, but I’m pretty sure it’s not good. He’s striking out a lot less this year and walking a lot more, but getting way fewer hits and seeing less of his hits go for extra-bases.

Martinez 1-for-4 in the game and in the series. 203/226/254 in 64 plate appearances for the year. Utley didn’t play in the game, but was 4-for-11 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, a walk and four RBI in the series. He’s hitting 275/383/500 on the year in 94 plate appearances. In his first 47 plate appearances, which came May 23 to June 4, he hit 195/298/293. In most recent 47 plate appearances he has hit 359/468/718.

Oswalt (4-4, 3.14) faces righty Michael Pineda (6-4, 2.72) tonight in Seattle. Pineda turned 22 in January and has made 13 starts for the Mariners in his rookie season. Opponents are hitting just .208 against him and he’s struck out 80 in 82 2/3 innings. Oswalt’s strikeout numbers continue to drop compared to his career numbers, but he has done a good job of keeping lefties from delivering extra-base hits against him. Lefties are hitting 252/316/336 against him for the year so far, compared to their career mark of 261/307/385.

JC Romero was designated for assignment.

The Phils signed 33-year-old righty Tim Redding to a minor league deal. Redding has made 144 career starts with the Astros, Padres, Yankees, Nats and Mets and thrown to a career 4.95 ERA with a 1.49 ratio. He had a good year for the Astros in 2003 and pitched well for the Nats in 2007 in 15 starts. His last action in the majors came with the Mets in 2009. Lefties have hit 284/368/462 against him for his career.

The Phils swept a double-header with the Fish yesterday, winning the afternoon game in an 8-1 blowout and getting a walkoff single from Ruiz in the bottom of the tenth to win 5-4 last night.

The Phils now won six games in a row for the first time this season. In the six games they have outscored their opponents 40-15. You need a lot of guys contributing the score 6.7 runs a game, but the most welcome sight in the offensive display has been the emergence of Chase Utley. Utley has gone 9-for-23 with seven extra-base hits in the last six games, posting a 391/489/913 line in 27 plate appearances.

The Phillies are 43-26 on the year after winning both games of a double-header with the Florida Marlins yesterday. They have won six in a row and are 17 games above .500 for the first time on the year. They have the best record in baseball and lead the second-place Braves by five games in the NL East.

Last night the Phils won the second game 5-4 on a walkoff single by Ruiz in the bottom of the tenth.

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

He had a rough first inning, allowing a pair of runs that gave Florida an early 2-0 lead. Hanley Ramirez led off the game with a double and came around to score on a pair of ground outs. Gaby Sanchez homered to right-center with the bases empty for the second run.

The Phils scored a run in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1. Halladay kept Florida off the board in the second and the third, hitting Greg Dobbs with a pitch in the third and allowing a one-out single to Chris Coghlan in the third.

Florida scored two more in the fourth. Dobbs and Jose Lopez doubled back-to-back with one out, putting men on second and third for John Buck. Buck went down to get a 2-2 pitch and dumped it into center, scoring both runners to extend the Fish lead to 4-1.

Halladay didn’t allow a base-runner in the fifth, sixth or seventh. In the seventh he struck out the side, getting Buck and pitcher Anibal Sanchez looking and Ramirez swinging.

The Phils had added another run in the fifth, so Bastardo started the eighth with the Phillies down 4-2. He got the first two batters he faced and Stutes came in to get the righty Sanchez to ground to short for the third out.

Bastardo lowered his ERA on the year to 1.05 with the outing. In his last ten appearances he’s thrown 7 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and four walks. Opponents are hitting .129 against him for the season.

Stutes pitched the ninth with the Phils still down 4-2. He walked Mike Stanton to start the inning, but got Dobbs on a fly ball to left behind him. He hit Lopez with a pitch, putting men on first and second for Buck. Stutes got Buck on a popup to Utley for the second out and pinch-hitter Omar Infante on a ground ball to short.

Stutes has thrown 4 1/3 scoreless innings in his last four appearances.

Madson pitched the ninth. He allowed a leadoff walk to Ramirez, who was bunted to second. Logan Morrison lined to second for the second out. Madson walked Sanchez intentionally and struck Stanton out to leave both runners stranded.

Three shutout innings from the bullpen in the game in which the relievers don’t allow a hit but walk three. Stutes threw 24 pitches in the game, Madson 22 and Bastardo ten.

Nobody in the pen has thrown more than one day in a row.

The Phillies lineup against righty Anibal Sanchez went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Polanco (6) Ibanez (7) Brown (8) Ruiz. Ruiz catches the night game after Sardinha started the day game. Polance, an unusual choice to hit fifth, came into the game having hit 243/293/294 over his last 151 plate appearances.

The Phils trailed 2-0 when they hit in the first. Rollins led off with a walk and, with one out, Utley sliced a double into the left field corner. Rollins rounded third and slid in safe safe ahead of Buck’s tag on a close play, cutting the lead to 2-1. Utley went to third on the play at the plate, but the Phils couldn’t bring him home to tie the game. Howard grounded to first with Utley holding and Polanco grounded to second.

No RBI for Howard with one out and a man on third.

Ruiz walked with two outs in the second, but Halladay struck out swinging behind him.

The Phils went in order in the third.

They trailed 4-1 when they hit in the fourth. Howard led off with a single and Polanco walked behind him. Ibanez struck out swinging for the first out and Brown grounded to second for the second. It put men on first and third for Ruiz, who was walked intentionally to get to Halladay. Halladay again struck out, leaving the bases loaded.

They did score in the fifth. Victorino singled with one out and stole second before Utley hammered a triple to the gap in right-center. Victorino scored to make it 4-2. Again the Phillies couldn’t bring the runner home from third with one out. Howard struck out swinging and Polanco flew to right.

Again no RBI for Howard with one out and a man on third.

The Phils didn’t have a runner in the sixth or seventh.

Polanco doubled to center with two outs in the eighth, but Ibanez struck out behind him.

They started the ninth down 4-2 with righty Leo Nunez on the mound for the Marlins. Ruiz singled with one out and Gload hit for Stutes and singled as well, putting men on first and second with one out for Rollins. Martinez ran for Gload at first. Rollins hit a ball hard off of Nunez’s foot, but Nunez took it and went to first for the second out with the runners moving up to second and third. Victorino hit a 2-1 pitch just out of the reach of a diving Lopez and into center field. Ruiz and Martinez both scored and the game was tied at 4-4. Victorino stole second and took third when Buck’s throw to second wasn’t handled, but Utley flew to left to leave him there.

Howard was hit by a pitch to start the tenth, but Polanco and Ibanez went down behind him. Brown drew a two-out walk, though, moving Howard up to second. Ruiz was next and he hit a 1-0 pitch into center for a single. Emilio Bonifacio charged and didn’t field the ball cleanly. Howard scored to give the Phils a 5-4 win.

Rollins was 0-for-4 with a walk in the game. He’s 4-for-14 in the series so far with two home runs and six RBI.

Victorino 2-for-5 with two RBI. 6-for-his-last-15 with two doubles.

Utley 2-for-5 with a double, a triple and two RBI. He’s 8-for-his-last-19 with four doubles, a triple and two home runs. He was hitting 195/298/293 after going 1-for-5 against the Pirates on June 4. After last night’s game he’s hitting 275/383/500 for the year in 94 plate appearances.

Howard was 1-for-4 last night and 2-for-7 with a walk and a double in the double-header. Twice in last night’s game he couldn’t bring the runner in from third with less than two outs.

Polanco 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. He’s 2-for-his-last-12.

Ibanez 0-for-5 and struck out three times. 1-for-his-last-13.

Brown was 0-for-4 with a walk. 0-for-7 with two walks in the double-header. 3-for-his-last-29 with three homers.

Ruiz 2-for-3 with two walks and a game-winning RBI. 3-for-7 with two walks in the series.

The Phils won the opener 8-1 behind a strong performance by Kendrick and a six-run third inning that featured a three-rule triple by Valdez and a three-run homer by Rollins.

Kendrick got the start for the Phils and went seven innings, allowing a run on five hits and a walk. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a solo home run. He struck out five and dropped his ERA to 3.12 for the year.

Kendrick allowed a solo home run to Morrison in the top of the first as well as a walk and a single, but held the Marlins to a single run.

He gave up a single in the second, but threw a 1-2-3 third and started the fourth up 8-1.

Dobbs reached on an error by Brown in the fourth, but that was the only base-runner for the Marlins in the fourth, fifth or sixth.

In the seventh, the allowed back-to-back single with one out. It put men on first and second with one out, but Kendrick struck out Brett Hayes for the second out and got Wes Helms to ground to Rollins to keep the Marlins off the board.

Romero threw a 1-2-3 eighth.

Baez pitched the ninth with a seven-run lead. He allowed a two-out single to Dobbs, but got Omar Infante on a ground ball to second to end the game.

The Phillies lineup against righty Elih Villanueva went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Brown (6) Francisco (7) Valdez (8) Sardinha. Francisco plays left with Ibanez on the bench. Sardinha catches with Ruiz on the bench. Valdez at third with Polanco on the bench.

Down 1-0 when they hit in the bottom of the first, the Phils tied the game at 1-1 on doubles by Victorino and Howard.

Francisco and Kendrick both walked in the second and Rollins delivered a two-out single, scoring Francisco to put the Phils up 2-1. Victorino struck out swinging to leave the runners stranded at first and second.

The Phillies scored six times in the third. Valdez hit a three-run triple after Utley was hit by a pitch, Howard walked and Francisco was walked. That put the Phils up 5-1 with Valdez on third and one out. Sardinha walked behind Valdez, putting men on first and third. Kendrick struck out trying to bunt Sardinha to second, but Rollins was next and hit a three-run homer. 8-1.

The Phils didn’t score any more runs in the game. Brown walked in the fourth, Valdez had singles in the fifth and the seventh and Martinez singled in the seventh.

Rollins was 2-for-5 in the game with a home run and three RBI.

Victorino 1-for-5 with a double.

Utley 0-for-3 with a strikeout and was hit by a pitch.

Howard 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and an RBI.

Brown 0-for-3 with a walk.

Francisco 0-for-2 with two walks.

Valdez 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBI.

Sardinha 0-for-3 with a walk.

Cliff Lee (6-5, 3.41) faces righty Javier Vazquez (3-6, 7.09) this afternoon. Vazquez has allowed 13 runs in 7 2/3 innings over his last two starts. Lee has allowed one run in 15 innings over his last two starts.

The bats roared to life over the past three games as the Phils plated 18 runs against the Cubs and won all three. Utley had a fantastic series for the Phils, going 4-for-8 with two doubles and a home run in the last two games, and Howard was huge with the bat yesterday, going 3-for-3 and driving in three of the four runs scored by the Phils.

Friday the Phils won 7-5. After a two-run homer by Brown in the second and a seventh-inning grand slam by Polanco helped give the Phils a 7-0 lead, the Phils managed to hold off Contreras and the Cubs in the last two innings. Chicago scored four times in the top of the eighth, with four runs charged to Contreras, who got just one out in the game. Bastardo struck Carlos Pena out as the tying run to end the game and earn his second save of the season.

Lee held the Cubs to a run over eight innings on Saturday as the Phils won 7-1. Utley had a monster day, going 2-for-5 with a double, a two-run homer and four RBI. Victorino chipped in with three hits of his own, including a double.

Yesterday the Phils won 4-3 behind Oswalt, who pitched great after a miserable first inning, and Howard’s big day with the bat.

The Phillies are 40-26 on the year after beating the Chicago Cubs 4-3 yesterday afternoon. The Phils take the four-game set three games to one. The remain in first place in the NL East and lead the second-place Braves by two games. The third-place Marlins have fallen seven games behind the Phils.

Oswalt got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, a double and a home run. He struck out five. After allowing three runs in the first inning on four hits, he allowed a single, two walks and no runs over the next six innings.

He struck Kosuke Fukudome out to start the game, but Darwin Barney followed that with a single to right. Starlin Castro was next and hit a ball that landed just fair down the left field line for a double. Barney scored and Chicago led 1-0. Carlos Pena popped to Rollins for the second out, but Aramis Ramirez hit a 1-0 pitch out left. 3-0. Blake DeWitt singled into center and was left there when Tyler Colvin popped to short.

It was 3-1 when Oswalt set the Cubs down in order in the second. He got Koyie Hill on a ground ball to first, pitcher Doug Davis on a grounder to short and Fukudome on a fly ball to center.

Pena singled to right with two outs in the third, but Oswalt got Ramirez on a fly ball to right for the third out.

DeWitt started the fourth with the lead cut to 3-2 and hit a ball to Rollins that Rollins didn’t handle for an error. Colvin flew to center for the first out before Hill walked on a 3-2 pitch. Davis tried to bunt the runners along, but Oswalt handled it and threw to third to force the lead runner DeWitt for the second out. With two outs and men on first and second, Fukudome flew to right, leaving both runners stranded.

Oswalt walked Pena with two outs in the fifth, but got Ramirez on a pop to Utley for the third out.

He set the Cubs down in order in the sixth and again in the seventh.

Up 4-3, Stutes pitched the eighth. He struck out Pena and Ramirez while setting Chicago down in order.

Stutes lowered his ERA on the year to 2.41 after 21 appearances.

Madson started the ninth and got the first two before Hill singled to right. It brought pitcher John Grabow to the plate as the tying run. Righty Geovany Soto, who tied game one of the series with a ninth-inning home run off of Madson, hit for Grabow. DJ LeMahieu ran for Hill at first. Soto popped a 2-2 pitch into shallow right field. Brown didn’t have a chance to get there, but Utley made a great running catch to snare it and end the game.

Neither Madson nor Stutes have pitched more than one day in a row. Both should be fine for Tuesday with the off-day today. Madson threw 17 pitches and Stutes ten.

The Phillies lineup against lefty Doug Davis went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Francisco (6) Ibanez (7) Ruiz (8) Valdez. Francisco in right with Brown on the bench. Polanco gets the day off with Valdez at third and Victorino hitting second. Ibanez stays in the lineup against the lefty.

Down 3-0, Rollins singled to center to start the bottom of the first and was forced at second for the first out when Victorino followed with a ground ball to short. Utley moved Victorino to third with a single before Howard blasted a double off of the wall in straight away center. Victorino scored to cut the lead to 3-1 with Utley held at third. Francisco walked to load the bases, but Ibanez struck out swinging 1-2 for the second out and Ruiz lined to third.

No more runs for the Phils after loading the bases with one out. Ibanez can’t put the ball in play and the Phils can’t bring the runner in from third with less than two outs.

Howard still doesn’t have a home run against lefties on the year. He came close there. He’s hitting 259/315/365 against them for the year. He’s on pace to hit about 32 home runs against righties this year and none against lefties.

The Phils went in order in the second.

Utley walked with one out in the third and moved to third on a single by Howard. Francisco followed that with his second walk of the game, loading the bases for Ibanez. Ibanez singled into right and everyone moved up a base with Utley scoring. 3-2. Ruiz struck out swinging for the second out. Valdez grounded to second for the third.

Second time in three innings the Phils leave the bases loaded. Second time in three innings they strike out with one out and a man on third.

Before walking twice in the first three innings, Francisco came in the game having walked in 11.9% of his plate appearances for the year. That’s the best mark of his career and way better than his career mark of 8.3%. If only he could get a hit.

Victorino walked with two outs in the fourth, but Utley flew to left behind him.

Howard walked to start the fifth and moved to second on a ground out by Francisco, but Ibanez and Ruiz both struck out to leave him at second.

The Phils went in order in the sixth. Manuel was ejected for arguing balls and strikes as Oswalt struck out looking.

Victorino was hit by a pitch to start the seventh and went to third when Utley followed and ripped a double. Howard dribbled a single to the right of second and into center, scoring both runners and putting the Phils up 4-3. With lefty Sean Marshall pitching, Polanco hit for Francisco and popped to Pena for the first out. Ibanez grounded to second with Howard forced at second for the second out. Ruiz struck out to leave Ibanez at first.

The Phils went in order in the eighth. Brown, who took over for Francisco in right after Polanco hit for Francisco in the seventh, grounded to second for the second out.

Rollins was 1-for-5 in the game and 2-for-18 with four walks in the four-game set. He’s hitting 256/331/356 on the season.

Victorino 0-for-2 with a walk yesterday. 6-for-15 with a double and two walks in the series. 280/353/472 for the season.

Utley 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. 6-for-17 with two doubles and a home run in the series. He also walked three times and drove in four runs. He came into the series with three extra-base hits for the season and doubled that in the four-game set. 261/370/420 on the year in 81 plate appearances.

Howard was 3-for-3 with a double and drove in three of the four runs the Phillies scored in the game. 4-for-13 with a double and five RBI in the series. He also walked five times. He came in to last night’s game 2-for-his-last-18. 247/336/474 for the year.

Francisco 0-for-1 with two walks. 0-for-3 with two walks in the series. 220/338/372 for the year. 172/304/310 against lefties for the season. Brown 0-for-1 yesterday and 1-for-11 with two walks and a homer in the series. He’s 1-for-his-last-18 and hitting 235/312/397 in 77 plate appearances for the season.

Ibanez 1-for-4 with an RBI. 6-for-16 with a walk and two doubles in the series. 250/300/419 for the year. 302/331/537 since the end of April.

Ruiz was 0-for-4, struck out three times and left eight men on base. He lined to third with the bases loaded in the first (3), struck out with the bases loaded in the third (6), struck out with Howard on second in the fifth (7) and struck out with Ibanez on first in the seventh (8). 3-for-12 with two walks in the series. He’s hitting 243/360/340 for the year.

Valdez 0-for-4 yesterday in his only action in the series. He’s hitting 240/279/295 for the year. Polanco was 0-for-1 yesterday and 3-for-14 with a walk and a grand slam in the series.

No game today. Marlins tomorrow for the first of four. Then the Mariners (of course).