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Worley is kind of a disaster, too, but at least that one is a little slower moving and we’ve had some time to get used to it.

The Phillies fell to the Mets 9-5 in ten innings last night. Worley gave them another miserable start and was gone after just 4 1/3 innings. Solid work from the bullpen kept the Phils in the game for a while, but BJ Rosenberg got hammered in the top of the tenth, allowing four runs in the frame as the Mets blew the game open.

Howard and Utley paced the offense for the Phils. Howard hit a grand slam in the bottom of the first and Utley added a solo homer in the fifth.

Worley has been terrible since the end of June, making 11 starts in which he has thrown to a 5.80 ERA with a 1.83 ratio. In 59 innings he has allowed 86 hits. He suggests the bone chip in his right elbow is not a factor in recent results.

Domonic Brown also did some freaky stuff in left field you would really hope he could avoid. He sort of tippy-toed up to a single to left in the top of the first before unleashing a fantastic throw that arrived not quite in time, perhaps thanks in part to the tippy-toeing. In the eighth inning, playing towards left center, Brown took forever to get to a ball hit near the line, allowing a runner to score from first. He was removed for a defensive replacement in the top of the tenth and looks like he might get some additional time to rest his sore knee.

The Phillies are 61-68 after losing 9-5 to the New York Mets in ten innings last night. The loss snaps a four-game winning streak for the Phils. They remain in third place in the NL East, 16 1/2 games out of first.

Worley got the start for the Phillies and went 4 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on nine hits. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, a double and a two-run homer. He struck out four.

Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy were the first two batters that Worley faced in the top of the first and they reached on a pair of singles that put runners on first and second. David Wright was next and singled to left. Tejada tried to score and slid in safe ahead of Brown’s throw — he was originally ruled out, but the home plate ump got some help from the other umps who saw Kratz had dropped the ball and the runner was clearly safe. 1-0 with men on first and second for Ike Davis. Davis flew to left for the first out. Lucas Duda was next and he lined to short with Rollins throwing to second to double off Murphy and end the inning.

Brown’s throw to the plate was great. Very strong and on target. The problem was he took a long time to get to the ball. It looks like he needs to take way too many little steps to get his body into the position he wants to be in to throw. When he does throw, the throw is often fantastic. Takes too long, though.

The Phillies led 4-1 when Kelly Shoppach started the second with a single. Shoppach took second on a passed ball, but Worley struck Mike Baxter out for the first out, Andres Torres out for the second and got the pitcher Chris Young on a fly ball to right to leave Shoppach there.

Murphy singled to center with one out in the third and took second on another passed ball by Kratz. Wright flew to center for the second out. Davis was next and hit a ball into shallow left field that Rollins took near the line after a long run to leave Murphy stranded.

Two passed balls in two innings for Kratz.

Duda singled to start the fourth. Shoppach was next and Worley struck him out swinging for the first out, but Baxter was next and lined the first pitch from Worley out to right for his first home run of the year. 4-3. Torres flew to center for the second out and the pitcher Young struck out for the third.

Worley joins Edinson Volquez on the list of people who have ever allowed a home run to Mike Baxter in a Major League game. In their collective defense, Baxter did hit 18 home runs in the PCL one year.

Tejada led off the fifth and doubled down the left field line on a ball interfered with by a fan. Muprhy moved him up to third with another single, putting runners on the corners for Wright. Wright hit a fly ball to center for the first out, deep enough for Tejada to tag and score, tying the game at 4-4. Valdes took over for Worley and got the next two to leave Murphy at first.

The Phils were back up 5-4 when Valdes set the Mets down in order in the sixth.

Valdes has been fantastic for the Phillies this season. He drops his ERA for the year to 2.93 with the outing. Among the 225 pitchers who have thrown at least 20 innings in the NL this year, his 0.75 ratio is fourth-best. He has an 0.96 ERA with an 0.43 ratio in 9 1/3 innings in his ten appearances in August.

Lindblom started the seventh and walked Scott Hairston to get things started. Tejada flew to left behind Hairston for the first out. Hariston was caught trying to steal second as Murphy struck out swinging to end the frame.

Lindblom was back to walk Wright to start the eighth. Bastardo came in to pitch to Davis and got him on a fly ball to right for the first out. Duda was next and Bastardo struck him out for the second. Shoppach was next and he dumped a ball down the left field line. Brown was playing towards left center and it took him a whole lot of time to get to the ball. Wright scored to tie the game at 5-5 with Shoppach at second. Baxter flew to left to leave Shoppach at second.

Second time in the game that Brown did something weird in left field. In the first, he seemed to take a whole lot of steps to get ready to make his strong throw to the plate. This time he was just super slow running to get the ball, presumably (we hope) cause he is still having problems with his knees.

Lindblom has walked way too many hitters and his walk to the leadoff man hurts the Phils as Wright comes around to score. He has now walked ten in 10 2/3 innings since joining the Phils while throwing to a 6.75 ERA.

Bastardo goes an inning, allowing a double and a run that is charged to Lindblom. He has a 7.01 ERA since the end of May.

Papelbon threw a 1-2-3 ninth with the score tied at 5-5.

Papelbon again not terrible in a tie game as he set New York down in order. He’s been charged with one earned run in 15 1/3 innings over his last 15 appearances.

Rosenberg started the tenth. Wright singled with one out. Davis followed and blasted a ball into the gap in left center, scoring Wright to make it 6-5. Duda followed that with a single into center. Davis scored (7-5) and Duda took second as the throw came home. Shoppach was next and he hit the first pitch he saw from Rosenberg out to left. 9-5. Rosenberg hit Baxter with a pitch and pitcher Bobby Parnell bunted Baxter to second with the second out. Hairston flew to center to set the Mets down.

Helpful guideline for deciding whether to use Horst or Rosenberg in the tenth inning of a tied game: Horst good, Rosenberg, not so much yet. Rosenberg was coming off four outings in a row without being charged with a run, but his ERA for the year is up to 12.66 after allowing four runs in an inning. He has a 4.29 ratio against left-handed hitter for the year — in 2 1/3 innings he has allowed three hits and walked seven.

The pen goes 5 2/3 innings in the game, allowing five runs on five hits and two walks. They did a nice job after Worley left after 4 1/3 until the tenth inning rolled around. Valdes and Papelbon were great. Lindblom and Bastardo combined to allow a run in two innings.

Valdes threw 26 pitches. Lindblom and Rosenberg each threw 18. Bastardo 15 and Papelbon 11.

The Phillies lineup against righty Chris Young went (1) Rollins (2) Frandsen (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Mayberry (6) Brown (7) Nix (8) Kratz. Brown returns to the lineup after getting two days off to rest his knee. He plays left with Nix in right — Brown’s UZR/150 numbers suggest he’s been a lot better defensively in left than in right in limited innings in 2012. Mayberry in center, where the same numbers suggest he’s awful (-38.3 UZR/150 in center coming into the game, which is 47th of the 47 players across both leagues with at least 200 innings in center this year). Kratz should be catching a lot with Schneider and Ruiz both on the DL, backed up by Steven Lerud, up from Double-A.

The Phillies were down 1-0 when they hit in the bottom of the first. The loaded the bases with nobody out on walks by Rollins and Utley and a hit by pitch to Frandsen. It brought Howard to the plate and he hit a 1-2 pitch into the Phillie bullpen for a grand slam that put the Phils on top 4-1. The Phillies went in order behind him.

Young didn’t look like he had a whole lot. The scoreboard was showing his fastball in the mid-80s.

Kratz singled to start the bottom of the second, but the Phils went in order behind him.

Mayberry walked with two outs in the third, but Brown popped to Wright to leave him at first.

It was 4-3 when Nix started the fourth with a single. Kratz was next and hit a ball handled by Young. Young threw to second to force Nix for the first out. Worley bunted Kratz to second with the second out, but Rollins flew to left to leave him there.

It was 4-4 when the Phils hit in the fifth. Frandsen flew to right for the first out before Utley hit a 2-1 pitch out to right, putting the Phils up 5-4. Lefty Robert Carson took over for Young and struck Howard out for the second out. Carson hit Mayberry with a pitch, but Brown grounded to short with Mayberry forced at second to end the inning.

Hit by pitch is kinda like a walk against a lefty for Mayberry, but not a walk. Mayberry is the only righty in the lineup from three (Utley) to seven (Nix). He can’t break up four lefties as the righty in the five-hole if he’s never going to get on base against lefties. He came into the game hitting .271 against lefties, but on-basing .273 against them with no walks in 132 plate appearances. The guy on-basing .273 isn’t going to strike a lot of terror into a team who thinks they’re going to bring in a lefty to go through two through seven in the lineup with a single reliever. More on that later.

Carson got Nix to fly to left for the first out in the sixth. Righty Ramon Ramirez got Kratz to pop to third for the second out. Polanco hit for Worley and grounded to short to end the inning.

Ramirez walked Rollins to start the seventh and struck Frandsen out behind him. Lefty Josh Edgin came in to pitch to Utley and got Utley to hit into a double-play to end the inning.

It was 5-5 when the Phillies hit in the eighth. Mayberry singled off of the lefty Edgin with one out. Brown was next and lined to right for the second. Nix stayed in and hit for himself against the lefty, drawing a walk on a 3-2 pitch to put runners on first and second. Righty Jon Rauch came in to pitch to Kratz and got Kratz on a fly ball to right to leave both runners stranded.

Another nice plate appearance for Nix against a lefty as he draws a walk off of Edgin. He’s now 2-for-6 with a walk, a double and a home run against lefties for the year.

Righty Bobby Parnell set the Phillies down in order in the ninth. Wigginton hit for Papelbon and grounded to second for the first out.

Wigginton doesn’t hit for Nix against the lefty in the eighth, then does hit against a righty in the ninth. The lefty Lerud and the switch-hitter Martinez were on the bench for the Phils and unused in the game.

The Phillies were down 9-5 when Utley singled off of Parnell to start the tenth. Parnell struck out Howard and Mayberry for the first two outs and got Pierre to ground to third to end the game.

Rollins was 0-for-3 in the game and walked twice. He came into the game 5-for-his-last-10.

Frandsen was 0-for-4. He’s 3-for-his-last-14.

Utley 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run. First home run since August 10.

Howard 1-for-5 with a grand slam and three strikeouts. 1-for-his-last-12.

Mayberry 1-for-3 with a walk. 7-for-his-last-17.

Brown 0-for-4 with some trouble in left. Pierre took over for him defensively in the top of the tenth inning. Let’s hope his knee is bothering him. A lot. He says that he does not feel bad at all.

Nix 1-for-3 with a walk. 4-for-his-last-11 with two walks.

Kratz 1-for-4 with two passed balls. Dropped the throw from Brown in the top of the first on a close play at the plate. 2-for-his-last-14 with two singles.

Hamels (14-6, 2.99) faces righty Matt Harvey (2-3, 2.75) tonight. Hamels has a 1.86 ERA with a 1.01 ratio in his five starts in August. The Phils will get their first look at the 23-year-old rookie Harvey. Harvey has made six starts on the season and only one of them has been bad — he allowed five runs in five innings against the Padres on August 5. He has a 1.74 ERA his other five starts with 38 strikeouts in 31 innings. Opponents are hitting just .186 against him for the year, but he’s walked 15 in 36 innings for the year.

Okay. John Mayberry and no walks against left-handed pitchers. Coming into last night’s game, Mayberry had 132 plate appearances against lefties in which he had walked zero times. Question of the day is when is the last time that a player for either league ended the season with 132 or more plate appearances against lefties in which they walked zero times (which, of course, Mayberry hasn’t done yet)? Answer for the day is that I hope you know, cause I don’t. Ivan Rodriguez came close in 2007, walking zero times in 126 plate appearances against lefties. In 1986, Angel Salazar walked zero times in 111. Rob Picciolo none in 115 in 1980. Good chance I missed someone, but my inefficient system of looking it up didn’t find anyone since 1980. Hopefully he’ll just get a walk against a lefty soon and we can all just forget about it.

Update: Hamels is ill, so Tyler Cloyd will start tonight. The righty Cloyd turned 25 in May and will be making his Major League debut. He was fantastic at Triple-A this year, throwing to a 2.35 ERA with a 1.01 ratio in 22 starts while allowing just 105 hits in 142 innings. Cloyd doesn’t throw real hard and doesn’t strike people out — he has 93 strikeouts in 142 innings at AAA this year.

He’s drawn light blue in the Start Log — hopefully a slightly different shade than Oswalt, Blanton, Freddy Garcia, Corey Lidle or Randy Wolf.

Please note that the Start Log helpfully points out the Phils merely need to play to a 1.030 winning percentage in their 33 remaining games to reach 95 wins for the season.

Update 2: This says Worley is out for the rest of the season.

Roy Halladay didn’t have it yet again last night, but the Phils didn’t need it as they pounded away at Cincinnati pitching for a 12-5 win.

The Phillies have won three in a row and scored 20 runs in their last two games. Prior to scoring 20 runs in their last two games, the Phillies had scored 52 runs in 17 games in August, which is about 3.06 runs per game. They are 13th in the NL in runs scored for the month.

Halladay allowed hits to the first four Cincy batters of the game as the Reds scored twice in the top of the first. Pierre doubled and stole a base in the bottom of the first, helping the Phils score a run to cut the lead to 2-1. Howard tied things at 2-2 with a solo shot in the third and Kratz put the Phils up 3-2 with another in the fourth. Halladay yielded three more runs in the fifth on four more hits, putting the Phils down 5-3 before they scored four times in the bottom of the inning with help from big blows by Utley, Mayberry and Brown. Mayberry hit a two-run homer in the seventh as the Phils scored three more to extend the lead to 10-5. Pierre and Kratz knocked in another pair of runs late as the Phils built their lead up to 12-5.

Halladay was far from sharp despite getting the win. Two bad innings for him in the game as he allowed five runs in the first and fifth combined on eight hits, including three doubles. Over his last two starts he has allowed eight runs in 14 innings.

The Phillies are 57-65 on the year after beating the Cincinnati Reds 12-5 last night. The Phils have won three in a row and are tied with the Mets for third place in the NL East. They are 19 games behind the first-place Nats and ten games out for a Wild Card spot. They have 40 games left to play.

Halladay got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing five runs on ten hits and a walk. Three of the hits went for extra-bases, all doubles. He struck out three.

Ten is the most hits that Halladay had allowed in a start since allowing 12 against the Braves on May 2. The Phillies scored 13 runs that night and lost. Last night they scored 12 and won.

Coming into the game, starters for the Phillies had thrown to a 3.38 ERA with a 1.08 ratio over the last 11 games. In those same 11 games, the bullpen had a 7.33 ERA with a 1.59 ratio.

Zack Cozart was the first hitter of the game and singled to center. Chris Heisey was next and moved Cozart up to second with a single to left. Brandon Phillips was next and loaded the bases with a single to right. It brought Jay Bruce to the plate and he crushed a ball off the wall in right. Cozart scored to make it 1-0, but Heisey stopped between third and home, then went home and was thrown out by a lot for the first out. With one down and men on second and third, Scott Rolen grounded to third. Polanco went to first for the second out, Phillips scored (2-0) and Bruce held second. Halladay struck out Xavier Paul to leave Bruce stranded.

Not a good start for Halladay. Three singles and a double to the first four batters. Heisey gives him the first out of the inning at the plate cause he and Phillips can’t both be on third at the same time.

It was 2-1 when Halladay started the second. He set the Reds down in order, striking Miguel Cairo out for the first out, getting Devin Mesoraco on a ground ball to third for the second and pitcher Mike Leake on another grounder to third for the third.

Halladay set the Reds down in order again in the third.

It was 2-2 when Halladay walked Bruce to start the fourth. He got the next three to turn Cincinnati away.

The Phils led 3-2 when Mesoraco started the fifth with a double to left. Leake bunted him to third with the first out and Halladay struck Cozart out swinging for the second. Looked liked Halladay was going to get out of it, but Heisey doubled down the third base line and Mesoraco scored. 3-3. Phillips was next and moved Heisey up to third with an infield single. Bruce followed that with as single to right, scoring Heisey (4-3) and sending Phillips to third. With Rolen at the plate, Kratz threw to first and the Phils had Bruce caught up between first and second. Howard threw to second and his throw was terrible. Utley had to made a nice diving effort to keep the ball from going into left. He got to his feet as Phillips stormed home. He looked at the plate, but there was no chance to get Phillips, who scored to make it 5-3. Bruce was eventually tagged out in the rundown to end the inning.

Miserable throw by Howard gets the Reds another run, but Halladay also gives up four more hits, including two doubles, in the frame. After the Cozart strikeout, Cincy had no runs, a man on third and two outs and looked like they were going to be kept off the board. Instead Halladay gives up three hits to the next three men he faces and allows three runs.

The Phillies led 7-5 when Rolen started the sixth with a single. Paul grounded to second with Rolen forced at second for the first out and Kratz threw him out trying to steal second for the second. Halladay got Cairo on a fly ball to center for the third.

It was 10-5 when Halladay started the seventh. Todd Frazier singled with one out, but Halladay got Cozart to ground into a double-play behind him.

BJ Rosenberg started the eighth. Heisey led off and singled to right. Phillips followed and hit a ground ball to third. Polanco went to second for the first out, but Utley’s relay wasn’t close to getting Phillips to complete the double-play. Bastardo came in to pitch to the lefty Bruce. Bruce smashed a ball to first that Howard couldn’t handle. Bruce had a single and Phillips moved up to second. Bastardo stayed in to pitch to the righty Rolen and struck him out looking 1-2 for the second out. Bastardo struck Paul out looking 0-2 to leave the runners at first and second.

Howard was holding Phillips on when Bruce hammered the ball at him, but it would have been a nice one to have.

Rosenberg drops his ERA on the year to 12.38 by facing two hitters and allowing a single. He had allowed five runs in 1 1/3 innings over his two previous outings combined, so I guess that’s progress.

Bastardo was pitching for the first time since August 8 and allowed a single before striking out the next two hitters he faced. He has a 7.66 ERA in his 26 appearances since the end of May. In those 26 appearances he’s allowed six homers and 13 walks in 22 1/3 innings. Opponents have hit just .244 against him and he’s struck out 34.

Lindblom started the ninth with the Phils up 12-5. Righty Wilson Valdez hit for the pitcher Logan Ondrusek and struck out for the first out, dropping his average on the year to .203. Mesoraco fouled out to Rollins for the second out. Lindblom walked Frazier and Frazier took second without a throw. Cozart flew to right to end the game.

Eighth appearance of the year for Lindblom with the Phillies. 9.00 ERA and a 2.00 ratio in those outings, three of which have been bad. Opponents have hit just .217 against him since he joined the Phils, but with a .400 on-base percentage thanks largely to the seven walks he’s allowed in six innings. He’s also given up two home runs in six frames.

Two scoreless innings for the pen in which they allow two singles and a walk while striking out three. Lindblom threw 30 pitches in the game, Bastardo ten and Rosenberg two.

The Phillies lineup against righty Mike Leake went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Mayberry (6) Brown (7) Polanco (8) Kratz. Polanco is activated from the DL and returns to the starting lineup with Frandsen on the bench and Luna back in Triple-A. Kratz catches. Rollins comes into the game on-basing .314 against righties for the year. Mayberry hits fifth against the righty, breaking up lefties 2-4 and six.

Pierre doubled to left with one out in the bottom of the first and the Phils down 2-0. He stole third before Utley lined to second for the second out. Howard was next and he singled to center, scoring Pierre to make it 2-1. Mayberry grounded to third to end the inning.

Big two out hit for Howard after Utley lines out for the second out with a man on third.

Pierre and Utley went down to start the third before Howard hit a 2-2 pitch out to right, tying the game at 2-2. Mayberry flew to right for the third out.

Utley hit the ball hard, but Cairo handled it and tossed to Leake covering first for the second out. Eighth homer of the year for Howard.

With two outs in the fourth, Kratz hit a 2-0 pitch out to left center, putting the Phils up 3-2. Halladay struck out swinging behind him.

Seven home runs for Kratz in 72 plate appearances. Second start in a row in which he has homered.

The Phillies were down 5-3 when they hit in the fifth. Pierre singled to center with one out and scored when Utley followed with a double to left. 5-4. The righty Leake walked Howard intentionally to pitch to the righty Mayberry. Mayberry singled to left. Utley scored (5-5) and Howard went to third. Brown was next and cleared the bases with a double to right, putting the Phils up 7-5. Righty Sam LeCure came in to pitch to Polanco and got him on a pop to first for the second out. Kratz was walked intentionally, putting men on first and second for Halladay. Halladay grounded to third to end the inning.

Third time in the game that Utley hit the ball well and his first hit.

This lineup for the Phillies is terrible. Two is too many intentional walks in the same inning. Mayberry hitting behind Howard probably doesn’t look real scary to a team with a righty on the mound. Mayberry came up big in the game, though, singling in the fifth after the intentional walk to Howard and adding two more hits, including a homer.

Rollins started the sixth with a double. Pierre was next and bunted. The Reds didn’t get an out anywhere and the Phils had runners on the corners. Righty Jose Arredondo took over for LeCure and Utley flew to left for the first out, deep enough for Rollins to score from third. 8-5. Pierre stole second as Howard struck out swinging for the second out. It brought Mayberry to the plate and he lined a 2-0 pitch down the left field line and out. 10-5. Brown struck out swinging to end the inning.

Second big hit for Mayberry against a righty in two innings. Didn’t matter in the inning, but Pierre has now stolen 31 bases and been caught just five times.

Righty Logan Ondrusek walked Polanco to start the seventh and hit Kratz behind him. Nix hit for Halladay and struck out looking for the first out. Rollins was next and grounded to third with Kratz forced at second for the second out. With two outs and men on the corners, Pierre reached on an infield single, scoring Polanco (11-5) and moving Rollins up to second. Utley flew to center to leave the runners on first and second.

Big two-out hit for Pierre gets the Phils another run. Nix strikes out against the righty for the first out of the inning after the Phils put their first two men on. He’s hitting 211/297/316 with 22 strikeouts in his last 64 plate appearances.

Mayberry singled off of Ondrusek with one out in the eighth and Brown walked behind him. Polanco followed with a single into center that loaded the bases for Kratz. Kratz flew to center for the second out with Mayberry scoring to make it 12-5. With men on first and third, Nix grounded to second to end the inning.

Rollins was 1-for-5 with a double in the game. He’s hitting 169/244/380 in August. 2-for-his-last-24 with no walks.

Pierre was 3-for-4 with a double and two stolen bases. 9-for-his-last-24 (.375). His isolated power for the year is .068 — he’s only had one year since 2006 when it’s been better (.084 in ’09 with LA). One walk in his last 54 plate appearances.

Utley 1-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Twice hit the ball hard into outs. 4-for-his-last-10 with three walks and two doubles. Hitting just .218 against lefties for the year, but with a 263/383/505 line against righties. He also has a weird power split on home and away — his isolated power at home for the year is .342 and away it is .115.

Howard 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run. 323/354/581 over his last 65 plate appearances.

Mayberry 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI. Victorino and Pence played their last games with the Phillies on July 29. Since then, Mayberry has hit 274/328/484 in 67 plate appearances.

Brown 1-for-4 with a walk and a double. He has five extra-base hits in 81 plate appearances, all of which are doubles. About as much power for the year as Pierre. Pierre’s isolated power for the season in .068. Brown is hitting .268 with a slugging percentage of .338, giving him an isolated power of .070.

Polanco 2-for-4 with a walk in his first action since July 22.

Kratz 2-for-2 with a walk and a home run. Seven home runs in 72 plate appearances would give him about 58 over 600 plate appearances.

Lee (2-7, 3.83) faces righty Homer Bailey (10-8, 4.16) tonight. Lee has thrown to a 4.37 ERA in his three starts in August, but hasn’t walked a batter in 22 2/3 innings. Opponents have hit .385 against Bailey over his last four starts and he’s thrown to an 8.24 ERA.

The Phillies came into Atlanta this weekend winners of four straight and riding about as high as a team 14 games out of first place can ride. It didn’t take long for the Braves to put an end to that, though, sweeping the Phils in three ugly games and dropping them 16 1/2 games out of first.

The offense was at the heart of the problems for the Phillies as they managed to score just four runs in the three-game set. Howard was 1-for-11 with eight strikeouts. Rollins and Utley combined to go 3-for-23. Wigginton and Fontenot started the first two games at third and went 0-for-8 with six strikeouts in the series.

Hamels lasted just five innings in the opener, but it was long enough for him to walk six as the Phils lost 6-1. Blanton pitched well in the second game, allowing just two runs over seven innings, but Mike Minor was even better and the Phils fell 2-1.

Yesterday Halladay again didn’t look like Halladay and Diekman allowed three runs in less than an inning after he left. The Braves won 6-2.

The Phillies are 45-57 on the year after losing to the Atlanta Braves 6-2 yesterday afternoon. The Braves sweep the three-game set. The Phils are in last place in the NL East, 16 1/2 games behind the first place Nationals.

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

Halladay hasn’t gotten an out in the seventh inning in any of his last five starts, throwing to a 7.20 ERA and allowing six home run in 25 innings. He has made three starts since returning from the DL and thrown to a 5.82 in those outings.

He got the first two in the bottom of the first before Jason Heyward homered to right, putting the Braves up 1-0. Chipper Jones followed with a single and Freddie Freeman walked, putting two men on for Dan Uggla. Uggla doubled to left, scoring Jones (2-0) and moving Freeman up to third. David Ross was next and struck out, but on a wild pitch that allowed Ross to reach base. With runners on the corners, Halladay got Paul Janish to pop to Howard in foul territory to end the inning.

Pitcher Tim Hudson reached on an infield single to start the second. He moved up to second on a ground out by Michael Bourn and up to third on a ground out by Martin Prado. Halladay struck out Heyward to leave him at third.

Chipper started the third with a homer to right. 3-0. Ross singled with two outs, but Halladay got Janish looking to leave Ross stranded.

The lead was cut to 3-1 when Halladay set the Braves down in order in the fourth.

He struck out Heyward and Jones in a 1-2-3 fifth.

The Phillies had cut the lead to 3-2 when Halladay pitched the sixth. He again set Atlanta down in order.

Diekman started the seventh. Righty Tyler Pastornicky hit for pitcher Chad Durbin and singled to right. Bourn bunted him to second with the first out and Prado moved him to third with a single. Heyward was next and hit a ball that Diekman didn’t handle for an error. Pastornicky scored (4-2) and Prado went to second. Chipper was next and grounded to second with the runners moving up to second and third. Freeman followed with a single to left, scoring both of them. 6-2. Kendrick took over for Diekman and walked both Uggla and Ross to load the bases. He got Janish to pop to Howard in foul territory to end the inning.

None of the runs charged to Diekman were earned. He didn’t pitch well, though. He got one out that they gave him on a bunt. Other than that he faced five batters — three singled, one reached on an error and the other grounded out. He has allowed nine runs in 6 1/3 innings in his nine July appearances. Four of the nine runs that he has allowed have been unearned.

Kendrick walked two while getting just one out, but still hasn’t been charged with a run in 14 2/3 innings in July.

Papelbon pitched the eighth. He walked pinch-hitter Eric Hinske to start the frame, but got the next three behind him. Mayberry made a fantastic diving play coming in on a line drive hit by Heyward for the third out.

Papelbon has struck out five in three scoreless innings over his last three appearances.

Two innings overall for the pen in which they allow three runs, all unearned, on three hits and three walks while striking out two. Diekman threw 22 pitches, Papelbon 17 and Kendrick 13.

The Phillies lineup against righty Tim Hudson went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Ruiz (6) Nix (7) Pierre (8) Frandsen. Nix starts in right with Pence on the bench against the righty. The righty Frandsen starts at third with Fontenot on the bench. Pierre in left.

Victorino singled with one out in the top of the first. Utley flew to center for the second out before Victorino was thrown out trying to steal to end the frame.

Down 2-0, the Phillies went in order in the second.

Frandsen singled with one out in the third. Halladay struck out trying to bunt him to second for the second out. Rollins went down on a ball handled by the catcher Ross to set the Phillies down.

It was 3-0 when Victorino led off the fourth with a homer to right. 3-1. Utley, Howard and Ruiz went in order behind him.

First home run for Victorino since June 8.

Pierre and Frandsen singled back-to-back with one out in the fifth, putting runners on the corners. Again Halladay tried to bunt and couldn’t, fouling off strike three for the second out. Rollins flew to center to leave both runners stranded.

Nothing for the Phils after putting men on first and third with one out. Halladay 0-for-2 trying to bunt.

Victorino singled to start the sixth. Utley and Howard went down behind him before Victorino stole second. Ruiz singled to center, scoring Victorino to cut the lead to 3-2. Lefty Jonny Venters came in to pitch to Nix. Pence hit for Nix and moved Ruiz to second with a single. Mayberry hit for Pierre against the lefty Venters. Righty Chad Durbin came in to face Mayberry. The runners moved up to second and third on a passed ball before Mayberry grounded to second to set the Phillies down.

The Phillies went in order in the seventh. Fontenot hit for Halladay and Durbin struck him out swinging for the second out.

The Phils were down 6-2 when they hit in the eighth. Lefty Eric O’Flaherty struck out Victorino and Howard while setting them down in order.

Pence singled off of righty Cristhian Martinez with one out in the ninth. Mayberry grounded into a double-play behind him to end the game.

Rollins was 0-for-4 in the game and 2-for-12 with a walk and a double in the series. He’s hitting 251/309/397 on the season. He’s 8-for-his-last-48 (.167).

Victorino 3-for-4 in the game with a solo home run, which was the only extra-base hit for the Phillies. 6-for-12 with a double and a home run in the series. 385/429/635 over his last 58 plate appearances (20-for-52 with four walks, four doubles, three triples and a home run).

Utley 0-for-4 to drop his average on the year to .235. 1-for-11 with a walk and a home run in the series. 235/327/459 on the year. He’s hitting 222/323/426 against righties.

Howard was 0-for-4 and struck out three times. 1-for-11 with eight strikeouts in the series. 214/323/464 on the year.

Ruiz 1-for-4 with an RBI. 2-for-8 with a walk and a double in the series. 8-for-his-last-32 (.250). 342/407/569 on the year.

Nix 0-for-2 with a strikeout. 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in the game. 302/362/528 for the year. 1-for-7 with four strikeouts since returning from the DL. Pence didn’t start but was 2-for-2 in the game and 4-for-9 in the series. 271/336/447 for the season.

Pierre 1-for-2 in the game and 1-for-5 in the series. 227/277/273 over his last 48 plate appearances. 306/346/373 for the year.

Frandsen 2-for-3 in his first action with the Phillies. Wigginton 0-for-5 with four strikeouts in the series. Fontenot was 0-for-3 in the series and struck out twice.

The Phillies don’t play today. Nats tomorrow.

The Phils rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth last night to beat the Brewers 7-6. For the Phillies it was their first win this season in a game they trailed after eight innings.

Halladay made his second start since coming off the DL and struggled, allowing six runs in the first four innings. The Phils trailed 6-2 going into the bottom of the seventh. They scratched out a run on a passed ball in the seventh to get within three. In the bottom of the ninth, they feasted on Francisco Rodriguez, scoring four times on three hits and three walks.

The Phillies walked nine times in the game.

For the second straight game, the Phillies got outstanding work from their bullpen and won late by a single run. Joe Savery got career win number one last night as Savery, Schwimer and Diekman combined to toss three shutout frames. Over the last two games, the bullpen has thrown seven innings without being charged with a run.

The Phillies are 43-54 on the year after beating the Milwaukee Brewers 7-6 last night. The Phils remain in last place in the NL East, 14 games behind the Nationals.

Halladay got the start for the Phillies and went six innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and a walk. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, a double and a home run. He struck out three.

In two starts since his return, Halladay has allowed eight runs in 11 innings. Opponents have hit .302 against him. In his last four starts overall he has an 8.05 ERA.

Norichika Aoki was the first batter of the game and grounded to Utley for the first out. Halladay hit Carlos Gomez with a pitch and Gomez stole second before Ryan Braun grounded to short for the second out. Aramis Ramirez was next, though, and he doubled to right, scoring Gomez to put the Brewers up 1-0. Corey Hart followed and lined a single into left. Ramirez scored. 2-0. Halladay struck Rickie Weeks out swinging to leave Hart at first.

It was 2-2 when Halladay started the second. George Kottarras led off and Halladay walked him. Cesar Izturis was next and hit a ground ball to first. Howard fielded and threw to second where Kottarras was forced for the first out. The pitcher Randy Wolf bunted Izturis to second with the second out, but Halladay struck Aoki out to leave Izturis at second.

Gomez led off the second with a single and stole second. Braun was next and singled into right on a ball deflected by Howard, scoring Gomez to make it 3-2. Halladay got the next two with Braun moving up to second when Hart went down on a ball Halladay handled himself for the second out. Braun stole third before Halladay struck out Weeks to leave him stranded.

Wolf and Aoki singled back-to-back with two outs in the fourth, bringing Gomez to the plate with two outs and men on first and second. Gomez hit Halladay’s first pitch down the left field line and off the foul pole for a three-run homer. 6-2. Braun grounded to short for the third out.

Brewers get three in the frame despite having nobody on base, no runs and the pitcher coming up.

Ramirez singled to right to start the fifth. Halladay got the next two before picking Ramirez off of first with Howard throwing to Rollins to apply the tag.

Second time in the game that a Howard throw ends with an assist rather than E3 and people chasing the ball around in left field. Maybe it’s the dawn of a new era.

Halladay set Milwaukee down in order in the sixth.

Schwimer started the seventh. He walked Gomez with one out, but Ruiz threw Gomez out trying to steal second for the second out. Schwimer struck Braun out swinging 1-2 to set the Brewers down.

Schwimer has been charged with a run in just one of his last 12 appearances. He has a 2.35 ERA with a 1.24 ratio in 15 1/3 innings over his last 16 appearances.

Diekman started the eighth with the Phils down 6-3. He walked Weeks with two outs and the righty Martin Maldonado hit for the lefty Kottarras. Maldonado struck out looking to leave Weeks at first.

Diekman has a 7.94 ERA in July and has been charged with at least one run in three of his last five outings. For the year he has walked 15 in 20 2/3 innings.

Savery pitched the ninth and set Milwaukee down in order. Righty Cody Ransom hit for the pitcher John Axford and struck out for the second out.

First career win for Savery. He was pitching for the first time since being called up on July 13. Golly. That’s kind of a long time. He didn’t exactly make a good impression with the Phils in his previous stint, allowing nine earned runs in 5 1/3 innings over his final three outings.

Three scoreless innings for the pen in which they allow two walks but no hits.

Diekman threw 21 pitches, Schwimer 16 and Savery 14.

The Phillies lineup against lefty Randy Wolf went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Ruiz (6) Pence (7) Wigginton (8) Mayberry. Utley and Howard both play against the lefty. Polanco on the bench with Wigginton at third and Mayberry at first.

The Phillies were down 2-0 when they hit in the bottom of the first. Rollins fouled out to first for the first out and Victorino struck out for the second, but Utley was next and he hit a 1-1 pitch out to right center, cutting the lead to 2-1. Howard was next and hit a 1-0 pitch the opposite way for what was reviewed and eventually ruled another home run. 2-2. Ruiz walked before Pence struck out swinging to leave him at first.

Victorino struck out swinging 3-2. He tried to hold his swing 3-2 and it looked like the ball hit him, but he was called out on strikes for the second out. He left the game and Pierre came in to play left in the top of the second. Mayberry moved over to center.

Mayberry singled to right with one out and Halladay bunted him to second with the second out. Rollins lined to short to leave Mayberry at second.

Howard doubled to center with two outs in the third and the Phils down 3-2. Ruiz walked behind him to put two men on for Pence, but Pence grounded to short for the third out.

Howard 2-for-2 against the lefty with a double and a homer. The righty Pence still awful against lefties for the year — 0-for-2 with three men left on base through three innings.

The Phils were down 6-2 when they hit in the fourth. Mayberry doubled with one out, but Halladay struck out looking and Rollins flew to right to leave him stranded.

Utley walked with one out in the fifth. Howard flew to left for the second out and Ruiz flew to center to leave Utley at first.

The Phillies went in order in the sixth.

Rollins and Pierre were walked back-to-back by lefty Manny Parra with one out in the seventh. They pulled off a double-steal before a walk to Utley loaded the bases. With Howard at the plate, a passed ball allowed Rollins to score, cutting the lead to 6-3 with men on second and third. Howard struck out looking for the second out. Righty John Axford came in to pitch to Ruiz and struck him out to end the inning.

One run for the Phils after loading the bases with one out. Howard strikes out looking for the second out with men on second and third.

Axford set Pence, Wigginton and Mayberry down in order in the eighth.

Righty Francisco Rodriguez started the ninth for Milwaukee. Nix hit for Savery and struck out for the first out. Rollins followed with a walk and moved to third when Pierre singled to right. Pierre stole second before Utley walked, loading the bases for Howard. Howard took two quick strikes on breaking balls, putting him behind in the count 0-2. For reasons unknown, Rodriguez threw a fastball over the plate and Howard singled into center, scoring Rollins and Pierre and cutting the lead to 6-5 with men on first and third. Ruiz lined a 1-1 pitch into left. Utley scored (6-6) and Howard moved up to second. Pence walked, loading the bases. Kratz ran for Howard at third. Wigginton took ball one then lined the 1-0 pitch to left. Braun took it moving to his right. He didn’t have much time to set his feet and his throw home was up the third base line. Kratz slid in safe to give the Phils a 7-6 win.

They sure stuck with Rodriguez a long time. He allowed three hits and three walks in the frame.

The 0-2 pitch to Howard was a surprise. Not running for Howard when he was the winning run on second and then running for him when he moved up to third didn’t make a lot of sense to me at the time. I thought Braun made a pretty good throw given the circumstances. Kratz would have been out if his thrown was on line. Howard might have been out on the throw Braun did get had he been trying to score on the play. Worked out well for the Phils.

Rollins was 0-for-3 and walked twice. He’s hitting .211 over his last 108 plate appearances.

Victorino 0-for-1 with a strikeout. He says he hopes to be able to play today.

Utley 1-for-2 with three walks and a homer. 8-for-his-last-30 with six walks, a triple and two home runs (267/405/533).

Howard 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and three RBI. 5-for-his-last-16 with three home runs.

Ruiz 1-for-3 with two walks and an RBI.

Pence 0-for-4 with a walk. 8-for-his-last-54 (.148) with seven singles and a home run. 233/303/433 against lefties for the season.

Wigginton was 0-for-4 and won the game with his RBI sac fly in the ninth. 0-for-his-last-15. 159/222/280 over his last 90 plate appearances.

Mayberry 2-for-4 with a double. 4-for-his-last-8 with three extra-base hits. Continues to do everything except walk against left-handed pitching — 284/288/569 for the year against lefties. He has not drawn a walk this season in 104 plate appearances against lefties.

Lee (1-6, 3.72) faces righty Zack Greinke (9-3, 3.57) tonight. Lee has a 2.05 ERA in his three starts in July. The Phillies are 1-7 in his last eight starts and 4-12 in his appearances for the year. Greinke has a 9.00 ERA and a 1.86 ratio over his last four starts. He recently started three straight Brewers’s games in a row — the first he was ejected after four pitches, the next day he threw three innings before the All-Star break and then he started the first game after the break.

Cliff Lee’s first win of the year came in his 14th start. Yesterday the Phils finally ended their six-game losing streak, beating the Mets 9-2 to even the series at a game each.

Things progressed just about as expected through the first six innings yesterday in New York. The Phils found themselves down 2-0 going into the seventh when the bats suddenly came alive. Utley hit a two-run shot to tie the game and Ruiz followed that up with a solo homer. The Phils scored three more in the eighth and three again in a ninth inning that featured a two-run shot from Wigginton.

The Phillies had scored a total of seven runs in their previous four games. It is the first time in 2012 they won a game in which Utley had appeared — they’re now 1-5 in games in which Utley has played.

The Phillies are 37-46 on the year after beating the New York Mets 9-2 last night. The teams have split the first two games of the series. The Phillies are in last place in the NL East, 12 games out of first place.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and went eight innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, a double and a walk. He struck out nine.

He struck out two in a 1-2-3 first.

Ike Davis singled with two outs in the second, but Lee got Andres Torres on a fly ball to right to leave Davis at first.

Ruben Tejada doubled to center with two outs in the third. Lee got Daniel Murphy on a ground ball he handled himself for the third out.

With one out in the fourth, Scott Hairston hit an 0-2 pitch out to left, putting the Mets up 1-0. Lucas Duda followed with a single, but Lee struck out Davis and Torres to end the inning.

Tejada and Murphy singled back-to-back with two outs in the fifth, putting runners on the corners for David Wright. Wright singled to right, scoring Tejada to make it 2-0 with Murphy moving up to third. Hairston flew to center to leave the runners stranded.

Lee walked Duda to start the sixth, but got the next three hitters behind him.

Up 3-2 and likely in shock, Lee set the Mets down in order in the seventh.

Up 6-2, he struck out Wright and Duda in a 1-2-3 eighth.

Papelbon set the Mets down in order in the ninth with the Phils up 9-2.

First appearance for Papelbon since June 26. He threw nine pitches in the game.

The Phillies lineup against righty Chris Young went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Utley (4) Ruiz (5) Pence (6) Victorino (7) Polanco (8) Mayberry. Utley starts games in back-to-back days for the second time on the year. Pierre in left against the righty. Mayberry at first with Wigginton on the bench.

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

Pierre singled to left with one out in the fourth, stole second and moved up to third when Utley flew to center for the second out. Ruiz flew to right to leave him at third.

Down 1-0, Pence singled to start the fifth. Victorino fouled out to third and Polanco hit into a double-play.

Down 2-0, the Phils went in order in the sixth.

Pierre led off the seventh with a single to right and Utley hit a 1-0 pitch out to right behind him, tying the game at 2-2. Ruiz was next and he hit a 1-0 pitch out to left, putting the Phils up 3-2. Pence, Victorino and Polanco went in order behind Ruiz.

Second home run of the year for the Utley and the second time in which Ruiz has homered in the next at-bat. They went back-to-back in the first inning on June 27 against the Pirates as well.

Mayberry singled off of righty Miguel Batista to start the eighth. Lefty Tim Byrdak came in to pitch to Lee and Lee bunted Mayberry to second with the first out. Rollins doubled to center and Mayberry scored. 4-2. Wigginton hit for Pierre and the lefty walked him intentionally, putting two men on for Utley. Utley flew to center for the second out. Righty Jeremy Hefner came in to pitch to Ruiz and Ruiz singled to right, scoring Rollins (5-2) and moving Wigginton to second. Pence was next and hit a ground ball to short that Tejada didn’t handle. The ball rolled away from the shortstop and Wigginton scored to make it 6-2 with Ruiz moving up to second. Victorino grounded to third to end the frame.

Polanco led off the ninth with a single and was forced at second for the first out when Mayberry grounded to third. Pridie hit for Lee and moved Mayberry to third with a single to left. Rollins grounded to second with Pridie forced at second for the second out as Mayberry scored (7-2). It brought Wigginton to the plate with Rollins at first and Wigginton hit a 1-0 pitch out to left to extend the lead to 9-2. Utley grounded to second to end the frame.

Third home run of the game for the Phils on a 1-0 count. Pridie’s first hit with the Phillies.

Rollins was 1-for-5 with a double and two RBI in the game. He’s 2-for-his-last-24.

Pierre had a great game, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base and a run scored. Did his very best to make a run on his own in the fourth inning and scored on Utley’s homer in the seventh. Twenty stolen bases on the year and been caught stealing just three times. He’s 4-for-his-last-7. One walk in his last 49 plate appearances.

Utley 1-for-5 with a two-run homer. 6-for-22 on the year with a walk and two homers.

Ruiz 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. He has four home runs in his last 30 plate appearances.

Pence 2-for-4 with an RBI. 405/479/738 over his last 48 plate appearances.

Victorino was 0-for-4 and left three men on base. 1-for-12 to start July. 226/293/310 against right-handed pitching for the season.

Polanco 1-for-4. He’s 1-for-his-last-15. 298/351/411 at home for the year and 242/281/288 on the road.

Mayberry 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. 3-for-his-last-30 with three singles and 11 strikeouts.

Hamels (10-4, 3.08) faces righty RA Dickey (12-1, 2.15) tonight. Hamels threw to a 4.20 ERA in six June starts. Dickey hasn’t allowed any earned runs in six of the last seven games he has started.

They could probably cut it down to six a game if Pierre promises to stop getting caught stealing ahead of him if that would help.

For all of the energy Chase Utley’s return generated last night, the take home message is simple: scoring seven runs isn’t good enough if you’re going to allow 11. And what’s wrong with the Phillies has a lot more to do with preventing runs than it does with scoring them.

Bullpen game last night and that was sure to be a problem for the Phillies because their bullpen is wretched. Things looked good early for the Phils as back-to-back homers from Utley and Ruiz put the Phils up 2-0 in the bottom of the first, but the Pirates responding by scoring eight unanswered runs. Down 8-2, the Phils scored five times in the sixth and seventh innings combined, cutting the lead to 8-7. Chad Qualls took the air out of the Phillies comeback, though, allowing three runs in the top of the eighth and the Pirates went on to win 11-7.

The bullpen ERA for the Phillies for the year is up to 4.67 with the game, which is 14th among the 16 NL teams.

Through the first 40 games of the season, the starting pitchers for the Phillies threw to a 2.93 ERA with a 1.09 ratio. Over the last 37 games, the starters have thrown to a 5.01 ERA and a 1.36 ratio. The Phillies are 15-22 in those games.

I truly do not understand why the Phillies chose to let the bullpen pitch last night instead of calling up a starter from Double-A or Triple-A. I’m sure there was a reason, I just don’t know what it is. Whatever it was, they’ve lost the game and shredded their bullpen for the next couple of days and their bullpen was bad before they shredded it. This afternoon they start Kyle Kendrick, who has gone about 5.58 innings per start in his 11 starts on the year, the lowest mark for anyone who’s started a game for the Phils other than Valdes. Kendrick has gone six innings in a start once in his last five tries.

The Phillies are 36-41 on the year after losing to the Pittsburgh Pirates 11-7 last night.

Raul Valdes got the start for the Phillies and went two innings, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks. One of the hits went for extra-bases, a three-run homer by Michael McKenry. He struck out two.

Valdes set Josh Harrison, Drew Stubbs and Andrew McCutchen down in order in the top of the first.

He started the second up 2-0 and walked Casey McGehee on a 3-2 pitch. With Neil Walker at the plate, McGehee took off for second. Ruiz’s throw beat him there easily, McGehee might have thought the hit and run was on, and Utley chased him back to first and applied the tag for the first out. Valdes walked Walker 3-2, putting a runner on first for Pedro Alvarez and Alvarez struck out looking 0-2 for the second out. Jose Tabata was next and lined a single to left, moving Walker up to second. Michael McKenry was next and he hit a 3-2 fastball out to left for a three-run homer, putting the Pirates up 3-2. Pitcher James McDonald flew to left for the third out.

Two walks for Valdes in the inning and then he grooves a 3-2 fastball to McKenry in front of the pitcher spot. That was a truly terrible pitch. Pirates gave him an out on the bases and still score three in the frame. That could have been better.

Savery started the third. Harrison led off and hit a ball to short that Rollins didn’t handle for an error. Sutton flew to left for the first out before Savery picked Harrison off of first with Wigginton throwing to Rollins for the second out. McCutchen flew to center to set the Pirates down.

McGehee homered off of Savery to start the fourth. 4-2. Walker followed with a double and moved to third on an Alvarez ground out. Tabata struck out swinging and Savery walked the righty McKenry intentionally to pitch to McDonald with two outs and runners on the corners. McDonald singled to left, scoring Walker to make it 5-2 with runners on first and third. Harrison grounded to third for the third out.

Savery walked Sutton to start the fifth and McCutchen moved him to second with a single. McGehee flew to right for the first out before a Walker singled, scoring Sutton (6-2) and moving McCutchen to third. Savery struck Alvarez out swinging 0-2 for the second out and Schwimer came in to pitch to the righty Tabata. Tabata singled to center. McCutchen scored, 7-2, and Walker went to third. McKenry was next and singled to left on a ball deflected by Fontenot. Walker scored. Tabata to third. 8-2. Schwimer struck McDonald out looking to finally set the Pirates down.

Back-to-back two out singles get the Pirates two more runs. Valdes and Savery were both awful in the game, combining to allow eight runs in 4 2/3 innings. Savery’s line is worse thanks to two-out hits allowed by Schwimer that bring in two runs charged to Savery.

Schwimer was back to start the sixth. He allowed back-to-back singles to Harrison and Sutton to start the inning, but got the next three to leave the runners at first and second.

Diekman started the seventh with the Phils down 8-4. He struck out Alvarez and McKenry while setting the Pirates down in order.

Qualls started the eighth with the lead cut to 8-7. Lefty Alex Presley hit for the pitcher Brad Lincoln and walked. Barmes grounded to third for the first out with Presley moving up to second. Sutton doubled to center, scoring Presley. 9-7. McCutchen was next and hit a 2-2 pitch out to right center. 11-7. McGehee flew to left before Walker singled into center. Alvarez grounded to first for the third out.

Just a miserable job by Qualls after the Phillies had fought to get back in the game. In his defense, he has been overused of late. He got Tuesday off, but through Monday had thrown five of six days including pitching the ninth with a five-run lead on Monday.

Bastardo pitched the ninth. He allowed a two-out walk to Presley, but got Barmes on a fly ball to center to end the frame.

Awful night for the bullpen. Savery (53 pitches) and Valdes (43) surely can’t pitch for a while. Qualls threw 35 pitches. He’s only thrown one day in a row, but has been pitching way too much. He also has a 4.60 ERA for the year and opponents are hitting .302 against him. Schwimer has thrown back-to-back days and threw 26 pitches last night. Bastardo has thrown back-to-back days, four of the last five days and threw 14 pitches last night. Diekman threw 13 pitches last night.

So who can pitch tonight? Savery and Valdes look like they are not candidates. Papelbon and Diekman look like they should be fine. Qualls, Bastardo and Schwimer seem to be in a gray area with Schwimer having thrown less of late than the other two.

The Phillies lineup against righty James McDonald went (1) Rollins (2) Pierre (3) Utley (4) Ruiz (5) Pence (6) Victorino (7) Wigginton (8) Fontenot. Utley makes his 2012 debut with the Phillies and hits third. Wigginton at first against the righty. Fontenot at third with Polanco on the bench. Polanco was 6-for-his-last-10 with two walks.

Rollins walked to start the bottom of the first. Pierre grounded to short with Rollins forced at second for the first out, but was caught trying to steal second before Utley hit a 2-2 pitch out to right, putting the Phillies up 1-0. Ruiz followed and homered to left on a 3-1 pitch, extending the lead to 2-0. Pence drew a walk, but Victorino flew to left to leave him at first.

Chase arrives with a bang and Ruiz follows it up with another. The caught stealing by Pierre during Utley’s at-bat costs the Phils a run.

Down 3-2, the Phils went in order in the second. Lee hit for Valdes and struck out for the third out.

Rollins singled to left to start the bottom of the third. Pierre was next and grounded back to the pitcher with Rollins forced at second for the first out. Utley was next and again hit the ball hard, but this time to straight away center. McCutchen handled it on the warning track for the second out. Ruiz lined to third to leave Pierre stranded.

Down 5-2, the Phillies went in order in the fourth.

Down 8-2, they went in order in the fifth.

Utley reached on an infield single on a ball Alvarez could have handled with one out in the sixth. Could have made a better throw, too. Ruiz was next and grounded to second with Utley forced at second for the second out. Pence was next and doubled to left center, scoring Ruiz from first to make it 8-3. Victorino followed that with a single to left, scoring Pence. 8-4. Polanco hit for Schwimer and righty Jared Hughes took over for McDonald to pitch to him. Victorino stole second before Polanco walked. Fontenot grounded back to the mound to leave both runners stranded.

Luna led off the seventh and hit a ground ball to third that Alvarez didn’t handle for an error. Rollins was next and tripled to center, scoring Luna to make it 8-5. Pierre was next and lefty Tony Watson came in to face him. Pierre singled to left, scoring Rollins. 8-6. Utley followed and hit a ground ball between first and second, closer to first. McGehee, who had been holding Pierre on first, didn’t go after the ball and it found right field for a single that moved Utley up to second. Ruiz was next and lined a ball to right. Tabata lost it in the lights or something, but he sure didn’t catch it. Ruiz had a single, Pierre scored (8-7) and Utley moved up to second. Righty Brad Lincoln took over for Watson. He struck Pence out swinging 3-2 and got Victorino on a fly ball to left for the second out. Thome hit for Diekman and struck out swinging to leave both runners stranded.

Awful defense by the Pirates in the frame. Alvarez starts with an error and McGehee and Tabata both don’t make plays that are called singles. Lincoln squashes the rally for the Phils, entering with two men on and nobody out and getting Pence, Victorino and Thome.

Righty Jason Grilli set the Phils down in order in the eighth with the Pirate lead extended to 11-7. McCutchen made a great diving catch on a ball Luna hit to right-center for the second out, taking a double away from Luna.

Righty Joel Hanrahan pitched the ninth. Ruiz walked with two outs, but Pence grounded to third to end the game.

Rollins was 2-for-4 with a walk and a triple. 381/435/730 over his last 69 plate appearances.

Pierre 1-for-5 with an RBI and a caught stealing ahead of the Utley homer in the first. He also stole a base in the game. For the year he has 17 steals and been caught three times (and picked off once). 1-for-his-last-12 at the plate.

Utley was 3-for-5 in with a home run on the year. One of the hits looked a lot like a ground ball to short that Alvarez turned into an adventure, both in fielding and throwing the ball. The other single looked a lot like a ground ball to first the McGehee decided not to field for whatever reason.

Ruiz 2-for-4 with a walk and a home run. He’s on pace to hit .364 with 23 home runs, so that’s something. 8-for-his-last-13.

Pence 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. 10-for-his-last-44 (.227). Great against righties for the year (292/355/489) and oddly can’t hit lefties (217/308/391).

Victorino 1-for-4 with an RBI. 5-for-his-last-21 with five singles. One extra-base hit, a double, in his last 71 plate appearances. Pence can’t hit lefties and Victorino can’t hit righties. Victorino 324/400/620 against lefties and 228/298/317 against righties. No other real choice to play center against right-handed pitching. Pierre and Mayberry seem like possible candidates. Mayberry’s as bad as Victorino against righties and Pierre couldn’t do it defensively.

Wigginton 0-for-2. 2-for-his-last-10. Also can’t hit righties — 257/302/365 for the year.

Fontenot was 0-for-4 and struck out twice. 3-for-his-last-13 with three singles and five strikeouts.

Kendrick (2-7, 5.54) faces righty AJ Burnett (8-2, 3.24) this afternoon. The Phillies have lost three of the last four games that Kendrick has started and he’s thrown to an 8.10 ERA in those outings. Opponents have hit .324 against him in his five June starts and he’s walked 15 in 25 1/3 innings. Lefties are on-basing .401 against him for the year. That’s too much. The Pirates have won the last nine games that Burnett has started and he’s thrown to a 1.97 ERA in those appearances. Righties are slugging .298 against him for the season with five extra-base hits in 135 plate appearances.

Update: Sanches up, Savery down.