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When the post-season arrives, the Phils will be starting left-handed pitchers in two of the first three games and feature a bullpen with a single lefty who came into yesterday’s game having allowed nine of the last 15 batters he had faced to reach base.

So it seems important to know how their potential playoff opponents in the NL fare against lefties. For the four NL teams other than the Phillies who look like they have the best chance to make the playoffs, here’s what the teams have done overall against left-handed pitching for the year (none of the numbers in this post include yesterday’s games):

So, by OPS, the Cards have been the best of those four teams against left-handed pitching and the Braves have been the worst. It shouldn’t be lost on anyone that Atlanta has been absolutely atrocious against lefties this year, hitting just 229/292/352 against them, which gives them the NL-worst .644 OPS against left-handed pitchers.

Here’s the list of St Louis’s best hitters against lefties who got at least 100 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this season. They are ordered by OPS:

That’s kind of a scary list because of its length, but with a couple of problems for the Cards. Holliday is hurt and Rasmus isn’t on the team anymore, traded to the Blue Jays in July. Oh, and the other problem is that they’re almost surely not going to make the post-season.

If they do, they do have some guys without 100 plate appearances against lefties who have good numbers against left-handed pitching. Allen Craig was hitting 306/338/613 against lefties in 63 plate appearances coming into yesterday and David Freese had hit 348/390/522 against southpaws over 77 plate appearances.

And here’s a lot at the top left-bashers on the other three teams, starting with the Snakes:

Three guys there who have had monster years against left-handed pitching. Notably, two of them, Young and Roberts, have been miserable against righties. Young has hit 216/306/375 against righties and Roberts has hit 238/321/399 against them. Upton has hammered everyone, putting up a 301/372/535 line against righties. As good as he has been against both sides, he has shown a lot more power against lefties with an isolated power of .234 against righties and .289 against lefties.

Two monster bats against lefties for the Brewers in Braun and Hart. Weeks has been struggling with an ankle problem, but is getting stronger and playing again. Fielder, of course, is a lefty, but has still done his share of damage against left-handed pitchers.

Despite the two huge bats against lefties in Braun and Hart, the Brewers have had their share of guys who have brought down their numbers. Righty Casey McGehee has played regularly this year and hit 171/230/187 in his 135 plate appearances against lefties. His fellow righty Yuniesky Betancourt has also gotten a ton of chances and hit 239/256/345 against lefties.

Then there’s Atlanta. And they can’t hit lefties at all — their best hitter by OPS who got at least 100 plate appearances against lefties is their left-handed hitting catcher Brian McCann:

That’s a little misleading because of the miserable year righty Dan Uggla has had with the bat. After hitting 173/241/327 through the first 86 games of the season, Uggla has hit 312/396/620 over his last 288 plate appearances. His numbers against lefties for the year are still atrocious, 197/284/338, but he hit 306/409/575 against lefties in 2010 and you have to think that he’s going to be more formidable against lefties in the post-season than he has during the regular season.

The Braves have had other problems against lefties this year, though. Righty Alex Gonzalez has on-based .284 against them. Lefties Freddie Freeman and Jayson Heyward have both struggled as well. Freeman has hit 256/314/420 against them in 194 plate appearances while Heyward has hit a hide-your-eyes 184/263/301 against them in 114.

So, purely for the standpoint of guys who can hit lefties, who should the Phillies be hoping to face in the post-season? It looks like the answer is clearly the Braves, with the caveat that Uggla is a whole lot better than his numbers so far this year. That can’t happen in the first round, of course. For me, the scariest team against lefties is Milwaukee — despite the miserable numbers for a couple of their regulars, Braun and Hart have just demolished left-handed pitching this season.

Finally, it seems important to point out the NL player who came into action yesterday with the best OPS against left-handed pitching for the season (among players with at least 100 plate appearances against lefties). Shane Victorino is the answer with a 327/444/645 line (1.089 OPS).

Yesterday the Phils played a double-header with the Washington Nationals, dropping both games to fall to 98-56 on the year. The Phillies have lost four in a row and scored three runs or less in 12 of their last 13 games.

The Phils lost the day game 4-3 in ten innings. Kendrick got the start for the Phillies and was fantastic again, tossing six shutout innings before being Schwimer took over in the seventh. Schwimer allowed a pair of singles before Roger Bernadina hit one out to right, putting the Nats up 3-0. The Phils tied it up in the bottom of the inning when Ibanez, 1-for-his-last-18, hit a three-run pinch-hit homer off of Tyler Clippard. Stutes started the tenth and got the first two before walking Michael Morse. Morse took second on a passed ball by Erik Kratz and came in to score on a pinch-hit single by Ryan Zimmerman, putting Washington up 4-3. Kratz doubled to start the bottom of the tenth, his first career extra-base hit, but was left at second when Orr lined to short, Schneider struck out and Gload grounded to short.

Kendrick has a 1.91 ERA in his 33 innings since the end of July. Those innings have come over seven appearances, five of which have been starts.

Not a good day for Schwimer, who saw his ERA on the year rise to 6.97 on the three-run homer. He’s allowed five runs in two innings over his last two appearances.

Joe Savery made his debut for the Phillies in the game. He started the eighth and allowed a single on a ball deflected by Orr. The next batter bunted the runner to second and Savery was pulled.

The Phils lost the night game 3-0. Lee got the start for the Phillies and went seven innings, allowing three runs on 11 hits. Only two of the runs were earned and the Phillies made three errors in the game (Rollins, Utley and Ruiz). The offense had just three hits, two singles by Francisco and one by Polanco, as Ross Detwiler threw 7 1/3 scoreless frames for the Nats.

Danny Espinosa homered off of Lee in the second to put Washington up 1-0. Washington got another run on three singles in the sixth to push the lead to 2-0. Jayson Werth started the seventh with a double for Washington and went to third on a one-out single by Michael Morse. Werth came in to score on a bad pickoff throw by Ruiz, upping the lead to 3-0.

Justin De Fratus threw a 1-2-3 eighth after Lee left and has now thrown two scoreless innings in two appearances.

Herndon threw the ninth, allowing a two-out walks but striking out two and keeping Washington off the board. In his 20 appearances since the All-Star break he has thrown to a 1.65 ERA with a 1.21 ratio.

Vance Worley (11-2, 2.85) faces lefty John Lannan (9-13, 3.68) tonight in leave-your-lefties-on-the-bench night at the yard.

On the please-move-along-there’s-nothing-to-see-here front, Hunter Pence tweaked his left knee in game one yesterday and says it’s going to be fine.

Jimmy Rollins and his wife will host their first annual Havana Nights to benefit the Jimmy Rollins Family Foundation and Prevent Child Abuse Pennsylvania at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia on Monday, November 14. Read all about it.

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.

Coming off a bizarre weekend in which the Phils suffered from a lack of depth in their pen, Cliff Lee was fantastic last night as the Phils hammered the Braves on their way to a 9-0 win. Lee threw a complete game shutout without allowing a walk or an extra-base hit.

Over his last six starts, Lee has allowed two runs in 48 2/3 innings. In those six starts he has surrendered just 28 hits in 48 2/3 innings.

It was a real nice break for the bullpen, which curiously seemed not to have enough bodies against the Marlins this weekend despite the expanded September rosters. With Kendrick away for the birth of a child, the weirdness started on Saturday. Pitching for the third straight day, Bastardo started the eighth with a 4-3 lead and walked the first two batters he faced. Herndon took over for him and allowed home runs to three of the six batters he faced. The Phils lost that game 8-4. The next day, Herndon threw 69 pitches over 3 2/3 innings and the Phils lost in 14. It’s a little tough to understand why the Phillies simply didn’t have more relievers available for those games. Herndon shouldn’t be throwing 69 pitches in a game, he shouldn’t be doing it the day after he throws 20 pitches and he especially shouldn’t be doing it in September.

The Phillies are 89-48 on the year after pounding the Atlanta Braves 9-0 last night. The Phils remain in first place in the NL East, 8 1/2 games ahead of Atlanta.

Lee got the start for the Phillies and threw a complete game shutout, holding the Braves to five singles. He didn’t walk a batter and struck out six. He threw 100 pitches in the game.

He got Michael Bourn on a ground ball to second to start the game. Martin Prado was next and he grounded to short for the second out before Brian McCann singled to right. Lee struck Dan Uggla out swinging 1-2 to set the Braves down.

Matt Diaz led off the second with an infield single with the Phils up 2-0. Lee got the next three, striking Freddie Freeman out swinging, getting Alex Gonzalez on a fly ball to left and left-handed hitting left fielder Jose Constanza on a grounder to second.

The strikeout of Freeman for the first out of the inning was Lee’s 200th for the season.

Lee struck pitcher Derek Lowe out to start the third and got Bourn and Prado behind him. Bourn hit a hard ground ball to first off the body of Howard, but Howard picked it up and tagged Bourn as he flew past for the second out.

Lee got McCann, Uggla and Diaz in order in the fourth. Diaz hammered a ball to right center, but Victorino took it on the warning track after a long run for the third out.

Up 5-0, Lee struck out Freeman and Constanza in a 1-2-3 fifth. Howard made a long run and a sliding basket catch near the fence in foul territory to retire Gonzalez for the second out.

Up 7-0, he set the Braves down in order in the sixth.

Uggla reached on an infield single with one out in the seventh, but Lee got Diaz to ground into a double-play behind him.

Freeman started the eighth with a single into center, but Gonzalez grounded back to Lee behind him and Lee threw to Martinez at second to start the double-play. Constanza was next and he reached on an infield single. Righty Jack Wilson hit for the pitcher Peter Moylan and Lee got Wilson to ground to third for the third out.

Up 9-0, Lee set the Braves down in order in the ninth. He struck out Bourn, got Prado on a ground ball to short and McCann on a ground ball to second.

The Phillies lineup against righty Derek Lowe went (1) Victorino (2) Polanco (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Pence (6) Mayberry (7) Ruiz (8) Martinez. Martinez plays short with Rollins on the DL and Valdez on the bench. Mayberry in left against the righty with the lefty Ibanez on the bench. Ibanez was 6-for-45 (.133) against Lowe for his career around the time Manuel was figuring out his lineup.

Polanco singled off the glove of Bourn in center with one out in the first and moved to third when Utley followed with a single to right. Howard walked on four pitches and the bases were loaded for Pence. Pence singled to left, scoring Polanco and Utley to put the Phils up 2-0 with men on first and second with one out. Mayberry struck out swinging 2-2 for the second out and Ruiz grounded to third to end the inning.

The Phils went in order in the second.

Howard singled with two outs in the third. Pence grounded to second behind him.

Mayberry walked to start the fourth. Ruiz was next and hit a ball to short that Gonzalez didn’t handle for an error, putting men on first and second with nobody out. Martinez bunted the runners to second and third with the first out. Lee grounded to first with the runners holding for the second, but Victorino picked him up, singling to left to bring both runners in (4-0). Victorino took second as the throw came to the plate and Ruiz slid in safely on a close play. With Polanco at the plate, Victorino stole third and tried to come home when the ball wasn’t handled by McCann, but McCann threw to Lowe covering and Ruiz was tagged out to end the inning.

With one out in the fifth, Utley hit a popup that went unhandled for a triple. Lowe walked Howard intentionally, putting men on first and third for Pence. Pence doubled to right, scoring Utley (5-0) and sending Howard to third. Mayberry walked to load the bases. Ruiz hit the first pitch of his at-bat into center, scoring Howard and Pence (7-0) and moving Mayberry to second. Martinez grounded to first for the second out with the runners moving up to second and third. Lee struck out swinging 1-2 to leave both runners stranded.

Second walk for Mayberry in two plate appearances.

Polanco was hit by a Scott Linebrink pitch with one out in the sixth. He took second on one wild pitch by Linebrink and third on another before Utley flew to center. Polanco tagged and tried to score, but Bourn threw him out to end the inning.

Howard led off the seventh and got ahead of Linebrink 3-0 before hitting a 3-1 pitch out to right center. 8-0. Righty Peter Moylan took over for Linebrink and got Pence, Mayberry and Ruiz in order. Pence hit the ball well to left, but was retired on a leaping catch by Constanza for the first out.

Lee singled off of righty Arodys Vizcaino with one out in the eighth and Victorino walked behind him. Polanco followed with a single to left that scored Lee and put the Phils up 9-0 with one out and men on first and second. Utley flew to center for the second out, with Victorino tagging and moving up to third. Howard flew to center to leave both runners stranded.

Victorino was 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBI in the game. He’s 2-for-his-last-14 and hitting 205/300/341 over his last 50 plate appearances.

Polanco 2-for-4 with an RBI. He’s 6-for-his-last-28 (.214). Of the 83 NL players with 400 plate appearances for the season, his .335 slugging percentage is 81st.

Utley 2-for-5 with a triple. He’s 4-for-his-last-30 (.133).

Howard 2-for-3 with two walks and a home run. He’s 7-for-16 with seven walks and two home runs in the first five games of September.

Pence 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI. Constanza made a nice play in left to take another hit away from him. Pence was 2-for-his-last-16 coming into the game.

Mayberry 0-for-2 with two walks. 3-for-his-last-21. He’s on-basing .329 for the year and .322 against righties.

Ruiz 1-for-4 with two RBI. 5-for-his-last-14 and 302/392/403 over his last 299 plate appearances.

Martinez was 0-for-3. Of the 181 NL players with 175 plate appearances for the season, his .257 on-base percentage is 179th.

Worley (10-1, 2.87) faces righty Tim Hudson (14-8, 3.05) tonight. Hudson has a 2.27 ERA over his last 16 starts. In two starts against the Phils this year he’s 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA. The Phillies have won 13 games that Worley has started in a row. He’s been a little less impressive his last few times out, throwing to a 4.64 ERA over his last six starts.

Over the weekend, the Phils lost two of three to the Marlins.

On Friday the Phils won the series opener 5-3 to improve to 42 games over .500 for the first time in team history. Oswalt pitched into the seventh inning, going 6 1/3 innings and allowing three runs while striking out seven. Victorino led off the game with a triple and game in to score when Polanco followed with a sac fly, putting the Phils up 1-0. The Fish got the run back in the bottom of the first thanks to a leadoff double by Emilio Bonifacio, tying the game at 1-1. Omar Infante led off the third with a double and came around to score, too, putting Florida up 2-1. The Phils pulled ahead to stay in the fifth. Pence led off and reached on error by Bonifacio and Mayberry followed that with a two-run shot. 3-2 Phils. The Phils loaded the bases without a hit in the top of the sixth before Mayberry’s sac fly plated Utley to make it 4-2. Oswalt gave up a solo homer to Jose Lopez in the bottom of the inning, cutting the lead to 4-3. Victorino led off the seventh with a single and took second on a misplay by Mike Stanton in right, moved to third on a ground out and came in to score on a wild pitch. 5-3. Oswalt left with one out in the seventh. After his exit, Stutes, Bastardo and Madson closed out the game, combining to allow one hit over 2 2/3 scoreless innings.

The Phils lost the second game of the series 8-4 on Saturday. They jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the second on a two-run triple by Valdez, which was followed by an infield single by a hustling Hamels. Hamels allowed a two-run homer to Mike Cameron in the bottom of the second, though, and a solo shot to Stanton in the third that tied the game at 3-3. Hamels drove in another run in the fourth when his two-out single brought Ruiz home from second, putting the Phils back on top 4-3. Bastardo took over for Hamels in the eighth and walked the first two men he faced. Herndon took over for him and gave up a long three-run homer to Gaby Sanchez, which was followed by a solo homer by Cameron and another solo homer by Dobbs and put the Marlins up to stay at 8-4. The Phils allowed five home runs in the game. In the eighth, Bastardo faced two batters and walked them both. Herndon faced six batters and allowed a three-run homer and two solo shots.

On Sunday the Phils lost 5-4 in 14 innings. Bonifacio tripled off of Halladay to start the bottom of the first and came in to score on a single by Infante to put Florida up 1-0. The Phils pulled ahead 2-1 in the top of the second with two runs on three hits and a big throwing error by Dobbs. Florida tied the game up again in the bottom of the third when Sanchez doubled ahead of a Logan Morrison ground ball to first in which Halladay couldn’t handle the toss from Howard when covering first. The Marlins took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth on singles by Bryan Petersen, Buck and Lopez, but the Phils jumped back ahead 4-3 on a two-run single by Howard in the seventh. Schwimer took over for Halladay in the bottom of the seventh and gave up a walk and a double to the first to men he faced. Schwimer managed to limit the damage to one run, with a ground out by Sanchez plating Infante to tie the game at 4-4. It stayed scoreless until the bottom of the 14th, when Herndon walked Cameron with the bases loaded to force in Bonifacio as the winning run.

Herndon threw 69 pitches in relief for the Phillies in the game, walking seven in 3 2/3 innings. The Phillies played the game under protest after a play in the sixth inning in which Pence hit a ball to right field that was originally ruled a double. It appeared a fan reached out to interfere with the ball, the play was reviewed and the call changed to an out. I’d guess the Phils have close to no chance of a successful protest. The Florida fielder (Petersen) was interfered with — the ball wasn’t going to be a home run so they play shouldn’t have been reviewed to start with, but it was close enough to being a home run that it’s reasonable to suggest that was the focus of the review.

The Phils dropped game three of their set with the Mets yesterday afternoon, falling 7-4 and allowing four runs in a first inning that included a big error from Michael Martinez in which the Phils got no outs on a ball that might have yielded a double-play.

The error put some focus on the absence of Jimmy Rollins at short, but it also took some focus away from the fact that Kyle Kendrick didn’t pitch well. Kendrick was charged with six runs over four innings in the game. Thanks to the error by Martinez, only two of them were earned, but Kendrick allowed two home runs, including a three-run shot to Nick Evans in the first after the Martinez error, over four innings.

John Mayberry took a temporary break from homering in the game, going 0-for-4 with an RBI, but the offense is on a roll that saw the Phillies score 23 runs in the three-game set and has produced more than three runs in eight straight games. Victorino and Pence continue to produce for the Phils. The pair drove in three runs yesterday and went a combined 9-for-26 in the three-game set, driving in ten runs. Victorino has hit 348/424/618 over his last 232 plate appearances (not a typo, look it up) and Pence is hitting 322/402/540 in his 102 plate appearances since joining the Phillies.

The Phillies are 83-45 on the year after falling to the New York Mets 7-4 yesterday afternoon. The Phils take the series two games to one and remain in first place in the NL East, 6 1/2 games ahead of the Braves.

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

Angel Pagan was the first batter of the game and singled to center. Ruben Tejada was next and hit a ball to short that Martinez didn’t handle for an error, putting men on first and second. David Wright was next and singled to right, loading the bases for Lucas Duda. Duda grounded to second with Utley going to Martinez to force Wright for the first out of the game. Pagan scored and the Mets led 1-0 with men on the corners. Kendrick struck Jason Bay out swinging 2-2 for the second out, but Nick Evans was next and he hit a 1-0 pitch out to left for a three-run homer that made it 4-0. Josh Thole grounded back to Kendrick for the third out.

The Phils might not have gotten two if Martinez hadn’t muffed Tejada’s ball, but they sure would have gotten one. At least Evans is a righty, cause Kendrick giving up a three-run shot to a lefty in the first might have been too much.

Pitcher Mike Pelfrey singled with one out in the second, but Kendrick got Pagan and Tejada behind him on a pair of fly balls.

The lead was cut to 4-3 when Kendrick started the third. Wright led off and homered to right, extending the New York lead to 5-3. Kendrick hit Duda with a pitch before getting Bay on a fly ball to center for the first out. Evans moved Duda to second on a single deflected by Polanco, putting men on first and second for Thole. Thole grounded to second with Evans forced at second for the second out. Turner flew to center to end the frame.

After allowing the homer to Wright to start the third, Kendrick had allowed two home runs in two innings and a batter.

Pagan walked with one out in the fourth and stole second before Tejada reached on an infield single that moved him to third. With men on first and third, Wright hit a fly ball to left for the second out, deep enough for Pagan to tag, score and put the Mets up 6-3. Duda fouled out to Ruiz to leave Tejada at first.

Michael Schwimer took over for Kendrick to start the fifth, making his second career appearance. He walked the leadoff man Bay on six pitches and Evans followed Bay with a double to the gap in right center, scoring Bay to make it 7-3. Schwimer got Thole to pop to third for the first out before walking Turner. Pelfrey bunted the runners up to second and third with the second out, but Schwimer got Pagan on a fly ball to left to leave them there.

Not a great showing for Schwimer, who allowed a run on two walks and a double and has now allowed a run in each of his appearances with the Phils. You want to avoid walking the leadoff guy when you can.

Lidge pitched the sixth and he walked the leadoff guy, too, walking Tejada on four pitches. Lidge struck Wright out swinging for the first out as Tejada stole second, then got Duda looking for the second out. Bay flew to left to leave Tejada at second.

Lidge has now thrown nine innings on the year, allowing two runs. The good news is that he has struck out 11 in his nine innings. The bad news is that he has walked eight.

Bastardo started the seventh and got Evans on a line drive hit hard to third for the first out. He walked Thole, but struck Turner out swinging behind him for the second out. Righty Ronny Paulino hit for Pelfrey and Bastardo walked him, too, putting men on first and second with two down. Pitcher Chris Capuano ran for Paulino at first, but Bastardo struck Pagan out swinging 0-2 to leave both runners stranded.

Two more walks for the pen. Schwimer, Lidge and Bastardo combined to walk five in the fifth, sixth and seventh. Bastardo has been charged with two runs in 12 2/3 innings over his last 13 appearances.

Herndon pitched the eighth with the New York lead cut to 7-4. Wright singled to center with one out and moved to third when Duda followed with a double to center. Bay hit a ball back to Herndon. Herndon fielded and came home, where Wright was tagged out for the second out. With men on first and third, Herndon struck Jason Pridie out swinging 3-2 turn New York away.

Herndon hasn’t been charged with a run in 11 2/3 innings over his last ten appearances.

Madson pitched the ninth with the Phils still down three runs, making his first appearance since allowing six runs in two-thirds of an inning to the Nats last Friday. He was a better this time, getting Thole swinging for the first out and Turner on a ground ball to third for the second. Lefty Willie Harris hit for the pitcher Manny Acosta and singled to right, but Madson got Pagan to ground to third for the third out.

Nobody in the pen has thrown more than one day in a row and the Phils are off today. Bastardo threw 24 pitches and Schwimer 23. Lidge 17, Herndon 15 and Madson 15.

The Phillies lineup against righty Mike Pelfrey went (1) Victorino (2) Polanco (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Pence (6) Mayberry (7) Ruiz (8) Martinez. Howard returns to the lineup, but Ibanez remains sidelined with Mayberry playing left. Ruiz catches the day game after Schneider caught the night before. Martinez plays short with Rollins on the DL.

The Phils were down 4-0 when they hit in the bottom of the first. Polanco singled softly to right with one out and took second on an error by Duda. Utley flew to center for the second out, deep enough for Polanco to tag and move up to third. Howard walked, putting men on the corners for Pence. Pence struck out swinging 2-2 to end the inning.

Ruiz and Martinez singled back-to-back with one out in the second, putting men on first and second. Kendrick bunted them to second and third with the second out. Victorino got ahead 3-0 and then singled into center on a 3-1 pitch, scoring both runners and cutting the lead to 4-2. Polanco was next and he singled into right, sending Victorino to third. Utley singled to center and both runners moved up a base with Victorino scoring. 4-3 with men on first and second for Howard. Howard walked to load the bases, but Pence flew to right to leave them loaded.

Five men stranded for Pence through two innings.

Ruiz singled with one out in the third and the Phils down 5-3. He stole second and Martinez moved him up to third with a ground out. Kendrick grounded to second to leave him at third.

Down 6-3, Utley doubled with two outs in the fourth. Howard hit a 1-0 pitch hard, but Evans handled it at first and threw to Pelfrey covering to get Howard and end the inning.

Down 7-3, Pence started the fifth with a single to left. Mayberry was next and grounded to short, with Pence forced at second for the first out. Ruiz grounded to second and Mayberry was forced at second for the second out. Martinez grounded to the pitcher for the third out.

The Phils went in order in the sixth. Orr hit for Lidge and flew to right for the first out.

Utley doubled to center to start the seventh and took third on a throwing error by Pagan. Lefty Tim Byrdak struck Howard out looking 3-2 for the first out and righty Manny Acosta came in to pitch to Pence. Pence reached on an infield single with Utley scoring to cut the New York lead to 7-4. Mayberry fouled out to the catcher Thole and Ruiz struck out looking to leave Pence at first.

Martinez struck out swinging to start the eighth. With Acosta still on the mound for the Mets, Gload hit for Herndon and doubled to right. Victorino hit a ground ball to second, which Turner fielded, but Duda didn’t handle Turner’s throw and was charged with the third error of the game for the Mets. It put men on first and third for Polanco. Polanco hit a ball hard, but Turner made a diving play at second and started a double-play to end the inning.

After going 1-for-1 with a double in the game, Gload is now slugging .298 for the year. The good news is that his last three hits have gone for extra-bases. The bad news is that he’s 3-for-his-last-28 (.107) with a walk and three doubles.

Righty Bobby Parnell walked Utley to start the ninth, but Howard and Pence both struck out swinging behind Utley. Mayberry walked on a 3-2 pitch, moving Utley to second and bring Ruiz to the plate as the tying run. Ruiz grounded to short to end the game.

Victorino was 1-for-5 with two RBI in the game. 4-for-14 with two triples, a home run and seven RBI in the three-game series. 313/387/546 for the year. 274/351/496 in 153 plate appearances in the leadoff spot for the season. Rollins is hitting 266/334/417 in 428 plate appearances in the leadoff spot this year.

Polanco 2-for-5 with two more singles. 6-for-14 with a walk in the series. 213/277/231 over his last 119 plate appearances. 281/335/345 for the season.

Utley 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles and an RBI. 3-for-10 with two doubles and a walk in the series. 279/365/460 for the year. 214/302/379 over his last 63 plate appearances.

Howard 0-for-3 with two walks and two strikeouts. 1-for-7 with two walks and five strikeouts in the series. 4-for-his-last-26 with four singles and 12 strikeouts. He’s hitting 251/341/477 for the season.

Pence 2-for-5 with an RBI and six men left on base. 5-for-12 with two walks and a home run in the set. He’s hitting just .269 over the last seven games, but with two home runs and five walks to give him a 269/387/500 line in those 31 plate appearances. 311/365/484 for the year.

Mayberry 0-for-4 with a walk. 3-for-11 with two walks and two home runs in the series. He drove in six runs. 269/333/528 for the year. 308/351/702 over his last 111 plate appearances.

Ruiz 2-for-4 yesterday and 4-for-9 with a double and two RBI in the series. 275/368/387 for the year. He has on-based .376 over his last 1,006 plate appearances going back to the start of the 2009 season.

Martinez 1-for-4 with a single and a big error. 1-for-6 in the series. 211/250/292 for the year in 176 plate appearances. Of the 174 NL players with 175 plate appearances, his .250 on-base percentage is 174th and his .292 slugging percentage is 169th. He’s 6-for-his-last-43 with a double and a walk (140/159/163).

The Phils are off today and start a series with the Marlins tomorrow night.

Eight shutout innings from Kendrick? Kendrick and Herndon combine on a shutout? Check. Check.

The Phils went into last night’s game with a problem at the back of their bullpen. Bastardo and Madson had each thrown three straight days and their starter, Kyle Kendrick, didn’t seem like a great candidate to go deep into the game.

So much for that. The Phils barely needed their pen at all. Kendrick held the Rockies to four hits over eight shutout innings in Colorado, Howard pounded two home runs and the Phils won 5-0.

For Kendrick it was arguably the best start of his career. He was about as good on April 20, 2010 against the Braves and on June 25, 2008 against Oakland.

The Phillies are 70-39 on the year after beating the Colorado Rockies 5-0 last night. They have won five games in a row and are 31 games over .500 for the first time on the year. They are eight games ahead of the second-place Braves in the NL East.

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

He started the bottom of the first with a 2-0 lead. Dexter Fowler doubled with one out, but Todd Helton flew to center behind him for the second. Kendrick walked Troy Tulowitzki on five pitches, putting men on first and second for Seth Smith. Kendrick struck Smith out looking 2-2 to end the inning.

Kendrick threw a 1-2-3 second.

Eric Young reached on an infield single with one out in the third on a ball deflected by Kendrick. Young stole second before Kendrick struck Fowler out looking for the second out on a 3-2 pitch for the second out. Helton flew to left for the third out.

Up 4-0, Kendrick set the Rockies down in order in the fourth.

Chris Iannetta singled to right with one out in the fifth. Jonathan Herrera was next and he grounded to third for the second out, with Iannetta moving up to second. Young grounded to second to leave him there.

Kendrick walked Fowler to start the sixth. Helton was next and he hit a line drive, but at Howard who took it and stepped on first to double Fowler off easily. Tulowitzki grounded to short for the third out.

With one out in the seventh, righty Ryan Spilborghs hit for pitcher Edgmer Escalona and singled to right. Mark Ellis flew to right for the second out and Kendrick struck Iannetta out looking 0-2 to leave Spilborghs at first.

Kendrick struck Young and Fowler out in a 1-2-3 eighth with the Phils up 5-0.

Herndon pitched the ninth with a five-run lead and set the Rockies down in order.

Over his last seven appearances, Herndon has allowed one run in 7 1/3 innings on five hits and a walk, dropping his ERA from 5.14 to 4.33. He threw 12 pitches in the game and has not thrown more than one day in a row.

The Phillies lineup against righty Aaron Cook went (1) Rollins (2) Victorino (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Pence (6) Ibanez (7) Polanco (8) Schneider. Schneider catches against the righty with Ruiz on the bench and a day game this afternoon.

Rollins led off the game and walked on four pitches. He moved to third when Victorino followed with a single to right. Utley was next and he grounded to short, with Rollins scoring to put the Phils up 1-0 and Victorino moving up to second with one out. Howard moved Victorino to third with a ground out to Ellis before Pence doubled to the gap in left center, plating Victorino and putting the Phils up 2-0. Ibanez struck out swinging to leave Pence at second.

The Phils went in order in the second and again in the third.

Howard led off the fourth and hit an 0-1 pitch out to right center. 3-0. Pence flew to right for the first out before Ibanez and Polanco singled back-to-back, putting men on first and third with one down for Schneider. Schneider hit a fly ball to center deep enough for Ibanez to tag and score, putting the Phillies ahead 4-0. Kendrick grounded to third for the third out.

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

Pence led off the sixth and doubled to left. Ibanez flew to left for the first out before Polanco hit a soft ground ball between first and second. Helton made a nice play to get an out, fielding the ball and shoveling to the pitcher as Pence went to third. Schneider flew to center to leave him at third.

No run for the Phils after the leadoff double by Pence. Ibanez can’t move him to third with the first out.

Kendrick started the seventh with a single to center, but Rollins flew to left, Victorino grounded out on a ball fielded by the catcher with Kendrick taking second and Utley flew to center.

Howard led off the eighth against righty Matt Lindstrom and hit a 1-2 pitch out to left, putting the Phillies on top 5-0. Pence walked behind him, but Ibanez, Polanco and Schneider all went down to keep the Phils from getting any more.

Two homers on the day for Howard. He has now hit 23 on the year against righties and none against lefties.

The Phillies went in order in the ninth. Mayberry hit for Kendrick and flew to center for the first out. He was facing lefty Matt Reynolds.

Rollins 0-for-4 with a walk. He’s 0-for-8 in the series so far.

Victorino 1-for-4 with a walk. 356/442/622 over his last 53 plate appearances.

Utley 0-for-4 with an RBI. 2-for-8 in the series so far.

Howard 2-for-4 with two home runs. He’s hitting 261/360/561 against righties for the year and 234/295/320 against lefties.

Pence 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI. 5-for-17 with three doubles and two walks with the Phillies so far.

Ibanez 1-for-4 with a strikeout. He’s 5-for-his-last-12 with four extra-base hits.

Polanco 1-for-4. 4-for-13 with four singles since his return.

Schneider 0-for-3 with an RBI. He’s 1-for-his-last-12.

Halladay (13-4, 2.44) faces righty Jason Hammel (6-10, 4.65) this afternoon. Hammel has thrown to a 7.00 ERA over his last starts. Opponents have hit .325 against him in those starts with six home runs in 27 innings. The Colorado native Halladay has made three career starts against the Rockies, going 2-0 with an 0.77 ERA and an 0.86 ratio.

The Phils couldn’t figure out Giant pitching again last night, dropping their second straight and the series to San Francisco. After losing 4-1 last night, the Phils have lost two in a row for the first time since June 4. In their last two games, the Phils have scored two runs, both of which are unearned.

Kendrick pitched pretty well in the game and was backed by 2 2/3 strong innings from the bullpen. In the seventh, some weak defense from Martinez and Howard helped turn a 2-0 lead for the Giants into a 4-0 lead. The offense didn’t do much of anything against Tim Lincecum and the San Francisco pen, struggling with runners in scoring position and plating the lone run they did score with the help of a two-out error by reliever Ramon Martinez in the seventh.

The Phillies are 65-39 on the year after losing to the San Francisco Giants 4-1 last night. The Giants take two of three in the series. The Phils remain in first place in the NL East, five games ahead of the Braves.

Kendrick got the start for the Phillies and went 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks. Only three of the runs were earned. Two of the hits went for extra-bases, a double and a home run. He struck out four.

He set the Giants down in order in the first.

Pablo Sandoval led off the bottom of the first and hit a 1-0 pitch out to the opposite field, tight down the left field line, to put the Giants up 1-0. Aubrey Huff followed that with a walk, but Kendrick got the next three hitters behind him.

Kendrick struggles against lefties and the switch-hitter Sandoval takes him out of the yard for the first run of the game. Lefties are hitting 266/372/516 against Kendrick for the year. The Giants started three lefties and three switch-hitters in the game.

Andres Torres reached on a bunt single that was deflected by Kendrick with one out in the third. Ruiz threw him out trying to steal second before Jeff Keppinger grounded to third to end the frame.

Aubrey Huff doubled to right with two outs in the fourth. Nate Schierholtz was next and he singled to right-center, scoring Huff to make it 2-0. Brandon Crawford grounded to short to leave Schierholtz stranded.

Pitcher Tim Lincecum singled on a ball deflected by Kendrick with one out in the fifth. Kendrick struck Torres out looking for the second out and got Keppinger on a fly ball to center for the third.

He struck out Carlos Beltran and Sandoval in a 1-2-3 sixth.

He walked Schierholtz on four pitches to start the seventh. Crawford popped to Rollins at short for the first out before catcher Chris Stewart singled to left, moving Schierholtz to third. Rowand hit for Lincecum and chopped a ball to third that Martinez didn’t handle cleanly. He picked it up and threw high to first, where the ball went off of Howard’s glove. Howard went after that ball, but not particularly quickly. Schierholtz had scored easily on the play and Stewart raced around third trying to score as well. Howard finally got to the ball and threw home, but Stewart slid in safely to make it 4-0 with Rowand on second and one out. Perez came into the game and got Torres to pop to Utley for the second out. Lidge came in to pitch to the righty Keppinger and got Keppinger on a ground ball to third on a nice diving play and a strong throw by Martinez to end the frame.

Awful defense from Martinez and Howard on the ground ball by Rowand. Martinez may not have gotten two even if he had fielded the ball cleanly, but Howard could have handled the high throw when it came and was very slow going after the ball when it got away from him. Good base-running by Stewart to score from first on a ground ball to third.

First time on the year that Lidge had appeared in back-to-back games.

Kendrick got some bad defense in the inning, but you don’t want to walk the leadoff batter.

Stutes set the Giants down in order in the eighth with the lead cut to 4-1.

That’s two good outings for Stutes in a row in which he’s gone three scoreless frames, coming off of a stretch where he allowed runs in three of four appearances.

Herndon threw a 1-2-3 ninth.

The pen goes 2 2/3 innings in which they don’t allow a hit or a walk. Perez and Lidge get two outs in the seventh with one out and a man on second, preventing the Giants from getting more in the inning. Herndon threw 14 pitches in the game, everyone else was under ten. Lidge has thrown two days in a row.

The Phillies lineup against righty Tim Lincecum went (1) Rollins (2) Martinez (3) Utley (4) Howard (5) Victorino (6) Ibanez (7) Brown (8) Ruiz.

Rollins doubled to right to start the bottom of the first. Martinez bunted him to third with the first out, but Utley popped to short and Howard struck out swinging to end the inning.

Utley can’t bring the runner home from third with one out.

Down 1-0, the Phils went in order in the second.

Kendrick singled to right with one out in the third and Rollins walked behind him. It put men on first and second with one out for Martinez and he flew to left for the second out with Kendrick tagging and moving up to third. Utley struck out looking to leave runners on first and third.

Three men left on base for Utley through three innings. Kendrick is 4-for-16 at the plate with four singles and a walk (his .294 on-base percentage is better than Ibanez, Martinez or Valdez).

Down 2-0 in the fourth, Victorino drew a one-out walk but was left at first when Ibanez and Brown both popped out behind him.

Ruiz started the fifth with a walk, but Kendrick struck out trying to bunt him to second. Rollins flew to right on a nice sliding catch by Beltran for the second out before Martinez pushed Ruiz to second with another walk. Utley struck out swinging, leaving both runners stranded.

Two more left stranded gave Utley five through five innings.

Victorino reached on an infield single with one out in the sixth, but Ibanez and Brown both flew out behind him.

Down 4-0, Ruiz started the seventh with a double to center. With righty Ramon Ramirez on the mound, Mayberry hit for Lidge and struck out swinging for the first out. Rollins flew to left for the second out before Martinez reached on an error by the pitcher, putting men on first and third with two down. Lefty Jeremy Affeldt came in to face Utley and Utley doubled into the left field corner, scoring Ruiz (4-1) and moving Martinez to third. Howard grounded back to the pitcher to leave the runners at second and third.

Mayberry hits against the righty and strikes out for the first out. I assume Manuel didn’t use Gload cause the Phils were down by four runs and a homer only gets them within two.

The Phils went in order in the eighth. With the lefty Affeldt still on the mound after getting Ibanez to ground to the pitcher for the second out, Francisco hit for Brown. Righty Sergio Romo came into the game and got Francisco to fly to left to end the inning.

Righty Brian Wilson struck Ruiz out to start the bottom of the ninth. Gload hit for Herndon and doubled to right. Rollins was next and flew to right for the second out, with Gload tagging and moving up to third. Martinez struck out swinging to end the game.

Nice to see Gload running well enough to go from second to third on any fly ball.

Rollins was 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. 1-for-12 in the three-game set. He’s hitting 263/333/392 for the year. 2-for-his-last-28.

Martinez 0-for-3 with a walk and left four men on base. 1-for-11 with a walk in the series. 218/264/316 on the year, which really means you shouldn’t be starting that many games at third base or hitting second that often for a team trying to win the World Series.

Utley 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI and five men left on base. 3-for-12 with a double and a homer in the set. 281/374/478 for the year.

Howard 0-for-4 with a strikeout. 2-for-12 with a double and a home run in the series. 246/338/459 on the year.

Victorino 1-for-3 with a walk. 2-for-10 with two walks in the series. 258/361/387 in 37 plate appearances since his return. 299/374/510 for the year.

Ibanez 0-for-4 and left two men on base. 2-for-11 with a home run in the series. 245/287/418 for the year.

Brown 0-for-3 with a strikeout. 1-for-5 with a walk in the series. 247/338/399 for the year. Mayberry was 2-for-4 with a double and a home run in the set. 255/321/458 on the year.

Ruiz 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. 1-for-6 in the series. 265/370/373 for the season.

Halladay (12-4, 2.55) faces righty Kevin Correia (11-8, 4.38) tonight. Correia had a 2.91 ERA after his first eight starts of the season, but has thrown to 5.22 ERA over his last 14 starts while opponents have hit .294 against him. Two of his last three starts have been real bad. Both of them came at home — on the road this year he’s 9-2 with a 2.85 ERA and a 1.08 ratio. The Phillies have won 11 of the last 12 games that Halladay has started.

Polanco may be activated for Saturday’s game.