Roy Halladay set himself up for his second complete game of the season this afternoon by feeding the hapless Mets a steady diet of unhittable strikes.



The result was quick outs and quick innings, allowing Halladay to collect his second complete game in six starts this season, his 11th in 39 starts with the Phillies and the 60th of his career.


Now the aforementioned Roy Halladay Complete Game Trivia:

Since the beginning of the 2007 season, Halladay had racked up 36 complete games. During that same time period, who is second in complete games and how many CGs do they have?

Sure it'll be difficult to know an exact name/number, so take your best guess...



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Ruben Amaro Jr. sat in the home dugout at Citizens Bank Park and spoke for close to 10 minutes.

The entire back-and-forth between the general manager and the media dealt with the laundry list of injuries the Phillies are dealing with entering the last weekend of April.

Here's a quick rundown:


- 2B Chase Utley: Is the team any closer to drawing up a timetable (i.e. rehab games)? "No," Amaro said.

- RHP Brad Lidge: He is seeing the team doctor as I type (scheduled to meet with him at 6 p.m.). He hopes to be cleared to begin throwing.

- C Carlos Ruiz: He is also meeting with the doctor. The Phils brought Dane Sardinha up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley today; the best guess is Chooch will be given the weekend to give his back some rest and the Phils will makes the Sardinha-for-a relief pitcher roster move after Monday's off day.

- RHP Joe Blanton: He will rest his elbow for the time being. He doesn't have a timetable for what's next. Said Blanton: "We're optimistic it'll be a pretty quick deal. Especially because there's no structural damage."

- RHP Jose Contreras: Amaro said he's progressing well. "Hopefully he'll be back soon."

- LHP J.C. Romero: The veteran lefty is eligible to come off the DL on Wednesday. But he hasn't began a rehab assignment yet. But... that doesn't mean he can't still return by Wednesday. "Hopefully he’ll be back closer to the (15-day) time frame," Amaro said.

- RF Domonic Brown: The rookie outfielder homered in each of his first two minor league rehab games at Class A Clearwater. Amaro said he will stay with the Threshers through the weekend. After that? "He needs to play... then we’ll assess if he’s ready to play here or not," Amaro said.

Right-hander Joe Blanton will be placed on the 15-day disabled list prior to Friday's game against the New York Mets.

According to the Phillies, Blanton's injury is a "right medial impingement of the right elbow."

Blanton was set to make his fifth start of the season tonight against the Mets. The Phils will recall right-hander Vance Worley to start in Blanton's place against the Mets.

The 30-year-old Blanton was 0-1 with a 5.92 ERA this season, but was is also coming off his best two starts of the season. He pitched back to back games of allowing two runs in seven innings prior to being placed on the DL.

No word on when the injury surfaced or for how long the team expects Blanton to be out. Awaiting more from the team on both of those queries.


It's worth noting that St. Louis Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter was placed on the DL with an elbow impingement after making one start in April of 2007. Four months after he was placed on the DL, in July of 2007 Carpenter underwent Tommy John surgery and didn't return to the Cardinals rotation until July 30, 2008.

The speculation on why Roy Oswalt left the Phillies last night, without talking to reporters following the game, ran rampant this afternoon.

But it turns out Oswalt has put his family first (as he should).

The 33-year-old pitcher flew back to his Mississippi as severe storms have hit his hometown.

Here is Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.'s official statement:


“There has been a tremendous amount of tornado activity near Roy’s home in Mississippi resulting in several tragic deaths and significant devastation to the area. Because of this, Roy is concerned about his family’s well-being. He has chosen to take time to make sure there wasn’t significant damage to his home, but more importantly, to make certain that his wife and children are okay.
It is almost a year to the day that his parents’ home was destroyed by a tornado which has heightened his concern about the current situation.
We are hopeful that he will rejoin the team for his next start, but will take that day by day.”


This is not the first time Oswalt has had to leave his team because of storm damage in his hometown of Weir, Mississippi. He made two trips back there during the 2010 season.





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Chase Utley will board a plane bound for San Diego with the rest of his teammates in the next hour or so.

But the five-time All-Star won't be playing this weekend at Petco Park. And it doesn't sound like he'll be sent on a minor league rehab assignment any time soon, either.


Utley, who has been sidelined with chronic right knee pain for the last eight weeks, spoke to the Daily Times after Wednesday's game.

Here's the brief conversation, which ended with Utley saying his rehab remains "a slow process, unfortunately."


Q: I know you've run a few times in the last week. How feel are you feeling compared to three weeks ago when we left spring training?

Utley: "I feel better than I did three weeks ago, for sure."



Q: You've been running, fielding... is the next step to try to do it in a game situation, or inching closer to that?

Utley: "That's the goal but that's definitely not the next step. The next step is just to continue doing what I'm doing and to hope that it responds well and so far it has."



Q: So it's just all a gradual process, have to continue to practice patience?

Utley: "At this point we've been patient with it so far, so I don't see a reason to change that."



Q: You have to be getting antsy to get out there.

Utley: "Of course I do. Of course."



Q: With the fielding drills, have you increased what you've done, in terms of range of ground balls, what you're able to do?

Utley: "From Day one until now, it's been a little bit of a progression, taking more, moving a little bit more. But it's still going to be a slow process unfortunately."

Pretty quiet down at the ballyard this morning.

So I spent some time checking out the tweets, and happened upon this: Sergei Bobrovsky was given a "maintenance day" by those Philadelphia Flyers.

What does this got to do with baseball? Fair question. I'm not even sure.

Actually, it got me thinking about the Phillies lineup.

Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard are in the lineup for today's game; all three have started all 17 games this season. Raul Ibanez is out of the lineup today, the first time after 16 straight starts.

It's understandable Charlie Manuel isn't going to rest his best offensive weapons when he's in desperate need to see some offense. But is it also counterproductive to play his main guys every day?



While Polanco's bat has stayed hot (9-for-24 in his last six games), both Howard and Rollins have struggled during the Phils current offensive cold spell. Rollins is hitting .174 (4-for-23) in his last six games, Howard is 3-for-21 (.143) with seven Ks in the same span.

It's also worth noting that all three guys who have played in every game - Rollins, Howard and Polanco - missed time with injuries last season.

Look, this is nothing new. Manuel plays his regular players more than any manager in baseball, it's something he's done nearly every season.

But none of these players are getting any younger. Perhaps a day off could do a body good.

Also interesting: Carlos Ruiz has caught all three games of this series, including today, a day game following a night game. He's started nine straight games.

Brian Schneider has appeared in just three games this season, and has started twice in the Phils 17 games.

Manuel briefly spoke to Schneider Wednesday, and I'm guessing the backup backstop will be in the lineup tomorrow against San Diego right-hander Mat Latos.

It'll be interesting to see if Rollins, Howard or Polanco get a day off sometime in the seven-day west coast trip, too. But don't hold your breath waiting for it.

Mike Zagurski had just arrived at Coca Cola Park in Allentown when his phone rang around 1 p.m. He had been summoned to Philly, as fellow lefty J.C. Romero was placed on the disabled list.

Zagurski did a quick u-turn, got back to his house to pack for a seven-game west coast road trip, and then drove through slow-moving-through-the-rain traffic en route to Citizens Bank Park.


He arrived at around 3:30 p.m.

"Traffic was a little slow with the rain," Zagurski said, laughing. "Not everyone was on the gas."

Zagurski hopes he won't have to make the reserve commute any time soon. The 28-year-old lefty has spent the majority of the last three seasons either recovering from injury (he had Tommy John surgery before the start of the 2008 season) or in the minor leagues.

Zagurski was a surprise call-up in 2007, when the Phils pitching staff was ravaged with injuries. He appeared in 25 games that summer.

But he's appeared in just eight big league games since 2007.

"I think it's trying to make the most of the opportunity," Zagurski said. "A couple times I've been up here I've done great, a couple times I haven't done so great. so take it with a grain of salt, hopefully it goes well and it sticks and it puts me in a good position for later on."

With Romero down, Zagurski gives the Phils a second left-hander with 25-year-old fireballer Antonio Bastardo. But from a selfish standpoint, his success could also help dictate whether he gets a longer look in the big leagues for the first time in four seasons.

Zagurski was off to a good start at Triple-A Lehigh Valley: he was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in three games and had compiled seven strikeouts and one walk in 3 1/3 innings.

The way the Phillies 6-3 loss to the Brewers went down, it was hard to differentiate between insult and injury.

Kyle Kendrick imploded. In his first outing since April 8, the starter-turned-reliever walked the first batter of the 12th inning on four pitches and then appeared to get a quick out before fielding a come-backer and firing the ball down the right field foul line.

The inning never got any better for Kendrick, leading to the Phils second loss in three games.


And then there was the injury: J.C. Romero is likely heading to the disabled list.

After recording the first two outs in the ninth, Romero tried to field an infield single, but came up limping instead. He was still limping in the clubhouse afterward. Romero injured his right calf.

Romero will have an MRI Tuesday.

"When I tried to catch that groundball, I tried to push off on that leg and when I took a step I knew something was wrong," Romero said. "Hopefully, it’s just 15 days or so, but I won’t know until (Tuesday)."

Among the candidates the Phillies may consider promoting: right-handers Scott Mathieson and Michael Stutes and left-hander Mike Zagurski.


Following Kendrick's outing, the Phils may be intrigued to see how the 24-year-old Stutes would handle his first major league experience.

Stutes, who impressed at spring training, is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA in four games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He's struck out 11 and walked four in 6 2/3 innings.

Panic began to set in Friday throughout the Delaware Valley when Roy Oswalt walked off the mound with the Phillies training staff.

The panic grew worse when the injury was called back spasms and fans began to make that connection that Oswalt has had back issues before (even though it's never been THAT bad -- he's made 30 or more starts for seven straight seasons).

The panic can now be downgraded. Pitching coach Rich Dubee said Oswalt was "much improved" and that chances are "very high" the right-hander will stay on rotation and make his next scheduled start, Thursday in San Diego.

"He's doing fine," Dubee said.

The Phils will keep the rest of their rotation in order, too, following Saturday's rain out (Joe Blanton Monday, Roy Halladay Tuesday, etc). Which isn't a surprise at all, since both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are coming off complete games and there is at least a chance Oswalt could still be skipped.

But Oswalt sounded confident Sunday.

"I should be able to make it," Oswalt said.

Approximately five hours before the Phillies and Nationals played the rubber game of their three game series in Washington, Chase Utley began running.

Utley, who has been sidelined with chronic right knee pain since games started in spring training six weeks ago, did shuttle drills under the watchful eye of head team trainer Scott Sheridan. He also ran between first and third base, turning up his speed in the 90 feet between second and third.

"He's driving the train," assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said of Utley's progress. "He's progressing as he tolerates. And if he said he is OK trying to run, obviously he felt good enough to do that. We'll see how he feels tomorrow, that's really the true test of his he's progressing."

The Phils have no time table for Utley's return. He began fielding three weeks ago, just before the team broke camp in Clearwater, Fla.

Utley did not make himself available for comment prior to Thursday's game.

It's been two years since Harry Kalas, the Hall of Fame voice of the Phillies, passed away. Hard to believe, Harry.

It feels like so much longer, probably because he is missed so much and his absence is felt with every Phillies broadcast that goes on without him.

I caught up with Ryan Howard today and asked him about a man he considered a good friend.

"It was like any other day," Howard recalled. "I remember I had just seen him just before he was heading up to the booth. At that time, everything was cool, it was normal. And then we get the news that he had a heart attack, that he passed. It was hard to believe. I was just talking to him. It was definitely hard.


"Growing up in St. Louis, our Harry Kalas was Jack Buck. So growing up listening to Jack Buck and the Cardinals, I can definitely understand what was going on in Philadelphia, how people grew up listening to him, it's the only voice you know and then he's not there."

No, there isn't a fifth starter controversy. I was just looking for a blog headline that sounded like a Robert Ludlum novel. Or something.

As you may have saw last night, Joe Blanton, the Phillies fifth starter, had a case of the Tuesdays at Nationals Park. The solo home run he gave up to old pal Jayson Werth in the sixth inning was the seventh hit and fifth run he allowed in what turned out to be a 7-4 loss.


Blanton had given up three runs in the previous inning, when he allowed four of five batters (at the bottom of the Nats lineup) to reach base and take over the game.

Blanton's blah performance followed up a season-opening stinker: a week earlier, last Wednesday against the Mets, the Phils spotted Blanton a 7-0 lead. He gave all seven back, departing before the fifth inning.

Blanton diagnosed the problems he's having last night: he's having trouble commanding his pitches out of the stretch. It actually makes a lot of sense, since 12 of the 17 walks/hits he's allowed this year have come while pitching with base runners on (and, this, pitching out of the stretch).

It's a mechanical flaw that can be corrected via video and between-starts bullpen sessions, Blanton says.

It's also worth noting that Blanton's numbers in April and May are historically bad. In 62 career starts before June in his career, Blanton is 16-28 with a 5.32 ERA.

He's a slow starter, and after having the worst ERA in the NL at the All-Star break last year and then pitching effectively in the second half, maybe the poster boy of slow starters.

But defending Blanton for us jounrnalist types has become the easy, knee-jerk reaction to the apparent overreaction by displeased Phillies fans 10 games into the season. I personally haven't heard from you, but many of my colleagues have been getting "Get rid of Blanton!" tweets and emails.

So their defense of Blanton makes some sense, since he has been a durable, useful major league starting pitcher since arriving to Philly in July 0f 2008.

But let's also not go overboard. Blanton is not Roy Halladay.

To illustrate this point, here's a game we can play. It's called, "Name the Pitcher." We'll use the stats from 2010.

Ready? Good.


Pitcher A: 11-10, 4.73 ERA, 1.37 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched), .283 opponents batting average, .807 opponents OPS, 84 strikeouts, 49 walks in 180 2/3 innings, 33 games.


Pitcher B: 9-6, 4.82 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, .291 BA, .796 OPS, 134 strikeouts, 43 walks in 175 2/3 innings, 29 games.



OK. Put down your pencils.

Pitcher A? That's Kyle Kendrick, the sixth man in the Phillies five-man rotation.

Pitcher B? That's Blanton.

While Blanton surely strikes out more batters than he walks, the rest of those numbers are pretty darn close, huh? Once could also argue - as long as they wore heavy armor while doing so - that Kendrick was more effective and more durable than Blanton last season (Blanton missed the first month with an oblique injury).


Now, as the "armor" comment suggests, we completely expect more overreaction here, mostly because Kendrick is an easy target/whipping boy. But the point being made here is, based on last year's respective performances, the drop-off from Blanton to Kendrick is in no way equal to the drop-off from, say, Roy Oswalt to Blanton.

It's two starts into the season, so it's far too premature to talk about replacing a starting pitcher. And Joe Blanton, in the second year of a three-year, $24 million deal, is very unlikely to lose that spot unless he gets hurt no matter how far along the Phils are in their season, in my opinion.

But it's at least worth noting that the Phils sixth starter might not bas as far behind Blanton as public opinion would lead you to believe.

The closest the Washington Nationals came to having a winning record occurred in 2005, their first year since moving over from Montreal, when they finished 81-81.

But while spending most of the afternoon in the home clubhouse at Nationals Park today, I could almost sense a different feel from what has been one of the most woeful franchises in baseball since I began covering the Phillies in the winter of 2008.

The Nationals don't talk or act like a team that's averaged 95.6 losses in the last five seasons.

One of the reasons? The names in the clubhouse have changed. There's Adam LaRoche over there, Rick Ankiel in the cage, Laynce Nix, Alex Cora and Matt Stairs, too.

Are any of those guys expected to make the All-Star team? No. But there all veterans who have played on winning teams. And one of the reasons they're all here is the guy who's new locker stall is located in the back, center of the clubhouse.


Jayson Werth.

"If you're a free agent and you can go to any team you want, it's a tough sell," Washington All-Star third baseman Ryan Zimmerman said of selling the Nationals youth movement to veterans. "So I think the biggest part of getting Jayson, besides what he brings, is the domino effect. Jayson comes here and then Ankiel and LaRoche. That kind of puts you over the top as far as, this team is going to spend some money. Ultimately you have to win. But, you need that first guy to kind of start it."

"I've been here since 2004 so I've seen some dog days, some pretty bad times," Washington shortstop Ian Desmond said. "I've seen guys who aren't interested in coming here. In 2005 if someone said Cliff Lee might come to the Washington Nationals, it would have been, 'Ha, yeah right.' This offseason, not that it was 100 percent or 50 percent, or whatever, but there was some consideration. And then Werth does come over.

"If the organization wasn't moving in the right direction, there is no chance he would have signed. Hopefully next year another free agent will see that. That's how you build. That's the biggest thing – now that organization is in a place where other, top-tier free agents want to come here. We've got LaRoche, Pudge is here..."


The Nationals likely won't become contenders overnight. But they were in on Zack Greinke trade talks after getting Werth over the winter, a sign that they'll be on the lookout for another top-of-the-rotation type either at the trade deadline or over the winter.

Put an ace next to Stephen Strasburg in 2012 and the rotation looks pretty good from the top. The bullpen also has a future star closer in Drew Storen. The offense has young stars in Zimmerman and Desmond (and top prospect Bryce Harper a couple years away).

But in signing Werth to a seven-year, $126 million contract, the Nationals now have the credibility around the league that they're serious about winning. Werth is obviously going to be an impact bat; but he also impacts how the Nats will be able to do business off the field, too.

The Phillies will attempt to win their third straight series to open the 2011 season today in a "rubber game" with the Atlanta Braves. It's Cole Hamels vs. Derek Lowe, a rematch of this memorable Phils playoff game from 2008.


Here is the starting nine Charlie Manuel is trotting out this afternoon:

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. Jimmy Rollins, SS
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Ben Francisco, RF
6. Raul Ibanez, LF
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. Michael Martinez, 2B
9. Hamels


A little surprising John Mayberry Jr. hasn't been rewarded for his hot start (4-for-5 in pinch hits) with a spot start, but Charlie Manuel isn't going to plus him in at left field in favor of the left-handed hitting Ibanez and Ben Francisco continues to wield a hot bat.


This will be Hamels' first start since getting booed off the mound at Citizens Bank Park Tuesday night. That seemed to produce a lot of chatter among Phillies fans and radio talk show hosts since, so I spoke to Hamels about it Saturday.

His reaction: booing happens. He's not bothered by it, and he also boos. Read all about Cole Hamels' take on booing here.

Saturday at Turner Field produced a pretty entertaining game, one that I thought was determined in two important at-bats a half-inning apart. Carlos Ruiz and Roy Oswalt both succeeded in leading the Phils to victory.

On the major league baseball scene, obviously Manny Ramirez's retirement got a lot of pub, considering the way it happened. (He decided to quit the game rather than serve a 100-game suspension for failing another drug test for using performance-enhacing drugs).

But to me, the biggest story was what happened at Dodger Stadium on Opening Day: a San Francisco Giants fan named Brian Stow was put into a coma and showing signs of brain damage after being beaten by Dodgers fans outside the stadium.


Here is a chilling quote from the story: "During the game, my wife received a text message from him ... He basically said he was scared inside the stadium," John Stow said, adding that his cousin did not usually make such comments lightly."

Editorializing: I'm more than OK with giving fans of the opposing team a little grief during a game. But there are certainly lines you shouldn't cross, including using language not appropriate for the many young ears that attend baseball games.

But even worse is when the arguments turn physical. These are baseball games, people. It's supposed to be fun, not life-threatening.

On a broader scale, this same thought process should spill over to the vast, uncontrolled world of social media. It's great to debate or argue back and forth with people. But practice a little civility. It's not that difficult to be nice to people.

Landed in Hotlanta just a bit ago.

Coming from Philly, where it felt like Thanksgiving football weather, I was struck by how muggy it was here. It is April and not July, right?

There is a chance for showers later, but it's supposed to be piping hot and sunny (between 86 and 88) the next two days. Charlie Manuel has a saying for those kids of days: "hittin' weather."

No matter the weather, the Phils have hit in the first week of the season.

Tied with Cincinnati for the best record out of the gate, the 5-1 Phils have scored 43 runs in their first six games - just over seven runs per game. Only the Reds and White Sox (with 45 runs each) have been more productive.


Recently-engaged first baseman Ryan Howard has led the charge: he's tied for 2nd in the NL in hitting (.480, is tied for first in RBIs (8, tied with teammate Placido Polanco, Scott Rolen and Pittsburgh's Neil Walker) and ranks third in OPS (1.340).

The good news for Howard? His bat warms up to both warm weather and Tim Hudson, who starts tonight for the Braves, opposite Cliff Lee.

Howard is 14-for-41 (.341) off Hudson with six home runs, nine walks and six strikeouts.

He's also not alone: Raul Ibanez is a lifetime .306 hitter vs. Hudson (15-for-49 with one home run and Ben Francisco, in an albeit limited window, is 2-for-3 off the Braves veteran right-hander.

Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino have also showed some pop vs. Hudson: Chooch has two home runs in 19 at-bats, Vic has two homers in 34 at-bats.

To his credit, Hudson wasn't bad at all overall against the Phillies last year: 2-1 with a 3.79 ERA in three starts. Coincidentally, Hudson also has a lifetime 3.79 ERA against the Phils, along with a 6-7 record in 18 starts.


But Hudson has also served up more home runs to the Phillies in his career, 15, than he has to any other major league team.

While some Phillies may go into tonight's first meeting between the two preseason NL East favorites confident and comfortable against Hudson, at least one hitter probably will not: Placido Polanco was plunked in the left elbow by a Hudson pitch here at Turner Field on April 21 last season.

Cole Hamels got booed off the field after giving up a career-worst six runs in an inning on Tuesday.

Joe Blanton wasn't much better on Wednesday. He was handed a 7-0 lead. He handed it back, and was only saved by the Phillies surprisingly scalding offense and underrated back of the bullpen.

The Phillies were supposed to be a team that brought strong starting pitching ever night, right? What gives?

Well, worry no more. After one full turn through the cover boy rotation, it's Roy Halladay's turn once again.



And here are some startling numbers about the reigning NL Cy Young winner and ace of Phillies aces to make you rest a little easier after watching Blanton and Hamels surrender a combined 13 runs in the last two nights.

In the New York Mets, Roy Halladay will be pitching against a National League east foe. Let's just say that worked out pretty well last year.




Halladay vs. the NL East:

14-1 with a 1.61 ERA in 15 starts.





If you want to break it down, team by team:


Halladay vs. the Mets: 4-0 with a 2.56 ERA in four starts.
Halladay vs. the Marlins: 4-1 with a 1.66 ERA in five starts.
Halladay vs. the Nationals: 3-0 with a 0.39 ERA in three starts.
Halladay vs. the Braves: 3-0 with a 1.44 ERA in three starts.


So, uh, you could say he had some success in his first trip through his new division in 2010. Round two begins at 3:05 p.m. Thursday.

Major league players get booed. It's a fact of baseball life.

Chase Utley was booed during the intros for the home run derby in 2008 at the old Yankee Stadium. His reaction?

"Boo, (blank) you."

Surely you've heard by now (or perhaps you participated) about Cole Hamels getting booed off the field last night after a six-run third inning. He was booed loudly.

And I was a little surprised (since it was just one game).... but then perhaps not so much, since the former World Series MVP has got, in my mind, a bit of a short leash from the fans here. (For instance, Brad Lidge doesn't get booed as much, and also had a bad 2009 following '08. Also, Pat Burrell always got a longer leash when it came to deciding when to boo).

But, as I said from the beginning, booing happens in baseball, especially Philadelphia baseball. Just ask Charlie Manuel.

I did.


"I think that’s part of the game, it’s part of baseball," Manuel said. "I’ve heard the fans boo star players on teams that I played on. They’ll boo you in Cleveland. They’ll boo you in Minnesota. They’ve booed wherever I’ve been. If they don’t like performance or how the team is playing, yeah, you’re going to hear boos. That’s something that you’ve got to learn how to handle. Cole can handle that."


Any interesting stories of getting booed or lashing back, Chuck?


"Yeah," Manuel said. "Actually, when I’ve been in the minor leagues, I’ve walked right up into the stands to people. And I loved every minute of it. I did a couple things that I regretted. It wasn’t very professional. I can remember when I first managed in Wisconsin Rapids (in 1983). We were in Springfield one day and some guy in the first inning is sitting there. This guy was trying to bunt the ball and he bunted into a double play. He popped the ball up. This guy was sitting there with his wife or girlfriend screaming. There weren’t a whole lot of people in the stands. He had his beer sitting there up on the fence. I walked over to where he was at and I took my shirt off and pulled him over and I gave him my shirt. I put it down over his head and I told him to go coach third base. He was going, ‘No, Charlie, I’m sorry.’ I said, ‘No, go coach third base. I’ll stand here and drink your beer.’ He didn’t go. The umpire said we were holding the game up. I said, ‘Just shut up and wait a minute.’ One day in Colorado Springs two guys were sitting in the stands. The guys were screaming at me and I just walked from the third-base coaches box and grabbed a hold of one of them and was shaking him. I don’t think I could do that in Philly."

So there was a report on foxsports.com earlier today that said Chase Utley was close to testing out his injured right knee by jogging.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. summoned the media just a few minutes ago to play Lee Corso: not so fast my friend. Also, Utley is still experiencing some pain while fielding.


Here is the Q&A between Rube and the writers:


Q: So Utley is running in the Boston marathon?

Amaro: "He's not ready to run. That would be the next step, if he felt comfortable to do that would be to run, hopefully we'll get him there at some point."


Q: Close to jogging?

Amaro: "He's not close to jogging."



Q: OK...

Amaro: "If he was close to jogging, he'd be jogging I guess. The deal is that, that would be the next step. He's been taking ground balls and he's done OK with that so far. But still, it's baby steps, one step at a time."


Q: He's doing underwater running exercises?

Amaro: "He's done some of that. Obviously he's being buoyed by the water. He's made some progressions in that area."


Q: The day coming where he can test out a jog?

Amaro: "I'd have to Scott about it, see how he feels. It is literally a day to day thing.


Q: Responded well to fielding?

So far he's done OK, so far he's done OK.


Q: Evidence beginning to show that he's progressing – he's fielding now, wasn't two weeks ago. Does that show definitive progress?

Amaro: "Yeah he's had some progress. But it's slow, and it will continue to be slow. Even if he gets to the point where he's able to run or jog, that doesn't mean he's going to jump forward all of a sudden and be in a rehab. That may take some time, too. Running up to 100 percent is different than jogging around. It's all a progression."


Q: Day after jog just as important if it did happen?

Amaro: Every single day is.. it's literally day to day.


Q: He's been bending taking ground balls, down on one knee – correct or incorrect to assume he's not feeling pain? Or some discomfort?

Amaro: "Right now he feels some discomfort. But not to the point where it's debilitating for him. He's made some progress whereas it's not as painful."



Q: Need to not feel anything in ground ball work before he begins jogging"

Amaro: "That would be our preference."



Q: A test jog – is that a spur of the moment thing, if he comes in feeling really good one day?

Amaro: "It's possible."



Q: Is he going to make road trips, to Atlanta and DC?

Amaro: "I see him travelling with the club."


Q: ...to keep up with training staff?

Amaro: "We have the personnel he'd want to work with. Plus I like having him around, as does Charlie. Rightfully so. He's our team leader… or one of them."

While much of the focus was on the Phillies rotation heading into the season, the offense was the thing that stood out to me in the first weekend of the season.

We don't want to put too much stock into three games, of course. But it should be noted nonetheless.

The Phillies were shut out 11 times last season - and we honestly lost count on how many times they were held to three runs or less in 2010. They averaged seven runs per game against the Astros. Not bad, eh?

Again, that's just three games. But even if you cut that in half, and they're averaging somewhere between three and four runs pre game, it looks pretty good with the Halladay-Lee-Oswalt-Hamels-Blanton rotation, right? How often are those guys going to give up four or more runs per game?

In my mind, the key to the offense is one of the guys off and running in 2011.


One thing not mentioned in the above linked story: Jimmy Rollins was off to a similar start last season, before suffering a season-debilitating calf injury. JRoll in six games before the injury last April: 9-for-23 (.391), 8 runs, 7 walks, 4 strikeouts, 5 extra-base hits.

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Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told FoxSports.com today that Chase Utley could begin jogging soon.

This isn't too big of a surprise: Utley has been taking infield practice for the last week. With each day, he appears to be doing more work in the field.

First, it was standing staionary with balls hit directly at him. Then it was a little more movement, balls hit a step or so away. On Sunday, Utley worked on pivots, first throwing to second in double-play mode, and then taking the flip at second base, hopping and firing to first.


But it still may take some time before Utley gets on the field. He won't be cleared until he can run, and light jogging is not running.

Then again, you have to crawl before you can walk, I guess. Baby steps.


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Cole Hamels will look to put the Phillies 4-0 tonight. If that happens, it would be the first time a Phils team has started a season 4-0 since 1915.

Any Phils fan alive that remember the 1915 team? Doubtful.

But check out that group of outfielders: you've got Possum Whitted, Gavvy Cravath, Beals Becker, Dode Paskert, and, yes, Bud Weiser.



Hamels will pitch opposite Chris Young, the 6-foot-10 Princeton product and former Padres pitcher who has been limited to 18 starts since 2008. Young, a former All-Star, has looked healthy and pretty sharp this spring, however.

Back before I was on the beat, I went on vacation to San Diego in July of 2007 and actually saw a classic Hamels-Young matchup at Petco Park. I'm sure Phils fan are hoping for a better result than that, though.

J.A. Happ said he had circled it on his calendar. So when he was told by Astros manager Brad Mills that he was being pushed back from his scheduled start Sunday, he wasn't too happy.

Happ suffered a minor oblique strain in his last spring start. Houston is playing it cautious, moving Happ to Sunday and moving Bud Norris into his original slot Sunday vs. former long-time Astros ace Roy Oswalt at Citizens Bank Park.


"It's their decision," said, the key piece in the trade from the Phillies that brought Oswalt over from Houston. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little disappointed. I feel like I'm ready, but I'm sure 48 more hours will only help with the healing. But I feel ready.

"I told them 'if it's up to me, I'm throwing tomorrow.' It's in their hands and I guess as an organization they felt like they wanted to do whatever they can in case something happens, they could come back and say 'we did everything we could; if we have the extra day, why not give it to him?'

"I pitch when they tell me to pitch."

Happy Opening Day.

It's 39 degrees. It's cloudy. It's a little wet, too, from this morning's rain/snow/"wintry mix."

Pretty standard for the first day of baseball in South Philly. According to the good folks at weather.com, there's a 50 percent chance of rain at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., but pretty much clear skies from 2-5 p.m.

What else is new here? The scoreboard. The $10 million scoreboard. It's ginormous.

The good news here is we're two hours away from the first pitch and the tarp is coming off the field. Phillies pitchers are playing catch in right field.

I guess they have an odd number of guys playing catch because trainer Dong Lien is throwing with Roy Oswalt. Dong is a lefty. Who knew?

Former Phillies pitcher - and Astros Opening Day starter - Brett Myers was one of the first people out on the field, loosening up his arm by playing catch.

Not a whole lot of news to report this morning. Everyone seems ready to get this thing underway.


Roy Halladay was seated at his locker going over the game plan with pitching coach Rich Dubee and catcher Carlos Ruiz. Cliff Lee casually sat in front of his own stall across the way, chatting with whoever dropped by.

Jimmy Rollins was wearing a robe, like this one (thanks, Meechone), only with his own No.11 on it.

And Wilson Valdez, about to make his first Opening Day start since taking the field at shortstop for the Seattle Mariners in 2005, was playfully trying to put his uniform pants over his head. It reminded me of this t-shirt I wore two days ago.





Anyway, here are your Opening Day lineups:


PHILLIES

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. Jimmy Rollins, SS
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Raul Ibanez, LF
6. Ben Francisco, RF
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. Wilson Valdez, 2B
9. Roy Halladay, P



ASTROS

1. Michael Bourn, CF
2. Angel Sanchez, SS
3. Hunter Pence, RF
4. Carlos Lee, LF
5. Bill Hall, 2B
6. Chris Johnson, 3B
7. Brett Wallace, 1B
8. Humberto Quintero, C
9. Brett Myers, P


Unfortunately for the Astros five-hole hitter, Cole Hamels isn't scheduled to pithc in this series. The Astros five-hole hitter? Who?


Ah, you might have forgotten by now, but less than 3 weeks ago Bill Hall took umbrage when Cole Hamels first tried to 'quick pitch' him during an exhibition game in Kissimmee and then, after Hall showed he wasn't a big fan of that, brushed back the Astros journeyman infielder.

"He’s definitely a marked man for me now, so when I do some damage off him, I’m going to let him know I did some damage off him," Hall told the Houston Chronicle after that game. "I can guarantee that."

Also:

"I don’t feel like I do a lot of things to have pitchers mad at me for doing things on the field," Hall said. "I feel like I play the game the right way. But if you disrespect me, I’m going to do my best to disrespect you back. Obviously not in a way to disrespect the game, but obviously I’m going to let him know when I face him."

So, you have to wonder if Doc or Cliff or Oswalt sends their own message back to Hall in the next three days, huh.


Here are the rest of your pitching probables for the homestand:

Saturday, vs. Astros at 7:05 p.m.: Cliff Lee vs. Wandy Rodriguez
Sunday, vs. Astros at 1:35 p.m.: Roy Oswalt vs. J.A. Happ

Tuesday, vs. Mets at 7:05 p.m.: Cole Hamels vs. Chris Young
Wednesday, vs. Mets at 7:05 p.m.: Joe Blanton vs. Mike Pelfrey
Thursday, vs. Mets at 3:05 p.m.: Roy Halladay vs. Jonathon Niese




The Phillies will take the field at 12:32 p.m. in parade-like fashion, led by the Cardinal O'Hara marching band. The three buses were already parked outside the clubhouse and there was a list of which players and coaches were on which buses.

Interestingly, Charlie Manuel wasn't on any of the three lists. Could it be they've given him a pass after taking away the portable stairs before he could get down (after raising the championship flag) a couple years ago?

Sounds about right, eh?