Giants Prevail at C.B. Corral

Like a Western, the California baseball gang from the North, with their long hair and hairy faces, rode to town for high noon at Citizen Bank and won 2 out of 3 duels behind gunslingers Lincecum, Cain and Wilson, who have had the Phils' number since the two last squared off in these parts, partner.

The Phils were left looking like the same team whose season ended in October very much like their series did Thursday night: losing because of an inability to convert runs against a stellar S.F. Giants pitching staff.

Jimmy Rollins went 1-for-12 with 0 runs scored in the mid-week series, calling to mind his ineptitude of October '10, which was highlighted by an 0-for-4 3 S.O. NLCS Game 1 against Lincecum and Wilson on 10/16/10. Rollins final S.O. ended the game (pictured below) vs. Wilson and inspired a new plateau of verbal poetry from the mouth of ever-eloquent Phillies manager Charlie Manuel:

“I want Jimmy Rollins to hit, of course. I mean, you know, I’m very concerned about him hitting. I want him to hit. But I also think that we have to get him hitting, too. We need to try to get him hitting.”

[Picture, left: 'Oh don't forsake me, oh my Jimmy Rollins...']

On Wednesday, Cole Hamels went 7 2/3, S.O. 6 and walked just 1 -- yet lost, 2-1, because his team failed to give him run support.

The answer seemed to be staring the Phils in the face, literally, except he was wearing the wrong uniform: Carlos Beltran.

Beltran, freshly acquired from the Mets, looked pretty bad striking out against Kyle Kendrick to start the 4th and 6th innings, but he may yet be the White Knight who guides the Giants to their 2nd straight World Series appearance. Why not? The Phils did it in '08 & '09.

This season? The Phils are now an uninspiring 16-19 against teams with a winning record.

At the end of the Giants' series win over Philadelphia, a repeat of their NLCS triumph over the Fightin', Giants manager Bruce Bochy looked like a strategic genius. While there is no way he could have had control over Tim Lincecum's flu or the team's acquisition of outfielder Carlos Beltran this week, each event seemed to come together at the exact right time for maximum impact.

Much has been made, of course, of Bochy's use of both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee while he managed them for the NL in the All-Star Game on July 12th.

Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee had been outspoken about his upset. Whether it was intentional or not, Bochy forced both Halladay and Lee out of the '10 NLCS rematch that the Giants won Thursday, 2-games-to-1.

In the absence of the dynamic duo, Philly pitching was imperfect, but should have been enough.

Tuesday, Worley was dominant in game 1, which the Phils won 7-2.

Wednesday, Hamels failed to beat the Giants and is now winless against them in his last 4 games. (He hasn't beaten the Giants since '09).

Thursday, Kendrick pitched very well, but then an errant thrown by Michael Martinez opened the door for what led to a poor line, somewhat unfairly to Kendrick, who had terrific movement on his fastball and who was dominant through several stretches of the game.

Ultimately, it was the Phils' errant hitting that cost them the series.

The summary of events seemed to fuel inject S.F. past the Phils in the all-important 2nd-half of the season category: momentum.

Thanks to Bochy's All-Star managerial moves, Halladay and Lee were knocked out. Thanks to Lincecum's flu, he was in line to finish off the series with a game 3 win, since he'd missed his regular slot game 1 start. Thanks to roster moves by front office management, Beltran became a Giant during the series with the Phils, so that his 1st game as a Giant was the deciding game between the 2 NL powerhouse teams, who mirror each other in many key ways.

Both are pitching teams. Both approached the July 31st trade deadline seeking a power-hitting right-hander. Both teams pursued Carlos Beltran. The Giants got him. They also got the series win.

Their ace finished it off on the mound, while the Phils' #1 and #2 pitchers sat idle and the defending NL and World Series champion Giants rode off into the sunset with this year's top free agent prize, Carlos Beltran, wearing their World Series rings and leaving a disappointed sold-out Philly crowd in the dust. Saddle up and back to California.

Closer Brian Wilson continued his dominance of the Phils with a 2 S.O. 9th for his 33rd MLB-leading save, and the Giants seemed to say, 'We still got your number, chumps.'

The Phils will have a chance to get it back during a 4-game series in S.F. on August 4th-7th.

Who knows? Maybe they'll have their own right-handed trade deadline acquisition in outfield by then. It's likely the price will be steep, regardless of who remains available.

Asked about that prospect, baseball's best pitcher, the Phils' Roy Halladay, said: "Knowing I'm only here for a certain amount of years, yeah, I'd sell the farm."

Phils-Giants: It's ON!

The Phils begin a grudge match with the Giants today in Philadelphia.

The Phillies have everything to prove against the defending World Champions. It was the Giants who rained on the Phils parade last year, crushing the Phils' hopes for a 'threepeat' World Series trip. Instead, they got bounced by the Giants in 6 games and went home. The Phils averaged 3.17 runs per game in that series, then swapped Jayson Werth for Cliff Lee (via free agency) during the ensuing winter. Both teams are back in 1st place, where they finished 2010:

Giants: 59-43, 1st in NL West, have won 7-of-10
at Phillies 64-37, 1st in NL East, have won 7-of-10

Game 1, Tuesday 7:05 pm (EST)

[Tim Lincecum* (8-8, 2.90 ERA, 146 S.O.)

*This just in: Lincecum has been scratched from his Tuesday start due to the flu.]

Barry Zito (3-2, 4.78 ERA) - *game-day replacement vs. Vance Worley (6-1, 2.02 ERA)

Lincecum recorded 16 S.O. in 14 innings and went 2-1 vs. the Phils during the '10 NLCS.

Game 2, Wednesday 7:00 pm (EST)

??? vs.	Cole Hamels (12-5, 2.62 ERA)

Hamels had a winless '10 postseason vs. the Giants. You better believe he's hungry.

[Photo. below: Hamels in Schmidt-era retro. Phils uniform on 7/22/11.]

Game 3, Thursday 7:05 pm (EST)

Matt Cain (8-6, 3.06 ERA) vs. Kyle Kendrick (5-4, 3.45 ERA)

On 10.19.10, 'Big Daddy' Cain shut the Phillies out with a 2-hit postseason gem, 3-0, which dropped the Phils in a 2-games-to-1 hole they never emerged from. The underdog Giants advanced to the World Series 4 days later, then won their 1st Championship in 52 years.

2 'X' factors to the series:

1) The Phils are 34-11 when Rollins scores a run. He must utilize his new-found skill of getting on base (you'd think, after a jillion years at leadoff, he'd have developed a 'good eye' a little sooner). Rollins is hitting .321 with a .512 SLG % in July, but is only 1-for-his-last-16. He needs to snap out of it for Philly to score against the taut Giants' pitching.

2) Giants' closer Brian 'Big Beard' Wilson threw 5 shutout innings over 4 games against the Phils during the '10 NLCS. This season, he has been wildly uneven (6.97 April ERA, 0.66 in May, 3.72 in July). It would be a big deal if the Phils could touch him up this time around. Should he appear and dominate them, again, that could be a ghost that haunts them this postseason. Think Jonathan Broxton in reverse.

Wilson on what's in his beard: "There's garden gnomes cutting down trees and apparently there's an Irish jig lady dancing. I haven't met her yet."

Giants manager Bruce Bochy determined the Phils starting rotation for this series when he was managing the NL in the All-Star game. Whether it was intentional or not is a matter of opinion. Bochy used Halladay and Lee in the 1st 4 innings of the game. Halladay and Lee combined for 3 perfect innings to initiate the NL win, securing NL home-field advantage for the World Series.

However, in using the duo for extended stints (pitchers traditionally appear for 1 All-Star inning, the Phils' starters combined for 4), Bochy also insured his team wouldn't face them in this series. In fact, the Giants aren't scheduled to face Halladay at all this regular season in any of the 7 upcoming games between the 2 teams.

Asked what he thought of the way Halladay and Lee were used by Bochy, Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee said, “I’ve got my opinions." Asked what they were, Dubee said, “I’m not going to tell you.”

The Giants currently lead all of baseball in pitching. They are 1st in: ERA (3.08), Quality Starts (67), Batting Average Against (.229) and 2nd in WHIP (1.21).

The Phils are 2nd in: ERA (3.13) and Quality Starts (66), 5th in BAA (.242) and 1st in WHIP (1.18).

Both the Phils and the Giants have feasted on the NL West:

S.F. is 25-14 against division opponents this year, while the Phils are a NL-best 73-40 vs. the NL West since '08.

The 2 teams will meet for 4 games in S.F. on August 4th-7th.

J-Rolling and Beltran Hunting

Perhaps you've heard that the Phils are 33-11 this year when Jimmy Rollins scores a run. Well, now they're 1-0 when he hits 2 HRs in a game. Rollins also doubled in collecting his 10th multi-hit game since 6/26, when he went 4-for-4 vs. Oakland, the city of his birth. He is hitting .365 in July, which has launched his average from .251 on July 1 to .277 today.

Rollins, Gold Glove SS ('07-'09), has been as good as ever this year in the field with 5 errors and a .987 fielding %.

However, his recent offensive explosion has come out of nowhere, and it couldn't have come at a better time for an offense that has raised doubts for the team's manager, as well as baseball experts and fans.

Wednesday was only the 2nd time in the switch-hitting Rollins' career that he has homered from both sides of the plate in the same game (8/12/06 vs. Reds was the other).

If Rollins can stay hot, the Phils will have a table-setter extraordinaire, who has already matched his '08 title-year HR production and whose S.O.-walk ratio is as good as it has ever been at 38-38.

11 days remain before the trade deadline, and it appears that the Mets' RF Carlos Beltran will be traded.

You heard of the possibility here first: "Beltran in Phils' outfield? Hmm..." [7/14/11: "People's Choice Champs"].

Both the Phillies and Red Sox are the most likely landing places, with the Mets willing to eat most of the $6 million he's owed this year if they can get top prospects in return. Whose prospects do they prize the most? All this will be decided by July 31. Beltran is 34 and will be a free agent at the end of the season.

He has been injury plagued each of the last 2 seasons, which led to his dreadful numbers in '10: .255 with 7 HR in 64 games. The fact that he has vastly underachieved as a high-paid Met for 6 of the last 7 seasons doesn't bode well. However, he is hitting .291 with 14 HR and 59 RBI this year and .372 with a .500 OBP this month. Is he hot to stay (at least until he gets his next big contract) or on the verge of yet another injury?

More pertinently: should the Phils get him? Impossible to know, until we see who they would part with. However, the Phils have certainly landed on their feet in trades where they surrendered significant prospects in the last few years, so there's reason to believe they know what they're doing. On the other hand, they've shied away from rent-a-player trades, which this would absolutely be.

Still, it's a mesmerizing prospect. All-Star Carlos Beltran in RF and batting 5th for the Phils. That would create vital insurance that Ryan Howard would get pitched to in the postseason. Howard, presently leading the NL with 74 RBI, is expected to see numerous intentional walks and pitch-arounds when RBI opportunities arise during the playoffs. Acquiring Beltran could change that equation overnight.

Meanwhile, Vance Worley, who scouts around the league continue to shrug off as a one-hit-wonder, just continues to do his thing. Wednesday, Worley allowed 1 run on 4 hits over 8 strong. He struck out 7, while walking just 2.

Look at it this way, all you Worley-doubting scouts:

Ryan Vogelsong, who began the season in the minors and hadn't pitched in the big leagues since '06, was selected to the '11 All-Star game (albeit by his manager).

Vogelsong is 7-1 (#1 win % in NL) with a 2.02 ERA (#1 in NL) in 98 innings. Opponents are hitting .229 against him and his WHIP is 1.19.

Meanwhile, Worley, who skipped AAA entirely en route to his MLB debut, has steadily built uncannily identical numbers:

He is 6-1 with a 2.02 ERA. Opponents are batting .212 against him and his WHIP is 1.19.

Because he has only thrown in 63 innings, he can't yet qualify for the league lead in any pitching category. He can, however, compete for Rookie-of-the-Year, and he very much is.

Right now, it's between him and Braves' wunderkind closer Craig Kimbrel.

Worley, like Kimbrel, is 23. Vogelsong is 33. Worley doubters beware.

Notably, the Phils have made some trade blunders the last couple of years, even if winning has a way of hiding blemishes. The biggest, of course, was trading away Cliff Lee, who was a playoff stud for them in '09, before returning to the World Series for the Rangers in '10, after the Phils had traded him. Ruben Amaro, Jr. famously admitted (figuratively) 'My bad' by re-acquiring Lee this past off-season, rectifying his mistake in the fans' and Lee's eyes.

A lesser known Phils' roster move mistake, however, is the fact that they keenly signed Vogelsong as a free agent during the '09-'10 off-season, only to release him on 7/15/10. A year later, he's an all-star with the World Champion Giants.

People's Choice Champs

While the majority of baseball fans presently predict that the Phillies will win the '11 World Series [see polls here], they'll still need to play the final 71 games + potential postseason to claim the title.

First on the agenda is a pit stop in N.Y. vs. the Mets. On the face of it, it should be the Phillies for whom these games matter. After all, while the Mets are winners of 11 of 17 games, they can hardly be having delusions of grandeur or postseason hopes: 11 games back with the 2nd best team in the NL (& their division) 7 1/2 games ahead for the Wild Card.

Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson, on trading closer K-Rod this week: "From my standpoint, this certainly does not signify a change in direction from our continuing attempt to win games this season."

Translation: 'If we don't sweep the Phillies this weekend, high-priced All-Stars Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes (free-agents this offseason) are next.'

Beltran in Phils' outfield? Hmm...

Seriously, though, this could be an interesting series for the Phils, who will then battle their own potential boredom with 7 days against NL dregs Chicago & S.D. (combined W-L: 77-107), before meeting S.F. for a tantalizing '10 NLCS re-match July 26-28 in Philly and August 4-7 in S.F.

Phils (57-34, 1st place) at Mets 46-45, 3rd place), 3-game series begins Friday:

Game 1
Friday, July 15th, 7:10pm EST

Vance Worley (4-1, 2.20 ERA)
@ R.A. Dickey (4-7, 3.61 ERA; 2.25 ERA vs. Phils '08-present)

Worley must be thinking, 'Where should I go this offseason with all the frequent flyer miles I've earned flying back and forth to AAA, every week?'

Meanwhile, opposing teams must think: 'You're kidding me! You mean, I escaped the '4 Aces' only to have to hit a rookie phenom? Didn't the Pitching Fairy visit any other teams?!'

On June 29th, in one of the more amusing Phils side-stories this season, Worley was denied an autograph by the Red Sox's Dustin Pedroia before a competition between the 2.

Worley wanted Pedroia's autograph because they are both from Sacramento, CA. Also, a couple years ago, the now 23 year-old Worley snuck away from the Cape Cod League to see Pedroia's Red Sox play at Fenway Park.

"He wouldn't give me [an autograph]," Worley said. "Then I threw one up and in on him, so I probably won't get it now."

Worley stunned the Red Sox's MLB-best offense that night by mastering them with a 7-inning gem, allowing only 1 run.

"He had great mound presence, and we were all very impressed," Pedroia said. "It's really good for a kid that young to have a presence like that on the mound. He's going to be a good one."

Worley followed that win with a shutout of Florida on July 4th to close the 1st half of the season. After the game, he was rewarded by being demoted to the minor leagues. However, the Phils simultaneously assured that it was merely a roster move and that Worley had secured the 4-spot in the rotation.

Game 2
Saturday, July 16th, 4:10pm EST:

Cole Hamels (11-4, 2.32 ERA; 1.31 June ERA, 1.69 ERA in July)
@ Jonathan Niese (8-7, 3.88 ERA; 5.40 July ERA, already 1-2 vs. Phils in '11)

Hamels, who is a leading Cy Young candidate this year, wanted to pitch in the All-Star Game:

"I'd love to pitch," Hamels said before the game. "Tuesday is a bullpen day. It's usually the day I feel the best. It's one of those things where people who don't play the game make the rules. I don't think they understand the way we work out and how we train. When you come, you want to play. Most of us are pretty smart; we're not going to injure ourselves in an All-Star Game. And it's only 1 inning. That's the thing. It's not like I'm going out to throw 60 pitches. As strenuous as it is, we're built to throw 100s and 25 is nothing."

"He’s way more mature," manager Charlie Manuel said of Hamels, who has been pitching as well as anyone in baseball over the past 12 months. "He’s been around guys like Jamie Moyer and Halladay and Lee and Roy Oswalt. He’s got a better work ethic now. He’s stronger. He’s bigger than he used to be. You don’t see him with his shirt off, but he’s developing into a man."

Game 3
Sunday, July 17th, 1:10pm EST:

Cliff Lee (9-6, 2.82 ERA; 4.11 July ERA)
@ Mike Pelfrey (5-8, 4.55 ERA; 7.71 ERA vs. Phils in 3 games this year-- yikes!)

Lee missed his location with a fastball over the plate to the Red Sox's Gonzalez, surrendered the only AL run in Tuesday's All-Star Game. However, the NL won 5-1 and gained homefield advantage for the World Series.

"That's huge," Lee said. "Whenever you play more games at home, that's big. It's a difference maker anytime you get homefield advantage in the World Series."

Pelfrey, getting crushed by Phils this year (7.71 ERA), may want to sit this one out. Look for bullpen help, i.e., K-Rod-- oops, he's been traded to the Brewers.

The Phils, reportedly shopping for a right-handed bat and tied to a possible trade for All-Star closer Heath Bell, will need to show more offensive consistency and maintain focus, despite overmatching most of their opponents for the remainder of the season. If they can do that, the course should be steady.

2 stealthy opponents on their schedule should help keep them motivated: S.F. and Atlanta, both of whom are formidable NL contenders within striking distance of the Phils' superlative record. The Phils will play them each twice during the remaining 10 weeks of the season.

Phils Reign Supreme at Midseason

The Phillies tied a team record for 1st half wins (with the wacky '93 Phils) and enter the All-Star Break with baseball's best record: 57-34.

On Sunday, in dominating fashion, the Phils showed the Braves who's boss by annihilating their closest NL competition 14-1 behind a commanding Cole Hamels on the mound and a season-high 20-hit barrage at the plate.

Hamels (11-4) surrendered 3 hits, while notching 6 S.O. in 8 innings. He yielded 1 hit after the 2nd inning and retired the last 13 batters in-a-row.

“He threw a heck of a game,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said.

“He’s pretty tough,” Atlanta’s All-Star catcher Brian McCann said of Hamels. “You almost have to play perfect against him.”

The close proximity between his Sunday start and Tuesday's All-Star game ensures Hamels will be the 3rd of the 5 All-Star Phils who won't appear in the All-Star game, joining Polanco and Victorino (injuries) and leaving only Halladay and Lee available.

Most importantly, the Phils took 2-out-of-3 against both Boston (#1 in AL) and Atlanta (#2 in NL) during the final 12 days of the season's 1st half. That is a terrific confidence boost.

“This was a big series for us to win, it’s going to help our team,” Manuel said. “I think it helps us more than it hurts them. I know their team. They’re going to come back in the 2nd half and try to prove they’re better than we are. That’s baseball, and it should be that way.”

The crowd of 45,853 was the 172nd consecutive Citizens Bank Park sellout and 3rd-largest in the park's history. The joyous Philly fans performed a mocking Tomahawk Chop imitation of Turner Field Braves fans' traditional celebration.

“They’re a good team,” Braves pitcher Derek Lowe said. “Sometimes you have to say you got your butt beat.”

A closer look reveals this Phillies team is something even more magical than simply "good."

If it could have prophetically been forecast back in March that the Phils would lose 2 of their 5 starters, Oswalt and Blanton, pivotal relievers Lidge, Contreras and even (briefly) Madson, as well as position starters Utley, Victorino and Polanco for stretches of the 1st half, there would be no way of predicting the team would lead all of baseball in wins, which they have most of the year.

Whether it's the supremacy of Halladay (11-3, 2.45 ERA) and Hamels (11-4, 2.32 ERA) or surprise contributions from Worley (4-1, 2.20 ERA), Bastardo (3-0, 0.82 ERA), Stutes (3-1), Juan Perez (3 innings, 6 S.O.) and even Wilson Valdez (1-0), the pitcher's mound has been a golden island for baseball's best pitching staff thus-far in 2011.

Charlie Manuel and Phillies fans alike can only hope that Sunday's offensive onslaught is indication that there are surprises yet to come at the plate.

Raul Ibanez, who suffered career-low slumps throughout much of the 1st half of the season, completed a convincing series vs. Atlanta with 6 RBI on Sunday and his 2nd HR in the 3 games (Friday's was a walk-off), while John Mayberry Jr. (CF) had 3 doubles, 4 RBI and Michael Martinez (3B) collected 4 hits. Dominic Brown added 3 hits, and, suddenly, some of the run-scoring pep that fueled '08's title-run seemed to be aligning like the stars who dominated that team's bat-heavy highlight reels.

Still, reality check reveals that these Phils aren't floating into the Break on magic carpets. The Braves pitchers contributed to Sunday's one-sided hit-brigade fireworks just as much as the Phils' hitters did.

After all, Lowe (6 innings, 10 hits) had been shellacked in 7-of-9 games coming into the rubber game in Philadelphia. While his name still rings of the once-Boston Ace, his numbers (5-7) tell a different tale of fallen star. It's doubtful he would be on a post-season roster at all, should the Braves get there. Meanwhile, Jair Jurrjens (12-3) and Tim Hudson, starting pitchers who didn't appear in the weekend series in Philly, and Tommy Hanson (10-4), who held the Phils to 1 run on Saturday, certainly would.

Furthermore, Cory Gearrin and Scott Proctor, who surrendered 10 runs on 10 hits are hardly cream-of-the-crop Braves relievers. The Braves relief crew has posted an improved staff ERA in each of the last 4 seasons and Gearrin (6.61 ERA) and Proctor (5.79 ERA) are hemming, not helping that tide.

Still, it was a convincing show by a largely supportive cast of Phils, and it couldn't have come at a better time, with questions left unanswered as to whether this team can ring the Liberty Bell at the Bank enough times (Victorino is the only player hitting above .280) to bring home a 2nd championship in 4 years.

“Consistent offensive approach, definitely consistently is the key,” Manuel said. “We have the potential to do that and if we do that, with our pitching, then things are going to be really good for us.”

Since the Phils took 2-of-3 against them June 28-30, Boston has done it again, winning 9-of-10, entering the Break on a 6-game win streak and ranked #1 in baseball in Runs, Average, etc., representing a dark cloud on the Phils' horizon.

Still, the Phils beat them 2-of-3, without Halladay, so if there was a doubt to this team's depth or resilience, it should have been unequivocally answered in a record-tying 1st half rife with injury, yet decorated with victory.

The Phils will open the 2nd half Friday in N.Y. against the red-hot rival Mets (on an 11-6 run) and will have much to prove in a re-match of the '10 NLCS in Philadelphia July 26-28 vs. the defending World Champion S.F. Giants (who've regained 1st place by going 13-6 in their last 19 games).

Phils & Braves Cuddle-up for Weekend Lovefest

The Phils 3-game weekend series vs. the Braves, which begins today in the city of Brotherly Love, will be their 1st battle for 1st-place since May 9th-11th, when they won 2 of 3 vs. Florida. Of course, the floundering Marlins have since gone South for the summer.

The ever-present Braves, however, lead the season series 5-games-to-4 over the Phils and are now eyeing 1st place, if they can do what they did to Colorado this week: sweep the series.

The Phils enter the 3-game series with a 2 1/2 game lead over Atlanta.

"You can have a 10-game lead right now, and that doesn't mean you're going to go to the playoffs," Phils manager Charlie Manuel said. "We haven't won nothing. We've been winning some games and we have a good record, but the Braves are right there with us. We ain't done nothing yet, really."

The Braves have won 9 of their last 10 games and 14-of-17. They mirror the Phils in pitching-over-hitting strength.

"We're similar in a lot of ways," Manuel said. "If you look at runs scored and hitting, they're a lot like us. They've been doing it mostly with pitching."

The Braves led the Phils by 4 1/2 at the '10 All-Star break, but the Phils came back to win their 4th-straight division title. The Braves hope to do the same this season.

Braves' 6-time all-star 3rd baseman Chipper Jones said, "If you want to get to the top, you've got to beat the best, and they've been the best for quite some time. Every time we play them, it's a measuring stick."

Three key factors in this series:

1) The Phils will be throwing the studs of their rotation against the Braves' 2nd tier hurlers, since Ace Jair Jurrjens and star Tim Hudson have just pitched and will not appear in the 3 games in Philadelphia.

Jurrjens (12-3, 1.87 ERA) has bested the Phils' Cy Young contenders, Halladay and Hamels, thus far. If the season ended today, Jurrjens would be baseball's pitching king.

NL manager Bruce Bochy is presently deciding whether Jurrjens or Halladay will start for him in the All-Star game: "I've got two guys—Halladay with all he's done" and Jurrjens, he said Thursday.

2) Phils' batting leader and newly-named 5th All-Star, Shane Victorino (.303; 1st on Phils, 10th in NL) has just been placed on the 15-day DL for his injured thumb and will not play vs. Atlanta.

3) Phils' closer Ryan Madson is on the 15-day DL, so will not appear vs. Atlanta. Madson is 3-1 with a 2.03 ERA in 31 appearances. He is holding opposing hitters to a .230 batting average and has struck out 34 hitters in 31 innings.

Atlanta leads all of baseball in team ERA (3.02) and Batting Average Against (.229), they're 3rd in Quality Starts (56), 2nd in Shutouts (10) and tied with the Phils for 2nd in WHIP (1.18).

The Phils are 2nd in ERA (3.05), 8th in BAA (.242), 1st in QS (58), 1st in Shutouts (13, 6 by Halladay) and tied with the Braves for 2nd in WHIP (1.18).

Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel threw back-to-back 99-mph fastballs Thursday to collect his 27th save, an MLB record (eclipsing Jonathan Papelbon) for the most pre-All-Star Break saves by a rookie, ever [Picture: left, below].

The Phils and Braves will play 2 series in September and the Phils will finish their season in Atlanta, September 26th-28th.

Game 1, tonight, 7:05 pm EST:

Atlanta: Beachy (3-1, 3.23 ERA) at
Philadelphia: Halladay (11-3, 2.44 ERA)

Halladay is 6-0 with a 2.69 ERA over his last 9 starts.

Game 2, Saturday, 4:10 PM EST:

ATL: Hanson (10-4, 2.52 ERA) @

PHI: Lee (9-6, 2.92 ERA)

The Braves are 6-0 with a 2.08 ERA in Hanson's last 6 road starts.

Game 3, Sunday, 1:35 PM EST:

ATL: Lowe (5-6, 4.21 ERA) @

PHI: Hamels (10-4, 2.40 ERA)

Chipper Jones is hitting .313 against Hamels, lifetime with 2 HR and 4 2B in 32 At-bats (.625 SLG %).

Note:

Chris Ferguson, the Philly native commander of the NASA Atlantis mission that just left for space is bringing Tastykakes with him. Last space mission, he brought his Chase Utley jersey.

All-Stars Include Hamels, Polanco...

Cole Hamels was deservedly named to his 2nd ever All-Star Game. He is enjoying his best season ever and appears poised to post the 1st full season of excellence of his career. July '07 + The 2nd halves of '08 & '10 + other stretches of dominance do not a season make. However: 9-4, 2.41 ERA with 110 S.O. and a .210 BAA is the 1st half of what may be a Cy Young contending season.

Placido Polanco, who is hitless in July and batted just .213 in June, .248 in May (with only 1 HR in each month), became the 1st Phillies All-Star starting third baseman since '02, when Scott Rolen was selected by fans, then traded by the team. Polanco's persistent back injury is said to be the cause of his uncharacteristic slump: "It doesn't feel good," Polanco said of his back. "It doesn't feel right."

This will be only the 2nd All-Star game for Polanco, who is batting a career-low .277 with 4 HR, a dismal .681 OPS and a career-worst fielding % has posted better numbers in each of his last 15 major-league seasons.

NL third baseman who are presently more deserving, but whom Polanco eclipsed in fan voting, include:

Aramis Ramirez, Cubs: .293, 12 HR, 44 RBI, .816 OPS and
Chase Headley, Padres: .307, .398 OBP, .805 OPS

Meanwhile, Roy 'Doc' Halladay, who may get the start, will be making his NL-leading 8th All-Star appearance, while Cliff Lee (3rd appearance) will be the 3rd Phils starter at the All-Star game. Lee represented Texas for the AL last season and retired Ryan Howard in a 1-2-3 4th.

Finally, Shane Victorino leads all votes for the last spot, the method that got the popular 3x Gold Glove winning CF ('08-'10) a record breaking 15.6 million votes in '09, which placed him in his 1st All-Star game. That year, Charlie Manuel managed 5 of his players in the All-Star game: Victorino, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth (whom Manuel selected himself).

Thusfar, Victorino is the Phils comeback player of 2011. After a career-low in average (.259) and career-highs in HRs (18) and RBI (69) in '10, Victorino is putting it all together in '11 with career-highs in average (.303) and SLG % (.524), while maintaining '10's production: 9 HR, 34 RBI, despite missing 1/2 of May.

Victorino is 7-for-his-last-11 and has been hot for most of 5 weeks (15 extra-base hits since June 8th), which couldn't be more important to the team.

Many experts forecast trouble for this Phillies' lineup come playoffs, because with runners in scoring position, when RBI king Ryan Howard is at his best and most valuable, teams will walk the cleanup hitter without any serious threat at #5 in the order.

Victorino, with Jayson Werth gone, Raul Ibanez unreliable and Dominic Brown still struggling for consistency, is the Phillies best hope for a #5 threat.

The most important thing, of course, is that none of the Phils All-Stars get hurt or break their rhythm. Honor aside, the concern about a starting pitcher throwing a single inning, for example, is ever-present at All-Star time, as reflected in manager Charlie Manuel's lackluster reception: "I don’t particularly want all three of them pitching, but yeah, they deserved to go."

Still, for Hamels in particular, whose other All-Star appearance was in '07, this must be a moment to savor. It was a long fall from '08 World Series MVP to '09 World Series goat, and a steeper climb still back to his present star status. Furthermore, to make the cut alongside Cy Young winning teammates Halladay and Lee is something special, indeed:

“It’s an honor,” Hamels said. “It’s your peers. Your peers and coaches are voting. They truly know who’s having a good year and who’s doing well. [The pitcher voting] is not a popularity-type contest.”

link to 2011 National League All-Star roster