They're Baa-aack...

The Phillies are up to their old tricks. 3 home runs in 1 inning, a 9-run 7th. Teeing off at Coors field. Batting around with key hits from Howard and Utley. Scoring in double digits. The Phils we came to know and love as NL leaders in 2008 and 2009. They're baa-aack...

They staged a comeback from down 4 at the end of 6 innings to win a wild one in Colorado, 12-11 Thursday night. A 6-1 road trip has brought them a game closer to the steadfast Braves, who refuse to yield to fate and succumb to the Phils' rightful place atop the division. The Phils seek their 4th-straight division title. The next 30 days will bring 6 head-to-head games between the NL East rivals. The Phillies will host the Braves on Sept. 20-22, while the Braves will host the Phils to end the season: Oct. 1-3.

During their current arduous stretch of 23 days wherein the Phillies will complete 24 games, there was laughter and relief in the clubhouse Wednesday.

After a week in Southern California, where the cool summer nights refresh, the Phillies seemed realigned.

Chase Utley, born and raised in Southern California, a graduate of Long Beach Poly High and UCLA, had just hit 3 doubles in 1 game during a summer where he'd broken a finger and seemed uncharacteristically struggling for his stroke. Utley took it a step further Thursday, matching a career high with 6 RBI in a game, tallying 5 in 1 inning, including a grand slam HR.

Cole Hamels, a San Diego native, had bedazzled his home town by whipping the Padres Sunday, allowing no runs or walks in 8 innings. Hamels S.O. 48, while walking just 4 in August.

The Phils' once 7-game mountain to 1st place has officially been transformed into a 2-game molehill. Their place atop the division appears to be merely a matter of time. In a way, you almost get the feeling the victory would be sweeter this time around. Maybe its the 17 members of the team that have visited the DL that would mark this feat particularly phantastic. Perhaps it's the team's remarkable lack of consistency or their incomprehensibly inconsistent hitting that would define it an amazing accomplishment.

Regardless, Dodgers analysts and sportscasters were flooding the airwaves this week announcing the Phils the NL team to beat, once again. "They have 3 aces!" they marveled on the post-game show Wednesday. "That's not a postseason rotation anyone wants to face."

Suddenly, it's a convincing argument. Cole Hamels appears back to 2008 form, Roy Oswalt has resumed his perennial Sept.-Oct. greatness (he's 4-0 in his postseason career and now 4-1 with a 1.89 ERA as a Phillie) and Roy Halladay leads all NL CY Young candidates (2nd in the league in wins, ERA and S.O.).

Ryan Howard, who hadn't homered since July 27th has now hit 2 in 3 days.

All of the sudden, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge are posting 8th and 9th inning zeros like it was 2008. Madson, who entered August with a 5.12 ERA, has allowed earned runs in exactly 1 of his last 21 innings pitched. He S.O. 27 in Aug., while walking 3. Lidge, meanwhile, has recorded 9 of his 10 save opportunities since July and has yielded only 1 earned run in that time.

The Phillies have definitely caught collective fire. the only question that remains is the one that has hung over this team like a cloud since April: Can they stay healthy, keep their head in the game and build consistency into momentum? This road trip was a resounding "Yes," but can they keep the train running all the way to the postseason gate?

Wednesday night in L.A., Domonic Brown showed his Rookie stripes, when he mistook his ground rule double for a foul ball in the 9th-inning. He rounded 1st and ran to 2nd, glimpsing the ball in the left field stands foul territory, where it wound up after striking the field fair. Brown started trotting back to the batter's box, then realized his mistake and suddenly sprinted back to 2nd. It was extremely comical and Ryan Howard laughed so hard we could see his towering frame convulsing from our seats behind the Phillies' dugout. Jayson Werth came up the steps to join Howard and pretty soon a whole crowd of Phillies appeared at the top step of the dugout to see the top prospect's hilarious blunder.

It was a funny moment, but also a telling one. A few weeks ago, the Phils were 7-games-out in an apparent free fall. Nobody was laughing. They fired their hitting coach (perhaps scapegoating him), and former starter Cliff Lee's successes shadowed their failures. The Phillies team on the verge of yet another series win against the Dodgers Wednesday had a completely different aura. They were loose, enjoying the game, feeling good about themselves, about winning. The swagger that took them to the World Series in '08 and '09 was palpably back.

Phils Seeing Double

Blurred vision anyone?

It was the Phillies longest game since 2006, played before 45,494 fans, who filled the stadium to a season high 104.2% capacity, resulting in the Phils losing 4-2 to the Houston Astros from Tuesday night to the early hours of Wednesday morning.

"I'm not sure what I think about the whole thing just yet," Jayson Werth said. "I'll take a quick nap here and come back tomorrow refreshed and act like that didn't happen."

In the 16th inning, shortstop Jimmy Rollins brilliantly stopped a ball and threw to Second Base, where Chase Utley tagged and faithfully delivered the relay throw to First, but First Baseman Raul Ibanez (filling in for an ejected Ryan Howard) couldn't finish it, allowing the winning run to score. Somehow, Ibanez managed to instill less confidence playing First than Roy Oswalt did playing Left Field against his former team in a capacity they could have never imagined. Oswalt became the 1st Phillies' pitcher to play a non-pitching field position since Bill Wilson in 1971.

Ibanez, meanwhile, had played 135 games at First Base in his big-league career, although none since the 4 he played in 2005. "That was definitely strange," Ibanez said after the game.

In one of the weirdest games in recent Phillies' history, the Phils tied it with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th on Jimmy Rollins' dramatic home run, then lost it, a virtual game later, in the 16th. It was baseball in all its wackiness. After Howard's ejection in the 14th, Ross Gload, who is currently on the disabled list, was also ejected for arguing the misjudged strikeout call on Howard.

Watch Howard get tossed & Roy Oswalt play Left Field

Now, if the Phils are to maintain their streak of not losing a single series in August, they have to win the final 2 at home against the pesky Astros, who've beaten them 2 straight. Wednesday, which was ushered in by the Phils' late night loss, will see Roy Halladay pitted against last year's Rookie of the Year runner-up, J.A. Happ, the castoff former Phillie. Houston's ex-Phillie brigade of Jason Michaels, Michael Bourn and Brett Myers (who has out-pitched former teammates Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt this season), already took game 1 of this series.

The Phils had their chances to win Tuesday-Wednesday's 5 hour and 20 minute game-- or did they?

Just as the sight of Roy Oswalt and Shane Victorino talking over defensive strategies in left center field with the bases loaded in the 16th appeared from the "Twilight Zone," the Phillies seem to be playing, lately, in a parallel universe, one where 2 major league teams are inexplicably linked at the hip.

The Phils mirror opposition has been the Atlanta Braves. In 2 (there's that number again) weeks, the past 14 days, exactly, the Phillies and Braves have played 13 games, respectively. And since Aug. 10th, each team's game has ended with either them or the opponent the victor EVERY SINGLE time identical to their division rival.

In other words, the Braves win on a given night and so do the Phillies. The Phillies lose a game, so do the Braves. EVERY night for 14 days!

The result? The Phillies remain 2 1/2 games back, as they did on Aug. 10th.

Toggling between the Phillies and Braves "W" (wins) and "L" (losses) columns under each teams schedule results is enough to cause anyone to double-take:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/phi/philadelphia-phillies
http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/schedule/_/name/atl/atlanta-braves

One thing is certain: even if they keep this up, night after night, losing and winning on the exact same nights for the rest of the season, there will be a division champion. How can we be sure?

The Phillies will host the Braves on Sept. 20, 21 & 22, while the Braves-- who boast baseball's absolute best home record: 44-17-- will host the Phils to end the season on Oct. 1-3. Of course, there's always a chance they'll split the 6 games at 3 wins apiece...

Phils Riding Waves of Victory & Regret

Rebirth:

2 weeks ago, everyone was writing the Phillies off. It was time to regroup, rebuild, hang heads low and look to next year. Now, they are being heralded as the defending champs gaining momentum for another run, their 3rd in a row.

A suddenly rediscovered knack for winning baseball games has propelled the Phillies to within arms reach of 1st place, which led them in search of an arm to guide them through the final 8 weeks of the season and hopefully into their 4th-straight postseason.

All eyes on Houston:

He's been Houston's best pitcher this year. He leads the team in wins and ERA. He's a proven postseason performer, and he'd love to be a Phillie. He's... you probably didn't guess it: Brett Myers. The only thing newly acquired Roy Oswalt leads the league in is losses with 12 (he's 6-12). Former Phillie Myers, meanwhile, leads the Astros with 8 wins and a 3.10 ERA. Myers is 3-0 with a 1.67 ERA in July with 31 S.O. & 5 BB. The Phillies decided after last season that they'd seen enough of him and Cliff Lee.

All about Lee:

"If Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro finishes the deal for Roy Oswalt today, one of the first questions he's going to be asked afterward is: 'Why in the world would you trade Cliff Lee last December and then trade for a more expensive, less effective pitcher today -- 4 months into the season?' " --ESPN's Tim Kurkjian

This move highlights Amaro & co.'s embarrassment at their error, one they are clearly trying to erase in acquiring Oswalt.

"This would be Reuben Amaro-- I mean, let's face it, the Phillies probably made a huge mistake in not keeping Cliff Lee for this year-- uh, basically turning the page and trying to move on."
-- ESPN's Buster Olney

Jimmy Rollins was asked why the Phillies traded Lee:

"I have no idea," Rollins said. "I'm sure we could afford him (Lee). We turned nearly 4 million people through the turnstiles last year. I don't know. You should have Ruben (Amaro) on here. When the trade happened, I actually got a text from Jayson Werth, and he was like, 'What are we doing?' And I was like, 'Didn't we get Halladay?' And he was like, 'Yeah, but we traded Lee.' And my mouth dropped, like, 'That wasn't part of the deal.' "

"We could have kept both of them, but it was a baseball decision for me and our organization," Amaro said. "We could not leave the [minor-league] cupboard bare. If we had just acquired Roy and not moved Lee, we would have lost seven of the best 10 prospects in our organization. That is not the way you do business in baseball."

Bob Brookover, Inquirer: "In truth, the Phillies lost 7 of their 10 best prospects anyway in the 2 trades for Lee and Halladay. Nearly 4 months into this season, the 3 players they got for Lee - Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, and J.C. Ramirez - look more like projects than prospects."

Phils Finally Hapless:

Bob Ford, Inquirer, says that losing Happ "might well turn out to be the biggest mistake they have made in a dizzying year of player transactions. Happ is 27 years old, healthy again, and was the absolute key to this trade. Right now, the Phillies could have had a rotation of Halladay, Lee, Cole Hamels, Happ, and Kyle Kendrick . Instead, they have Halladay, Oswalt, Hamels, Blanton, and Kendrick. Which would you prefer?"

I was asked if I'd rather have J.A. Happ or Roy Oswalt on my postseason roster. The answer is clear, but the reason less so: I'd rather have Oswalt in the rotation than Happ on the bench, where he sat out 2009's postseason, despite being Rookie-of-the-Year runner-up.

I wish Happ the best, which is to say an opportunity to be a full-time big league starting pitcher. The Phillies never gave him that. They never believed in him, whether it was choosing Chan Ho Park for the 5th rotation spot over him to start '09 or banishing him to the minors and declaring, "He's not ready to help the team" in '10. Happ will have a chance to define his own major league career in Houston, a career the Phillies overshadowed with their consistent attempts to trade him and otherwise undermine his self-confidence.

In his career, Happ is 14-5 with a 3.11 ERA in 47 games (31 starts). He has shined when given the chance. The Phillies never saw him as a bona fide major leaguer. It became clear that he wasn't going to prove that to them, despite his 2008 postseason clutch appearances or his 2009 grace on the mound. He's gone the way of Kyle Drabek and Cliff Lee, now.

There is no question the Phillies have capitalized on their current winning streak with a big-splash trade, something that paid off dividends for them in 2009. However, Oswalt is no Lee and the Phillies are left with some key concerns.

Question marks:

1) ROAD WINS?
They were once the best road team in baseball, for most of the last 5 years, actually. Now, they are practically unwatchable at 4-11 in their last 15 road games, while winning 11 straight at home, a team best in 19 years. Their road warrior mentality took them deep into the playoffs the last 2 years. It was the Phils 'X' factor against the rest of the NL. They must reclaim it to regain their stronghold on their division, let alone the league.

2) HITTING?
They were wrecking crew in the batter's box-- then. Now, they rank 18th in hits & 17th in league batting average. Can their recent flare continue against the league's best teams down the stretch? Can anyone on the team not named "Ryan" stay healthy & put together a complete season of success at the plate?

3) SCHIZO-OSWALT?
Speculation is that he's been playing hurt or depressed or both in Houston. Well, he'll have to snap out of it quick, like in a few hours in time for his 1st start for his new club, if he's going to make it in Philly, where there's no tolerance for under-performing.

4) CONSISTENCY AS A TEAM?
The Phillies 8-game win-streak has enabled them to make up 4 1/2 games on the Braves in a week. A 7 game mountainous deficit became a 2 1/2 game molehill in a blink of the eye. That has to scare the Braves, but it has to not impress the Phillies. Contrarily, the Phils must play steady ball comprised of road wins and effective hitting to return to 1st place. Remember, they may be 8-0 in their last 8, but they were only 1-6 in their previous 7.

5) CLOSER?
A year later, the Phils still haven't solved their closer quandary. Lidge may not be reliable (10 saves, 3 blown), but Romero, Madson and Contreras (10 saves, 6 blown) sure haven't shined in the role, either. I guess Billy Wagner, looking down from the All-Star team and 1st place in the division, brings a feeling of longing and, perhaps, regret to his former team, the Phils, and former teammates Lidge and Roy Oswalt. He was available for nothing last season when released by the Mets... still, the Phils appear determined to make due with what they have. Stock up on antacids, Charlie and hold onto your hat: it's going to be a bumpy 9th.

Parting quotes:

Roy Oswalt, 143-82 with a 3.24 ERA lifetime: "I'm at a point in my career where I just want a chance to get back to the World Series like I did in '05 with Houston," he said. "I'm excited to be going to Philly. I love watching Roy Halladay pitch and I think with him and [Cole] Hamels the three of us can feed off each other."

"I'm excited," Halladay said. "It says a lot that this team is dedicated to winning."

The Astros will pay $11 million of the approximately $23 million that the 32-year-old Oswalt is guaranteed through 2011, sources told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

"That was an important part of this," Amaro said. "We wanted to keep some level of flexibility so we can continue to field a championship-caliber team. Yes, the money did make a difference."

Happ, a 27-year-old lefty went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA & finished runner-up for the NL Rookie of the Year award last season.

"This is all I've ever known," Happ said. "I had an idea driving to the ballpark it might be the last time. It was emotional. I talked to a lot of guys in there and it is very emotional to even try to look them in the eye and know that they’ve been my teammates. I’ve been blessed to be able to play with these guys. It’s such a great group... It’s good to know an answer definitely. It’s good to know where I’m going to be and that there’s a team that wants me."

Trade Details:

5,810 polled so far, say:

THE BEST PITCHER ACQUIRED AT THE TRADE DEADLINE IN THE LAST 3 YEARS IS:

68%: Cliff Lee
6% Roy Oswalt

Phils got: Roy Oswalt, 143-82 with a 3.24 ERA lifetime.

They traded:

Happ: 14-5 with a 3.11 ERA in his major-league career.

& 2 minor leaguers:

OF Gose: turns 20 on August 10th. He's currently hitting .263/.325/.385 in high-A ball. Which is basically what he did over the last two years in Rookie and low-A. He's insanely fast (stole over 70 bases last season), but this year his judgment appears poor: he's 36-63 in steals.

SS: Jonathan Villar. Villar is a 19 year-old shortstop prospect currently hitting .272/.332/.358 in the Sally League. He has made 42 errors this season!

Some Clouds Clearing

The Phillies continued Wednesday night's celebration of the walk-off home run by Jimmy Rollins with a 12-3 pounding of Cleveland Thursday afternoon to sweep the series. The mood surrounding the Phillies-- unlike the weather-- has definitively lightened. Amidst apocalyptic weather-- 96 degrees, rain, lightening and darkness in the middle of the day-- Chase Utley, Placido Polanco and Jayson Werth put on a display of bat thunder. Werth went 3-4, Utley finished 3-3, while Polanco was 4-5.

The offense, which has been so timid for so many weeks, appeared to finally be coming to life, summoned by team captain Rollins' unlikely heroics at the end of a game where he had looked more lost at the plate with each successive at-bat, until the last when it counted most. Everything was coming up figurative roses in front of the home crowd, most of whom poured out instead of being poured on during a lengthy rain delay late in the game.

However, there were dark clouds on the horizon-- well, in addition to the actual ones. First off, the Indians are a dismal last place team that can make any foe appear menacing. Furthermore, Cleveland's Shortstop, Jason Donald, was also 3-3 (HR, 2B). It was a breakout game in the stadium where he probably imagined himself coming into maturity-- only as a Phillie, not as an opposing player. The Phillies traded homegrown Donald (along with a plethora of other stellar prospects) to get Cliff Lee. Little did they know then that Jimmy Rollins would be injured for much of the 2010 season. Fans would have been seeing much more of Donald this year than management could have ever realized while bundling him away with the rest of their seemingly unneeded prospects in 2009.

Irrationally and regrettably, they flushed away Cliff Lee for Phillippe Aumont, a minor leaguer, who is 1-6 with a 7.43 ERA for the Reading Phils and who was just demoted to Clearwater. Aumont has a 10.73 ERA in his last 49 2/3 total innings, having struck out 38 and walked 38. Opponents are hitting .284 off of him.

Meanwhile, his major league counterpart Cliff Lee, who led the Phillies to the 2009 World Series and went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in 5 postseason appearances and 2-0 against the Yankees in the World Series has faired much better. In his latest gem on Wednesday, Lee S.O. 9 over 9 innings, while walking none and allowing only 1 run. His control has been so masterful this season that he has miraculously S.O. 76 batters while walking just 4. You read that correctly. In 87 innings, Lee has walked 4 batters.

In June, Phils' former ace Lee has gone 3-1 with a 1.50 ERA, while their current ace Roy Halladay is 1-3 with a 3.72 ERA.

Halladay is 8-6 with a 2.43 ERA and 2-5 since May 6th this year for the Phils. Lee is impressively 6-3 with a 2.39 ERA for a last place team that is one of baseball's worst.

The thing that hurts the worst is: the Phillies HAD THEM BOTH.

It was said at the time that Seattle would have accepted Blanton, who came cheaper and with more years left on his contract, instead of Lee in the deal that sent Aumont to the Phillies minor league system. What if Lee's 8-6 record and 2.39 ERA were in the Phillies rotation now instead of Joe Blanton's 3-5, 6.53 ERA (10.20 in June)?

The Phillies might look like a contender for the big stage, where Lee shined last year. Instead, they're lucky that-- in spite of weeks of woeful play-- after winning a series against the Yankees and this sweep, they've now won 7 of 10, they're merely 2 1/2 games out and still in the playoff hunt. Still, if the season ended today, the Phils would miss the playoffs by a shave.

It's now a 3-team race in the NL East-- and Atlanta is for real. Former Phillie Billy Wagner, 5-0 with 14 saves and a 1.23 ERA, 43 S.O. in 29 innings has helped secure that. The Phillies passed on Wagner when he was released during the '09 season, despite their desperate need for a closer at the time. Why? Now, they may look to Pedro to clean up the mess that has become the back end of their rotation. Pedro, at 40 years old, is unlikely to shine, let alone save the day.

Cliff Lee is a stud. There should have been no doubt he would pick up in 2010 where he left off in 2009. If the Phillies had him now, they would not only be well ahead in first place, but would pretty much have the NL wrapped up already. Fans and baseball minds are starting to understand why Curt Schilling called the move, "The stupidest thing the Phillies have ever done." When the Phillies traded Lee, Shane Victorino and I were shocked and dismayed-- and vocal about it [See my 12.15.09 post: Phillies' Colossal, Irrevocable Error.]

Still, as a fan, one hopes for the best: that the Mets fade (as they have done better than anyone), that Atlanta's roller-coaster ascension continues its current balancing trend (they were just swept by the ChiSox) and that Rollins' 9th inning heroics Wednesday were in fact the wake-up call they presently appear to be in light of today's series sweep. The Phillies have 17 games left in the 1st half of the season. 10 of those games will be against first place teams. July 5th-7th they host the Atlanta Braves in a series that may decide who leads the division heading into the All-Star break. The Phils must stay loose, remain focused and build on their momentum.

Where Are We Now?

While the baseball world is still abuzz with the amazing accomplishment of the Phillies' ace pitcher, a disconcerting trend in the team's batters box is certainly keeping hitting coach Milt Thompson and his manager Charlie Manuel up at night.

"I used to think I got to the park early," Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson said of Halladay this spring. "But I get here at 6:15 [a.m.], and he's already on his second shirt."

Milt might be out-sweating Halladay pretty soon if the Phils don't start hitting. In 6 out of their last 8 games the Phils have NO earned runs-- even the lone run they mustered in Hallday's perfect game, 1-0 win was unearned.

They are now 4 wins and 8 losses in their last 12 games and have scored a sum of 5 runs in those 8 losses, a staggering 1.6 runs per game for one of the most menacing lineups in baseball!

Granted, injuries to Carlos Ruiz, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and even Chase Utley's flu haven't helped, but things have gotten totally out-of-hand. Even Charlie Manuel's closed door meeting last week didn't seem to make a dent in the armor of offensive futility.

The Phillies knew they'd be reliant on hitting this year, even before injuries to key pitchers Joe Blanton, J.C. Romero, J.A. Happ, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson.

The exciting success of Roy Halladay thusfar and the reassuring commitment to Ryan Howard for the next several years shouldn't cloud the goal: to win baseball games and pennants.

Are we in the next era of team greatness or the post-achievement chapter of individual accomplishments?

Is this season about winning or about the Phils twin towers of 'H' power: Halladay chasing the Cy Young and Howard going for (literal) gold?

What made the Phillies so endearing and so near to our hearts was the nucleus of home-grown organization guys making good, culminating into a surprisingly talented and capable core: Rollins, Hamels, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Ruiz, Madson, Myers and Shane Victorino (save 36 games) had only ever played major league ball with the Phils. These guys jelled and emerged at the same time to form a fierce new Phillies attitude of winning and enthusiastic competitive edge.

Now, a little older and with nothing left to prove, they have to dig deep and find motivation once again.

This time 2 years ago, from May 25th-30th, the 2008 Phils were on a 5-game winning streak. That streak concluded with a 12-3 pounding of Florida and included a 20-5 stomping of Colorado, who had knocked them out of the playoffs the year before. That Phillies team scored 60 runs in those 5 games (12 per game) and won 12 of 14 during this stretch exactly 2 years ago. They went on to win the World Series, ending the worst drought among professional sports cities. I was there when they clinched the title. It felt like fate, like the culmination of enthusiastic competition blended beautifully with talent. It was the transformation of heartache and losing into something wonderful, totally fresh and new.

The 2010 Phillies, some richer and some new, have 113 games to define themselves and their season. Is this team hungry for more glory or an echo in the tailspin of the glory days?

3 Pitchers, 1 Night

3 Starting pitchers took the mound for their respective teams in 3 separate MLB games Friday and the results may be telling about the future of the Phillies' season:

1) Barry Zito for S.F., 2) Cliff Lee for Seattle and 3) Kyle Kendrick for the Phillies.

1) Stacked Deck:

Barry Zito is off to the best start of his career and with Friday's 8 inning, 2 run win over Colorado improved to 4-0 with a 1.53 ERA. What could that possibly mean to the Phillies, who were playing nearly 3,000 miles away in a different time zone? What Zito means for S.F., if he can maintain anything resembling this pace, is presently the premiere rotation in the NL with Lincecum (2008 & 2009 CY Young, 4-0, 1.27), Cain (1-1, 2.84), Jonathan Sanchez (2-1, 1.85) and Zito (4-0, 1.53). That spells trouble for the competition, especially in a postseason series, where no 5th starter is needed.

2) Remember Me?

Cliff Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, struck out 8, walked none, went to a three-ball count just twice in 25 batters and threw a first-pitch strike 19 times in his season debut for Seattle. The Phillies who chose to look over their shoulder at their former comrade got a glimpse of the professionalism and control they gave away for a few 2nd-run prospects, a move former Phil and future Hall-of-Famer Curt Schilling called, "The stupidest thing the Phillies have ever done." If the playoffs started today, instead of Halladay-Lee, which they had in their hands, the Phillies rotation would be: Halladay (5-1, 1.47), followed by... Cole Hamels (2-2, 5.28)... ? In short, Friday's season debut was a reminder to Philly fans how much gold the Phils flushed away in Clifton Phifer Lee, last year's postseason superstar and World Series Yankee killer. Remember, whether the Phils' front office wants you to or not, Lee's '09 postseason performance: 5 games, 2 complete, 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA, 33 S.O. and 6 BB.

3) The Case of the Wrong Kyle:

Kyle Kendrick was slaughtered by the Mets Friday for 4 runs in 5 innings ballooning his ERA to 7.61. Curiously, the Phils chose to turn back the clock in re-employing Kendrick as a starter after pulling the plug on him late in '08 and banishing him to the minors for the '09 season. Rather, they could be looking to the future with rising star Kyle Drabek, who they traded this off-season. Drabek dazzled with 5 2/3 innings of scoreless work in his latest minor league start and did not allow a hit until the 4th inning. Drabek struck out 7 and allowed 2 hits to pick up his 3rd win this year. Kyle Kendrick has none.

note: Madson's Postgame Outburst Costly

Madson injured the toe after he blew a save Wednesday in San Francisco. He said he slipped walking down a flight of stairs leading from the dugout to the clubhouse. He then kicked a metal folding chair. He said he felt like he stubbed his toe, but realized it was worse when he woke up Thursday morning and had difficulty walking.

Phillies Eye 3rd Straight World Series

These are the great years to be a Phillies' fan, the years that make up for so much heartache, for so many low points we and our fathers and their fathers suffered through for 100 + years of predominate futility.

The Phils have every reason to feel confident and Phils' fans can rest assured that they have a competitive team, yet again, to begin the 2010 season. Let's take a brief look at the roster and some of its bylines as spring training commences:

Roy Halladay- Everyone expects him to be the 2nd coming of Sandy Koufax for the Phils. Why is that? Can he-- or anyone-- really live up to the expectations? The answer is "yes." If he can stay healthy-- and at his immodest age it is a legitimate "if"-- Halladay's shift to the NL could boost his already glowing resume to CY Young levels (after all, he won the award in the AL in '03, finished 2nd in voting for it in '08-- to winner Cliff Lee-- and 5th in '09).

There is no question the Phillies overpaid to get him (having depleted their entire minor league system and discarded Ace and playoff MVP Cliff Lee, who analysts and fans alike equate to Roy). However, the question of whether Halladay will excell in a Phils uniform is answerable as resoundingly. In 2009 he was named #7 on the Sporting News' list of the 50 greatest current players in baseball (behind teammate Utley #6, but ahead of Howard #11) by a panel of 100 baseball people, many of them Hall of Fame members. His ability to win with a losing team can be likened to Steve Carlton's tenure with the Phils. Halladay finished 17-10 for the 75-87 Blue Jays, giving him a career win percentage of .660, which ranks 18th all-time. The Phils and their fans can expect Roy Halladay to shine big today, despite the shadow his acquisition is guaranteed to cause their future.

Chase Utley-- Perennially priceless to his team, Utley is always one injury away from an MVP award. The question is: "Will he be healthy come October?" The answer may finally be "yes" since the Phils beefed up their bench with some infield assistance to buffer Utley, among others.

Jayson Werth-- In his last year with the Phils, Werth can be expected to showoff for the big contract heading into 2011. Werth also, as always, leads the injury-likely list, the story of his career. When healthy, he can pound it and grow hair with the best of them.

Ryan Howard-- The Yankees threw him a big curveball and shelved him for the World Series. Will he learn from that crushing blow? With Charlie Manuel and Ryan Howard shedding pounds like it was bathing suit season, will they team up to make a few extra bucks advertising for Weight Watchers?

Raul Ibanez-- He will turn 38 this year. His productivity in the 2nd half of the season was not Major League worthy. In the 1st half of '09, he hit .309 with 22 HRs and 60 RBI. During the 2nd half, he batted .232 with 12 HRs and 33 RBI. Look for that trend to continue. While Ibanez may have a quick sprint out of the shoot, his overall numbers will continue to decline with age, which may mean we will see a lot of Dominic Brown, the Phils lone Minor League stud, last man standing in their depleted farm system.

Plácido Polanco-- That big lifetime batting average and low strikeout ratio could sweeten up the top of the Phils' batting order. Alternatively, Polanco's declining numbers of late could be an indication that the 35 year-old is slowing down. Time will tell on both accounts. It's a long season. 2 things are certain: 1) Polanco is a tremendous fielder, who will allow the club to not miss the sure footed Feliz at 3rd, which is saying a lot and 2) LF Raul Ibanez is thrilled to have a teammate to reminisce with about the good old days!

Cole Hamels-- Hamels on Philly fans: "40% Passionate die-hards, 60% crazy lunatics and fair-weather fans." Hamels and Manuel's reliance on him in the '09 playoffs are major contributors to the fact the Phils seek to regain, rather than retain, World Series Champion status in 2010. Hamles has new pitches, but does he have a new work ethic? Truth is that teams have caught up to his fastball, which is more disconcerting than any status of his pitch array. His velocity and control may return, but it will be hard to regain that newbie status that brought out his best in '07-'08, when he went 29-15. Still, it shouldn't be hard to better '09's startling 10-11 W-L, 4.32 ERA. In 193 innings, opponents hit 206 hits off of him. Facing him was less like opposing a menacing dominator and more like taking batting practice. Hamels is no Cliff Lee, but he has the potential to prove he's more than a one-hit wonder. He has risen and fallen. This juncture is where the great ones separate themselves with big-time performance. This pivotal crossroads is the crucial year in Hamels' career.

Over Their Shoulder

The competition? The NL East boasts the improved Braves, whose potential is ever-great as their arms. Since their arms are young and gaining ground, they should make a run-- for the wild card. The Marlins are young and good, but not great. The Mets are still in the major leagues-- for now, while Washington has one foot out already.

The rest of the NL? St. Louis, S.F. and Colorado all have true potential to win the NL. St. Louis and S.F. still boast the league's best 1-2 starting pitching punch. Colorado played the Phils tougher than the 1 win they got against the fightin' in the '09 playoffs. The Dodgers faded this offseason, due to the McCourt's (married couple owners) divorce detouring their funds.

All this adds up to a 4-team race for the NL World Series birth with the Phils the heavy favorites, due to the sum of their parts and that intangible: experience. After all, they've won the National League 2 years running, compiling a postseason record of 14-4 against the rest of the NL. That's dominance. There's no reason why it shouldn't continue. S.F. and Colorado are for real, however, and season-ending injury is that 'X' factor the Phils have managed to dodge. The bullpen is a giant question mark and the starting pitching isn't the league's best. The hitting, though, is. It has been the Phils' staple throughout this awesome run. That core is intact-- for one more year. Consequently, the present looks bright and another title run begins.