When the Phillies inked Cole Hamels to a six-year, $144 extension last season, the last thing anyone envisioned was a 1-6 start for the 29-year-old Ace. But, after a rough outing at the hands of the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday, that is precisely where we find ourselves.

Hamels allowed five runs on six hits in five innings of work against the Tribe, while allowing a pair of homers and a pair of walks. He also struck out four. Cole appeared to be without his command from the get-go, had difficulty putting hitters away in the early innings, and found himself with a pitch count north of 50 by the time the third inning rolled around.

Under normal circumstances, we might be able to dismiss a bad start like this as a sort of a fluke thing and not necessarily a cause for alarm. After all, the Indians have a good enough offense (4th in the AL in runs per game, 2nd in OPS, 1st in OPS+), and it's not uncommon for a good pitcher to get tattooed by a good offense. It happens. And even if you factor in Cole's two bad starts that began the season (13 ER in 10.2 IP), he's been good more often than not. Since allowing eight runs to the Kansas City Royals in his second start of the season, he's been really good, with an ERA of 2.41 over 41 innings in his next six starts coming into Wednesday.

But despite appearing to be back on track, it's evident that something is off about Hamels this season. He has walked more batters per nine innings over his first eight starts (3.8) than he has over his entire career (his previous high was 3.3 when he was a rookie in 2006), and he is striking out batters at a career low rate (7.5 K/9). While most pitchers would love that kind of success rate with strikeouts, he is striking out a batter-and-a-half fewer than he did last season, and one batter fewer than his career average. It's not the end of the world, but he isn't dominating hitters like he has in the past.

The good news about this is that we are still dealing with a fairly small sample size, so it's entirely likely he is going to come out of this. However, until he can reel in his control, we'll have to just hold our collective breath every five days until he resembles the Ace that he's been in the past.

And although Charlie Manuel did comment following the game that Hamels isn't injured – something that his consistent velocity and body language on the mound would suggest – it's not something that you can dismiss entirely, especially in light of the reports that Hamels dealt with some shoulder soreness during the off-season. Am I suggesting that Cole is injured? Not really, but something certainly seems amiss, and you can't outright dismiss that as a possibility.

Unlike 2009, when Hamels seemed to be the victim of bad luck more than anything else, there seems to be something else at play through his first nine starts. And with Roy Halladay on the shelf and a rotation that is a work in progress, the Phillies are going to need Cole to right the ship while they still have a shot to make a run at the division.

Despite the Phillies series split in Arizona over the weekend, there doesn't seem to be too much optimism surrounding the team, especially as it pertains to the offense. While the team has pitched well enough lately, the bats haven't contributed, leaving some to wonder whether or not it's time to make a change, specifically as it pertains to calling up Darin Ruf, the power-hitting OF/1B who burst onto the radar last season with a monster year in the minor leagues.

So, should the Phillies call him up? The short answer: no. The long answer: also no.

I was as big a Darin Ruf fan as anyone last year, and once it was readily apparent that the Phillies were not bound for the playoffs (and by that I mean the middle of July), then I was of the mindset that there was no reason not to call him up. He was destroying minor league pitching with reckless abandon, and there is quite possibly no better environment to see whether or not Ruf – who was less a prospect and more a guy who took advantage of leagues with less experienced pitchers – could compete at the highest levels of the game.

That question was sort of answered when the Phillies finally did call Ruf up in the middle of September, where he made his big league debut. In 12 games, he belted three home runs, knocked in ten runs, and had a nice looking line of .333/.351/.727 as he was able to roll his minor league success over to The Show. Now, I said “sort of answered” because 12 games is a very tiny sample size, and the game is full of guys who hit really well for half a month before returning to their replacement level status. That's not to take anything away from Ruf, but you certainly can't hand him a starting spot on the team based on 33 at-bats in September.

But the Phillies did give Ruf plenty of time to prove himself a worthy starter during spring training. And despite coming to life towards the end of March, they ultimately sent him back down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he has since continued his mashing ways, with a .294/.372/.500 line with five homers in 34 at-bats with the Iron Pigs.

The question, now, is whether or not the Phillies should call him up. With an offense that is struggling to score runs, it might make sense to insert him into the lineup in hopes that it would provide the team enough lift to turn those 3-2 losses into 5-3 wins. While that might sound like a good idea, the fact is that the Phillies have no room for him on the team as it is currently staffed.

By trade, Darin Ruf is a first baseman, but he is blocked by Ryan Howard, who isn't going to be benched, no matter how badly he plays. However, if Charlie wanted to platoon Howard and Ruf, well, that wouldn't be the worst idea in the world.

And even though Ruf has been working in the outfield, he won't have much luck breaking in there either. Considering that Domonic Brown is the everyday left fielder (like it or not, Brown isn't going anywhere), and that Ruf would be an outright disaster in either center or in right field, there isn't anywhere to put him. Despite RF Delmon Young's early struggles, there is little chance they'd favor Ruf over the veteran.

Realistically, it's going to take an injury or some catastrophically bad play from someone in order for Ruf to get a shot on the team in the not-too-distant future unless Bud Selig decides to install the designated hitter in the National League.

So while the offense is struggling right now, don't hold your breath for Darin Ruf.

Despite an extra-inning loss against the San Francisco Giants last week, the Phillies must have felt pretty good about themselves. After all, taking two of of three from the defending World Series champs – and tagging Madison Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum for ten runs in the first two games – is still quite an accomplishment.

So when they set their course due east for Phoenix for a four game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks, they had to like their chances of keeping their momentum going on their seven game road trip. It's not like the Diamondbacks were a terribly tough team, and thanks to their off-season trade of Justin Upton, they were certainly a bit lighter on the offensive side of things.

They got off to a rough start against the second-place D'Backs, despite a pair of terrific pitching performances from Cole Hamels and Tyler Cloyd in the first two games of the series. Hamels, despite allowing five walks, held their offense to all of two runs over six innings, but that would prove to be enough for Arizona, who allowed one run to the Phillies, thanks to a gem from rookie starter Patrick Corbin, who allowed one run over 6.1 innings of work.

The Phillies had a better start on Friday in the second game of the series, thanks to two-run first inning brought on by a leadoff homer from Jimmy Rollins to kick things off, followed by an RBI single from Domonic Brown later on in the inning. And like Hamels, starter Tyler Cloyd allowed two runs over 6.1 innings of work in his first start of the season. However, the offense sputtered, and they were held in check after jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first. With the game tied in the bottom of the eighth, it was reliever Mike Adams who allowed the go-ahead run – a solo shot off the bat of Miguel Montero – that would would to be the difference.

Under most circumstances, both starters would have been in line for the win, but thanks to an offense that was incapable of scoring runs, the Phillies found themselves with a three-game losing streak heading into Saturday.

Fortunately, Cliff Lee toed the rubber on Saturday night, and he proved to be the stopper with seven innings of shutout ball. He was given three runs of support thanks to Jimmy Rollins and Domonic Brown, who combined to drive in all three Phillie runs on the night. Despite some late-inning shakiness from the bullpen, Jonathan Papelbon nailed down the final fave outs to notch his sixth save of the season.

The Phillies handed the ball to newly minted Ace Kyle Kendrick on Sunday for the series split, and he was every bit as good as you'd come to expect from the right-hander. He allowed two runs in the first inning, but then proceeded to shut the D'Backs out for the remainder of his start. The offense, which was quiet for most of the afternoon, sprung to life in the ninth inning against Heath Bell, who allowed two runs on four hits, including the game-tying RBI single from Domonic Brown. They would add two more in the tenth inning, when Ryan Howard knocked in Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley with a one-out single to give the Phillies the lead – and after Papelbon took the mound in the bottom of the inning – the win.

It wasn't the prettiest way to win a series, but it got the job done, and it allowed the Phillies to stay within spitting distance of .500 and the top of the division. With the win on Sunday, they are three games under at 18-21, and four back of the division-leading Atlanta Braves.

Following a much-needed day off on Monday, the Phillies will welcome the Cleveland Indians in for a two game set, where they will send Jonathan Pettibone (2-0, 3.63) to the hill against LHP Scott Kazmir (2-1, 4.87) on Tuesday, and Cole Hamels (1-5, 4.18) against RHP Corey Kluber (2-2, 5.64) on Wednesday.
 

It will be quite some time before we see Roy Halladay on the mound again, but that didn't stop the right-hander from taking a few moments on Friday afternoon to address the fans following the announcement that he will be undergoing shoulder surgery. Matt Gelb of the Inquirer has the details of the apologetic Doc:

"It's tough," Halladay said. "You feel an obligation to the organization, to your teammates, to the fans to try to go out and pitch. Especially on a competitive team that sells out. For me, that was a big factor. If I'm playing for a last-place team, and there's things going on, you maybe speak up. But we have a chance to go win a World Series, and we have sellouts, and fans have expectations. You want to do everything you can to try to make it work.

"Really, that was a lot of the reason I tried to keep going... I just wanted to reach out to the fans, thank them for their support, and apologize to the ones who pay the money and show up in the second inning and it's 9-0. I apologize to the fans that I won't be out there for three months."

It was one of the most unexpected – and not entirely necessary – gestures that I've seen from an athlete in recent years. Most ballplayers, while they would feel remorseful about missing time due to injury, don't publicly convey that to the fans, especially not in such a candid fashion. It doesn't make them wrong, it just makes them human.

But Halladay, as we've seen, isn't so much a human as he is a cold, emotionless machine whose prime directive is to set down hitters with extreme prejudice. Despite his predisposition to remain indifferent to the things that we humans call “emotions,” his drive to be the absolute best pitcher in the game apparently does not preclude him from recognizing that the game is bigger than just himself. The fans, as fickle as they can be, played a big role in Roy – and some of the other big names – coming to Philly. They packed the stands on a nightly basis and allowed the Phillies to increase their payroll so they can afford the Halladays and Lees and Papelbons of the world.

Despite that, I don't know that the fans actually deserve an apology from a player who is quite literally leaving everything on the field. Had Halladay gotten complacent and lazy after he signed his contract extension, then perhaps an apology would be in order for not living up to his end of the bargain. But considering all Doc has done – the Cy Young award, the perfect game, the no-hitter in the playoffs, and the overall dominance exhibited by the Ace – the last thing he needs to do is apologize for his body breaking down.

Still, it speaks to his character that he took the time to recognize the fans in a way to make amends for all that has transpired this season. It might not have been necessary, but that doesn't make it any less meaningful.

On Wednesday afternoon, Roy Halladay held a press conference shortly before the team's final game against the San Francisco Giants to announce what most of us already suspected: that he was injured, and that he needed shoulder surgery.

Officially, Doc has a bone spur in his right shoulder, along with a partial tear of the rotator cuff and a labrum that is somewhat frayed. If it sounds scary, that's because the words “tear” and “fray” aren't words you want to use to describe your throwing arm. But despite that, the prognosis seems rather positive for Halladay, who echoed the sentiments of his doctor when he said he might pitch again as soon as August or September.

During his press conference, Roy appeared to be at ease when speaking with the reporters about his condition. And it's hard not to understand why, given that it was probably the first time that he's been totally honest with himself, and with the media, about his health. There was no more “I feel good” or “I just need to make an adjustment” or “We are working on some things.” It was the unadulterated truth, and Roy couldn't hide from it.

And now, the Phillies have to find a way to exist with Roy Halladay. But to be totally honest, they've been doing that ever since Game Five of the 2011 NLDS. Although he may have been physically present on the mound every fifth day, the Roy Halladay who tore through opposing hitters during his first two years in the National League is gone. And, at least for now, he's not coming back.

First, the good news. While it remains to be seen how effective Halladay can be coming off shoulder surgery and a lengthy rehab stint, the fact remains that his days pitching for the Phillies might not be over. Assuming the best-case scenario, then it's possible that Roy returns to make a few starts at the end of the season. And if the Phillies are lucky enough to make it back to the playoffs, then that's just gravy.

And if the doctors are able to “turn back the clock,” then there is no reason to think that the Phillies wouldn't be one of the suitors for Doc in 2014. The good news about that is that, given his injury and the fact that he won't be in a position to command a high salary, the Phillies will certainly be able to consider bringing him back on an incentive-laden contract as he looks to rebuild his value as a starting pitcher. While other teams will certainly be vying for his services, I'd like to think that the Phillies will take the necessary steps over his rehabilitation period to ensure that Roy is aware that he'll always be welcome in Philly.

All things considered, this could have been much, much worse. Many of us wouldn't have been surprised if Roy's career was over, because it's not often that a 35-year-old starter comes back from shoulder surgery.

On that note, the bad news. Because ultimately, Doc is still having shoulder surgery, and that is still a very scary situation. As a starting pitcher, there are few things more important than the throwing shoulder, and regardless of how routine the surgical procedure is, let's not forget that someone still has to cut him open and poke around in there for a couple hours. Many a starting pitcher has come back from that, but plenty of others haven't, so it's crucial to realize that this isn't an automatic fix for Doc.

And if he does come back, it's important to manage expectations as best you can. Likely gone is the 220 inning horse that has darn near out-pitched everyone else who donned a uniform over the last decade.

Even then, there is no reason to think that he is a sure thing to pitch for the Phillies again in 2013. After all, it is shoulder surgery, and Halladay needs to recognize that he's no good to anyone if he tries to come back before he is ready. Ditto for the Phillies, who aren't going to force him to take the hill every five days when he returns to action.

On one hand, I'm glad that there is a reason to explain why Halladay has been so unlike himself lately. No one wants to see such a great talent like him burn out for no reason, so the fact that he was dealing with an injury that he can come back from is a partial relief, because it means that we aren't going to be closing the book on what has been an extraordinary career.

On the other hand, it's unfortunate that Doc's career in Philly is likely to end without an October parade down Broad Street. When he came to the Phillies at the beginning of 2010, his goal was simple: win a World Series in Philadelphia. While that dream isn't completely dashed, it's not looking good. And that might be the biggest tragedy of all.

The Phillies wrapped up their three-game set with the San Francisco Giants on with an extra-inning loss on Wednesday, despite a late-comeback that nearly led to a sweep of the World Series champs. In the end, the Giants prevailed, and among them was former Phillie Hunter Pence, who hit a pair of home runs during the three game set against his former team.

Pence, who spent nearly a season with the Phils, is enjoying an .821 OPS in the early goings with the Giants. On Tuesday, he had some interesting words to say about his former club. Courtesy of Ryan Lawrence of the Daily News.

"To be honest with you, I felt really guilty," Pence said. "I felt like I did something wrong. Obviously I shouldn’t have looked at it that way, it was the wrong way to look at it. But I was, there was a lot of excitement to be put into this race. But I was heavily invested in bringing the Phillies back, and it felt like… I felt guilty. I felt like it was my fault that it fell apart."

And here I thought that all athletes were emotionless automatons.

In all seriousness, it's interesting that Pence feels that way, considering that it's about as far from the truth as you can get. It's not Pence's fault that the Phillies find themselves in the position that they are in. Instead blame should go to the front office personnel who saw fit to tear the organization apart from the inside, thanks to bad trades, bad free agent acquisitions, and the slow but steady erosion of one of the game's best farm systems.

For all of Pence's foibles – and there were many – he was a fine player during his time in Philly, however short his stay. Despite being an unnecessary addition to the 2011 team that was already running the table on the National League, he posted a .954 OPS in 54 games with the Phillies, en route to a 102 win season and their fifth straight National League east division title.

And even though that season ended with an early exit from the playoffs, no one should have been pointing their finger at Pence for what went down at the tail end of that season and during the first half of 2012. I suppose it speaks to his character that he feels that way, but it's a waste of worry for things that were well out of his control.

If anything, the Phillies fell prey to an unfortunate set of circumstances. Players got hurt, others stopped performing, and the National League east turned into a buzz saw thanks to the rise of the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves. And to his credit, he was solid enough with a .271/.336/.447 line, and his 17 home runs would lead the team at the time of his departure.

If anyone was to be at fault, it's General Manager Ruben Amaro, whose lack of foresight and a win-now-at-all-costs desire resulted in one of the oldest, most expensive teams in the league without a proper farm system from which to rebuild. Since he started calling the shots in 2009, the Phillies have acquired some amazing players, but at a cost that has proven to be unsustainable in the long run.

So while it's nice that he still feels some responsibility for what happened, there is really no reason to. He did his job, and he did it well. And that's about as much as you can ask from a ballplayer. For what it's worth, I find that most Phillies fans were happy for Hunter Pence when he helped the San Francisco Giants to their second World Series in three seasons in 2012. I'd have been much happier if he was hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy while wearing red pinstripes, but it just wasn't in the cards.
 

With Roy Halladay on the disabled list for an indeterminate amount of time, the Phillies dipped into their minor league system to help fill out the rotation until his return. According to CSN's Jim Salisbury, they opted for RHP Tyler Cloyd, who many remember from his mug of coffee with the team down the stretch in 2012.

The 25-year-old had a 4.91 ERA in 33 innings over six starts, with a 2-2 record and 8.2 K/9 late last season for the Phillies, which came on the heels of a breakout minor league season where he put together a 15-1 record and a 2.26 ERA in 167 innings between AA and AAA. While that performance certainly put him on the Phils' radar, he hasn't done much to improve his stock during the 2013 campaign. In 35 innings over six starts with the Iron Pigs, he has a 1-3 record and a 5.40 ERA. It's not the kind of start that anyone wanted to see considering how often teams need to call for backup from the minor league ranks.

His bad start notwithstanding, the Phillies didn't have too many options when it came to replacing Doc. Aside from Cloyd, there isn't a ton of options. With Jonathan Pettibone having already been thrust into the rotation, starting pitchers who could pitch at the big-league level were in short supply. The Phillies could have turned to LHP Adam Morgan, a 23-year-old who enjoyed a great deal of success last season between A and AA ball, but with all of six starts under his belt at AAA, it seemed like a fool's errand to call him up without additional seasoning in the minors.

And while there has been chatter among the fans and some members of the media about bringing LHP Jesse Biddle up from AA to take a spot in the rotation, it's a safe bet that the Phillies never once considered that. While Biddle is a talented pitcher, as evidenced by the fact that he is making mince meat of AA, bringing him up at this point would be a huge mistake, because the Phillies can't afford to call up a prospect before he is ready. Especially if they are looking for a short-term solution until Roy Halladay or Jon Lannan return to action.

For now, the Phillies (and the fans) will have to be content with Tyler Cloyd toeing the rubber every fifth day. He'll make his season debut on Friday, when the Phillies take on the Arizona Diamondbacks.

It's a move that shouldn't surprise anyone, the Phillies announced on Monday that starting pitcher Roy Halladay will be heading to the 15-day disabled list due to inflammation in his right shoulder.

This news comes on the heels of Halladay's worst start of the season – a two inning, nine run mess – and a proclamation that his right shoulder hasn't been feeling all that great since his start nearly two weeks ago. Since that start, he's given up 17 runs in six innings of work, causing many of us to wonder if he was, quite simply, washed up.

The right-hander, who dominated the National League in his first two years with the Phillies, is 2-4 this season with a 8.65 ERA in 34.1 innings of work over seven starts. In four of those starts, Halladay has given up more than five runs while failing to get past the fourth inning.

For now, it appears that he's dealing with an arm injury, which I suppose is more preferable than him just losing his ability to throw a baseball at the drop of a hat. Not that we ever want to root for a player to be injured, but at least this sort of explains just why he's been so bad lately. Being a 35-year-old pitcher with a ton of miles on your arm is probably hard enough even when you're perfectly healthy.

It remains to be seen what the future holds for Halladay, but the Phillies figure to have a much better idea after he visits with a shoulder specialist in Los Angeles. I'm not a betting man, but I wouldn't at all be surprised if Halladay doesn't pitch another inning for the Phillies in 2013. That's a sad thought, but shoulder injuries can be trouble, and a guy like Halladay might not be able to just bounce back like he used to.

Whatever happens to Roy, we can all agree that this is not how any of us envisioned the future Hall of Famer going out. With any luck, his issues on the mound will be in some way connected to something messed up in his body. Hopefully, it's something that can be corrected, because a nine-run outing against the Miami Marlins is no way to end one's career.

For now, the Phillies have called up LHP Joe Savery to take Doc's spot on the roster. That move is likely to be very short-lived, however, as the Phillies will need to add another starting pitcher to fill out the rotation. In all likelihood, the Phillies will tap either RHP Tyler Cloyd (1-3, 5.40 ERA in 35 IP at AAA), or LHP Adam Morgan (1-2, 3.23 ERA in 30.2 IP at AAA) to take his spot.

For the most part, good starting pitchers are going to be good just about every time they take the hill. That's not exactly earth-shattering analysis, but you pretty much know what you expect when an ace toes the rubber every fifth day. Sometimes, though, even an ace can toss up a lemon and allow six runs over four poorly pitched innings. It happened this year, it happened last year, and God willing and the creeks don't rise, it will keep happening from now until the end of time.

On Sunday afternoon, Roy Halladay turned in one of those starts – starts that we once would have shrugged off as an anomaly - when he allowed nine runs over two and a third innings to the Miami Marlins. He gave up five runs in the first inning thanks to a pair of walks, a hit batsman, and a pair of hits. After a quick second inning, Halladay started off the third with another hit batsman, followed by a walk, a single, a strikeout, and then a grand slam. Mercifully, his day was done, and he exited the game to a smattering of boos from the crowd at Citizens Bank Park.

Under normal circumstances for Halladay, this would have just been a bad outing; one easily dismissed with a shrug of the shoulders and a “hey, even the best pitchers get roughed up sometimes.” Such is not the case this season, as these sort of scorched-earth starts for Halladay are more and more common. Including his start on Sunday, Doc has allowed five or more runs and gone fewer than five innings in four of his seven starts. Not surprising, he and the Phillies are 0-4 in those starts.

He didn't get much help from the offense, as they mustered all of two runs and four hits against the Marlins staff, but that is really pretty irrelevant when you put your team in a 9-0 deficit before they bat for the third time. Besides, the bullpen didn't provide much relief, as three Phillies relievers combined to allow five runs on nine hits the rest of the way. I can think of some pretty bad ways to end a weekend, but losing 14-2 to the Miami Marlins numbers among the worst.

For Halladay, it was yet another start in which he looked utterly and embarrassingly lost. He walked four batters and gave up nine hits, and looked every bit like the pitcher who couldn't get anyone out in so many of his starts last season. To boot, that all came against one of the worst offenses in the game. Coming into Sunday, the Fish were dead-last in the National League in OPS (.599), on-base percentage (.284), home runs (16), and pretty much every other offensive category. In short, they are a horrific offense, and they absolutely teed off on Halladay.

Despite a brief reprieve for three starts in April, things don't appear to be getting any better for Halladay. He's got an 8.65 ERA in seven starts, and he is running out of time to turn it around.

Just when we thought things were going so well for Roy Halladay, he goes out and gets utterly shellacked by the Cleveland Indians, allowing eight runs Tuesday night in his worst outing of the season.

It takes a certain kind of talent to have a start even worse than either of the first two starts of Roy's season (five runs in 3.1 innings in his first start, and seven runs in four innings), but he had very little trouble in making that happen on Tuesday, when he gave up three home runs and nine hits in less than four innings of work.

The right-hander, who put together three straight good starts before taking the hill on Tuesday, had a lot of folks thinking that he had it all figured out after his early season struggles. And while that still might be the case, he's got a bit more convincing to do after tonight's performance.

Things were rough from the get-go for Doc, whose high point of the night occurred after he struck out the leadoff hitter in the first inning. Things only went downhill from there, as he would allowed a pair of two-out, two-run homers: one to Indians catchers Carlos Santana, and another to DH Jason Giambi.

He appeared to settle down with easy innings in the second and third, but he went right back to throwing batting practice in the fourth, where he allowed another two-run homer – this one to first baseman Mark Reynolds – before giving up three more hits and two more runs.

That was all she wrote for Halladay, who exited the game (and the month of April) with an ERA of 6.75. The last time he finished the month of April with an ERA that high was in 2000, when he had an ERA of 10.57 in six starts before being demoted to Single-A in an effort to rebuild himself.

Unfortunately, there will be no reclamation project for Halladay this time around, as all he can do is try to figure out how to exist on the hill without the use of his cut fastball. He appeared to have little trouble doing that his last three times out, but that was not the case on Tuesday in Cleveland.

On the bright side, new Phillie Delmon Young homered in his first at-bat – an opposite field shot to give the Phillies their first run of the game – and went 2-for-3 with on the night. But that was little consolation for Phillies fans, who are now back to wondering what the future is going to hold for Roy Halladay.

In baseball, there is occasionally a singular moment that you can point to, definitively, as the one moment that had the greatest impact on the course of the game. Whether it's an error with two outs that leads to a six-run inning, or a bases loaded at-bat that ends with an inning-ending double play, there is sometimes that one moment that changes everything.

In Sunday's contest against the Mets, that occurred in the top of the seventh inning, with the game tied a one apiece. With Mets starter Jonathan Niese on the hill, they put together back-to-back singles to put runners on first and second with two away. With Niese at 117 pitches and the right-handed hitting Kevin Frandsen coming up, Mets manager Terry Collins saw fit to pull his starter from the game and replace him with the right-handed reliever Scott Atchison. Seeing an opportunity to give the Phillies the lead, Charlie Manuel called upon Ryan Howard (who wasn't in the starting lineup) to pinch hit with two away and the go-ahead run on second base.

The well-traveled Atchison started Howard with a pair of sliders that missed the plate, putting him in a 2-0 hole against the Phillies first baseman. Under normal circumstances, it might make sense to pitch around Howard in this situation, but with two men on and Chase Utley on deck, Atchison had no choice but to throw a strike. And when you throw a strike like Atchison did (a fastball over the outer edge of the plate), you cannot be surprised when Howard hits it 400 feet to the deepest part of the park for a two-run double.

For Charlie Manuel and the Phillies, it was the perfect storm of good fortune and good hitting, and it was enough to propel them to a 5-0 win and the series sweep. It was that Ryan Howard at-bat that irrevocably altered the course of the game, and it wouldn't have been possible if Howard had been in the starting lineup.

With the left-handed Niese on the hill, it made perfect sense to sit Howard, even with an off-day on Monday. For his career, Howard is 1-for-15 (.067) against Niese, with a walk and seven strikeouts, so it made perfect sense to let him have the afternoon off in favor of the right-handed hitting Kevin Frandsen. As luck would have it, Frandsen's spot in the order came up at the exact right time, and Ryan Howard had the biggest possible impact he could have on a game that he did not start.

And it's because of Sunday's game that Ryan Howard should not start a game against a left-handed pitcher for the rest of the season.

For better or for worse, Ryan Howard is one of the most polarizing athletes in Philadelphia. His supporters tout his home run and his RBI totals, and his detractors point to his high strikeout totals, declining OPS, and bloated contract.

Me, I like Howard. I like him because he is a good hitter who was a vital part of perhaps the greatest era in Phillies history, and I don't hold it against him that Ruben Amaro offered him that contract. For all his faults, accepting one of the largest contracts in the game wasn't one of them. For as much as I like him, that doesn't mean that he isn't also a frustrating hitter to watch, in part because he can't keep himself from swinging at whatever slop that the opposing pitchers are throwing. But then Sunday comes along, and Howard does what all good hitters do: he put himself in a good hitter's count, he waited for his pitch, and he didn't miss it.

And the reason he got to have that big hit was because he wasn't in the lineup to begin with, most likely because Charlie Manuel knew it was an act of futility to essentially concede three at-bats before the game even started. It makes perfect sense, because as a manager you want to make sure you are getting the best possible production out of your lineup.

So, then, doesn't it make sense to sit Ryan Howard against left-handed hitters more often? After all, he has a .575 OPS in 24 at-bats against LHP this season. And it's not like this is a new trend, either:

2012: .604 OPS, 6 HR in 98 AB (.784 OPS, 8 HR vs RHP)
2011: .634 OPS, 3 HR in 170 AB (.921  OPS, 30 HR vs RHP)
2010: .826 OPS, 12 HR in 193 AB (.876 OPS, 19 HR vs RHP)
2009: .653 OPS, 6 HR in 22 AB (1.088 OPS, 39 HR vs RHP)

For his career, Howard has a .736 OPS in 1,420 ABs against left-handed pitchers. Conversely, he has a 1.001 OPS against right-handed pitchers. Quite literally, he is a different hitter when he is facing a lefty. Does he have the ability to hit for power against lefties? Yes. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't sit him in favor of someone who, historically, has more success against Southpaws.

Something I've talked about a lot on this blog is Charlie Manuel and the Phillies getting the best possible value out of their players. Sometimes that means platooning them, sometimes that means playing them full time, and sometimes that means using your closing pitcher in the eighth inning. Ultimately, it comes down to putting the players – and really, the team - in the best possible position to win a baseball game. For Howard, that means sitting him against left-handed pitchers.

That isn't a terribly popular opinion in some circles, because there is the argument that you can't turn a $20 million first baseman into a part-time player, but that is a specious one, at best. Howard's salary should have as much do to with his playing time as his favorite color. In other words, his paycheck should have nothing to do with this playing time. Just because Ruben Amaro saw fit to give him that contract doesn't mean that he should start against pitchers who he is horribly over-matched against.

The good news is that, over the course of the season, teams will face more right-handed starting pitchers than left-handed ones, so Howard is going to start more often than not. And when he doesn't, he's going to be available as a pinch-hitter, where he is a .400/.463/.1000 hitter in 37 at-bats. The added benefit, there, of course, is that having him as a weapon in the late innings is going to make opposing managers think twice about the pitching changes that they are going to make knowing that they might have to contend with Howard.

Ultimately, the Phillies are in this to win baseball games. And since they are firmly entrenched behind the eight-ball this season, they are going to have to extract as much value out of every player as possible if they want to have a chance to play in October. And as it pertains to Ryan Howard, that means not starting him against left-handed pitchers for the greater benefit of the team.

It took nearly a month, but the Phillies finally swept a three-game series in 2013. That it came against the woeful New York Mets shouldn't take anything away from this accomplishment, because wins are wins, and three of them against a lowly division rival still count the same in the win column.

Following a series against the Pittsburgh Pirates that saw the bullpen cough up a pair of victories and the team fall to five games under .500, the Phillies were in desperate need of a few wins to right the ship that is hopefully setting a course for October.

Thankfully, the Mets are still a team, and the powers-that-be saw fit to send the reeling Phillies to Flushing for three games against a franchise that was nearly felled by a pyramid scheme.

Newly appointed ace Kyle Kendrick got the Phillies off to a good start on Friday night, when he pitched his second career shutout en route to his second win of the young season. The big offensive blows came in the sixth inning, where the Phils scored all four of their runs, capped by a three-run homer from Ryan Howard, whose right-center shot made Citi Field look tiny.

They handed the ball to newest starter Jonathan Pettibone on Saturday afternoon, and the 22-year-old pitched well enough to earn his first big league win, when he held the Mets to three runs over five innings of work. It wasn't the cleanest start, as Pettibone allowed seven hits and walked two, but it was good enough to keep it close so the bats could go to work.

And, sure enough, did those bats come to life. The offense hung nine runs on the Metropolitans, including three on starter Shaun Marcum, who lasted all of four innings in his season debut. The heavy lifting occurred in the fifth, when Domonic Brown and John Mayberry hit back-to-back homers in what would be a five-run inning. And unlike the previous series, the bullpen managed to keep from blowing the lead, as Raul Valdes, Chad Durbin, and Jeremy Horst combined for four innings of one-hit, one-run ball.

On Sunday afternoon, it was Cole Hamels' turn to take the hill and see if he could pitch his way to his first win of the season. Despite an uneven start that saw the lefty allow six walks in six innings, Hamels managed to limit the damage to just one run on a pair of hits. He struck out eight.

The offense was held in check for most of the game, with their first run coming on the strength of a solo shot from Freddy Galvis in the fifth inning to even the score, but it wasn't until the seventh inning that the bats were really able to put something together. With two away, pinch-hitter Laynce Nix singled through the left side of the infield, and was followed by Jimmy Rollins, who came through with a single of his own. With the right-handed hitting Kevin Frandsen on deck, the Mets opted to lift lefty Jonathon Niese from the game in favor of righty Scott Atchison. Charlie Manuel counted by pinch-hitting Ryan Howard, who proceeded to blast a double to dead-center that would plate both Nix and Rollins. Chase Utley followed with an RBI single of his own, and the Phillies would end the inning with a 4-1 advantage.

John Mayberry would add to the lead with an RBI single of his own in the eighth inning, but it was more than enough, as the late-inning combination of Antonio Bastardo, Mike Adams, and Jonathan Papelbon would shut the door by allowing one hit and no runs in the final three innings.

So, what have we learned from this sweep? First, it's that the Mets are really, really bad. I mean, just look at that roster. David Wright would have more protection in a 1957 Beetle. Second, it's that timely hitting from the middle of the order is what is going to decide the fate of this Phillies team. If Utley, Howard, Michael Young, the newly-returned Carlos Ruiz (who went 1-4 with a double in his return to action), and to some extent Domonic Brown and Jimmy Rollins can't provide the kind of offense that they are capable of, then it doesn't matter who their opponent is. Third, it's that the bullpen is going to have to be much, much better. Originally thought to be a strength coming into the season, the 'pen has had it's fair share of miscues, and that's exactly what the Phillies need to avoid if they want to outperform the 2012 club.

All told, it was a good weekend for the Phillies, even if it did come at the expense of the lowly Mets. Kyle Kendrick looked good, Ryan Howard looked good, the bullpen looked good, and Cole Hamels put himself in the win column for the first time in 2013.

After an off-day on Monday, the 12-14 Phillies head to Cleveland next, where they'll take on former Phillies manager Terry Francona, and his 8-13 Indians for a two-game set. It'll be RHP Roy Halladay (2-2, 5.08) versus RHP Zach McAllister (1-3, 3.52) on Tuesday, followed by LHP Cliff Lee (2-1) taking on LHP Scott Kazmir (0-1, 8.64) on Wednesday.

 

It was a pretty easy win for the Phillies on Friday night, thanks to an offense that put four runs on the board against the New York Mets, in what was the first of three games to be played this weekend at Citi Field. And while it was nice to see Ryan Howard drive in three of those runs with a monster home run, the real star of the game was the guy on the mound: Kyle Kendrick.

The 28-year-old right-hander tossed the second complete game shutout of his career against the N.L. East rivals, in a 107 pitch performance where he allowed eight hits and two walks. He struck out six. Following that shutout, Kendrick is the owner of a 2-1 record and a 2.41 ERA, which is the lowest among all Phillies starters.

Perhaps even more impressive is that his start to the 2013 season came on the heels of a terrific end to the 2012 season, where he was the owner of a 2.43 ERA and a 7-3 record in ten games to close out the season, causing many to believe whether or not Kendrick was getting lucky, or if he turned a corner in his career and transformed himself into a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter.

And with that, we must accept the obvious truth: that Kyle Kendrick is a good pitcher.

It's a strange thing to say, considering that Kendrick has been a veritable punching bag for fans and opposing hitters since his sophomore season in 2008. After his solid rookie season in 2007 (3.87 ERA in 121 innings) and after making the job from AA to help patch up the rotation, Kendrick has been little more than organizational filler; a durable arm that can start or relieve, depending on the needs of the team on any given day.

But here we are, the day after his masterful performance against the New York Mets (note: it *is the Mets, but still. A complete game shutout is nothing to sneeze at), and having to embrace the right arm of the guy who was once fooled into thinking he was traded to Japan.

The good news is that, for all intents and purposes, it appears that this version of Kyle Kendrick is the real deal. It's easy to be skeptical of his performance last season given the relatively small sample size of ten games, but it doesn't look like he's going to revert back to his 2010 ways. At least, I hope not.

The reason for Kendrick's continued run of success on the mound appears to be his reliance on both his sinking fastball and his changeup, which have resulted in a greater amount of ground balls off the bats of opposing hitters. By limiting the number of batted balls that are in the air, the greater the chance that they won't fall in for hits or land over the fence.

To boot, Kendrick is striking hitters out at a greater clip than he has for most of his career. Prior to last season, Kendrick would hang out in the 4.1 K/9 area, but his new approach has seen that increase to 6.5 K/9 in 2012 and 2013. Cliff Lee he's not, but strikeouts – and not double plays – are a pitcher's best friend.

And while we certainly can't expect Kendrick to throw a shutout every time he takes the hill, it's comforting knowing that the pitcher we are watching now is unlike the one who got knocked around as recently as the beginning of 2012. The starting rotation was a big question mark when the season started, but thanks to Kyle Kendrick, it got a bit easier to answer.

For much of last season, and then much of spring training, most folks wondered whether or not Roy Halladay was a dead man walking. After an injury rough 2012 campaign and a March that didn't instill confidence in any one, Halladay didn't make the best first impression in 2013.

After two poor starts to kick off the season, it looked like it might be a rough year for Halladay, who allowed 12 earned runs in less than eight innings of work over this first two starts. But since he got shelled by the New York Mets on April 8, the right-hander has been all sorts of good. After winning the 200th game of his career against the Miami Marlins, Doc handled the hard-hitting St. Louis Cardinals a week later, where he allowed a pair of runs in seven innings for his second win of the season.

He looked good against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night, where he allowed one run on one hit and a pair of walks. He struck out eight on the night, and threw 57 of his 95 pitches for strikes in the no-decision as the bullpen gave up four runs in a 5-3 loss.

Granted, he was pitching against the Pirates -- an organization not known for winning -- but you can't take anything away from his performance. After allowing a leadoff walk to start the game, Halladay settled down and didn't allow a baserunner until the fourth inning, when he issued a two-out walk to Garrett Jones. After hitting Neil Walker with a pitch, Jones came around to score on a base hit from Pedro Alvarez, who registered the first Pirate hit of the night.

It was the last time the Pirates would reach base against Halladay, who set down the next six batters in order before being pulled for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the sixth inning.

For my money, it was the most Doc-like that Halladay has looked all season. He was controlling his pitches, his velocity was good, and he never really appeared to get flummoxed on the mound -- something that appeared to escape him in his first two starts of the season.

Since his second start of the season, Doc has been an completely different pitcher. He has a 1.71 ERA in 21 innings in three games, with 16 strikeouts and five walks. He is 2-0 in that span, and all three times out, he has put the Phillies in a position to walk away with the W.

Is the Roy Halladay that we all know and love back? It's really hard to say, because baseball is a funny game, and this wouldn't be the first time that a player fooled everyone into thinking he was something else for a few games. It's definitely an improvement over what we saw from Doc during the spring and in his first two starts, but our expectations have to be tempered, at least a little bit.

Doc will have a chance to keep it going next week, when he faces off against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday. 

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Let's play a game: when is the last time the Phillies started the season by being winless in their first five starts by their Opening Day starter?

If you said "never," then you win! To be honest, I don't know if that's the answer, but I suspect that it's been quite a while since that occurred. If you actually do know the answer, then pat yourself on the back, because that's some next-level trivia, fella. Your prize is that you get to play right field for the Phillies, because hey, they can't get much worse out there.

Anyway, back to Cole Hamels, who is winless in his first five starts of the 2013 season after being named Opening Day starter for the first time in his career. But not only is Cole without a win, but the Phillies have yet to win a single game that was started by the young lefty. A quick peak at his ERA in those five starts (5.40) might suggest that he hasn't pitched well enough to deserve a win, but if you forget about his first two games of the season (13 ER in 10.2 innings), it really doesn't add up.

After getting shelled by the Atlanta Braves and the Kansas City Royals to start the season, Hamels got back into a groove in his next three starts, where he had a 2.57 ERA with 19 strikeouts over his next 21 innings of work. Put differently, he pitched like you'd expect the recent recipient of a $144 million contract to pitch.

Despite his return to dominance over the last two weeks, that hasn't resulted in any wins for the lefty, who is 0-3 to start the season for the first time in his career. And on that note, a brief word about pitcher wins. Pitcher wins are a weird thing, because they don't truly account for the pitcher's performance by himself. Not only does a starting pitcher's performance factor into it, but so does the performance of the offense, the defense, and the bullpen. A great performance can be undone by poor defense, a shoddy offense, or a weak bullpen. And on that note, it's easy to argue that pitching wins are completely useless when it comes to evaluating a pitcher's talent and performance. Just ask Cliff Lee, who in 2012 had a 6-9 record despite a 3.16 ERA and a lot of really great starts. Or Felix Hernandez, who went 13-12 (2.27 ERA) in 2010 en route to a Cy Young award.

But back to Hamels, who has all-too-often been the victim of shoddy run support and bad luck on the mound. Prior to 2013, Hamels has had more than 15 wins only once. He's never had a 20-win season. He's won 14 games twice, including in 2011, when he had a 2.79 ERA over 31 starts.

The point is that pitcher wins are not all they are cracked up to be, but it's frustrating as all get-out to see the team go 0-5 in his starts, especially considering how well he pitched. Despite the fact that this offense isn't the second coming of the 2007 lineup, when your starter gives up less than three runs, that's a game that you should win.

Pitching wins aside, it's terribly frustrating to see the team go 0-5 when he takes the hill. With a rotation that has its fair share of questions, Hamels was considered to be one of the sure things on the mound. And for the most part, he has been a sure thing, but that doesn't make too much of a difference if the offense isn't able to come through.

It's a long season, and you'd hope that they can reverse this trend sooner rather than later, because if you want a shot at October, then you have to win with your best pitchers on the mound.

The Phillies will get that chance again on Sunday, when Hamels takes the hill against the New York Mets, against whom he has a career 5-10 record and a 4.33 ERA. Why not?

Phillies fans got to see a glimpse of the future on Monday night, when right-handed pitcher Jonathan Pettibone made his big league debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

With John Lannan on the disabled list for the foreseeable future, the Phillies opted to call up Pettibone from AAA Lehigh Valley, where he has a 9.64 ERA in two starts. In 159 innings of work between AA and AAA last season, the right-hander was 13-8 with had a 3.10 ERA. The Phillies chose Pettibone over fellow right-hander Tyler Cloyd, who had a cup of coffee with the Phillies last season, and lefty Adam Morgan, who burst onto the scene last season with a 3.35 ERA and a 9.6 K/9 between High-A and AA.

Pettibone, who is the youngest Phillies pitcher to start a game since Fabio Castro did so in 2007 at age 22, was solid in his Major League debut. He allowed two earned runs in five and a third on six hits and a pair of walks. He struck out six in the Phillies 3-2 win.

He got into a spot of trouble in the first inning, where he allowed a leadoff double to Sterling Marte. After a groundout that moved Marte to third, Pettibone struck out slugger Andrew McCutchen before getting Garrett Jones to line out to right to end the inning.

After striking out Neil Walker to start the second, Pettibone allowed the first earned run of his career, when third baseman Pedro Alvarez hit a solo homer to right field to put the Pirates on the board. After Russell Martin got thrown out at after trying to stretch a single into a double, Pettibone struck out Clint Barmes to end the frame.

Pettibone had a 1-2-3 third inning, and worked around a two-out double in the forth to keep the Pirates off the board. The Phillies gave Pettibone a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, but he was able to hold it, as he allowed a leadoff homer to Martin to start the fifth inning. He allowed another hit, but he was able to limit the damage to one run. His night came to an end in the top of the sixth inning, when he got Andrew McCutchen to ground out to third to start the frame.

All told, it was a solid debut for Pettibone, even if he didn't factor in the decision. He pitched out of a jam early on, and was steady the rest of the way. He wasn't spectacular, but he looked very comfortable on the hill, and was able to save the bullpen in the first game of the series. One start does not a season make, but it was a very impressive outing for the young hurler.

With John Lannan set to be on the shelf for at least two months, it's safe to say that Pettibone has earned a spot in the rotation with his performance on Monday.

Lannan injured, Savery Called Up: After turning in two solid starts to kick off the season (4 ER in 13 IP), the Phillies new fifth starter got knocked around by the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday, to the tune of six runs in an inning and two-thirds in what would become a rout for the Reds. Following the start, Lannan was placed on the 15-day DL thanks to a strained quadriceps tendon in his left knee.

To fill Lannan's void, the Phillies recalled LHP Joe Savery from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where the 27-year-old racked up 11 strikeouts over 7.2 innings without allowing a run. The former starting pitching prospect has a 4.88 ERA in 27.2 innings of work between 2011-12 for the Phillies. He had his 2013 debut on Saturday against the St. Louis Cardinals, where he struck out one in an inning of relief. With the Phillies still in need of a starter to take Lannan's spot on Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, it is likely that Savery's tenure with the Phillies will be a short one, as they will look to replace him with a starter from the minor leagues.

Speaking of minor league starting pitchers, former Phillies prospect Jarrod Cosart is having a whale of a spring, with a 1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings and 10.7 K/9 with Houston Astros' AAA affiliate. Not that I want to rehash one of the worst trades in the history of the Phillies organization, but he'd be a nice arm to have in the system right about how, eh?

Phillies Drew a Walk: When John Mayberry walked against Miami Marlins starter Kevin Slowey in the sixth inning of last Sunday's game, little did anyone know that that would be the last base on balls that Phillies hitters would draw for nearly a week. Phillies hitters failed to draw a walk in four consecutive games. Not surprisingly, the Phillies were winless during that stretch. 

The walkless streak would last until Friday, when Chase Utley worked a two-out walk on a 3-2 pitch from St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Jaime Garcia. Utley would come around to score, and the Phillies would go on to tag Garcia for eight runs in four innings.

Hamels Back on Track: After two rough starts to begin the season, starting pitcher Cole Hamels has been sharp in back-to-back starts. Despite not earning a decision in either start against the Miami Marlins or St. Louis Cardinals, Hamels has a 2.77 ERA and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings of work, while holding opposing hitters to a .580 OPS.

His performance in his previous two starts is a sight for sore eyes, especially in light of his first two starts of the season, where he had a 10.97 ERA in 10.2 innings of work. In those starts, opposing hitters took Hamels deep four times, and had a 1.129 OPS versus the lefty.

Howard Hurting: The cleanup hitter was absent from the lineup on Friday and Saturday for the Phillies, as he nursed a sore groin. The 33-year-old has been quiet so far this season, with a .274/.303./.387 line with one homer and five RBIs in 16 games.

While Howard has been successful against right-handed pitchers (828 OPS), he is struggling against left-handed pitchers, against whom he has a .258 OPS, with one hit in 15 at-bats.

Howard is due to be back in the lineup on Sunday night in the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Doc Rebounds: When Roy Halladay earned the 200th win of his career on Sunday, many wondered whether the strength (or lack thereof) of the Miami Marlins lineup had anything to do with his eight-inning performance of five hits and one earned run, and more importantly, if he would be able to repeat that performance against better teams.

He got his chance to prove himself on Friday night, when he kept the hard-hitting St. Louis Cardinals at bay over seven strong innings. He allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks on the night, while striking out six en route to his second win of the season.

Roy Halladay turned in his first gem of the season on Sunday, when he pitched eight shutout innings against the Miami Marlins en route to the 200th win of his career. After failing to make it past the fourth inning in his first two starts, the right-hander cruised through eight innings against the Fish, where he allowed one run on five hits and one walk. He struck out two.

It was the first time this season that Halladay didn't look totally lost on the mound, something that was evident from the jump, for a couple of reasons. First, his control – something that he appears to have lost in his previous starts – was there, as 58 of his 87 pitches were thrown for strikes.

Second, his velocity was the lowest it's been all season. While he touched 90-91 during his first two starts, he sat around 87-88 MPH on Sunday afternoon. Correlation does not equal causality, so we can't come to any definitive conclusion here, but it's pretty easy to see a relationship between his lower velocity, his improved control, and his eight innings of one-run ball.

The caveat of all of this is that the Marlins have an absolutely dreadful lineup, so it's not like his start on Sunday is any sort of a good barometer for success. That's not to suggest that we should ignore the performance outright, but it's important to put Roy's success into context. After all, the Marlins did score all of four runs during the entire series against the Phillies and were without their best hitter in Giancarlo Stanton, so it's not as if Halladay had to navigate a Major League lineup.

Still, it was a very good start from a pitcher that is going to need to have more of those if the Phillies are going to have a shot at competing in 2013. The question, now, is whether or not he can replicate that success going forward against better hitting teams. Very few lineups are as bad as the Marlins of Miami, so it will be very interesting to see how his lower velocity approach plays against the likes of the Atlanta Braves or the Cincinnati Reds.

Following the game, Halladay was presented with a bottle of champagne from the Phillies commemorating his 200th career victory. The veteran, not one to put himself above the team, responded in true Doc fashion, according to CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury:

“The personal milestones are great. My sons, my wife, my family -- they’re all excited about it, but for me the goal is to get to the playoffs and win a World Series. When that happens I’m going to go in the back room and yell.”

That's absolutely what we have come to expect from Halladay, who is as professional as anyone in the game. And if Sunday's gem of a start was the first of many, then he might just get his wish.

This weekend, the Phillies will kick off a six game road trip that starts off in Miami, where they will take on the basement-dwelling Marlins in a three-game set. Following a series win against the Mets, the Phillies should be primed and ready to go against the floundering Marlins, who are very quickly turning into the laughing stock of baseball in 2013.

It's hard to believe that a team like the Marlins, who a year ago made a lot of noise when they brought in Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, and Health Bell to go along with established players like Hanley Ramirez, Josh Johnson, and Giancarlo Stanton. But then you remember that their owner is Jeff Loria, and it all makes sense.

Following a lousy season in which they finished last in the National League east, the Marlins held a fire sale that caught most everyone by surprise when they traded Josh Johnson, Mark Buehrle, and Jose Reyes to the Toronto Blue Jays for a pittance. That trade, which was panned by just about everyone, left the Marlins with hardly any start talent, a small payroll, and more or less turned them into a doormat for the rest of the league.

To put it mildly, the Marlins are bad. Really, really bad. Through nine games, the Fish are 1-8. Their W-L column only tells you so much, because sometimes good teams don't always have the easiest time getting off the blocks, but allow me to reassure you: the Marlins are this bad. Let us count the ways.

Their roster prominently features several players that even Ruben Amaro didn't want. Call it damning with faint praise, but you have to give the Phillies front office credit for not re-signing Juan Pierre, Placido Polanco, or Chad Qualls in the off-season (although you'd be correct in being angry that Amaro didn't trade Pierre last season). Amaro's willingness to let them walk opened the door for the Marlins front office, who couldn't turn down an opportunity to bring the talented triumvirate to play baseball in South Beach. Maybe I'm being too hard on Polanco, but when he bats fourth, that's a problem.

Oh yes, Placido Polanco is the Marlins' cleanup hitter. Polanco has played eight games this season, and he has hit in the number four spot in the lineup in half of them. Say what you want about whether or not lineup construction has any real impact on a team's offense, but Polanco is a 37-year-old infielder with a career slugging percentage of .402. I'm no expert, but when you have a singles hitter batting fourth, that's likely not going to work out well for your team. It's not like they have one of the youngest power hitters in the game, or anything.

Speaking of young power hitters, 23-year-old Giancarlo Stanton is the one guy they didn't trade last season, which is a shame, because it means that he'll be forced to take pitches until he's blue in the face this season, because it doesn't make any sense to throw him any strikes when he is surrounded by such an impotent lineup. Corey Seidman from CSNPHhlly.com wrote about this on Thursday, but if the first week of the season is any indication, then Stanton is going to have a heckuva time hitting dingers. Sarte once wrote that “hell is other people,” but he obviously never played right field for the Marlins.

While the pitching staff has (so far) proven to be somewhat adequate, the fact of the matter is the Marlins are scoring runs at about the same rate that Roy Halladay prevents them. In nine games, they've been shut out four times, and have scored three or fewer in four others.

So, what does this mean for the Phillies. Well, it means that they should be very, very afraid of the Marlins. Why? Because for as long as I can remember, the Phillies have this nasty habit of playing down to their opponents, which is why they can never seem to beat the Houston Astros. A three-game series in Miami should be a cake walk, but baseball is a funny sport, and the Phillies never cease to amaze when it comes to reaching new levels of disappointment.

I'm just kidding. The Phillies should have no trouble dealing with the Marlins this weekend, where they will be sending John Lannan, Cole Hamels, and Roy Halladay to the mound. Lannan was solid in his season debut against the Kansas City Royals, and if there is one thing that can get Hamels and Halladay back on the right track, it's facing the Miami Marlins.

First pitch is Friday at 7:10, when Lannan (0-0, 3.86) squares off against Ricky Nolasco (0-1, 3.97).

At the start of the 2012 season, no one could have predicted the downward spiral that would soon claim the talent of Roy Halladay. The Ace who dominated hitters seemingly disappeared over night, and in his place was a pitcher who would be content to be considered average. His struggles have carried over to 2013, and with two bad starts under his belt to kick off this season, you've got to wonder how long this is going to continue.

While we'd all appreciate Roy turning it around sooner rather than later, it seems as though the Phillies are content to give Halladay plenty of time to correct his struggles, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN:

Asked how much time the Phillies can afford to give Halladay to straighten himself out, Amaro told ESPN.com: "As much as he needs. He's Roy Halladay. He'll figure it out."

And you know what – that is exactly what Ruben Amaro should say. The vote of confidence from management, even when management might not be 100% sincere, is sometimes exactly what is needed. Whether or not Amaro's commitment to his pitcher is going to help Halladay, that's another story altogether.

I appreciate what Amaro is saying, because Halladay has certainly earned the right to correct his struggles (and for my money, Doc doesn't deserve to get booed, either) on his own terms. And I don't necessarily disagree with him, because you can't rush a player when he is struggling, or else you run the risk of turning a bad problem into a worse one. However, it's getting to a point where giving Roy an unlimited amount of time could ultimately be detrimental to the team.

The reality is that Doc only has a finite amount of time to fix himself, because if the Phillies do intend to contend this season – and despite a bad first week, they still could – then they can ill-afford to send Halladay to the mound every fifth day and hope for the best. If he can't get it figured out before too long, then either Ruben Amaro or Charlie Manuel are going to have to make the very difficult decision of replacing him with a pitcher that gives the Phillies a fighting chance on the mound.

As much as we'd like to believe that he'll get it figured out because “he's Roy Halladay,” the fact of the matter is that his reputation only goes so far. Sooner or later, his performance needs to catch up and bear the weight.  

I – and I suspect that darn near every Phillies fan feels this way – want nothing more than for Halladay to get his issues corrected. And to be honest, I want Roy to have as much time as he needs, but it's just not practical. It's not good for the Phillies, it's not good for the fans, and it's really not good for Roy Halladay. Reputation or not, you don't want to see Roy head into the month of July with an ERA north of 6.00 because he is still working things out. That's no way for a legend like Roy to go out, and I suspect that he and the front office realize that.

Halladay has given us two great years of baseball in Philadelphia, and countless others beyond that, so he absolutely deserves an opportunity to right the ship. Let's hope that, by the time it happens, that it's not too late.

While most of us spent Monday night talking about how painful it was to watch Roy Halladay struggle in his second straight outing, former Phillie Roy Oswalt was talking about something entirely different. Namely, a return to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Shortly after Halladay was lifted from his start against the New York Mets, Oswalt took to Twitter for the first time in ten months to talk about how great he feels, and how he would “love to come back to Philly.”

Interesting. While the Phillies were scrambling to construct a rotation during the winter, I don't know that anyone really every considered the 35-year-old Oswalt, who was traded to the Phillies during the 2010 season. And now, it would seem, he would be open to returning to the City of Brotherly Love.

Now, we can reasonably assume that Oswalt's Twitter account could have been hacked, and that it was some joker (probably a Braves fan) rubbing salt in the wound of the Phillies faithful. But considering that the tweets still exist, and that Oswalt hasn't made mention of any such tomfoolery on his account, it's safe to say that it was, in fact, Roy Oswalt tweeting about the Phillies shortly after Halladay got shelled by the Mets.

While Oswalt did go on to tweet that his previous comment had nothing to do with Halladay (he claims he was answering a question asked by a fan), it does seem peculiar that one of his first tweets since last August had to do with returning to the Phillies.

Maybe I'm reading too much into this – and it's entirely likely that I am – but it seems that Oswalt hasn't hung up his spikes quite yet, and that he is not-so-subtly putting it out there that he needs a job. Maybe “needs” is the wrong word, but you know how semi-retired athletes get when the season starts up again. Sometimes, that urge to play ball is far greater than the urge to relax in a hammock all day.

Having said that, would Roy Oswalt be able to help the Phillies in 2013? That's a bit of a loaded question, because even though we are only one week into the season, it's worth wondering if the Phillies are beyond help at this point. But, yes, Oswalt could help the Phillies in some capacity. Despite a so-so 2012 where he had a 5.80 ERA in 59 innings with the Texas Rangers, the right-hander figures to be an improvement over at least 40% of starting pitchers currently employed by the Philadelphia Phillies, even if said improvement is that you make it more than five innings without allowing six runs.

The upside to signing someone like Oswalt is that he'd be cheap, he'd only require a one-year deal, and his outfield experience already makes him a much better option in the lineup than either John Mayberry or Laynce Nix.

Before anyone gets their hopes up however, the reality is that Oswalt is probably not at all likely to return to the Phillies in 2013. If he was to return to any team, odds are he would pick one that wasn't an absolute mess during the first week of the season. That said, anything is possible, because no one thought that Pedro Martinez would be pitching in the World Series for the Phillies in April 2009, either.

And while a reunion of The Phour Aces would admittedly be kind of cool, the fact of the matter is that all it would really succeed in doing is making us remember how the 2011 season was ruined by an utterly disappointing stint in the playoffs.

For the second time in as many starts in 2013, Roy Halladay has failed to get past the fifth inning in a baseball game. And also, for the second time in as many starts, Phillies fans find themselves wondering just what has happened to their Ace.
 
Following his rough start in Atlanta nearly a week ago, many - including myself - were willing to give Roy a bit of a pass. After all, one bad outing doesn't mean anything, especially against a powerful team like the Atlanta Braves. It's not that Roy was excused from that first start. It's just that you can't jump to any conclusions that early in the season. And considering that he struck out nine hitters in less than five innings of work, there appeared to be something positive to take away from his first outing of the year.
 
Whatever positive vibes that anyone felt following that Atlanta start have surely dissipated. His follow-up performance against the light-hitting New York Mets was noteworthy in that the only positive thing to come out of it was the fact that he didn't allow a run in the first inning. That was the high-water mark for Roy on the night, as he proceeded to go off the rails by allowing seven runs over the next three plus innings of work, thanks to six hits, a homer, three walks, and - just for good measure - one hit batsman.
 
Like in his start against the Braves, Halladay just looked lost on the mound. Despite his fastball velocity being up around 90-91 MPH, his command was all but gone, as evidenced by the three walks and 40 of his 99 pitches being out of the strike zone. And when he was able to throw strikes, he didn't have a great deal of success in setting hitters down via the strikeout. Against pitcher Matt Harvey in the fourth, Doc was unable to put him away, as the young Harvey was able to foul off three pitches with two strikes before finally flying out to right. You can give credit to Harvey for hanging in against Doc, but  it doesn't speak volumes about a pitcher's ability when he is unable to set the opposing pitcher down in a timely manner.
 
What's frustrating about Roy's performance is that, when you see him pitch, it doesn't look like there is just one thing wrong with him. It's not as if he is messing up his arm angle, or that he is throwing a lot slower than he is used to. All of the pieces appear to be in place, but he isn't getting the results that would indicate that he isn't an absolute mess right now. And that's sad, because a pitcher like Halladay deserves a much better fate than to be saddled with this kind of depressing performance.
 
Following the game on Monday, Doc is going to talk to some reporters, and he's going to say that he's fine, and that he feels good, and that the ball felt good coming off of his hand, and that he was executing his game plan, and so on. But no matter how many empty clichés and meaningless platitudes he throws out there, it's pretty clear that Roy is broken, and neither him nor the coaching staff seem to have any ideas as to how to fix it.

It's still way too early to write off Roy's season, but with each poor start, it makes it easier and easier to accept the fact that the Roy Halladay who dominated the National League in 2010 and 2011 is never coming back.

Coming into the home opener on Friday, I took stock of what had been a rough series in Atlanta, the one in which the Phillies would have been swept if not for a dominating performance by Cliff Lee in the finale. I found that the Phillies losing two of their first three games of the season wasn't the worst thing in the world, especially given the circumstances.

There wasn't a lot of positives to take away from that three game set, because neither the starting pitching (Cliff Lee excepted) nor the bullpen really inspired a lot of confidence in anyone. However, one three-game series does not a season make, so I still felt pretty good about the Phillies, and I felt like their season-opening set against the Kansas City Royals would make for a good opportunity for them to bounce back.

At first, I was right. On Friday, the Phillies jumped out to a 4-0 lead behind Kyle Kendrick, and it looked like they would cruise to an easy win to kick off the season at Citizens Bank Park. That was not to be, as the Royals came roaring back with 13 unanswered runs as they ran roughshod all over the Fightins in front of their home fans (many of which had the presence of mind to leave after the seventh inning).

On Saturday, the Phillies were held in check by the Royals pitching, despite a solid start from the newly acquired John Lannan, who allowed three ER in seven innings of work. Although things were bleak for most of the affair, the Phillies pulled one out in the bottom of the ninth, thanks to a walkoff double by Kevin Frandsen, who cleared the bases with two outs to send the Phillies – and the fans – home happy with a 4-3 win.

Sunday's game was a bit of a combination of the games on Friday and Saturday, as the Phillies not only squandered a 4-0 lead (no thanks to Cole Hamels, who allowed 8 ER in 5.2 IP), but also nearly completed their second come-from-behind victory in as many days, thanks to a four-run ninth inning that ended with Erik Kratz striking out with runners on second and third to send the Phillies home with a 9-8 loss.

Much like the Atlanta series, the big blows in this series came thanks to poor starting pitching and the bullpen's inability to prevent the Royals from adding to their lead. On Friday, the bullpen combined to allow eight runs in less than four innings, putting an otherwise winnable game out of reach for an offense that hasn't been awful. The bullpen accounted for one ER on Sunday, but RP Chad Durbin's failure to stop the bleeding when he was brought in for Hamels in the sixth inning resulted in a two-run deficit turning into a four-run deficit.

To be fair, it's not like the Phillies are guaranteed to win those games had their bullpen not mucked everything up, but it certainly does make things quite a bit more difficult when the game is no longer within striking distance. The funny part about all of this is that, two weeks ago, no one would have thought that the bullpen would have been the vulnerable spot of this team. That's not to suggest that they are going to continue to be this bad, just that it's somewhat shocking that they've been so shockingly inept through six games.

If there is one silver lining to all of this, it's that one week of games in April is not likely to wreck the entire season, and that six games worth of performance isn't an accurate indicator as to how the rest of the season is going to play out. There are still quite a few bugs that need to be worked out, and if the Phillies want to avoid being out of the race before it even starts, they need to get it worked out sooner rather than later.

If I would have told you that Roy Halladay would have made history in his first start for the Phillies in 2013, you'd probably be jumping for joy, thinking that the veteran right-hander would throw his second career perfect game, or that he'd rack up 20 strikeouts or something.

The truth, however, is far more bizarre. Not only was Halladay wildly imperfect – he allowed five runs on six hits (two home runs) and three walks in 3.1 innings of work – but he also seemed to have no issue setting down Braves hitters via the strikeout. Of the ten outs he recoded, nine of them came by way of the K. The first out he recorded that didn't come from a strikeout occurred in the bottom of the third, when Atlanta third baseman Juan Francisco grounded out to first to end the inning.

Typically, when a pitcher has nine strikeouts through three innings, you can safely assume that he is in some sort of groove, where the opposing team is just unable to do much of anything against him. Unfortunately for Halladay, the exact opposite held true. The Braves jumped out to an early lead, thanks to a two-run homer by Justin Upton and an RBI single from Francisco in the first, which pretty much was a nail in the coffin for Doc and the Phillies. In between striking out the side, Roy walked a pair and allowed three hits. That dog won't hunt.

He pitched a perfect second inning, and was able to pitch around a pair of base-runners in the third to give the fans some hope that he just had a rough first inning. That proved not to be the case, as Halladay allowed a homer from Braves catcher Evan Gattis to lead off the fourth. Two batters later, he was done, with one of the most bizarre lines that you'll ever see: 95 pitches (55 strikes), 5 ER, 6 H, 3 BB, 9 K.

That strange line is what led to history being made in Atlanta on Wednesday, as Doc became the first starter ever to strike out nine batters in 3.1 innings of work. That little tidbit comes courtesy of Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

It's not the kind of history that you want to be known for, that's for sure. While Doc did at times look in total control, his start in Atlanta didn't really answer any questions. He had a bad first inning – which isn't uncommon for him – but he settled into a groove before getting pulled in the fourth after he allowed two more runs.

The silver lining to all of this – if there is one – is that he still managed to strike out nine hitters in a shade over three innings of work, while hitting 90-91MPH on the gun with some frequency. Say what you want about the five ER that he allowed, but nine Ks in less than four innings is pretty impressive. The rest of his start, not so much.

Time will tell as to whether or not Roy is cooked or not, but you have to be somewhat encouraged by the fact that he seems to be figuring out how to live without his fastball, as all of his strikeouts did come on breaking pitches. His cutter was his bread and butter for so many years, but if he wants to get back to his old winning ways, he's going to need to live on a diet of breaking balls and off-speed pitches.

After Cole Hamels' rough start on Monday, the last thing that anyone wanted to see was Roy Halladay get knocked around by the high-powered Braves offense. The good news is that it is only one start, so it's entirely possible that Roy will be right as rain the next time out. It might not be that likely, but it's possible. Otherwise, it's going to be a long season for the former Ace.

If you had “April 2” for when the Phillies would make their first move on the season, go right ahead and give yourself a big ol' pat on the back, because the Phillies have gone ahead and claimed outfielder Ezequiel Carrera off of waivers, according to the Inquirer's Matt Gelb.

Carrera, a left-handed hitting outfielder by way of the Cleveland Indians, has a .255/.312/.395 line in 349 at-bats over two seasons with the Tribe, with a pair of homers and 18 stolen bases. As a minor leaguer, he has a career line of .291/.367/.380 line, with an average of 23 stolen bases per season. He can't hit for power (20 HR in eight minor league seasons), but he can get on base at a decent clip. According to most scouting reports, he also plays a mean outfield, and he can run the bases with aplomb.

In order to add Carrera to the roster, the Phillies designated OF Ender Inciarte for assignment. And because Inciarte is a Rule 5 draft pick, he must first be offered back to the Arizona Diamondbacks (whom the Phillies plucked him from) after clearing waivers. If the D'Backs do not wish to keep Inciarte, the Phillies will have the opportunity to keep the speedy centerfielder in their system.

Inciarte, who impressed during the spring with a decent bat and sterling defense, was someone who I really wanted to see have a chance with the Phillies in 2013. His skill set makes him a go-to player for a late-inning defensive substitution or pinch-runner, even if his bat still has a ways to go before it's Major League ready.

This move makes me wonder, considering that Carrera isn't a huge upgrade in the field or in the batter's box. That he has Major League experience probably wins him some points, but his minor league numbers aren't impressive enough for this move would be considered a slam dunk for the Phillies(.755 OPS vs RHP). At any rate, the Phillies probably just wanted some more experience to go along with their bench. Inciarte was fine for a 25th man, but at the end of the day, he is a minor leaguer.

However, you have to wonder if Carrera is even going to be around for too long, considering that Delmon Young is likely going to make the team when he gets healthy, meaning that the Phillies are going to have to shuffle the roster around, yet again. 

The first game of the season is in the books for the Phillies, and unfortunately, it's one that will be placed squarely in the loss column, after they dropped the opener to the Atlanta Braves by a score of 7-5. I'll spare you the play-by-play of the evening, but I did want to leave you with a few points worth noting from Monday evening's festivities...

Leading Off: We received a glimpse into the future of the top of the order on Monday night, and if one game is any indication, it is a bright one, indeed. Ben Revere, who was tabbed as the leadoff man by Charlie Manuel on Monday afternoon, looked downright leadoff-manish the entire evening, thanks to a potent combination of plate discipline and the ability to foul off close pitches. While his 1-for-4 line doesn't jump out at you, he worked Braves starter Tim Hudson all night, and his 11-pitch at-bat in the fifth inning set the table for a rally that brought the Phillies back within one and sent Hudson to the showers. He won't hit for any power, but his ability to work the count is going to be very useful if he can keep it up.

The Man is Back: I've often stressed that Chase Utley is the most important player in the Phillies offense, and for good reason. Utley made the most of his first Opening Day start since 2010 by going 3-for-5 with a homer (the 200th of his career), a triple, two runs, and three RBIs. His bases loaded single in the fifth inning brought the Phillies to within one run, but the most impressive part about that was that he ended up on second base after right-fielder Jason Heyward's throw went to third. It's the kind of heads-up hustle that Utley is known for, and it's one of the most underrated parts of his game. After a so-so spring, Utley came out of the gates blasting, and his knees showed no sign of injury.

Howard's Whiff: Ryan Howard was not nearly as fortunate on Monday evening, thanks to an 0-for-5 evening at the plate. After grounding into the shift in his first two ABs, Howard came to the plate in the fifth inning with one away and the tying run on third base. Enter LHP Luis Avilan, who proceeded to set Howard down on strikes on five pitches. While that is not an unexpected outcome, considering Howard's struggles against lefties, the fact that Howard swung at the first two pitches (both which were out of the strike zone) didn't increase his odds of bringing the runner home. It's gotten to the point where Howard's ABs against left-handed pitchers are merely formalities, because odds are he's going to fail to reach base. The most frustrating thing about this, however, is his inability to adjust to lefties, and the coaching staff's unwillingness to consider pinch-hitting for a player who has a career .227 batting average against southpaws. Now, it's only one game, so he could get it figured out, but it is worth noting that his OPS versus left-handed pitchers has been on a downward slide since 2010.

Cole's Jitters: Speaking of struggles, it appears that Cole Hamels just can't seem to get it going in his first start of the season. Since 2009, the Ace has an ERA of nearly 10.00 in his season debut, and that was apparent on Monday night, when he allowed five runs on seven hits – three of them homers – in seven innings of work. I don't know what it is, but Hamels just can't seem to have any luck the first time he takes the mound to start a season. I wouldn't worry too much, because if history is any indicator, he'll proceed to straight-up own the rest of the way.

All told, losing the first game of the season is never any fun, but there are worse ways to get beat. Besides, there were some positives to take away from this one, namely the performance of the offense. It wasn't the best way to start out a season, but 50% of the teams have to lose on Opening Day, right? We have 161 more of these things to go, and I'm looking forward to every single one of them.

When I wrote my preview for the Phillies last season, I picked them to finish first in the division, with something like 93 wins and their sixth straight division title. I did that for a few reasons: One, because I am an optimist and a homer, two, because I thought their pitching would be good enough to buoy an iffy offense, and three, because I underestimated the strength of both the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves.

This season, however, I know better. The time for hopeless optimism has passed, and in its place is a cold, sad, and unforgiving dose of reality: The Phillies aren't awful, but they aren't necessarily good, either. Do I think they have a shot at the playoffs? Sure. Will it be an easy path to October? Not by a longshot.

Comparatively, the 2013 team figures to be quite a bit better than their 2012 counterparts. The rotation is probably going to be about the same, but both the offense and the bullpen should be quite a bit better than they were one year ago, thanks to health, youth, and an additional helping of talent.

The biggest challenge for the Phillies, of course, is themselves. While the Nationals and Braves will be tough customers, their ability to stay healthy is going to ultimately have more of an impact than just about anything else. If Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay, Jimmy Rollins and the rest can't stay on the field, then it might not matter how the bullpen does or how dominant Cole Hamels is.

Of course, health is only part of the equation, because the whole “you have to score runs and compete with two really good division rivals” does have a little bit to do with how well a team performs. And in the National League East, the Phillies do have their work cut out for them. The Nationals might just be better than they were last year, and the Braves aren't going to go quietly, either. They have a good rotation, a good lineup, and one of the best bullpens in the game.

That's not to say that they can't compete, because they do have enough talent to make some noise in the division. While the Nationals are far and away the best team in the division, the Phillies have enough firepower and enough arms to propel them back to the playoffs.

Aside from the rotation, the Phillies are sporting a lineup with enough bats to score some runs. The presence of a healthy Chase Utley and Ryan Howard is going to pay dividends, and the addition of the speedy Ben Revere and the veteran Michael Young add more depth and talent to an offense that is coming off a year in which they were sorely lacking.

The team's greatest strength, however, might just be their bullpen. Thanks to the addition of RHPs Mike Adams and Chad Durbin to a 'pen that included Jonathan Papelbon, Antonio Bastardo, and a bevy of young arms Phillippe Aumont and Jeremy Horst, the Phillies have turned a weakness into a strength.

However, the real difference-maker for the Phillies this year is going to be Roy Halladay. Following a lackluster 2012 and a rough Spring Training, the team's new number three starter is going to be the difference between an average pitching rotation, and a good one. With Kyle Kendrick and Jon Lannan at the back end of the rotation, it's crucial for Doc to return to his former self if the Phillies want to have a shot.

All told, the 2013 Phillies are far more well-equipped than the 2012 squad. That's not saying much, but considering that last year's team managed to finish .500 despite their issues is actually somewhat of a positive. They are going to need a lot of things to go their way if they want to play baseball in October again, but baseball is a funny game, and anything is possible.

My prediction? Thanks to a much-improved bullpen and a solid lineup, the Phillies will go 91-71, which should be good enough to snag one of the Wild Card spots.

The season began in Atlanta on Monday night. Let's see if these Phillies have one more run in them.

When the Phillies acquired Ben Revere during the off-season, one of the first questions that anyone asked (after “Is he good?”) was whether or not his arrival meant the departure of Jimmy Rollins from the leadoff spot. It's a fair question, considering that not only has Revere spent a great deal of time leading off games during his career, but also that Rollins is another year older, and ostensibly, a little bit less suited to leadoff.

While Charlie Manuel hasn't tipped his hand about how the lineup will look come Monday evening, you can reasonable come to two conclusions. Either Jimmy Rollins or Ben Revere will take the first pitch for the Phillies in 2013, or the rest of the lineup will go pretty much as expected. Hard hitting stuff, I know.

Whatever the case may be, the decision to keep or remove Rollins from the leadoff spot is going to have implications further on down the lineup. I've written about putting Revere at the top of the order before, so I won't bore you with that, but I did want to predict how I figure the lineup will be come Opening Day for the Phillies when they take on right-hander Tim Hudson.

CF Ben Revere
SS Jimmy Rollins
2B Chase Utley
1B Ryan Howard
3B Michael Young
LF Domonic Brown
RF Laynce Nix
C Erik Kratz
P Cole Hamels

There are no real surprises here, especially once we get past the first two batters. Utley and Howard have been the go-to 3-4 hitters for ages, and Michael Young's right-handedness and offensive potential makes him an easy choice for the number five spot in Charlie Manuel's lineup. Domonic Brown's hot spring will make him the starting left-fielder, but he'll probably be sticking around in the six spot for most of the season. We can assume that Nix and John Mayberry will alternate depending on the starting pitcher, and Kratz figures to get more starts over Humberto Quintero until Carlos Ruiz returns from his suspension.

This lineup figures to be pretty much the standard over the first month of the season, or at least until Ruiz returns. When that happens, that gives Charlie a lot of options when it comes to structuring the lineup. Ruiz's great on-base percentage would play very well at the top of the lineup, but his 2012 performance might make Manuel more likely to put him in the fifth hole. At any rate, there is no shortage of possible lineup combinations for the Phillies this season. The only question, now, is whether or not they will be able to score any runs.

After over a month of the audition process known as Spring Training, the Phillies have finally arrived at their final 25-man roster for the 2013 season, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

Zolecki posted about it on his blog on Saturday morning, and there weren't too many surprises in store:

Rotation (5): Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Kyle Kendrick and John Lannan.
Bullpen (7): Jonathan Papelbon, Mike Adams, Antonio Bastardo, Chad Durbin, Phillippe Aumont, Jeremy Horst and Raul Valdes.
Catchers (2): Erik Kratz and Humberto Quintero.
Infielders (6): Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Michael Young, Kevin Frandsen and Freddy Galvis.
Outfielders (5): Ben Revere, Domonic Brown, John Mayberry Jr., Laynce Nix and Ender Inciarte.
 

As we've talked about, the only questions that any of us really had about the Opening Day roster were pertained to the outfield and in the bullpen, thanks to a plethora of players that had a legitimate chance of making the big club in those positions. The only big name missing from that list is Carlos Ruiz, but that's because he will be serving a 25 game suspension when the season starts. Upon his return, he figures to replace Quintero.

In the bullpen, the Phillies have a lot of high-powered arms capable of racking up the strikeouts, which is a nice change of pace from last season. They opted to go with three left-handed pitchers, which gives Charlie Manuel a lot of options when it comes to matching up with opposing lineups in the late innings.

The biggest change that they'll see in the 'pen is going to occur in the late innings, where Mike Adams will bear most of the responsibility of getting the game into the hands of closing pitcher Jonathan Papelbon. It was the biggest weakness the team had last year, but the presence of Adams and Chad Durbin should turn the bullpen into a strength.

In the outfield, the only real question was whether or not the Phillies were going to hold onto Rule 5 pick Ender Inciarte, who impressed the team with his play during the spring thanks to his defensive ability and strong throwing arm. While Inciarte doesn't figure to get much playing time, he gives the team more depth on the bench, especially when it comes to needing a late-inning defensive replacement or a pinch running. While Inciarte would need to remain on the 25 man roster for the entire season to avoid being offered back to the Arizona Diamondbacks, Zolecki predicts that, when Delmon Young is healthy enough to make the team, that it will be Inciarte who is the odd man out.

All told, it's a pretty solid – if not old – roster. There are some issues in the rotation, especially considering the status of Roy Halladay, plus the ability of Kyle Kendrick and John Lannan. The lineup figures to be much better positioned than they were last year, but that is again based on their bats staying healthy.

While most of the players are familiar to most fans, there is a lot to be excited about on this 2013 team, namely the reinvented bullpen, plus the presence of Ben Revere, Domonic Brown, and Freddy Galvis. Revere and Brown will hopefully become the building blocks for a reinvigorated Phillies team, while Galvis is just an absolute blast to watch when he plays the field.

The biggest thing about this roster, though, is the fact that Chase Utley will be playing on Opening Day for the first time since 2010, which is something that cannot go overlooked. While he isn't the Chase from four or five years ago, simply having his bat in the lineup on a daily basis in April and May can be a difference maker.

They'll still have the odds stacked against them when the season starts, but you have to feel a lot better about this roster than the one that they fielded this time last year.  The only thing left, now, is to see if that makes a difference when the season starts.

After mistakenly receiving $37,000 worth of Phillies tickets, a man is accused of using the tickets as gifts and even selling some on Craigslist.

The ticket belong to the News Journal Media Group. One of their employees actually broke the case when he spotted some of the tickets for sale on the online classified site.

"He received a package that was inadvertently delivered to the company and he opened it, and instead of doing the right thing and returning the tickets to sender, he decided to keep them for himself," said Cpl. Mark Ivey, Wilmington Police.

The 324 tickets -- four for every home game -- are located in the posh Diamond Club. The tickets and 81 parking passes were supposed to be sent to the News Journal Media Group in February. Instead, they wound up at another address and in the hands of Scott Lascala, according to investigators.

Once he had the tickets, police say Lascala gave some to coworkers and sold others.

When the News Journal employee spotted the Craigslist tickets on March 9, he alerted police.

Police set up a sting at a parking lot and took the seller into custody. He told police the tickets and parking pass came from Lascala.

Investigators arrested Lascala at his workplace at 1209 N. Orange Street. The 40-year-old man from Newark, Delaware is charged with theft and conspiracy.

According to court records, Lascala wanted to use the money to buy a wedding ring.

"I'm surprised that he thought he was going to get away with it. He probably should have followed that old saying, if it isn't yours don't touch it," said Cpl. Ivey.

The Postal Service is also investigating the case to find out how the tickets ended up six miles away from their destination. 

In the meantime, police want anyone who purchased the tickets, not realizing they were stolen, to contact M/Cpl. Gerald Connor at 302-576-3670.

The tickets in question are for Diamond Club, Section G, Row 12, Seats 7 to 10.

Lascala is scheduled to be in New Castle County court April 10.

We've been following Roy Halladay's progress this month, as he looks to bounce back from an utterly disappointing and forgettable 2012 season. On Thursday, we got to witness his Spring Training finale, with hopes that we could feel better about him at the end of March than we did at the beginning.

And after watching his 4 2/3 inning performance against the Toronto Blue Jays, that does not appear to be the case. He didn't pitch poorly – he allowed two runs and struck out five – but he didn't pitch really well, either - he gave up eight hits and two walks, and he struggled with his command throughout.

To be fair to Halladay, his velocity sat around 88-90 throughout the game, which is encouraging, but the lack of command pretty much undoes whatever good came from him regaining his velocity, and it's not a stretch to suggest that the two are related in some capacity. If Roy is overthrowing to add a few ticks to his fastball, then his command might just go right out the window.

In short, it was a microcosm of Roy's spring: Some positives, some negatives, and too many questions unanswered as we head into the season. Namely, “What happened?” and “Why can't Roy Halladay throw a good fastball anymore?”

Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of answers. Doc insists that he feels healthy, and he says that he feels like he's getting stronger, but that doesn't mean much of anything unless he can translate that good feeling into success on the field and into decent starts in a rotation that is in desperate need of them.

All told, it was a pretty miserable spring for Halladay, who ends up with an ERA greater than 6.00 in 16 innings of work. While you can only take so much from spring stats, no one is feeling any better about his performance this month and about what that means for the regular season. Does that mean that he won't get it figured out between now and this start in a week from now? Of course not. Halladay is a pro's pro, and if there is one guy who can get all this solved, it's him.

And just because we, as fans, need to prepare for the worst case scenario as it pertains to Doc, that doesn't mean that it has to happen that way. He makes his first start of the season on Thursday. Let's see how that goes.

Here at Philthy Stuff we'll be taking a look at the 2013 Phillies and what we can expect from each and every player in the upcoming season as we head towards Spring Training. Last up, Cole Hamels.

With possibly the exceptions of free-agents to be Roy Halladay and Chase Utley, the player with the most to prove in 2013 figures to be Domonic Brown, as the outfielder should finally get his chance to prove that he can bloom into the player that was once named the fourth best prospect in baseball.

A  year ago, the future of Cole Hamels and the Philadelphia Phillies was an unknown one. With one more season left before he hit the open market as a free agent, there was a lot of talk about how we might be witnessing the last season of Hamels in red pinstripes, which was a bitter pill to swallow for those who got to experience his journey, which took him from top-rated prospect, to World Series Champion, and finally, to being one of the best pitchers in the game.

Despite a rough season that appeared to be the beginning of the end for the once mighty Phillies, they were able to sign Hamels to a six-year contract extension that not only will make him one of the highest paid pitchers in the game, but also ensures that he will remain in Philadelphia for the majority of his career. Signing pitchers to those types of deals is always a risk, but when you consider what Hamels has done throughout his career, especially over the last three seasons (2.97 ERA, 621 K in 640 IP over 95 starts), you can argue that he was well worth it.

To go along with the new contract and a nice big bank account, Hamels has also been named the Opening Day starter for the club, in a sort of passing of the torch from Roy Halladay. While getting that honor doesn't cement a pitcher's legacy, it's a way for the club to recognize that Hamels is now the chief Ace among a rotation that has not been a stranger to great pitchers as of late.

And if Cole's March performance (1.13 ERA in four starts) is any indicator, then the 29-year-old is going to add another stellar season to his already impressive resume. Stat guru Bill James agrees, and he projects the lefty to have a 3.23 ERA and 8.52 K/9 in 223 innings of work. Now, that's just a projection, but we can all agree that Hamels will likely be among the best pitchers in the game in 2013.

If the Phillies want to have a shot at making it back to October, it's going to start with their homegrown Ace and his ability to lead the rotation – and the team – in 2013.

The Phillies made another personnel move on Tuesday, when they released starting pitcher Aaron Cook, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.

Cook, who signed a minor league deal with the Phillies back in January, was one of a handful of players signed in the off-season to help provide some pitching depth to the rotation. And despite having a solid March, where he had a 3.38 ERA in 18 innings over six appearances, the Phillies didn't deem it necessary to keep him around.

If you ask me, it was a wise move, because no matter how well Cook pitched during the spring, you can't hide from the fact that he has a career ERA of 4.60 over an 11 year career. To boot, Cook is notoriously a contact pitcher, as evidenced by the fact that he has a K/9 of 3.7. In 18 starts with the Boston Red Sox last season, he struck out fewer than two batters per nine innings. Even though he would have been called upon to make the occasional spot start, Cook's inability to strike hitters out  makes him a liability.

This move also signals that the Phillies are more comfortable with their current minor league stable than they would have been with Cook. The candidate most likely to be called up in a pinch appears to be Tyler Cloyd, who made the most of his cup of coffee last season, with a 4.91 ERA and 8.2 K/9 in six starts. Conceivably, the Philles could also tap LHP Adam Morgan, who impressed last season at AA and during the spring, or RHP Jonathan Pettibone, who had a 3.10 ERA between AA and AAA in 2012.

While the Phillies would prefer not having to deal with an injury to the rotation, it takes a massive amount of luck to avoid something like that over 162 games, so it's quite likely that we will see one of the younger arms during the course of the season.

With a week to go until the regular season finally starts, we are getting a much clearer sense of what direction the Phillies are going to be heading in, roster-wise. They've spent the last week or so sending various players down to the minors, cutting a few others, and all-in-all just figuring out how to get the roster down to 25 before the season opener on April 1st.

They got one step closer to that on Sunday afternoon, when they released shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki. Betancourt was making quite the case for himself to make the team after a very strong spring showing. In 17 games, the 31-year-old hit .447 with a homer and 14 RBIs.

But March stats aren't really all that noteworthy, especially when you consider that Betancourt has a career OPS of .682, and that he hasn't had an on-base percentage greater than .300 since he was a 26-year-old in 2008.

Perhaps more important than his inability to be an effective hitter is that the Phillies, quite simply, didn't like him as much as Freddy Galvis and Kevin Frandsen. While neither enjoyed the kind of spring success as Betancourt, both figure to offer substantially more to the team during the regular season. Galvis, despite his offensive woes, is probably the best defender on the team, and is capable of playing multiple positions at a level that is well above average. Although he is known as an infielder, he moved to right field late in a game on Friday, and it appeared that he equipped himself nicely in that role.

And even though Frandsen doesn't have the defensive skills of a Galvis, he does have the ability to play multiple positions. Offense-wise, he isn't anything special – his career .686 OPS is a tick better than Yuni's – but he did hit .338/.383/.451 in 55 games with the Phillies last year. It's a small sample size, but it's clear that they like what he can do, even as a part-time player.

While the final roster isn't set in stone, we can pretty much predict how the infield is going to shake out come next week, with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Michael Young as the starters, and Frandsen and Galvis as the backups.

The rest of the roster – specifically the bullpen and the outfield – still remains mostly shrouded in mystery, but we can probably ballpark it if we had to. For now, though, we can rest easy knowing that the 2013 Philadelphia Phillies infield is all but set in stone.
 

When Roy Halladay got traded to the Phillies prior to the 2010 season, we knew what to expect from the pitcher who dominated the tough American League for his entire career. Halladay didn't disappoint, and he tore through the National League like it was tissue paper during his first two years as the Ace of the Phillies staff. While the other 24 members of the team offered some flux from year-to-year, Doc was as predictable as a fine-tuned wristwatch.

At least, that was the case up until last season, when Halladay experienced his worst season in over a decade following a spring in which many wondered if the right-hander was injured due to a noticeable drop in velocity. What at first was thought to be a March malaise turned into a season-long issue for the veteran, thanks to a shoulder injury that appears to have stuck with him through the end of the year.

And it's for that reason that Roy Halladay's 2013 spring has come under so much scrutiny, because the one question that needs answering is whether or not last season was a blip on the radar or the start of a trend that ends with Halladay becoming a merely average pitcher.

While the jury is still out, it's pretty evident that things are not going well for Doc, who was roughed up on Saturday afternoon in a start against Toronto Blue Jays minor league players, who tagged him for three runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. He struck out one.

There's a lot to be said about the merits of spring training performances, but it's fairly evident that Halladay is having a rough go of it. Maybe it's because he is still recovering from a stomach bug that resulted in him losing some ten pounds over the course of a few days, but based on his fastball velocity – which sat mostly in the high 80s – it doesn't look like things have improved much this month for the 35-year-old starter.

While we'd all like to think that Halladay will be fine when the season starts eight days from know, the Phillies must proceed as if this is their new reality; one where Halladay is no longer the known quantity that he was for so much of his career. It's a sad notion, to be sure, but one that they need to start accepting. Thankfully for them, they have Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee to turn to, so all is not lost as far as the rotation goes.

Even with the two horses at the top of the rotation, you still hate to see Halladay struggle like this, considering how easy he made things look in 2010 and 2011. He was once the most durable pitcher in the game, and now it looks like all those innings just might be catching up with him.

With a week to go until the regular season starts, you have to wonder if that is enough time for Halladay to make whatever changes necessary in order for him to be effective in a world where he doesn't throw in the low 90s. Baseball is a game of adjustments, and the onus is now on Roy Halladay to make the most important one of his career.

The Phillies downed the National League east division rival Atlanta Braves on Friday afternoon on the strength of a pair of young members of the organization. The Spring Training tilt featured a strong start by LHP Adam Morgan, who struck out five and allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings. But it was Darin Ruf who put the Braves out of their misery, when he blasted a towering home run to deep, deep, deep left field.

It was arguably the high point in a spring that has been rife with a lot of lows for Ruf, who has languished both in the lineup and on the field this month. As impressive as that game-winning homer was, that didn't prevent the Phillies from sending Ruf to the minors following the game, according to CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury.

His demotion is not at all surprising, given how poorly he has performed during the spring. Following a solid-but-brief debut in September last season, the Phillies were hopeful that Ruf could be a mainstay in the lineup and in left field, but after a month of games, it was evident that the 26-year-old needs more seasoning at his new position in the minors. How long he stays down here is entirely up to him.

But, oh my, that home run! It was a bomb off the bat, and with the wind blowing out, it had no trouble clearing the bleachers in deep left. And that, right there, is why Darin Ruf will continue to exist on the periphery, as far as the Phillies are concerned. Power is expensive, and the thought of having a player in your lineup with that kind of power is too enticing to simply dismiss.

It's because of that reasoning that the Phillies will keep an eye on Darin Ruf, despite doubts that he can field his position in left field or hit Major League pitching with any sort of consistency. But teams love the kind of potential that guys like Darin Ruf bring to the table. He might never be an adequate fielder, but the promise of that power goes a long way to making you forget about a guy's shortcomings in the field.

When Spring Training started, I was firmly entrenched in Darin Ruf's corner. There are a lot of naysayers out there, and for good reason, but I was hopeful that he could put on a decent enough showing during the spring to convince the team that he was ready for The Show. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case, and the Phillies will instead turn to more capable players to occupy left field until the time comes that Ruf is ready to do that himself.

For now, Ruf will ply his trade at Lehigh Valley, where the Phillies hope that he can get things figured out with the bat and with the glove. We shall see.

Mercifully, the long and arduous exercise known as Spring Training is nearly over. What started what feels like a lifetime ago is down to it's final week plus of games. With the exception of the World Baseball Classic and some very entertaining play from Domonic Brown, it's been a dull month of baseball. But as we near the finish line, we can step back and take stock of what the spring has revealed...

The Doctor is in. Or not: While Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee figure to be their usual awesome selves on the mound, the same cannot be said for Roy Halladay. The veteran right-hander, who dominated the National League for two years before succumbing to injuries (and possibly age) in 2012, is having a rough go of it lately, thanks to a stomach virus that reportedly resulted in him losing about ten pounds in the course of a few days. No good. Although we have no idea what the regular season is going to bring us, one thing is true: Spring Training hasn't made us feel any less concerned about Roy Halladay.

The bullpen is very, very good: Last season, the bullpen was the soft underbelly of a Phillies team that was already rife with weak spots. Aside from Jonathan Papelbon, it was hit or miss in the late innings, thanks to a revolving door in the seventh and eighth innings that resulted in too many blown leads late in games. Thanks to some re-tooling by Ruben Amaro and a handful of young arms, the bullpen figures to be a strength in 2013. Newcomer Mike Adams has been dominant during the spring, and Chad Durbin should add some stability to the 'pen in his second tour with the club. Add to that mix of solid veterans the likes of Antonio Bastardo, Phillippe Aumont, Mike Stutes, and Jeremy Horst, and you have a relief corps that will make games a lot shorting this season.

Everyone seems healthy: With the exception of Roy Halladay, everyone is in fairly good health. Chase Utley is playing in his first spring since 2010, and despite his performance, is moving around and swinging the bat without any issues. Ditto for Ryan Howard, who has five homers and a .972 OPS in 20 spring games. Unless something goes awry in the next week, the Phillies will have all their regulars on the field come Opening Day, with the lone exception of Carlos Ruiz, who will be serving a 25 game suspension.

Youth movement: One of the biggest knocks against the Phillies has been their rather advanced age. With most of the heavy hitters on the wrong side of 30, they were in desperate need of some young talent to step up and take the reins. Wish granted, it would seem, thanks to the spring performance of Domonic Brown (1.179 OPS), Ben Revere (.328 batting average), and Freddy Galvis (.811 OPS, 2 HR) – three players who figure to factor in heavily during the season. Also impressive were the prospect duo of catcher Tommy Joseph and 3B Cody Asche, who made the most of their limited playing time.

All told, the spring has made me a bit more optimistic about the upcoming season. Aside from Roy Halladay's malaise, the Phillies are in a much better place than they were this time last season. If they can get through an entire season with luck on their side, then they should have a legitimate shot at competing in the National League, even if they don't stand a chance in the division (sorry, it belongs to the Washington Nationals now).

There is just over a week to go until the regular season starts. If only that didn't feel like an eternity.

For baseball fans, there is possibly no greater feeling than watching a young prospect evolve from a Minor League star into a Major League stud. Atlanta Braves got to see that with Jason Heyward. Washington Nationals fans got to see that with Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg.

And now, it seems like the Phillies are seeing that with Domonic Brown, as the former top prospect is tearing through the Grapefruit League with reckless abandon. Following Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees, where he blasted his sixth homer of the spring, Brown is 8th among all MLB players with a 1.179 OPS, and first in home runs, where he is tied with Seattle's Michael Morse.

To put it plainly: Domonic Brown is absolutely crushing it this spring.

Now, we all know how useless spring stats can be, because they are essentially nine inning practice sessions against weak pitching. But, that doesn't mean that they are totally useless. After all, Brown's hot spring more or less won him the starting RF job (even though it never should have been a competition), while Darin Ruf's poor spring is likely to cost him a job. They aren't the be-all, end-all, but it's foolish to think that they are totally without merit.

That said, Dom's transformation into a monster in the batter's box likely didn't happen by accident. While there are some guys who are having great springs who might not even be on a big league team in July, I really don't think that Brown is one of them. The reason for that is because Brown is a legitimately talented hitter who has not had the time to impress at the Major League level. Add to that a broken hamate bone before the 2011 season, and you've got a hitter with very little exposure to big league pitching coming off an injury that takes a good year or so to fully rebound from.

On top of Brown being healthy, he's also clearly made some adjustments. There was this joke among bloggers and on Twitter about Brown during the 2011 season, when the focus was on his hands being held too high when he was in the batter's box. I have to laugh about that now, because it's pretty clear that his hands are a lot lower this spring, as evidence by this batting stance comparison by by friend and fellow blogger Paul Boye (follow him @phrontiersman and check him out over at Crashburn Alley). His swing now, as opposed to 2010, '11, or '12, is a lot shorter, a lot quicker, and is generating a ton of power. While his swing used to evoke Ryan Howard and his long bat path, it now looks a bit more like Chase Utley's: short, quick, and powerful.

Then you have the fact that the Phillies new hitting coach, Wally Joyner, has apparently had a profound impact on the 25-year-old. Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer wrote about this back in February, but Brown and Joyner seemed to have formed some kind of connection pretty early on in the spring after they made a few adjustments to his swing. Whatever they did, it worked, because Brown is a one-man wrecking crew out there.

Of course, none of this means anything at all if Brown can't perform during the regular season. I think we can all agree that he's not been terribly impressive at the Major League level so far, but that's got more to do with a lack of playing time and a hand injury than anything else. Still it's crucial for him to keep this up once the games start to mean something. An 1.100 OPS in March is awesome, yes, but only if it means that April success is not far behind.

To suggest that I have been one of Darin Ruf's biggest supporters of the last year would be accurate. I have not been as supportive of him as, say, Domonic Brown, but when it became apparent that the Phillies were not destined for the playoffs in 2012, I threw every ounce of support behind the slugging 26-year-old. I supported him because his presence in the lineup would make the tail end of the season a bit more interesting.

That support was built on the strength of a breakout season that saw Ruf clobber 38 homers in the minor leagues, including a record-breaking month of August, where he hit 20 home runs for the Double A Reading Phillies. That display of power resulted in a late-season promotion to the Majors, where he hit three homers in 12 games with the Phillies in what would turn out to be an audition for the 2013 season.

Thanks to a weak free agent class and thinned out big league roster, Darin Ruf turned out to be a very real option for Ruben Amaro and Charlie Manuel, as they set out to add some power to a lineup that was sorely lacking. And when Spring Training kicked off a month ago, it was safe to say that Ruf was very much in control of his own destiny, and that his ultimate destination in 2013 was going to come down to how he performed in the month of March.

But through Monday, things have not been going well for the first-baseman-turned-left-fielder, who has struggled on both sides of the ball. While Spring Training stats are not useful predictors of future success, it's foolish to suggest that teams don't pay attention to them when it comes to evaluating players who are auditioning for starting jobs. Just look at Domonic Brown, who more or less wrapped up a starting job two weeks ago thanks to his dazzling spring performance.

In 15 games coming into Monday's game, Ruf had a line of .205/.300/.341, with one homer, three doubles and seven RBIs. Again, March stats are for the birds, but he hasn't done himself any favors with the bat, especially considering his reputation as a slugger.

To boot, his transition to left field has been a difficult one. While he looked adequate enough in limited action there in 2012, he hasn't demonstrated much of any ability out there during the spring. He can make the routine plays well enough - but even they've given him difficulty at times – and his lack of speed and poor footwork leave him with very little range in the outfield.

However, things probably won't get much worse than they did on Monday for Ruf, when he misplayed a line drive into a two run homer. With a runner on and no one out in the bottom of the second, Atlanta's Freddie Freeman hit a liner to left. Ruf read it immediately and got back on it well enough and timed his leap just right, but he failed to corral the ball, and it popped out of his glove and over the fence. Instead of a highlight reel-level catch of some difficulty, we are instead left with an indelible image of Ruf, on his caboose, sitting against the fence as the Braves circle the bases.

Now, that's something that could have (and has) happened to anyone, so it's not like Ruf is the first guy to make that particular mistake in the outfield. But his fielding ability (or lack thereof) may very well be what ends up costing him a spot on the big league roster. Even if it turns out that he can hit big league pitching, the Phillies are not going to be able to hide Ruf in the corner and hope that nothing ever gets hit out there.

While this spring has been a showcase of talent for the likes of Domonic Brown, Ryan Howard, or Ben Revere, it's been the exact opposite for Ruf, whose spring will likely end with him being sent down to Triple A Lehigh Valley.

This month at Philthy Stuff, it has been our duty to keep you up to date on all things Roy Halladay, specifically pertaining to his velocity throughout his spring training starts. The last time we met up with our hero, he was getting shellacked by the Detroit Tigers, in what was an unforgettable outing that saw him give up seven runs over two and two-thirds innings, while his fastball topped out in the high 80s.

With only two weeks to go until the start of the regular season, Halladay's performance the rest of the way is going to be highly scrutinized, considering how important he is to the Phillies rotation. However, as we wrote about earlier, Halladay left his start on Sunday after only one inning, thanks to a stomach virus that prevented the veteran right-hander from going deep into the game. As such, this edition of the Roy Halladay Velocity Watch is a truncated one, so we'll need to wait until his next start to continue freaking out about his velocity. For now, let's focus on some other things from Phillies camp.

Thing 1: Freddy Galvis hit his second homer of the spring – a two-run shot – that helped elevate the Phillies to a 5-3 win over the Orioles of Baltimore on Sunday afternoon. I wrote about this earlier, but Galvis' performance this spring is likely to earn him a spot on the big league roster. The infielder, who is about as good a defender as anyone in the game, will make for a great late-inning defender and will go a long way in spelling the trio of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Michael Young throughout the season. Although his offense (so far) leaves little to be desired, the Phillies would be wildly lucky if the 23-year-old could evolve into an average MLB hitter. With that defensive ability, it would be a shame to waste him in the minor leagues.

Thing 2: This might be old news, but Domonic Brown homered again on Saturday, giving him four on the spring and an OPS of 1.085. We all know how useless spring training numbers are, but with the season set to kick off in 15 days, you can pretty much pencil Brown in as your 2013 right-fielder. That is, of course, until Ruben Amaro decides to stick Delmon Young out there, even though he hasn't played the position on a full-time basis since 2007. But, what would a Phillies season be without some disastrous decision-making from the front office, right? For Brown, winning a starting spot was the easy part. The tough part, now, will be keeping it once the season starts. I'd like to think that Charlie Manuel is going to stick with him all year, but you never really know.

Thing 3: Roy Halladay was not the only Phillies player dealing with some illness, as closing pitcher Jonathan Papelbon has also been dealing with some sickness during the week. While the details of both men's illnesses have not been disclosed, we can only assume that they had what is referred to as Baseball Fever, a condition that afflicts baseball players who get so sick over the thought of being paid millions to play a game that most of us would play for free. That is not to be confused with Spring Fever, which is what bloggers get when they try to craft narratives out of meaningless numbers in the waning days of Spring Training. Speaking of narratives, the Phillies are currently 11-11 in the Grapefruit League – will their poor performance lead to Charlie Manuel's early dismissal as manager? Will they be the first team to hold a fire sale in April? Will the owners pack up and leave town ala "Major League"?

Thing 4: The Phillies announced that RHP Justin De Fratus and LHP Jake Diekman have been optioned to the minor leagues. While both pitchers struggled at times during the spring, they both figured to play a part in the 2013 bullpen. But considering that the Phillies have a glut of arms, they had to cut someone. Even though they will start the season with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, I wouldn't be surprised if both ended up on the big club at some point during the season.

Thing 5: Is the regular season here yet?

Related Stories

• Roy Halladay Velocity Watch
  
• Roy Halladay Velocity Watch Part 2
  

Following the 2013 season, the Phillies are going to have plenty of personnel decisions to make, thanks to a number of expiring contracts at season's end, including manager Charlie Manuel, who is in the final year of a three-year contract extension.

The question, then, is whether or not the Phillies will want to bring Manuel back as the Skipper, especially when they apparently have a replacement lined up and waiting in the wings.
From the AP's Rob Maaddi by way of ESPN.com...

"I still want to manage," Manuel told The Associated Press on Thursday. "I'm not ready for somebody to tell me to go home. I'm not ready to quit managing. I'm not ready to get out of the game."

Manuel is the franchise's all-time leader in wins and only the second manager to lead the Phillies to a world championship. It's widely assumed that Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg, the team's new third-base coach, will eventually replace him as the manager.

With Manuel's contract up at the end of the year, one has to wonder if the promotion of Sandberg to the big league club was merely a coincidence, or rather a sign of the times that the Phillies are looking to move in another direction following the 2013 season.

It would make sense for the latter to be the case, as the roster itself is undergoing a change, thanks to a quasi-youth movement taking place that will see the likes of Cole Hamels, Domonic Brown, and Ben Revere becoming the face of the team going forward, while Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz head towards free agency after the season.

And for better or worse, the organization could use a bit of a face lift. Following a period of success between 2007 and 2011 that most franchises will never experience, the Phillies certainly need to change the way they do things. While the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals are experiencing success thanks to a tremendous farm system buoyed by a front office who puts an emphasis on scouting, the Phillies find themselves with an empty minor league cupboard and no well from which to draw new talent. That's partially because the Phillies made so many trades for top talent over the last six years – some necessary, some not – and partially because they haven't had a great deal of success in utilizing the draft picks that they have had (I'll let my friend and fellow blogger Michael Baumann weigh in on that).

Ultimately, you are looking at an organization that's going to have to negotiate some rough waters in the coming years.

As far as Charlie Manuel goes, I'd be okay with a new skipper. It's not that I don't like Charlie, because I've liked having him around since 2005, thanks mostly to his folksy and often unintentionally hilarious way of speaking (Pound Swoooosh). That said, I don't think too much of him as a manager. To be fair, I think most managers are wastes of space who only exist to fill out a lineup card, but I can only take so many games of watching Charlie make some bone-headed pitching changes while outright refusing to sit Ryan Howard against left handed pitchers.

Of course, that's not to say that Ryne Sandberg would be any different than Chuck, but sometimes bad change is good simply because of the fact that it's change. The entire 2013 season is still ahead of us, so we probably shouldn't jump the gun, but it's probably only a matter of time before the former Phillie and Hall of Fame second baseman is handed the lineup card by the front office.

Spring Training, along with allowing the players to get loose and ready for the regular season, brings along with it a number of story-lines each season. Most of these stories are about Minor League prospects playing themselves into a big league job thanks to a monster March, or about a pair of veteran pitchers battling it out for the final rotation spot. The Phillies have had their fair share of those this year, thanks to the likes of Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard, and Domonic Brown coming into the year with something to prove.

But one player that we haven't been talking too much about this spring has been Chase Utley, who arguably has more to prove than anyone else on the roster. The veteran second baseman, who missed all of Spring Training last season due to his knee injuries, is playing in March for the first time since 2010. And maybe it's just me, but there hasn't been a ton of fanfare around it.

While his performance in the box has been iffy, with a .179 batting average with one homer, it doesn't really mean much at all, because Spring Training is, well, Spring Training. Still, it is fairly impressive and mildly interesting that a guy hitting .179 has a .343 on-base percentage, if I must say. The important thing isn't that he slugged his first spring training homer on Tuesday, but that he's been playing on a daily basis over the course of the month.

Through Tuesday, the Phillies have had 16 spring games, and Utley has appeared in 11 of them. It's a far cry from a year ago, when some folks weren't even sure if he was going to be able to play during the season, at all. Now, he's played in the majority of the team's Spring Training games, without there being so much of a hint of his injury bothering him.

What this says about his ability to play 140 games or so during the regular season is unknown, but it's encouraging nonetheless, considering how important he is to the offense. If he is healthy, then the middle of the order is a lot stronger and a lot deeper with him in the three hole in the lineup.

Quite frankly, all this amounts to a hill of beans if he can't stay healthy during the season, or if Charlie Manuel doesn't rest him enough, or if he flat-out just loses the ability to hit, but I can't imagine that last one is likely to happen, at all.

The point is that, while we all pay attention to Roy Halladay's velocity or Ryan Howard's homers, perhaps the most important player on the team is the one who hasn't gotten much attention at all.

One of the things that we've been keeping our eyes on this spring has been the performance of Roy Halladay. Specifically, we've been watching his velocity as he looks to rebound from a rough 2012 season. Early on, things looked promising for the 35-year-old hurler, as his fastball was clocked as a respectable enough level through his first starts during the spring. It was enough to make the fans shrug off his performance from 2012, as it appeared that maybe his struggles last season were the result of injury, and not the result of age catching up with his body.

Unfortunately, those concerns reared their ugly head on Tuesday afternoon, when Halladay got knocked around by the Detroit Tigers, who put seven runs up on the board on a pair of homers in two and two-thirds innings. To boot, Halladay's typically pristine control was nowhere to be found, resulting in four walks.

And as he walked off the mound, the fans could only wonder whether or not 2012 truly was the beginning of the end for Doc.

I've said before, but everything that happens during Spring Training should be taken with several grains of salt, because it's basically just an extended series of practices strung together over six weeks. And yes, it's possible that Tuesday's outing was just one of those bad outings that starting pitchers have to deal with every now and again. But then again, it's also possible that the reason he struggled so much was because he is only capable of throwing batting practice at this point.

A big reason for that is because Halladay's velocity does not appear to be improving with each start, something that typically happens as starting pitchers get stronger over the course of the spring. In Tuesday's start, Halladay reportedly topped out at 88 MPH, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, who also reported that Halladay is pinning his struggles on a new conditioning routine that has left him feeling lethargic prior to his start on Tuesday.

Whatever the case may be, we can only hope that he gets it figured out before April, because if there is one thing that the Phillies have going for them, it's the strength in the top of their rotation. Without Halladay at full capacity, the Phillies are considerably weaker and would not be able to go toe-to-toe with the Washington Nationals and the Atlanta Braves in the division. The silver lining is that Roy Halladay at 70% is still very, very good.

It's possible that Tuesday's start is just a funk, but given his inability to improve his velocity over his last two starts, it's beginning to look more and more like we've seen the last of the Roy Halladay that dominated the National League east in 2010 and 2011. Am I pushing the panic button yet? No, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about it.

Spring training is a time during pre-season where players get to practice, play and make mistakes. This year, even the ball girls are getting in on the blunders.

The Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays were in the top of the sixth inning this weekend when Rays' hitter Shelly Duncan hit a ground ball that bounced into left field foul territory.

The ball was ruled fair, but a Hooters ball girl picked it up with her glove and handed it to a fan in the stands.

The embarassing move wasn't a total loss.

"She has no idea that she has interfered with the play," the announcer said. "But she's making a young fan very happy with that ball."

Once she realized her mistake, the woman covered her face with the same glove and sat down. Her name hasn't been released.

This is the second time this week a Hooters girl made this mistake on Bright House Field, where the Phillies play their spring games. On Wednesday, another ball girl took a fair ball for a foul one in a  game against the Washington Nationals.

Coming into the 2012 season, there wasn't a lot to be excited about in Philadelphia. After the crushing loss in the NLDS in 2011, the Phillies found themselves behind the eight-ball during the spring, thanks to injuries that would leave the team without Ryan Howard and Chase Utley for the beginning of the season. To make matters worse, Roy Halladay was showing signs of aging during his Spring Training starts, and the offense figured to be – to put it delicately – a challenge.

For the fans, confidence was fairly tempered, and there wasn't much to look forward to, especially with the Washington Nationals poised to make a lot of trouble for them over the course of the season. But one thing that we were able to look forward to was watching Chase Utley's replacement at second base, Freddy Galvis.

Galvis, one of the team's better prospects in the system - due entirely to his fielding, was revealed to be Utley's temporary replacement during the spring, where he transitioned from his natural position – shortstop – to second base, where he had to learn how to play an entirely new position in a matter of weeks.

And boy, did he ever learn. By the time Opening Day rolled around, Galvis was a natural. His instincts and fielding ability, combined with a shortstop's arm, made for a devastating combination. He owned the position, and made the most difficult plays look routine.

His bat, on the other hand, was not so impressive. He owned a .613 OPS in the minor leagues, and it showed, thanks to a .226/.254/.363 line with three homers in 58 games. He wasn't an automatic out, but he was close enough. But, all things considered, he was tolerable thanks to his ability to prevent runs on the field.

Although there hasn't been much talk about him during the spring, Galvis seems to be likely to make the Opening Day roster as a utility infielder. Despite his lackluster bat, Galvis has been getting starts at third base throughout the spring and figures to play a role on the big club during the season. And, given what we already know about the team, that's a great idea.

Thanks to his ability to play second, third, and shortstop, Galvis is incredibly valuable on defense. While Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins are going to continue to be among the best in the game at fielding their respective positions, the fact remains that both players are in their 30s and will figure to need more days off than most. Then you have new third baseman Michael Young, whose glove very well makes the Phillies long for the days of Wes Helms.

What this means is that the Phillies have the opportunity to do something very unique – and potentially very valuable – with Galvis. On a weekly basis they could have Galvis rotate around the infield (for instance: third base on Monday, shortstop on Wednesday, second base on Friday) to give the older starters a rest, while also allowing him to get frequent playing time against big league pitching.

Not only will this reduce the wear and tear on valuable players, it will also allow the Phillies to improve their defense – especially at third – in the infield. This isn't something that Charlie Manuel would have to do with such frequency, but it's a way to make sure that his starters are getting plenty of rest without sacrificing too much over the course of the season. It's a no-brainer that Chase, Jimmy, and Michael are better hitters than Freddy, but if the handful of games they get to have off means they are less worn down at the end of the season, the loss of offense might very well be justified.

Age, and by extension, injuries, is a problem that the Phillies are going to have to deal with in 2013. And although this would be something that I could not imagine Charlie Manuel putting into practice with any frequency, having a dynamic, 23-year-old defensive wizard at your disposal is a luxury that he'd be wise to take advantage of.

Depending on who you are, Spring Training means a lot of different things. To most veterans, it's an extended practice that let's them get their timing down. To some of the younger guys, like Domonic Brown, it's a showcase to prove to the brass that they are, in fact, ready to be a prime time player. And to a minor leaguer who was given an invitation to big league camp, it's like a sort of audition reel, in hopes that the team will remember their March performance when it comes time to get the call to The Show.

Such is the case for Tommy Joseph, the young catcher who seems to be impressing everyone this spring, thanks to some strong offensive performance, and an even stronger arm.

Joseph, who was acquired last season from the San Francisco Giants in the Hunter Pence trade, figures to be one of the lone bright spots in an minor league system that has been ravaged over the past few seasons. And if he keeps hitting like he is this spring, it won't be long until he is behind the plate in Citizens Bank Park.

In six Spring Training games, Joseph is hitting .462 with a homer, two doubles, and two RBIs. It's a crazy-small sample size, of course, and hitting .462 in March is about as meaningless as it gets, but the kid certainly does have some hitting chops. In three minor league seasons, he has 49 homers and 211 RBIs. Granted, his .256/.308/.427 line isn't blowing anyone away, but he's got good power numbers at a position where that skill comes at a premium.

Combine that with a strong throwing arm that has served him well thus far this spring, and it appears that the catching future in Philadelphia is in safe hands.

Which brings me to this: Should Tommy Joseph start the season with the Phillies? This question was raised by some on Twitter today, thanks to Joseph's strong spring play and the fact that Carlos Ruiz will miss the first 25 games of the season due to his PED-related suspension. If Joseph figures to be the guy when Ruiz's contract is up (2013 is his last year in red pinstripes), then maybe it makes sense to start him now.

It's a fair question, of course. Even though Joseph is all of 21-years-old and has never played above Double-A ball, that doesn't really matter if he can perform. Backup catcher Erik Kratz, who was a revelation last season, isn't a sure-thing when it comes to repeating his 2012 performance when he fills in for Chooch in April. And given how a bad April can wreck a season, having plenty of options behind the plate isn't the worst idea.

If it were up to me, Joseph would start the season at Double-A, regardless of how he performs for the rest of the spring. At this point, his continued development is key, and the Phillies would be wise to keep him off the big league roster until he is truly ready, especially if he won't be the starter past April. It doesn't make a lot of sense to start him, only to send him back down in May once Ruiz gets back. If he starts the year in the minors, he'll play every day against competition that will adequately allow the Phillies to gauge his performance.

The last thing the Phillies want to do is to expose him to the Majors too early, lest they risk hurting his development. That doesn't mean that he won't be ready to contribute this season, but for now, they should be content to let their catching prospect continue to develop in the minor leagues.
 

It can be argued that the fate of the Phillies in 2013 might come down to the right arm of pitcher Roy Halladay. The veteran, who helps make up one of the most dominant pitching trios (along with Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee) in the game, has a lot riding on this season as he looks to rebound from an underwhelming 2012.

As such, Halladay has received a bit more attention this spring than any of his fellow starters, especially as it pertains to his velocity during his spring outings. So far, the right-hander has looked good during his starts, with his velocity pretty much where you'd expect it to be at this point in the spring. Although ESPN's Jayson Stark reports that Halladay was in the 86-88 mph range during his start against the Washington Nationals on Wednesday, he looked solid enough during his four shutout innings.

It's still a bit too early to tell whether or not his velocity is going to return to where it was pre-2012, as there is still almost a month left before the regular season begins. That's more than enough time for him to get his velocity where it needs to be if he hopes to return to form in 2013.

Halladay's velocity aside, one of the more interesting things that happened during Wednesday's game was when Halladay threw behind Washington's Tyler Moore. That was an apparent act of retaliation after Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg hit Chase Utley in the foot with an errant pitch.

Whether or not Doc was trying to send a message to the Nationals, the ball that sailed behind Moore makes you wonder about whether or not we are witnessing the beginning of a rivalry between two divisional foes. Despite the fact that these two teams are very near to each other on a map, there has never been a real sense of rivalry between them. You could sense it a little bit last season as the Nats pledged to take back their own ballpark from Phillies fans, but even then, there wasn't much else to it. Sure, Cole Hamels plunked Bryce Harper the first chance he got, but that's about as far as it went.

Plus, a proper rivalry occurs when both teams are close to each other in the standings. The Nationals were so much better than the Phillies last season that a rivalry never had a chance to take hold, because it's not like they were battling each other for the divisional crown.

This year, things could be a bit different. If the Phillies can stay healthy, then there is a chance they can compete in the division. It's not terribly likely, as they'll stand a better chance at winning the Wild Card than the division, but the possibility exists that they could meet the Nationals in the playoffs.

And if this is the beginning of a proper rivalry, then sign me up. I remember how much fun it was when the Phillies and Mets battled in 2007 and 2008, and I would want nothing more than for each and every game against the Nationals to carry with it that same meaning.