Philadelphia Falls Out Of First Place As They Lose To The Braves

The Phillies actually scored some runs today, but it still isn't enough as they fall to the Braves 9-3 and they relinquish first place in the NL East for only the 2nd time this season.

Joe Blanton was on the mound for the Phillies (28-22) and he struggled in the early going.

Blanton allowed 6 runs in the first 3 innings and didn't get much help from his defense either. Ross Gload and Ryan Howard committed crucial errors that extended innings and lead to runs for the Braves.

Blanton only gave up 3 earned runs out of the 6 allowed and settled down after the early fireworks, which included Charlie Manuel getting ejected in the 3rd inning.

Manuel was thrown out for arguing about an overturned call. It was originally ruled that Greg Dobbs was hit by a pitch in the top of the 3rd, but after Bobby Cox argued the decision, the ruling was switched after the umpires conferred.

The Braves now lead the division for the first time this season and the Phillies are in 2nd place for the first time since May 1st.

Atlanta (29-22) has now won 6 games in a row and are 16-4 since May 10th.

Manuel experimented with a almost completely reconfigured lineup today. A lineup that included Ross Gload leading off, Greg Dobbs in the 2 hole, Shane Victorino batting cleanup and Jason Werth was given another day off.

Werth broke his silence when he spoke to Philly.com about his slump.

"I've been here before," Werth said.

"It comes and goes," Werth said. "It was pretty good there for a while."

Lastly, Brad Lidge returned to the active roster today. Lidge missed 18 games with elbow infammation and pitched a perfect 8th inning.

The Phillies are looking for some more good news out of Cole Hamels tomorrow evening as he looks to continue his string of good starts for the Phils. Hamels was 5-1 in May with an ERA of 2.45.