Hamels Salvages Series in St. Louis

It's been all doom and gloom for the men in red, but today Philadelphia fans could enjoy the continued resurgence of Cole Hamels. The 26-year-old left hander has been the feel-good story of the last couple weeks as everything else has soured around the team, including fan support. But, the one thing everyone can agree on is that Hamels has been a great number two on a decimated pitching staff.

The Phillies (49-46) pulled out a tough extra inning affair beating the St. Louis Cardinals in 11 innings, 2-0. This was a pitching duel all the way as Cole Hamels was opposed by Cards ace Adam Wainwright, who was looking for his 15th victory today.

After giving up five runs or more in their last five games, the pitching finally stepped up for Philadelphia today thanks to a superb effort by Hamels and the bullpen to hold a potent Cardinals offense to only one hit. That one hit came in the fourth inning when Matt Holliday singled off Hamels, that was the only hit he surrendered in eight innings of work while striking out seven and only walking one.

Hamels didn't get a decision, but he was able to lower his ERA to 3.40 and has had a stellar month of July, one of few Phillies to be able to claim such a feat.

This month, Hamels has an ERA of 1.74 and has gone at least seven innings in his last five starts, but like Roy Halladay this season, he hasn't gotten much run support as Hamels only has one victory to go with his All-Star caliber numbers in the month of July. The play of Hamels has made the idea of acquiring a pitcher like Roy Oswalt a mouth watering proposition, but it looks like that ship may have sailed.

Oswalt is now rumored to be potentially heading to the Cardinals as there are reports that say he is willing to take a pay cut on his 2012 option, the same option that the Phillies were told they would have to pick up to have to acquire Oswalt.

Now that Jamie Moyer is now expected to miss significant time, the Phillies are expected to bring J.A Happ back this weekend.

Though, this offense hasn't lived up to their end of the hype as they were billed to be an offensive juggernaut coming into the season and through the first month or so, the Phillies hit well, but due to injuries and long slumps, the bats have lost a lot of luster.

Philadelphia was shutout through 10 innings of play today even though they racked up double-digit hit totals, showing that hitting with runners in scoring position has been one of the biggest issues facing this team over the last seven weeks or so. They went 1-10 with runners in scoring position today.

With the two runs they scored today, it's the 46th time they have been held to three runs or fewer in 95 games, so they're scoring less than three runs per game in 48% of their games which is an astounding number considering the amount of talent lining this roster.

Looking at the offensive numbers for the Phils isn't any more fun, they are 12th in the NL in batting average, 13th in on-base percentage, 13th in stolen bases and 12th in hits. However, the Phillies are 5th in home runs, though I'm sure playing in Citizens Bank park helps that number a bit, as well as Ryan Howard warming up a bit.

And now the Colorado Rockies are coming into town, and they have been an offensive power in the NL this year, ranking in the top five in the NL in batting average, on-base percentage, home runs, RBIs, hits and runs.

Wow, hopefully the Phils can find some of their offense this weekend, because the Rockies are definitely going to score some runs. Then again, Roy Halladay is going tomorrow night and he's had an 1.87 ERA at home this season. This should be an interesting weekend series.

Phillies Look for Answers

It's becoming more and more clear that the answers are not on the roster as the Phillies fell to seven games behind the Atlanta Braves for the first time in three years.

Philadelphia lost their third straight game last night and went quietly without much of a fight with Chris Carpenter on the mound for the St. Louis Cardinals as the Redbirds pulled out a 7-1 victory.

The expectation was for this team to come out of the break on fire because of how they entered it, on a four-game winning streak after a four-game home sweep against the Cincinnati Reds.

Well, they are ice-cold right now as they have lost three out of four to the lowly Chicago Cubs and now two straight to the Cards, the Phils have really slept walked their way to losing five out of six games since the break.

The one positive for the Phillies since the break was Cole Hamels' performance on Saturday in the one win the Phillies have since the All-Star break and everything else has been negative, except for maybe the performance of Ryan Howard.

Jamie Moyer injured himself last night after just 18 pitches in the first inning of the 7-1 loss and is expected to be put on the DL, Kyle Kendrick is back in the minors after pitching Home Run Derby for the Cards on Monday night and Andrew Carpenter was brought up and tagged last night and is clearly not the answer either.

A change must be made and it seems that GM Ruben Amaro agrees as the Phillies are rumored to be close to a move for a premier starting pitcher, maybe Astros ace Roy Oswalt.

Oswalt would be a phenomenal move for the Phillies, as he is a top of the rotation starter, not a back-end guy like Amaro and Gillick have been accustomed to getting the last couple years, outside of Halladay and Lee.

Adding a second Roy to the staff would be just what the Doc ordered, as Oswalt has been a top-tier pitcher for years and this year he hasn't received the run support as he has a 6-11 record, but an ERA of 3.12, he would be a better acquisition than Cliff Lee would have been because of the fact that he would be under contract for the Phils through 2011.

And he has significant postseason experience with the Astros, Oswalt is 4-0 in the playoffs with an ERA of 3.66, though people might point at his performance in his one World Series appearance and say that he went six innings and gave up five earned runs but he kept his team in the game as the bullpen ultimately blew it. Overall, this guy is an ace and at worst would be a number two here and I think would create the best one-two-three combo in the National League.

Adding Roy Oswalt would instantly create the spark that this team needs right now because right now this team is running on fumes, maybe it's because of losing Chase Utley or maybe it's because of the amount of games they've played the last few seasons, but now is the time we'll see if this team can overcome another huge second half deficit.

Phils Begin the March towards October

Sorry for the break guys, I needed some All-Star rest with summer classes underway. The second half will officially be underway tonight when the Phillies take the field at Wrigley to face a struggling Chicago Cubs squad.

It was a successful All-Star break for the Phils as Charlie Manuel led the NL All-Stars to a victory for the first time since 1996 when the game was held at Veterans Stadium and the National League now has homefield advantage for the World Series for the first time since the rule was implemented after the 2002 tie in Milwaukee.

Philadelphia (47-40) are looking to gain ground in the NL East, as they currently trail the Atlanta Braves by 4.5 games and the Mets by a half-game for second place.

The Phillies are looking to match their longest winning streak of the season at five, as they're coming off an impressive four-game home sweep of the NL Central leading Cincinnati Reds. It was a series that the Phillies needed after losing two out of three to the Braves in the previous series.

Jamie Moyer will take to the mound for the Phils tonight as he has been one of the surprising feel-good stories in all of baseball in the first half. The 47-year-old is only 9-8 with an ERA 4.51, but you have to put those numbers in context to understand what Moyer has done this season. Moyer started the season horrendously nd at one point he had an ERA of 5.70 and since May 19th, he's only had two starts where he given up more than five earned runs, not to mention two complete games thrown in there.

The offense will look to get going but it'll be tough tonight as they'll be facing one of Chicago's best arms in Ryan Dempster, who is only 7-7, but has an ERA of 3.61. Dempster hasn't had a really bad start since late May and is one of the most consistent workers in the NL and he will be the best the face this weekend.

We've gotten through the toughest day of the year, the day after the All-Star game and now it's baseball from here on out and we'll see if the Phils have more second-half magic in them.

Phils Sweep by the Skin of their Teeth

You can exhale now, Philadelphia. This was a series that this team needed and now that the Phillies were able to sweep the Reds you could say that the All-Star break has come at the worst possible time.

The Phillies (47-40) completed a four-game sweep of the Cincinnati Reds today, winning 1-0 for the second game in a row and that's the first time that's happened for the Phillies since the 1910's. Philadelphia won despite being outhit by the Reds 6-4, thanks to a superb performance by Phils starter Cole Hamels.

Hamels arguably had his best start of the year as he went 7.2 innings, allowing six hits and no earned runs while striking out three. Cole hasn't had a start this season in which he's given up fewer than one earned run. The last time coming on June 13th when he pitched against the Boston Red Sox, when Hamels went seven innings and gave up one earned run at Fenway Park in a game the Phils won to avoid a three-game sweep.

In the process, Hamels lowered his ERA under 4.00 for the fourth time this season, Cole's ERA is now 3.78 and he evened his record at 7-7.

The offense struggled for the second day in a row as pitching ruled once again. The hero of last night's game, Jimmy Rollins came through today with the game's only RBI as he batted in Carlos Ruiz to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third.

Rollins had two hits in the win and the only other hits logged on the day by the Phillies was by Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz.

Speaking of those two hits, they were doubles that could've easily been home runs. Both plays were challenged by the Phillies as fans interfered in both plays. In the case of the Werth "double", the fan clearly reached over the wall. Jayson's had a bad week when it comes to fans, but that's another story for another day.

The Reds left eight men on base in today's game and went 0-5 with runners in scoring position. Cincinnati didn't get a base runner until the third inning and had a great opportunity to score in the top of the fourth when they loaded the bases with no outs.

Hamels then forced a ground out from Jonny Gomes and got Jay Bruce to line into a double play to end the threat for the Reds.

That was the only real scoring chance for the Reds until the eighth when Joey Votto doubled to left field to end Hamels' day.

Contreras came in to relieve Hamels and walked Scott Rolen before forcing Gomes to ground out to end the inning.

The only remaining drama on the afternoon was the decision by Charlie Manuel to take out J.C Romero after he struck out Jay Bruce on four pitches. Manuel went to his closer Brad Lidge, a decision which was met with a mixed reaction from the sellout crowd at Citizens Bank Park.

Lidge validated Manuel's decision by getting two easy outs to pick up his sixth save of the season.

The Phillies also improved to 27-18 at home this season as they gained a game in the NL East today with the Braves losing to the Mets. Philadelphia now sits 4.5 games behind Atlanta going into the All-Star break. It's not going to be much of a break for Ryan Howard, Roy Halladay and Charlie Manuel as they will now travel across the country to take part in All-Star Game festivities in Anaheim, California.

Hopefully the National League can finally win an All-Star game and return home field advantage for the World Series to the NL. All Charlie needs to do Tuesday night is have Ubaldo Jimenez start and pitch three innings, then hand duties off to Tim Lincecum for the next three, followed by Roy Halladay for a couple and have Josh Johnson close. That's a winnning forumla, but noooooooooo, everybody has to play in the All-Star Game. What a joke of an "unwritten" rule.

The Great NBA Offseason of 2010

Now that the real drama surrounding the Summer of 2010 has subsided we can look back at the high and lows of NBA Free Agency 2010.

Worst Moves

Travis Outlaw to the Nets: Outlaw signed a 5-year, 35 million dollar deal with the New Jersey Nets. This was the supposed to be the offseason that was going to put the Nets back on the map and show everyone the Nets are a serious contender and they have the money and strong ownership to compete and succeed. So they signed....Travis Outlaw, okay. No Lebron, no Wade, no Bosh, no Lee, no Boozer, no Johnson, but you can get Travis Outlaw. This is a guy that may not even be a starter for the Nets, this is the epic fail signing of the 2010 summer.

Joe Johnson stays with the Hawks: Johnson signed a 6-year, 123.7 million dollar deal to stay with the Atlanta Hawks. Johnson is a definite All-Star, but he's not a max player on the level of a LeBron or Wade and the evidence lies in the way he performed in that Orlando series in the playoffs. This is not a guy you build a team around, he's a guy you add to a good nucleus. Atlanta has a good nucleus and it'll be interesting to see how Johnson steps into the role of having to be that number one guy, because I can see this being an awful signing for the Hawks that could set them back years.

Moves that go either way

David Lee going to the Warriors: Lee got a 6-year deal worth 80 million dollars in the sign-and-trade deal that made him a Golden State Warrior. This is an interesting deal because the centerpiece of this deal for the Knicks is Anthony Randolph, a 20-year-old forward with loads of talent, but is coming off a injury-plagued season. This could be a potential steal for the Knicks, if Randolph gets healthy and matures a little bit. And the Warriors picked up the second or third best big man on the market (depending on how much you like Boozer) and he fits Don Nelson's style of play perfectly, so it's a good move for the Warriors. We'll see how well this move turns out for the Knicks.

The Celtics signing Jermaine O'Neal: O'Neal's going to get the mid-level exception over two years with Boston. I initially hated this move, but then I realized that the C's more often than not make good moves. Since the joining of the Big Three, Boston has made the most of their signings and with the exception of maybe Rasheed Wallace (who proved his worth late), the front office has been on the ball and that's the reason why this might work out. On the other hand, O'Neal is clearly on his last legs and last season he struggled with his shot and on defense, something the Celtics take seriously. This is a tough Celtics team and if he's gonna effectively replace Kendrick Perkins until he returns next season he's gonna have to be much better than he was while with the Miami Heat.

Amare Stoudemire to the Knicks:
Stoudemire agreed to a five-year, 99.7 million dollar deal with New York. This signing led to talks about how Tony Parker and Carmelo Anthony would want to play with the Knicks and how Amare's been talking to them and there's mutual interest and it makes for a nice fantasy, but back here in reality Stoudemire is actually playing alongside guys like Wilson Chandler and Toney Douglas, and now equipped with Ronny Turiaf. I gotta be honest, this team still sucks.

Best Story

Kevin Durant returning to the Thunder: Durant agreed to a five-year, 87-million dollar contract extension via tweet. In the age of overblown five-hour ESPN specials devoted to anything and everything, Durant went about announcing his decision to stay with the Thunder through Twitter and kept everything low-key, as it was about staying with a team and a city he truly enjoys. This is a great move for the Oklahoma City Thunder and it's great to see that some guys actually have class and care about loyalty (not a shot at LeBron).

Best Moves

The Big 3 in Boston remaining together:
Sure, the Boston Three Party may be starting to down a little bit, but coming within four points of a second ring in three years proves that this team isn't done. And if you want a snapshot of what has stopped the Celtics the last two years, it's been injuries. Two years ago, the Celtics lost Kevin Garnett and without the Big Ticket they couldn't close out the Magic and this year, the loss of Kendrick Perkins made Game 7 a tough up hill climb. As long as the Celts starting lineup stays intact for the postseason, look out for Boston again next season. 


Carlos Boozer to the Bulls: Boozer agreed to a 5-year, 75-million dollar deal with Chicago. This move will make a definite impact for the Bulls and will make them significantly better in 2010 as Boozer fits this team like a custom-made glove. The Bulls were also able to get their hands on Kyle Korver who will perfectly replace the sharp-shooting of Kirk Hinrich, as the Bulls were able to prevent themselves from being shutout from the important players this 2010 offseason.

Dwyane Wade bringing the best of the '03 Draft Class to Miami: This is clearly the best move for the Heat, since Miami has had some trouble making noise in the playoffs since the 2006 championship. South Beach is now the center of the NBA Universe and this trio will be the biggest thing the NBA have ever experienced. There has never been a one-two combo like Wade and James, let alone a one-two-three combo like this. How fitting is it that the three biggest free agents aligning with the Miami Heat concluded the fun part of the 2010 postseason.

Howard Sets the Fireworks Off Early

Last night was one of those games that you can't explain, you just sit back and enjoy. Last night provided a season highlight for the Philadelphia Phillies, as this team was being dominated by Red starter Mike Leake and trailed by six runs in the bottom of the ninth and trailed by two with two outs, but against all odds they still pulled out the victory.

The Phillies (45-40) defeated the Cincinnati Reds in historic fashion last night, 9-7 in 10 innings. Philadelphia hit three home runs in the final two innings of this one, with the topper being Ryan Howard's walk-off shot in the bottom of the 10th that gave the Phillies their second straight victory.

Citizens Bank Park resembled a public library entering the bottom of the ninth inning as the crowd seemed disinterested in the game on the field and were happy to wait for the post-game fireworks. There's no way the Phillies could do it two nights in a row...

Mike Leake started on the mound in the bottom of the ninth for the Reds looking for his first complete game. Leake was cruising through eight innings of work throwing just 84 pitches and only allowing only five hits and one earned run.

Shane Victorino started the rally with a double off of Leake before Raul Ibanez flied out to center. Ryan Howard got the second run on the board as he laced an RBI single to left to make the score 7-2.

Jayson Werth added a single, before Greg Dobbs came to the plate and turned on a pitch that played the foul line to right field before finally hitting the foul pole and becoming a three-run shot for Dobbs which cut the lead to 7-5.

Leake's night was done and after rolling through the first eight innings, he finished with 8.1 innings pitched, giving up nine hits and five earned runs.

And then Ben Francisco walked which allowed Cody Ransom to provide the surprising moment of the night, as the recently called up infielder reached out and just got enough as he homered to right with two outs and tied the game at nine a piece.

Ryan Madson made his second appearance in two games since returning from the DL and picked up his second win in two days by pitching a scoreless top of the tenth.

And the bottom of the ninth was Ryan Howard time, Ibanez doubled to start the tenth and then Howard sent everyone home happy as his 17th home run of the season gave the Phillies their 45th win of the season.

Tonight, Roy Halladay gets the start as he tries to get the Phillies their third consecutive victory as they attempt to go into the All-Star break on a high note. The Phillies still sit 5.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

ill Take: LeBron Chooses 'Super Team' over Home

Lebron James has now officially left the only NBA team he's ever played for and decided to go elsewhere to win what he couldn't in Cleveland. The question is: Was this the right decision for LeBron, because it definitely was the right choice for Dwayne Wade.

The Miami Heat retained the services of superstar guard Dwyane Wade, acquired the best big man on the market in Chris Bosh and pulled off the biggest signing in team history by plucking LeBron from the forever tortured city of Cleveland, OH.

Going straight from high school to the NBA and being the number one overall pick by the Cavs, James was tasked with the challenge of ascending the lowly Cavaliers from lottery status to playoff contender. It took him two years to make the playoffs and from there it was a constant barrage of heartbreak and the seeds were planted about LeBron not being clutch and failing in the playoffs.

This decision is more about what Cleveland couldn't do with Lebron than what the Heat could do with him. What LeBron wanted was confidence in what he had and with the constant poor play and inability to get a player alongside him that could step up in the playoffs, it was what ultimately led James away from his home state.

The 2008 Olympic team played a big role in how these three superstars came together when they found out how good they were in Beijing when they ran rough shot over the rest of the field on the way to a gold medal when they went 5-0 and had a point differential of 161 in the tournament, so they completely and utterly dominated and thus the thoughts of the three playing together began to formulate and now two summers later it's a reality.

LeBron is going to have to deal with questions regarding why he would leave a situation where he was 'The Man' to join a team where he will always viewed as the second banana because of what Wade was already accomplished in South Beach.

A great point was made by Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov said how he felt James would diminish his brand by joining Wade in South Beach by deferring to another superstar. James could have easily been the top guy in Cleveland, New Jersey, New York and Chicago, but went with the option that was easier in the end for him and you can criticize him for not taking a true risk or applaud him for not caring about the money and 'his brand' enough to join a team where he's definitely taking a backseat.

In the end, James only cares about a ring and if aligning himself with Wade and Bosh does that for him, then this move pays off royally. James' brand can only grow with the addition of a NBA championship to his trophy case.

Just like that, the NBA now has a true Dream Team scenario on their hands as the Miami Heat are now viewed by everyone as the team to beat and they now employ three of the top ten players in the game and two of the top three. 

LeBron is without a doubt putting more pressure on himself, if the Heat struggle or dare even fail in their quest to win what should be a sure championship, eyes are going to be on LeBron as to why they failed. But then again, they always are. 

Braves Win Important Road Series

Philadelphia fell six games back in the NL East for the first time in almost a year and a half. Atlanta is in a position that feels very familiar, they once again have a secure hold on first-place after winning two out of three against the third-place Phillies.

The Phillies (43-40) lost to the Atlanta Braves last night by a score of 7-5 and in the process lost their seventh game in 10 tries.

It was a back-and-forth affair at Citizens Bank Park as the Braves scored the first run of the game in the top of the first when Martin Prado hit his first of two home runs. It was Prado's second multi home-run game of his career and it was his second blast in the sixth inning that ruined Jamie Moyer's night.

Following that Prado home run, Moyer allowed five straight Braves to reach base and gave up six runs in the inning.

The poor outing for Moyer ended a stellar stretch for the 47-year-old as last night Moyer went 5.1 innings and allowed seven hits and seven earned runs and gave up three home runs.

The Braves are now 7-5 against the Phillies. Atlanta has only lost one series since losing two out of three to the Phillies back in May.

Gaining a three game lead on the New York Mets was no easy task for the Braves as they struggled at the onset of the season and have since righted the ship thanks to better than average pitching depth and the resurgence of Billy Wagner at closer who picked up his 19th save of the season last night.

The Braves have also been lifted by the surprising play of Troy Glaus and rookie Jason Heyward (who is currently injured with a hurt left thumb). Not to mention the man of the evening, Martin Prado who has emerged as an all-star second baseman for the team as he has 10 home runs on the season, one shy of his career high.

Back to the foundering Phils, this is a team that hasn't won consecutive games in 12 days and went 2-9 with runners in scoring position last night.

The Phillies are having a lot of problems putting all the parts together, when they score, the pitching isn't good and when the bats show up, the arms don't.

Everyone knows about the Phillies second half pedigree and how hot they usually get and what their record is in September in recent seasons. But in the last couple of years, the teams the Phillies were chasing or in front of, couldn't wait to collapse. This Braves team aren't those Mets teams of years past.

I'm concerned about what this Braves team can do, because of what they've done with players out and players not playing up to potential at this point in time.

I've already mentioned the injured Heyward, future Hall-of-Famer Chipper Jones is only hitting .253 and hasn't had a month this season that he's hit over .265. Then there's the hyped future ace of the Braves rotation, Tommy Hansen, who's seen some struggles this season as well. After starting the season with an ERA of 2.17 in his first five starts, his ERA has gone up dramatically to 5.25 since then.

Imagine how scary the Braves could be when those problems are corrected, given what they're doing right now.

Is it time to worry, no, but I think anyone underestimating the Braves better take a second look after this series.

My Visit to Nationals Park

Walking towards Nationals Park last Friday night gave me a sense of anticipation about what Washington DC's iteration of the current-day ballpark would hold. As someone who works at the best ballpark in the world (ahem ahem Citizens Bank Park) it's always exciting to see other ballparks bring to the table and I was particularly excited about this one because of how new it is, Nats Park opened in 2008. Well I wasn't blown away, but there was also a lot of love about Nationals Park as well.

I brought tickets at the box office, seats in the Scoreboard Porch to the left of the gigantic scoreboard in right field. We sat in Section 239 in Row E with the sun directly in our faces, so what better time to tour the concourse?

It was Nats vs. Mets, so there was a bigger crowd than usual and yet there wasn't an insane amount of crowding because of the very wide surface areas of the concourse. I liked this, because I think one of the most annoying things about CBP is how tight it can be and it seems to be that way wherever you go in the park.

But at Nats Park, when you did reach those high traffic areas, it wasn't long before you reached a space where you had sufficent breathing room and that was definitely appreciated.

I entered through the centerfield gate which brought us right by the biggest team shop in the park and the Red Porch, which is a pretty cool visual out in center field. It's a restaurant and bar and there's a perch where you can watch the game, much like the Harry The K's does with their Scoreboard Perch back in Philly. It's a really cool touch.

Once we got to our seats, I was a little disappointed in the fact that the field in front of us was obscured by some bars and railings since at CBP when you sit behind the right fielder, you can see the right fielder, no matter if you're upper level or lower level.

The view of the infield was good and center field was better than expected, but I wasn't happy that I couldn't see the field immediately in front of me.

The atmosphere was better than I figured it would be, but that was of course because of the gaggle of New Yorkers that travelled down tho DC for the four-game set and they made their presence known. For this reason alone, last Friday night I became a Nationals fan. (Of course, the Nationals still lost 5-3)

But it feels like as soon as the Nationals get a winner on the field, this can be a park that can do something similar to what Coors Field did for Colorado and what Target Field is doing for the Minnesota Twins. It's just unfortunate the Nationals aren't better so they can fill the park more regularly, but when they do this park will jump, I can feel it.

In terms of food, I only had a Ben's Chili Dog and I have to be honest and say for a 6.75 hot dog, it was unbelievably overrated. It had the taste of a 7-Eleven chili dog, just four dollars more expensive. Food is never the main selling point for me in a ballpark, so I can let that slide.

Now, I have to say something about the obscenely huge scoreboard in right field, it's awesome. Plain and simple, it's a great scoreboard and I wish Philadelphia had a scoreboard that big. I'm glad that it was visible from our seats, it definitely made my gripe about not being able to see the field immediately in front of me less of an issue.

Overall, Nationals Park is a really pleasant place to go see a ballgame. I enjoyed it and I understand why so many Phillies fans are so eager to take it over anytime the two teams meet in Washington.

I will definitely be making a return engagement and my new favorite National has to be Christian Guzman, simply for having the best plate music in the bigs, "All I Do Is Win". I loved hearing everyone sing that all song all night long and seeing little kids doing the sprinkler dance in conjuction with it.

Nationals Park definitely gets an ill rating from me.

Phillies Looking to gain ground in NL East

Sorry guys about not posting over the weekend, I've been in DC for the Fourth of July weekend and enjoying the sights and sounds of the nation's capital and even took in a Nationals game at Nats Park. I'm going to give you my thoughts of the ballpark and how it compares to the Bank in Philly, but that's later.

Right now, I want to get to a team that just can't seem to find itself. Between all the injuries and the losses to the Pirates, there has been a lot of worry in Phillie land.

Until our All-Star ace Roy Halladay took the mound last night to shut down the Braves for his major League leading seventh complete game of the year.

Last night's game was vital because it allowed the Phillies to pull a game closer in the NL East, after the Pittsburgh Debacle, the Phillies fell five games behind the Braves. Philadelphia now sits four games back with two games left in the series with Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer pitching the final two games of the series.

Halladay picked up his 10th win of the season and leads the staff in wins and just gave up five hits on the night and only needed 93 pitches after allowing a career-high 13 hits to the Reds last Wednesday in a loss.

Roy is now 3-0 all-time against the Altanta Braves, a record that many Phillies fans like seeing with bigger battles with the Braves to come this season.

Tonight, Cole Hamels will take the mound for the Phillies after pitching well last Thursday against the Pirates but not getting much offense. Hamels is 6-7 on the season with an ERA a shade above four at 4.07. Cole hasn't been at his best in his last three starts though, as he has an ERA of 5.58 and lost two of the three decisions.

The Phils are at the mid-point of their season and have the same record they did a year ago, the difference being the tougher competiton the Phillies are facing this season in the Mets and a surging Braves team.

With one game in the bag, good pitching perfromances from Hamels and Moyer and a sweep of the Braves would calm the rising tension in the Delaware Valley.

It's good to be back and congrats to the three Phillies All-Stars: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Roy Halladay.