http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/326 Recent articles about Geoff Jenkins en-us All you people out there telling me that the Phillies have one of the best offenses in the league and have no need for Matt Holliday (.343 AVG, 17 HR, 60 RBI, 60 R, 13 SB), I want you to look me in the eye (figuratively of course) and tell me you still think that. I agree with you that this is one of the best offenses in the league, on paper. A team composed of reigning MVP Jimmy Rollins (career* .277 AVG, 16HR, 62 RBI, 96 R, 35 SB), former MVP and Rookie of the Year Ryan Howard (.279 AVG, 42 HR, 97 RBI, 83 R)*, this year's MVP front runner Chase Utley (.299 AVG, 21 HR, 83 RBI, 85 R, 11 SB)*, and Pat Burrell (.260 AVG, 29 HR, 96 RBI, 75 R)* should be leading the league in offense, and somehow, this team still does. Despite having an awful almost two months of baseball, the Phillies are still second in the National League in runs scored, behind Chicago. To show you just how Jekyll and Hyde this offense has been this year, let's look at the numbers. Since June 1st, the Phillies have scored 181 runs. They have given up 182. Now let's take out the game against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 13th in which the Phillies won 20-2. With that game out, the Phillies have scored 161 runs and given up 180. That figure says a couple things. First off, they were really good in the beginning of this year. In April and May they scored 302 runs and only gave up 236. That is the run differential of a playoff team. Second, the fact that they are still the second highest run scoring team in the NL also shows just how weak the NL is this year. You can't say it's the pitching, because the Phillies have given up less runs in June and July then they did the first two months. Granted July isn't over yet, but even the Phils will be hard pressed to give up more than 50 runs in one week. This team just is not hitting. They aren't hitting with runners on base, with runners in scoring position, with no runners on. They aren't hitting. During the month of July, Utley has two home runs and five RBIs; Rollins hasn't had a home run since June 16th, and has seven RBIs this month; Geoff Jenkins has 16 hits since June 1st, with six of them coming in the first six days of that month; Jason Werth has six RBIs in July and Pedro Feliz has seven. The team's Jekyll and Hyde nature was never more evident then this past series with the Mets. The Phillies were the Kings of the Come From Behind Win last year and they showed that Never Say Die attitude on Tuesday when they scored six runs in the 9th inning to beat the Mets 8-6. After getting manhandled by Johan Santana through the first eight innings, this team showed an incredible amount of character (which they have lacked for the better part of the past two months) and grit and did not give up. Then they dropped the ball and let the momentum gained from that inning fade off and played like garbage the next two days. Despite a rocky outing by Brett Myers on Wednesday, the game was still tied at three coming into the sixth inning. The Phillies were very much in a position to win when the bullpen gave up three runs and you could just see the air go out of this team. They just laid down and conceded. Thursday the Phillies absolutely blew a beautiful gem thrown by Jamie Moyer and once again made the erratic Oliver Perez look like a Cy Young Award winner. Moyer went seven strong innings giving up only one run. J.C. Romero came into the 8th inning and gave up two runs. Romero has unequivocally been the Phillies best reliever this season aside from closer Brad Lidge. He has also pitched more innings than any other reliever and it is starting to show. Romero gave up a total of six runs in all of April, May and June. He has given up five so far in July, which is still remarkable and I am not dumping on him at all. But he needs some help; he needs another lefty in the bullpen that cane take on some of the situational responsibilities. This was the biggest series of the season and the Phillies blew it, despite having the biggest inning of the year. They had the momentum; they had first place; and I still believe they have a better team. The Phillies have just been way too inconsistent this season and the Mets have gelled together since the firing of manager Willie Randolph. This is going to be a very tough road over the remaining 60 or so games, but I still think the Phillies can pull it out. They have to start this weekend against the Atlanta Braves. * When calculating the career stats, I took out the player's first season and this season, as neither were full seasons. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 10:47:01 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295456 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/295456 The young Marlin line-up simply can't figure out what Jamie Moyer is throwing. Moyer once again baffled the Marlins in a 4-2 Phillies win on Friday night to move his career record against Florida to 10-0. Moyer went 6 innings and gave up 2 runs before turning it over to the Phillies bullpen, who shut the door on the Marlins. Brad Lidge quickly got over his All-Star Game loss and pitched a perfect 9th inning to get his 21st save in as many chances. Offensively, Ryan Howard continued the tear he was on leading right up to the All-Star break and hit his 29th homer of the season. Geoff Jenkins also added a homer of his own. The Mets finally lost a game tonight after winning 10 straight which means the Phils moved into sole possession of first place in the NL East. Click the link to view highlights of the game, Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:02:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292440 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292440 The first half of the 2008 Major League Baseball season has been full of surprises, from the Tigers to the Rays to the Padres to the Braves. Most surprising of all, at least to the Phillies faithful, is that at the All Star break the Phillies were in first place atop the National League East. The Phillies are currently a half a game ahead of the Mets and one a half games up on the Marlins. Lets go through the majors and recap the season so far. AL East Perhaps the biggest story in the majors this year is the surprising play of the Tampa Bay Rays, who at the break were just half a game behind the first place Red Sox, and that's with a seven game losing streak. The Rays have been bolstered by one of the most talented young lineups in the majors in years, as well as some timely defense and a great, young rotation led by ace Scott Kazmir. They are definitely the Cinderella, the darlings of the 2008 season, much to the chagrin to their division rivals the Red Sox. Boston fans are upset that some of the media focus and the limelight has been diverted from their beloved Sox. The reigning champs continue to be one of the best teams in baseball, despite losing pitcher Curt Schilling for the year (and perhaps for good) and a decline in production from slugger David Ortiz (including a stint on the disabled list). It looks like this could be the first time in years that the New York Yankees won't make the playoffs. They currently sit six games back of Boston and it just looks like there is too much talent in Tampa and Boston for the Yanks to make up enough ground. That being said, I am loathe to ever count the Yankees out of anything. Red Sox win division. If it wasn't for the Rays, the debacle in the AL Central would be the biggest story of the season. The Tigers, whom I picked to win the World Series, are a disappointing .500 on the season. Even more surprising, the Indians are in last place, 12 games under .500. The Chicago White Sox are sitting pretty atop the Central at 14 games over .500, led by 10 game winner, and former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Erratic closer Bobby Jenks, despite being on the DL, has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA. On offense, the White Sox have a tandem of heavy hitting outfielders in Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin. I have to admit, I'm not overly impressed by the White Sox. In large part, I think they have overachieved so far this season. I think they will come back to earth, which will leave an opening for the Minnesota Twins to step in and take the division. The Twins, led by first baseman Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, and catcher Joe Mauer, are right on the tail of the White Sox, just a game and a half back, and with star pitcher Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings of AAA, the Twins are poised to move into the post Santana era. Twins win the division. AL West Until the Texas Rangers find someone who can pitch (Vicente Padilla currently leads the team in wins with 10), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the prohibitive favorites to win the division for years to come. The Rangers can hit, led by the top individual story of the year Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley, but their pitching is a joke. They boast a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Padilla, Jamey Wright and Kason Gabbard. Until they can get at least one pitcher, they could have all the offense in the world, they still won't be able to compete with Los Angeles. The Angels' pitching rotation, which boasts John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver, not to mention closer Francisco Rodriguez who is on pace to shatter the single season saves record, is arguably the best in the majors. Their offense, while not being the power heavy lineup that Texas or Boston has, plays small ball like no other team in the majors. The obvious offensive leader is Vladimir Guerrero, accompanied by Torii Hunter. But the offense works so well because of intelligent baseball guy like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, and Garret Anderson. The Oakland Athletics have basically traded themselves out of contention and the Seattle Mariners have the worst record in baseball. Needless to say, Angels win the division. I think the Rays win the AL Wild card this year. They are too talented to fall behind the likes of the White Sox or Rangers. In the end however, the Red Sox have too much experience and skill to be taken down. They beat the Angels to go on to the World Series. NL West Many commentators are calling this the NL Worst, and it's hard to argue with that. After starting out red hot, division leading Arizona is now one game below .500. That's right. The division leader has a losing record. Need I say more? The reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are fourth in the division with a record of 39-57, topped only by the San Diego Padres, an incomprehensible 37-58. The Dodgers are one game back of the Diamondbacks, trailed by the San Francisco Giants in third place. This division is a crapshoot at this point, but the Diamondbacks' pitching, led by Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is just too good and the offense is not going to continue to struggle in the mighty fashion it has over the past month or so. With up and coming stars like Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Young, the Diamondbacks are going to eventually right their ship. Arizona wins the division. NL Central This is the best division in baseball. The Cubs are tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Four and a half games behind them are the Cardinals, with the Brewers just a half game behind them. All three of these teams are going to be better in the second half. The Cubs traded for Rich Harden last week, and the Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The Cardinals are getting ready for the return of Adam Wainwright and former Cy Young Chris Carpenter. Both pitchers are aces on almost any other team in the majors. The Cubs and Brewers already have bona fide aces on their teams in Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets, respectively. This is, without a doubt, the toughest division in baseball in some time. I think the Cubs are ultimately the most complete team in the league, and certainly the division. Now let me just say, here and now, there is no way Ryan Dempster continues to pitch this well. He just isn't this good. He will come back down to earth. But even with The Dumpster coming back to reality, the Cubs are bolstered by some serviceable pitching in Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Zambrano and Harden. On offense, the Cubs' lineup reads like it's very own All Star roster, led by Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Geovany Soto. Cubs win the division. NL East The Phillies came into today with a half game lead over the Mets. The Marlins sit just one game behind the Mets. It is a division up for grabs to say the least. The Marlins boast a talented, young roster rivaled by only Tampa Bay and Arizona. Led by Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, they have an offense that puts the in a position to win every night. That being said, their pitching is thin, with Ricky Nolasco leading the team with 10 wins and a 3.70 ERA. The Braves are most likely looking to scrap this year and go into rebuilding mood, if only temporarily. First baseman Mark Teixeira is a free agent at the end of this year and chances are that the Braves are going to move him before the trade deadline. Their pitching is pretty banged up, and old. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton are all currently on the disabled list. Not to mention that they are six and a half games out of first place. The Mets pose the biggest threat to the Phillies' playoff hopes. Winners of nine straight coming into the break, the Mets are batting .320 as a team during that time. They also only gave up a total of 19 runs over the same span. They are hot, no doubt, led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. But therein lies the problem for the Mets. They have been winning in large part as a result of the contributions of usual bench players like Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damion Easley. The Mets' pitching is also suspect after you get past Johan Santana and John Maine, neither of whom have been stellar this season. After having a impressive season last year, Oliver Perez is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA. His record is somewhat deceiving, as he has been wildly inconsistent this year. Pedro Martinez continues to battle being really old. Originally set to return this week, his next start is being skipped. I just don't think the Mets have the talent to overcome a Phils team with a much more potent offense and what could end up being a more stable pitching rotation. The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics Thursday, and while Blanton has not had much of a year so far this season (5-12, 4.96 ERA), he has show some real talent and a change of location could be all he needs to break out. More importantly, the addition of Blanton means that Adam Eaton is out of the starting rotation. Brett Myers is progressing nicely in AAA and is set to return to face the Mets on July 23rd. JA Happ threw a no hitter today in his minor league start and it is only a matter of time before he is brought up to the major leagues for good. The biggest cause for concern for the Mets is that the Phils' struggles have in large part been due to a lack of offense. This coming from one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Jimmy Rollins, Chasey Utley and Geoff Jenkins are eventually going to turn things around. Ryan Howard continues to lead the league in home runs and RBIs. Pat Burrell is going to eclipse his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. And that's without the possible addition of another bat, like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay. I say this with the caveat that I generally have no faith in the Phillies in ever winning anything, and at the risk of tempting fate, I pick the Phillies to win the division. I pick the Brewers to win the NL Wild Card this year. I'm going to be very cliche and pick the Cubs to win the NL Pennant over the Brewers. I think unless the Phillies add a serious starting pitcher, ala Erik Bedard, they are not going to be able to compete with the Brewers in the playoffs. That will bring us to the ESPN's ultimate dream, a Red Sox Cubs World Series. Bristol could fawn all over the lovable losers from Chicago and Boston. Seriously though, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Boston wins, again. (Just threw up again) Should be a very exciting second half. Continue to check out Hot Stove Philly as we bring you all the latest scores, trades, rumors, and general sports drama. Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:54:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292015 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292015 Tampa Bay Rays rookie third baseman Evan Longoria and Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Corey Hart were chosen by fans as the winners of the Monster 2008 All-Star Game Final Vote in record-shattering voting exclusively on MLB.com (http://mlb.com/), the official website of Major League Baseball. Baseball fans supported the 10 candidates named by All-Star managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle in unprecedented fashion by casting a record 47.8 million votes since the program commenced on Sunday, July 6 at 3:00 p.m. (EDT). This year’s record number of votes represents an increase of 107 percent from the previous mark of 23.1 million set in 2007. Since its inception in 2002, the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote has now recorded nearly 130 million votes. The American League winner, Longoria, received the highest total number of votes ever and led all vote-getters with nine million en route to becoming the second consecutive rookie to win the balloting, following Boston’s Hideki Okajima last year. He was followed by Jermaine Dye of the Chicago White Sox; Jason Giambi of the New York Yankees; Brian Roberts of the Baltimore Orioles; and Jose Guillen of the Kansas City Royals. On the National League ballot, Hart became the second Milwaukee player to win the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote by holding off a late charge from David Wright of the New York Mets to claim the final spot on the National League All-Star roster with a final tally of eight million votes. Hart and Wright were followed by Pat Burrell of the Philadelphia Phillies; Aaron Rowand of the San Francisco Giants; and Carlos Lee of the Houston Astros. Previous winners of the Monster All-Star Game Final Vote include: Okajima (AL, 2007); Chris Young (NL, 2007); A.J. Pierzynski (AL, 2006); Nomar Garciaparra (NL, 2006); Scott Podsednik (AL, 2005); Roy Oswalt (NL, 2005); Hideki Matsui (AL, 2004); Bobby Abreu (NL, 2004); Jason Varitek (AL, 2003); Geoff Jenkins (NL, 2003); Johnny Damon (AL, 2002); and Andruw Jones (NL, 2002).Source: MLB Advanced Media Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/), which includes The Biz of Baseball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/), The Biz of Football (http://www.bizoffootball.com/), The Biz of Basketball (http://www.bizofbasketball.com/) and The Biz of Hockey (http://bizofhockey.com/). He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus (http://baseballprospectus.com/news/?author=124), and is available as a freelance writer.Brown's full bio is here. (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content view=article id=47 Itemid=18) He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network (http://www.businessofsportsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_contact view=contact id=2 Itemid=29). Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:27:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288959 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288959 The Phillies go in search of a series win this afternoon at 1:05. Braden Looper (9-6, 4.14) and Jamie Moyer (7-6, 4.12) have the ball. Lineups have been posted. Geoff Jenkins gets the start in right field. Chris Coste does the catching. Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:39:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288610 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/288610 This is past the point of funny or being ridiculous, the Phils are in an all-out suckfest and everyone is contributing. Ryan Howard sucks! Jimmy Rollins sucks! Brett Myers sucks! Geoff Jenkins su...wait, is he still alive? I'm so fed up with this team right now, and for good reason, they're 4-12 over the last 16 games. Click on the URL to see a comparison between Howard, Giambi, and Delgado, as well as a bitchfest about the Phils. Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:54:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283513 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283513 The Phillies have now lost five straight series with a record of 4-11 over that span. The offense has just completely disappeared. Star second baseman Chase Utley has just 10 hits in his last 53 at bats, including a streak in which he didn't have a hit in 23 at bats. His batting average has dropped 23 percentage points to .293 during the 15 game stretch. Reigning MVP and leadoff man Jimmy Rollins has just three hits in his last 24 at bats, with only four walks. Ryan Howard continues to struggle at the plate, as does Geoff Jenkins. I could go on, but let's just suffice it say that this team isn't hitting. Aaron RowandThe team's lack of hitting doesn't bother me. All teams go through slumps and losing streaks. Over the course of 162 games, there are bound to be a couple rough spots. What does bother me, however, is that it does not appear that this team is going to break out of it any time soon. A team's ability to cope with these tough stretches and band together and push themselves out of it is the true mark of a team. However, for a team to do that, they need a leader, someone to whip the boys into shape; someone to inspire the rest of the team through grit and hustle; someone who shows up ready to play every game like it's the World Series. The Phillies had a guy like that last year, and his name was Aaron Rowand. When it became evident that the Phils weren't going to re-sign him last year, I was worried. I wasn't worried about losing his bat. I thought Rowand over achieved last year offensively, and didn't believe his batting skills were worth the money he would eventually wind up commanding. I did think, however, the Phillies should have paid him whatever he asked for because Rowand is a clubhouse leader and there was no one else on this team to fill his shoes. Rowand's all out style of play not only endears him to the fans, but acts as inspiration to his teammates. When you see your teammate going all out to make every play, it inspires (or guilts) you into doing the same. Unfortunately, the Phillies don't have Rowand anymore, and no one on their current roster has stepped up to take his place. Jenkins was talked about as a clubhouse guy when the Phillies signed him in the offseason, but he has not panned out in that department. Whether it's because he's still the new guy, or because he is having an awful season, I don't know. Utley is too quiet and introverted to get fired up and whip the team into shape. You would think Howard would be more vocal, but he isn't either. The unofficial leader of this team is Rollins, but to be a leader, you need to lead by example. I don't know if Rollins is vocal in the clubhouse, but he is not particularly leading by example on the field. A few weeks ago Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel benched Rollins for not running out a pop-fly. Instead of lighting a fire under Rollins, it just made him run out pop-flies harder. He still just appears to be going through the motions otherwise though. I think this team is in serious trouble. Lacking leadership is fine when your scoring 60 runs in five games. But it's times like these that you need someone to kick ass and whip everyone into shape, and the Phillies just do not have that guy. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:04:34 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283003 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283003 Jamie Moyer was flat out dominating the Oakland Moneyballers, I tell ya. Then came the home 7th. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:07:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282144 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/282144 Phils have fallen on hard times since sweeping the Braves, 3-7 in the 10 games since the trip to Atlanta. It seems that almost the entire lineup and pitching staff are in a bit of a drought. They lost 2 out of 3 to the Marlins, Cardinals, and Red Sox over the last 3 series and didn't exactly start the Angels series off with a bang (lost 7-1 last night). Click on the URL to read an update on Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Geoff Jenkins, and the rest of the misfits. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:17:19 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280582 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/280582 Manny Ramirez is out of Boston's lineup when the visiting Red Sox face Kyle Kendrick (6-2, 4.54) and the Phillies in the rubber match of their three-game set. Rookie Justin Masterson (3-1, 2.90) goes for Boston. Lineups have been posted: Geoff Jenkins, Greg Dobbs and Carlos Ruiz earn starts against the right-hander. Unless Chris Coste is hurt, Ruiz's insertion in the starting lineup, after the night game in which he went 0-for-3, says a lot about the importance of his... Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:37:16 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279441 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279441 The Phillies finished off their series with the Reds by winning 5-0 behind a stellar performance by Cole Hamels. Hamels threw his second shut-out of the season, clearly bouncing back from getting shelled by the Marlins last week. 3 Up: 1. King Cole dominates: Cole Hamels was the story of the game as he completely shut down the Reds offense. Hamels needed 103 pitches to get through all 9 innings, motoring through the game in just over 2 hours. 2. Jenkins homers: On a night where the Phillies got most their runs off mistakes by the Reds defense, Geoff Jenkins continued his recent hot streak by hitting a homer in the 6th. 3. No K's for Howard! Ryan Howard finally gets off the Down list! I will not only give him credit for not striking out but he also singled in a run in the game. 3 Down: 1. MVP benched: Jimmy Rollins was benched today by Charlie Manuel for not running out a pop-up that ended up being dropped in the third inning. Manuel felt that if Rollins was hustling on the play he would have easily ended up at second base. Eric Bruntlett entered the game to play shortstop and after the game Rollins owned up to his mistake. 2. Griffey stuck at 599: After four games in Philadelphia, Ken Griffey Jr leaves the city having failed to hit his 600th home run. 3. Reds fielders: Just an ugly game by the Reds in the field today. They made three errors that each lead to the Phillies putting runs on the board and ruined an otherwise good start by Homer Bailey. Can't say I really mind! Click the link for much more on the game, including video highlights. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 17:55:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275084 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/275084 Pat Burrell only had one hit, but his 2-out 2-run double was probably the game's biggest. Of course, Geoff Jenkins' game-tying pinch-hit homer in the 6th could also stake claim to that honor. Either way, this was a very good win for the Phils. A comeback win versus anybody is good, but to do it against the division leader means that much more. The Phils still have over a dozen more games against the Marlins, who showed today why they are going to have a tough time staying up near the top of the NL East. Sure they can hit the cover off of the ball, but they have a very young, unproven pitching staff and a suspect bullpen. Burke Badenhop and Dough Waechter will not win division championships... -------------------------------- Cincinnati Reds The Reds, fresh off a 3 game sweep of the Braves, roll into town today for a 4 game set. It should be a very interesting series. Ken Griffey Jr. is sitting at 599 homers. Griffey has been a favorite player of mine for years, so I would love to see him get number 600 in Philly, hopefully in the midst of a Phillies win... The other big story this week is Reds 21 year old rookie Jay Bruce. This guy is a freaking monster. He's 13-22 in his first 6 games and it's unlikely this is a fluke. He's a .308 career hitter in the minors and hit 26 homers last year across three levels. Probable pitchers for the Reds in this series: Arroyo (versus Kendrick tonight), Harang, Volquez, and whoever replaces Josh Fogg, who was just put on the DL. Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:42:11 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273224 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273224 A 4 run deficit is no problem for this offense. The Phillies trailed the Marlins 5-1 in the 3rd inning of Sunday's game only to score six unanswered runs to win the game, 7-5, and take over first place in the National League East. It was the Phils 6th win in their last 7 games and it gives them a half game lead over the second place Marlins. Chase Utley once again helped to power the offense, hitting his 20th homer of the season, a deep shot to center field. Utley now has hit home runs in 6 of the last 7 games and also leads the National League with 50 RBIs. He is the definitive front runner for the NL MVP. Click the link for much more on the game, including video highlights. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 19:56:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273123 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/273123 Last October, the Colorado Rockies swept past the Phillies en route to a World Series appearance. This season the Phillies have turned the tables on the Rockies, beating them all five times they have played, including Wednesday's 6-1 win in Philadelphia that earned the Phillies their first 3 game sweep of the season. The Phillies offense once again supplied a big inning, scorching Rockies starter Greg Reynolds for five runs in the 5th. Three of those runs came on Chase Utley's league leading 17th homer of the season. Click the link for much more on the game, including highlights of Utley's bomb. Wed, 28 May 2008 21:25:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271938 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271938 Remember yesterday? Ah, that seems so long ago. I wrote a piece about being angry over 15 runs scored, well chalk that up to lunacy. Today I bring to you a happy atmosphere on the blog, sponsored by 20 runs. Yes, the Phils have now scored 35 runs in the past 2 games an have leap-frogged their way up the MLB run total leaderboard to 2nd right behind the Cubbies. Why the turn around? Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are back and healthy atop the lineup as sparkplugs. Chase Utley is Mr. Awesome. Ryan Howard is steadily creeping out of his season long slump. Pat Burrell is a pimp. Geoff Jenkins is finally coming to terms with the retirement of Brett Favre and hitting again. Pedro Feliz isn't quite as horrible as people thought. Carlos Ruiz & Chris Coste make a solid catching duo. Greg Dobbs is the best pinch-hitter ever! In all honesty, this offense is made to score runs, that's their gig. For the first part of the season something just wasn't clicking as if their mojo was stolen, but they must have chugged some of Lil' Jon's Juice because their back with vengeance. Tip of the cap to Jamie Moyer who notched career victory 235 and Chase Utley for collecting a career high 6 rbi. The question now is- how many runs tonight? Kyle Kendrick vs. Ubaldo Jimenez. ______________________________________________ In the mood for theatre? Theatre Exile presents a return engagement of its hit show The Philly Fan by Bruce Graham, starring Tom McCarthy, and directed by Joe Canuso. A one-man tour-de-force in which two-time Barrymore Award winner Tom McCarthy takes audiences on a hilarious journey through the frustrations of the past fifty years of Philadelphia sports. This production is an in-your-face, tell-it-like-it-is romp through the memories of a hard core fan used to seeing sure-thing victories turn into "oh-my-God-they-blew-it" defeats. June 10-15 at The Playground at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom Street. Tickets are $25 - $30 ($50 for the Opening Night Gala); call (215)922-4462 or visit www.ThePhillyFan.net. Tue, 27 May 2008 06:19:59 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271278 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/271278