Reader commentary following a disheartening split against San Diego, plus a couple of thoughts on Chase Utley's swoon. (Getty) "When the entire team is struggling offensively for this long, you can't blame the bench players. Dobbs gets maybe one AB per game. He's not the problem. Now you can argue that he should be shipped out because he's having a terrible year...

Jesse Biddle, a 6-5, 235-pound high school left-hander from nearby Germantown Friends, was taken by the Phillies with their first pick - 27th overall - in baseball's first-year player draft. Biddle, who is signed to play for the University of Oregon, was scouted heavily by the Phillies and a number of other clubs. Many national scouting hubs had him going in the first round,...

The Phillies have outplayed the Padres this series, yet risk taking the split after a frustrating matinee loss. They'll look to rally behind Cole Hamels (5-4, 4.20), who has good career numbers against his hometown team. Unfamiliar lefty Wade LeBlanc (2-4, 3.67) will oppose Hamels and try to shut down an offense that started to show small signs of life earlier this series. Lineups...

The Phillies’ philosophy has been to select the "best available" with their first pick in the First-Year Player Draft, which begins tonight. This year, they should be looking for the catcher or infielder who carries the least amount of risk. Allow me to summarize the Phillies’ farm system in one word: “fluff.” This was an overrated farm system even before they traded...

The Phillies chased Padres starter Kevin Correia from the game with a four-run second, but they couldn’t hold their 5-3 lead in a frustrating 6-5 defeat in 10 innings. Beerleaguer: It’s a crying shame, losses like these. Aided by some lousy San Diego defense, the Phils bumped Correia after just 1 2-3 innings, put a four-spot on the board and never scored again. The Phils stranded...

Joe Blanton (1-4, 5.68) hasn't quite found his footing since returning from the disabled list, while the Phillies' offense may finally be back on track. The Phils continue their series this afternoon against Kevin Corriea (5-4, 4.55) and the Padres, hoping to make it three in a row. First pitch is 1:35. Lineups have been posted. Brian Schneider does the catching and hits...

Jamie Moyer, at age 47, went the distance for the second time this season with a 98-pitch, seven-hit manhandling of the Padres. (Getty) Moyer, whose off-speed stuff has been strong from the opening whistle in April and was particularly good tonight, ran only one three-ball count, which resulted in his only walk of the game in the ninth inning. The Phillies also received key contributions...

Revived veterans Jon Garland (6-2, 2.12) and Jamie Moyer (5-5, 4.26) go toe-to-toe when the Padres and Phillies continue their series under the lights at Citizens Bank Park. First pitch is 7:05. Preview: Unless you're at the park as a spectator or putting in work, prime-time Saturday starts are my personal preference so the game doesn't conflict with your afternoon plans...

Shane Victorino hit a two-run homer and scored the winning run on a bases-loaded walk, and Roy Halladay held San Diego to two runs over seven innings, as the Phillies prevailed 3-2 Friday night. (Getty) Beerleaguer: Halladay set the bar as high as it can possibly go last Saturday, so a giving up 10 hits and a walk seems like a huge disappointment. Really, he was as good as one would...

Fresh off a perfect game in Florida, Roy Halladay (7-3, 1.99) hopes to restore order as the Phillies open a four-game set against Mat Latos (5-3, 3.08) and the division-leading Padres. First pitch is 7:05. Desperate to regain a sense of normalcy, the Phils regain the services of third baseman Placido Polanco, who is back in the lineup after receiving a cortisone shot in his elbow...

Pat Burrell, who signed a minor league contract with the Giants on May 29, had his contract purchased from Triple-A Fresno and will join Giants for tonight’s game in Pittsburgh. (Getty) Burrell, 33, had appeared in five productive games for Fresno, going 5-for-16 with a homer and six RBIs. Tampa Bay decided to part with the former Phillies slugger after a .202/.292/.333 start to...

Injuries, age, a cheating scandal and the possibility that the fire no longer burns inside have been blamed for the Phillies’ recent fall. We explore another option: a league-wide scoring recession that has spared few. Beerleaguer has moved to the backburner over the last few days, a situation that’s part personal necessity as I get acclimated to new digs, but also to let the...

Journeyman outfielder Willy Taveras, 28, was designated for assignment by the Nationals on May 15 after hitting .200/.243/.257 in 37 plate appearances. A veteran of seven seasons with Houston, Colorado, Cincinnati and Washington, Taveras has 195 stolen bases to his credit, but his production has dipped to unacceptable totals over the last few seasons. The move reportedly coincides...

Kyle Kendrick did all he could to match fellow sinkerballer Derek Lowe, but the Phillies' offensive futility continued in a 2-1 loss to Atlanta. The Phillies finish the road trip 2-7 and 2.5 games out of first place. They'll lick their wounds tomorrow before starting a four-game set back home against the Padres. More later ...

Charlie Manuel continues to throw you-know-what at the wall to see what sticks. Jayson Werth leads off and plays center field, giving Shane Victorino the day off, as Kyle Kendrick (3-2, 5.04) and the sagging Phillies close out their nine-game road trip this afternoon against Derek Lowe (7-4, 4.86) and the front-running Braves. First pitch is 1:05. Wilson Valdez plays short and bats...

Here's your rosy recap from nine rain-delayed innings of Phillies magic. Once again, the Phillies' sloppy play superseded mere offensive ineptitude. They didn't play heady baseball and made fools of themselves defensively. I thought Juan Castro was supposed to have soft hands like Na Brown? And I said it on Twitter and I'll say it again: Jayson Werth is an overrated...

Cole Hamels (5-3, 3.82) and the second-place Phillies hope to finish the road trip strong when they battle Tim Hudson (5-1, 2.24) and the Braves in the second of three from Turner Field. Preview: Thursday's off day couldn't come soon enough for the beaten-down Phillies, who are undoubtedly sick of hearing and seeing their offensive woes sliced and diced a hundred different...

There was again no hitting, but also no fielding, no starting pitching and no relief in a painful 9-3 loss to the newly anointed division-leading Braves. Technically, the Phils head to June as a second-place contender, but they are as brittle as any cellar-dwelling club in baseball. Frankly, it's getting difficult to remember this is the same squad that went to back-to-back World...

Closer Brad Lidge has rejoined the Phillies after spending 20 days on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation. To make room, right-hander Nelson Figueroa, 36, was designated for assignment. He would need to clear waivers and accept his minor league assignment in order to stay with the club. Figgy pitched sparingly as a mop-up man and once as an emergency starter, going 1...

Blanked for the fifth time in eight games, the power outage continued in a 1-0 loss to the Marlins Sunday. The Phillies have scored just 12 runs in their last 19 games. They'll look to flip the switch when they open an important series in Atlanta. What are the Phillies if they aren't yanking extra-base hits? This. As much as Charlie Manuel touts his club as a collection of...

On the heels of Roy Halladay's perfect game, Jamie Moyer (5-4, 4.55) toes the slab against Anibal Sanchez (4-2, 3.23) as the Phillies take aim at a memorable sweep of the Marlins. First pitch is 1:10. Enjoy your holiday Sunday everyone. [Jump to the newest comments]

There's plenty of thanks to go around, but the most important factor was that right from the chute, you could see that Roy Halladay had great life and good sink. Beerleaguer: Halladay was never straight with a single pitch the entire night. He lived on the outside corners, and home plate umpire Mike DiMuro was happy to oblige. DiMuro established a liberal strikezone early and...

27 up. 27 down. Roy Halladay retired them all to become the second Phillie, the first since Jim Bunning in 1964, to complete a perfect game, and did it with only a 1-0 lead. Halladay becomes only the 20th pitcher in baseball history to do it, and timed it so fans could see his final two frames during the first intermission of the Stanley Cup Finals. More later ...

Juan Castro, and not Greg Dobbs, will start at third against a right-hander. Preview: Placido Polanco continues to battle soreness in his left elbow joint stemming from an April 21 plunking at the hands of the Braves. Polly, who reportedly had an MRI today, according to Ryan Lawrence of the Delco Times, sits for a second-straight game tonight as right-handed aces Roy Halladay (2...

Tom McCarthy and Chris Wheeler review the Phillies' 3-2 win. Summary: The Phillies snapped a streak of 30-straight scoreless innings when Raul Ibanez's liner rolled by Cameron Maybin into the deepest part of Sun Life Stadium for an RBI triple, scoring Ryan Howard from first uncontested. The Phillies later snapped another streak - five-straight losses - with the help of savvy...