Unbelievable

Like a movie with a dramatic ending shot in slow motion, several sights and sounds from last night keep replaying in my head.

When flu-battling Ryan Howard stepped up to pinch hit in the 7th, I asked Christine: "Home run?" She said strikeout. "Home run or long fly ball," I replied. He crushed one out to deep center. Christine, normally the more psychic of us, was stunned at my prediction (which technically was true on both counts - try to find a longer fly ball).

That capped a five-run inning, which gave the Phillies a 5-3 lead and promise of ending their recent woes at home, in June and against the American League.

Chan Ho Park pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning with two strikeouts on 10 pitches. "I'm really starting to like Park as a reliever," said Christine, who wanted him to stay out for the 9th.

That too proved prophetic as Ryan Madson gave up two home runs, blowing his third game since taking over for DL'd Brad Lidge. No sooner did the second, lead-changing blast land did we see Ryan Madson with a shocked look of disbelief on his face. Orioles up, 6-5. The camera then showed a woman in the stands with her head down. "Do you believe this?" said Christine, who wasn't convinced even after the Howard homer that the Phils would win.

The Phillies will try to avert a sweep with Cole Hamels against the Orioles this afternoon. Yes, that's correct, the Phillies may follow a sweep by the Blue Jays with a sweep by the lowly Orioles.

The Red Sox game could not have been any different. Josh Beckett, the only guy the Phillies beat last weekend, threw a 94-pitch shutout, winning the 3-0 pitching duel I was hoping for against Derek Lowe, who got a good reception from the crowd. Although Beckett pitched a shutout against the Angels in the playoffs, this was his first regular season shutout for the Red Sox.

The Red Sox, with Tim Wakefield, try to win the series against the Braves this afternoon - a national broadcast on the Braves former station, TBS.

Dice-K: The Red Sox will skip Daisuke Matsuzaka's next start for further medical tests. Stupid World Baseball Classic. Stupid Bud Selig. Stupid Chris Wheeler.

I don't know why I threw him in there. I was on a roll. Although that reminds me, in an attempt to stop the Phillies skid yesterday, Comcast let two cameramen do the pregame introduction. Attention Comcast and the Phillies organization: Yes, two guys off the street can do a better job than Wheels.