Breaking point

All weekend, I've had to talk Christine off the figurative ledge - as if her team was the one in a scrape for the Wild Card, not the one with a six-game lead in a division with marginal competition.

But this morning I learned that her frustration is nothing compared with Charlie Manuel's, who let loose what reporters have depicted as his biggest can of whoop-ass the players have ever seen from him. The Daily News had the best headline, Snarly Manuel (I would have gone with Snarly Charlie). Scott Lauber had the complete transcript, with some censorship:

[Expletive] the last couple years. That don't mean [crap]. We're playing today. Last year is dead and gone. Having to win? No, I don't get that. I think when you have a lead, you're sitting better than you are when you absolutely have to win a game that day. I think having a lead's got to be better than that. I'll take the lead. That's what I'm trying to say. Last year, what happened in the past, that's gone. We played tremendous baseball last year the last five, six weeks. Best baseball we've ever played. I'm not going to give our lead up and say, 'We'll start here.' No, I'm not going to do that because I don't know if we can come through or not. I like our chances better where we're at, but at the same time, we have to win some games. That's what I'm trying to say.

I wonder if being on the receiving end of a Cholly riff is like when your grandmother expresses disappointment in you. It's just got to feel bad.

How'd it work? So far, so good (except for Brad Lidge - who was pulled and could be done as the Phillies closer this year). The Phillies had five solo home runs - two by Raul Ibanez and one each by Chase Utley, Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz - to beat the Nationals 5-3.

With their blasts, Ibanez and Utley joined Ryan Howard and Werth with 30 home runs this season. Three home runs came in the 7th. For the formerly ancient Mariner, that's three home runs in his last two games after he had gone nearly 80 plate appearances without one. Is RAAAUUULLL!!!! BAAACCCKKK????

Definitely not back is Lidge. He was removed mid-inning after loading the bases. Closer-in-waiting Brett Myers had already pitched 1 1/3 innings, so it was Ryan Madson who got the call and pitched out of Lidge's jam without allowing a run.

This is the night that Cholly officially acknowledged what the fans have known: Brad Lidge is broken.

Fortunately, he did not spoil another strong start by Pedro Martinez. When he signed with the Phillies, he had 99 career losses. Christine anticipated that the round number would come in his first appearance. He's managed to avoid it through six starts. He pitched well again: three earned runs in six innings. Despite throwing 105 pitches through six, they sent him out for the 7th. I thought it was a mistake. He got two outs before giving up a solo home run.

Why can't the Red Sox play the Orioles every week? They're now 12-2 against the AL East cellar dwellers with tonight's 10-0 win. Clay Buchholz went seven innings, giving up three hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Big night for Dustin Pedroia: 2-3 with two runs, three RBIs, two home runs and a walk.