Opening Day

We didn't watch much baseball yesterday, but it's an Opening Day we'll never forget.

We had a very nice day in court wrapping up the procedural parts of Trent's adoption, and we had the Phillies on in the background as we celebrated with his grandparents. Everyone left before the 9th inning, and I had a feeling Trent had a rally in him on his special day. He did, helping the Phillies score three runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Astros 5-4.

I thought he was working his magic for the Red Sox when they tied the game in the 8th, but Daniel Bard imploded for four runs in the bottom of the inning, and Trent had nothing left to spur a SoxandPhils Opening Day sweep on his Adoption Day. Rangers 9, Red Sox 5.

Business-persons special

Despite some teasing threats to Christine, Trent and I didn't sneak off to the park for today's business-persons special against the Astros. It was also "kids run the bases," and Trent and I promised to bring home a scoopful of dirt from the infield.

We also, despite Trent's pleading, did not blow off our liquid lunch for some filet mignon to watch the game at the neighborhood steakhouse.

We just watched the game from Trent's blanket on the living room floor. It was very odd watching a Phillies game in the middle of the afternoon without Christine, especially when it marked the first time they've ever been swept in a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park.

It was fun watching the Roy Halladay perfect game tribute. It was a bit overblown and campy, but good mental mush for me and the boy. Christine would have liked seeing Carlos Ruiz get home plate. I couldn't decide whether I was touched or freaked out by the bronze casts of Doc's hand that was given to his sons. Maybe I'm just jealous because I don't think anyone will bronze my hands and stick them to a keyboard for Trent.

With no reason for Christine to watch the replay of today's game, we have the Twins-Rangers game on. Christine noticed that Trent was focusing on the game. We fear that he's now a Twins fan. As long as he doesn't root for a team with N and Y on its hat, we'll deal with it.

Sleepy games

This week, I learned that I could sleep outside in the middle of a storm so violent that it carried a tornado warning. And I later learned that I could sleep through what was probably the most interesting Phillies game of the year. Some may argue that designation should be Roy Halladay's perfect game, but I didn't get an expensive watch out of it, so I'm going with last night's tilt that I did not see.

I could blame the baby for my fatigue, but truthfully, I wouldn't have stayed up much later even before Trent arrived.

I fell asleep as the game headed into the 14th inning. At one point, Christine told me that Ryan Howard was ejected and that Raul Ibanez was shifted to first base with Roy Oswalt taking over left field because there were no more "extra men," as Chris Wheeler stupidly calls bench players. I was fascinated with the scenario, but couldn't open my eyes.

Later, I heard her slip into bed. "Who won?" I asked in a fog.

"They did. Roy Oswalt grounded out in the 16th with the potential tying run on base," she said.

"Snore, snore, snore," was all I could muster.

This morning, I was flipping through the program I got at Sunday's game and noticed the Citizens Bank ad on the back. I liked its slogan, but just now connected it to last night's intriguing game: "This could be the game you get to tell everyone, 'I was at that game.'"

We've had a few of those, most notably Game 5 of the 2008 World Series and the 2007 regular season clincher, but given my propensity for falling asleep, I'm kind of glad we weren't at last night's game.

With Halladay pitching for the Phillies and the Red Sox playing a double header, I was fairly confident I would be awake when two of three of today's SoxandPhils games finished. Partial victory - Trent and I napped through a portion of the Red Sox afternoon game.

Tomorrow is a Phillies business-person's special. I have a feeling Christine might come home from work with her two guys conked out on the living room floor.

Tonight: J.A. Happ and the 'Stros beat Halladay and the Phils 3-2. The Sox split their twin bill against the Mariners, but picked up a half game on the Rays and Yankees, who each lost.

{Side note: The Phillies have entered yet another frustrating skid. They could be in first place right now, if only they could have scored some runs over the past three days to beat the lousy Astros.}

Scoreboard watching

We always enjoy it when the scoreboard does a little something different with the players' headshot screens. For instance, the last time we saw the Nationals, we spotted advertisements on the Capitol building.

On Sunday, they used Nationals players to promote an exhibit (Late Renoir) at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Either that, or Adam Dunn has become so despondent about Stephen Strasburg's latest injury that he's going to study art history.

And it's not just the artsy folk they're targeting with scoreboard ads. They're also targeting folks whose tastes are more in line with little guys like Trent who appreciate the finer things in life such as critters and building blocks.

Yup, there's no better way to get people to come to Philadelphia Zoo's Creatures of Habitat, a "combination of birds and beasts, each intricately fashioned from thousands of LEGO bricks," than using Shane Victorino's mug.

And in some innings, the Phillies still rock it old school.

Sometimes it's real old school, like Jason Werth circa 1999. Or maybe that's Jayson Werth circa 2011 after his hairy look has been Yankee-ized.

Speaking of which, I finally got around to Sports Illustrated's piece on Jayson Werth. It's a decent read.

Thankfully, the formerly bearded Red Sox, Johnny Damon, is staying in Detroit.

Real scoreboard watching: The Red Sox and Mariners were rained out. They trail the Yankees and Rays by 5.5 games. The Yankees beat the Blue Jays, and the Rays lead the Angels.

For the Phillies, it was a typical Cole Hamels night. He pitched well but got no run support. Well, at least he won't be getting the loss as they scored two runs to force the Astros into extra innings. It's 2-2 in the 12th.

The Phillies lead the Giants by a game but trail the Braves by 2.5. The Braves are losing to the Rockies, and the Giants lead the Reds.

Our first game back

Yesterday was our first game back to Citizens Bank Park since we became parents. Lots of things were different - bootleg vendors sold ponchos instead of pretzels, the sax guy wasn't playing, and they now have a trivia game outside of Bull's BBQ.

But one major thing didn't change - it rained. We sat through it. We got wet. I got grumpy but hung in there.

Despite the hour and 45 minute rain delay - including a scary moment when I dozed off and thought I was blind because I could see only the white of the tarp on the field - it was a pretty good game. Roy Oswalt shut down the Nationals, giving up five hits and a walk with eight strikeouts over seven innings in the 6-0 win. The lack of runs was impressive because he let the leadoff guy on in the first four innings. And in each of those innings, someone got in scoring position, including the first inning when Oswalt struck out Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman after letting the leadoff guy get to third with one out. Roy also went 2-3 with a run and came close to an extra-base hit in his final at-bat.

But he might not have been the player of the game. That award could be claimed by Christine's favorite, Carlos Ruiz, whose only hit was a meaningless single in the 4th and whose fielding was marred with a throwing error and three stolen bases.

Despite those feats, Chooch set up the big two-run 6th inning, which iced the game. With two outs and runners on second and third, the Nationals elected to walk the fearsome Chooch, who's actually been intentionally walked 33 times in his career (nearly all in front of the pitcher), to get to Wilson Valdez.

Valdez, filling in for a resting Chase Utley, was never so insulted in his life and stroked a two-run single to put the Phils up 4-0. Raul Ibanez hit a two-run home after the rain delay in the 7th.

Observations from the stands: It was a fairly uneventful game on and off the field. A funny moment came after the rain delay when the new Nationals second baseman, Alberto Gonzalez, complained that the field was too wet. He was booed when the grounds crew came out to sop up more water. After they left, a bunch of sea gulls (you can sort of see them on the right) swarmed the field, mocking the Nats.

We weren't sitting in our usual area of seats, and it seemed much more quiet than usual. We could hear the radio broadcast floating through the stands. In fact, the crowd never really seemed to wake up until the end of the rain delay when they played Chubby Checker's Let's Twist Again, followed by the original The Twist. The crowd was really going as the Nats took the field and an usher was shown on Phanavision while Twisting.

The team honored Philadelphia native Jerry Crawford, who was umpiring his last game in the city before retiring after a 33-year career. He also umped the last game at the Vet and the first at the Bank. You can read about him in the Inky and Daily News. Instead of giving him a gold watch, the Phillies gave him a plush Phanatic. More on that later this week, but I wonder if that's why the Phillies won so easily.

Debbi Kee's Keenote Chorale did the anthem. ... WPXN's Ben Arnold did God Bless America. No one told him it was raining. He could have trimmed a few minutes off it.

Antiquated T-shirts: We didn't see that many: Cliff Lee, Jim Thome and Jacoby Ellsbury's No. 46.

Babies on the brain: Of course, when we saw the Cole Hamels lunch bag, I was upset we didn't bring Trent. (OK, I was upset we didn't bring Trent as soon as we left the house.) The several young tots we saw in the stands didn't help. There was one nearby (kind of looked like Peyton Manning) who kept staring at Christine. Of course, being the proud, responsible parents that we are, we compared every youngin to Trent. There was no contest: The cutest baby wasn't at the park. ... There were some youngsters on the field with the Phanatic in the middle of the game doing some Latin dances. I dunno why we were amused by this; probably because it's the most people we've seen involved in a Phanatic skit.

Tonight's games: The Phillies faced former mate Brett Myers. On the radio broadcast, Scott Franzke said young Brett was starting for the Phillies. I think somebody is stuck in 2009. Myers pitched well in his return to Philadelphia, but was outpitched for seven innings by Blanton. Myers left trailing 2-1, but Ryan Madson blew it in the 8th. Astros 3, Phillies 2.

Unfortunately, the big story involving a former SoxandPhil is that the Red Sox put in a waiver claim on Johnny Damon, who's considering whether to waive his no-trade clause to Boston. I hope he stays in Detroit. John Lackey was also locked in a pitcher's duel but outpitched the Mariners Doug Fister and got a well-deserved 6-3 win.

We're stuck with Wheels

With the anniversary of Harry Kalas' death upon us, the Inquirer took a look at the state of the Phillies broadcast team. It's interesting but disappointing because you get the sense that the Phillies know that people don't like Chris Wheeler, but they have no plans to remove him:

To gauge their broadcasters' appeal, the Phillies and their primary television outlet, Comcast SportsNet, conduct frequent viewership surveys, the results of which they don't reveal. Fan reaction, [the team's senior vice president for marketing and advertising sales Dave] Buck said, is taken seriously, but it's not a popularity contest.

"You don't want to put something out there that people don't like, but you want to give it enough time to either succeed or fail on its own."

Um, there's been enough time. Wheels sucks.

At least they know what they have in Gary Matthews: "Buck said: 'Sarge is a personality in and of himself. And I think he's getting much better.'"

Amen.

At least we won't have to hear Wheels tomorrow because we're going to Opening Day.

Personal: My back and neck are a little stiff and sore after yesterday's fall, but nothing too bad. I'm still not ready to do sit-ups again, but it could have been worse. ... We had a nice afternoon watching the baptism of the little guy who shares my name. I hope there isn't a clerical error in heaven so that the wrong Gregory James gets the blessing. I think I'm a lost cause.

Games: Roy Halladay dominated the Astros, and the Red Sox avoided losing the series against the Royals.

Saturday follies - fish and falling off a ladder

Our fish have a new home - but it was a planned move, not like last year or the year before.

We decided to go from a 10- to 15-gallon tank, and because the weather was colder than it has been lately, I figured today would be a good day for the indoor project. Things were going so swimmingly during the transition that I decided to cut the grass in the afternoon.

But first, I had to turn off a motion-sensor light in the backyard that has been on for days. It would not shut off, so we decided to finally replace the thing that has never worked quite right since we moved here almost five years ago.

It was an easy project, but complicated because the light is at the highest part of the house and my ladder isn't quite tall enough. It was difficult at times trying to wire a light with one hand while clutching the house with the other, but I got the sucker up without major incident.

The major incident came when I was caulking to finish the job. Maneuvering a caulk gun and standing on ladder rungs you're not supposed to stand on don't mix.

As I fell, a couple thoughts crossed my mind: I'll just land on my feet - no problem ... oh wait, I'm falling, I can't move ... I hope Christine gets out the way, she could get hurt too.

I landed squarely on my back and had a little taste of what Mick Foley put himself through. I groaned, but thought I was OK until Christine pleaded with me to say something. I understood what she was saying, but kept groaning. "Oh no, I can't talk," I thought to myself. But soon enough I got my bearings and folded up that darned ladder.

One of the hardware stores has a 16-foot ladder on sale this week. I wish I knew that when I was at that store buying the light.

Postscript: I'm fine. Fishies enjoy their new tank. The light works as it's supposed to.

Phillies: Christine is upset because the Phillies game is not on again. They're on tomorrow (Roy Halladay), but she won't be able to watch much because she has work obligations. Jamie Moyer gave up five runs in the 3rd inning, but the Phillies regained the lead when Ryan Howard hit a two-run homer off Brandon Lyon in the 7th. (Yes, that's the guy who was part of the 2003 Red Sox bullpen by committee who the Phillies were supposedly interested in this year until Ed Wade signed him to what is considered the worst signing of the offseason.)

Red Sox: It wasn't the prettiest pitching duel, but tonight's matchup of Josh Beckett and Zack Greinke turned out to be a spirited back-and-forth contest. The Red Sox lead 6-3 in the 9th; hopefully the bullpen won't blow another one. (I knew I shouldn't have written last night that Tim Wakefield may get a win.)

Hall of Shame

One of my favorite underrated Red Sox moments is Tom Brunansky sliding into the wall to make the final out of the 1990 season, clinching a surprising division title.

I was happy that that moment was recently selected to the Red Sox Hall of Fame. I'm fine with most of the class - Tommy Harper, Jimmy Piersall, John Valentin and Eddie Kasko - even though I don't know much about them other than Valentin.

I am upset with the manager selection: Don Zimmer.

What a disgrace. The man proclaimed a gerbil by Spaceman Bill Lee is responsible for the Red Sox collapse in 1978. Then, as if simply joining the Yankees were not insult enough, Zim attempted to destroy the Red Sox by assaulting Pedro Martinez during the 2003 ALCS.

The man should not be in the hallowed halls of Red Sox history.

Red Sox: A guy who will truly deserve to be in the Red Sox Hall of Fame, Tim Wakefield, officially became the oldest Red Sox starting pitcher ever. Congrats. And he may get a win as the Sox lead the Royals 3-2 in the 7th. J.D. Drew hit a homer.

Phillies: Christine seems happy as she gets to watch her first complete Phillies game of the year. J.A. Happ, who has at least 20 years to go before becoming the oldest Phillies starting pitcher ever, seems to have things in control. Phillies 7, Astros 0 in the 5th. Raul Ibanez, who has been getting the David Ortiz treatment because of his slow start, has two doubles so far and three RBI.

Ed Wade redux

Ed Wade must feel as if he's back in Philadelphia with all the criticism he's getting for his recent signings.

His signing of Brandon Lyon - who was part of the infamous 2003 Red Sox closer-by-committee experiment before being trading for Curt Schilling - has been already called the worst contract of the offseason by statheads.

I'm one of those people who doesn't really enjoy Saturday Night Live sketches, because to me, the joke is made in the first 15 seconds and then just repeated over and over for the next several minutes. You drive a Dodge Stratus and you think that makes you important – okay. Not much funnier the 15th time you yell it. Not to me, anyway.

Ed Wade is the GM equivalent of a bad SNL sketch. The first time he overpaid a middle reliever, we figured out that he didn't really know how to build a roster. Now, when he gives Brandon Lyon a 3 year, $15 million deal, we just shrug our shoulders and say, "Yeah, that's Ed Wade for ya."

Seriously, $5 million a year for the next three years for Brandon Lyon. We're not talking about overpaying for a premium bullpen guy. Lyon is a generic middle reliever, the kind of guy who could be replaced by a minor league free agent or a Rule 5 draftee.

Even general managers agree with that assessment:

Two different GMs were aghast to hear the Astros are paying $15 million over three years to reliever Brandon Lyon. Both of them had to have the numbers repeated to them twice, thinking surely they had misheard what will be one of the worst contracts of the winter.

Although, you have to wonder what the reaction would have been if Ruben Amaro had acquired Lyon as he wanted:

"We were in there pretty deep," he said. "Ed [Wade] stole him from us."

Wade also got ripped for signing former Phillie Pedro Feliz:

Addressing the hole at third base is a good idea for Houston, but you don't address a hole by filling it with air. You already have plenty of air; why bother paying money to import premium air from Philadelphia?

Christine thinks Wade is just targeting players other teams want because the Orioles had been interested in Feliz.

I can't disagree with the critics, but urge a moment of caution because even though he was pretty much hated at the end of his tenure in Philadelphia, without his work, Phillies Sunday packages would probably be available all winter.

While Wade was GM, the Phillies drafted Pat Burrell, Brett Myers, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels and, as Wikipedia reminded me, shrewdly hired Charlie Manuel as manager despite the fans' clamoring for Jim Leyland. Do you think 2008 would have happened without those guys?

All I'm saying is, give the guy a chance. He proved his mettle in Philadelphia, even if it took a little longer than the fans (including Christine and me) and the organization wanted to wait.

SoxandPhilsandStros: The following former Red Sox and/or Phillies are on the Astros roster right now - Lyon, Feliz, Gary Majewski, Chris Shelton and Michael Bourn. And, of course, they will be managed by Brad Mills.

Somber pause

We take a moment from the feelings of joy, pride and relief that our teams are headed to the playoffs for the third straight year to remember two of our loyal and aged soldiers who won't be seeing action in October and maybe never again: Tim Wakefield and Jamie Moyer.

They've combined for 40 seasons, more than 1,000 starts and 440 wins.

They were drafted when we were still in grade school.

They are consummate pros who played vital, at times under-appreciated roles in our championships.

They aren't the splashiest players and probably never the most important member of the team, but I can't picture the SoxandPhils without them, but for the next month, because of different injuries, their roles will be ours: cheerleader.

Last night, Christine noted that we haven't heard much from J-Moy since he was dumped to the bullpen. He spoke yesterday and sounded like the old Moyer, not the guy who was bitter about the demotion:

"You know what? You deal with it. That's life, and you roll with the punches. I'm not going to complain about it. I had a good run here. My time isn't over here. I'm going to enjoy it, make the best of it, and be a cheerleader."

While Moyer says he will be back, sadly, Eric Wilbur isn't so sure that Wakefield will be:

It's been so long since we've seen a season without Tim Wakefield, and nobody is exactly looking forward to one. But maybe it's time.

Then again, after that awful parting gift last night, the Red Sox should feel obliged to pick up the $4 million for next season, so just Wakefield can get a proper goodbye. I fear though that sometime in November, we'll get a press conference instead. The highlight reel is going to be a cool one.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox beat the Indians 3-0 in an irrelevant game except that Jon Lester pitched really well in his first appearance since taking a liner off his knee last week: two hits and a walk with seven strikeouts in 6 1/3 shutout innings.

Former Phil prospect Carlos Carrasco started for the Tribe, but had to leave in the 3rd inning after he took a liner off the knee.

In a game that matters only for playoff positioning, the Phillies lost to the Astros 5-3. They are now a game ahead of the Cardinals and one behind the Dodgers, so there is some intrigue left as to whether they will be the first, second or third seed.

Clinched

A day after Dustin Pedroia tucked his baby into bed and then celebrated a loss by dumping beer on his teammates, the Phillies played like it were 2008 and then celebrated their third straight NL East championship.

Congrats to the Phils. And thank you for ending Christine's constant whining that you were going to blow this. Now I get a few days reprieve before she starts worrying about how the playoffs will be lost. {No way. The Phillies are going all the way.}

Even though this is the first time in recent memory that they've clinched on a weeknight, the vibe was reminiscent of the last two clinchers. Heck, they even had solid pitching (once Kyle Kendrick relieved Pedro Martinez), and the vaunted bats lived up to their hype in the 10-3 win over Ed Wade's lowly Astros.

The Phillies join the 2004-2005 and 2007-2008 Red Sox as the only reigning World Champions this decade to return to the playoffs the following year.

So for the third consecutive season, the SoxandPhils are both in the playoffs. We came damn close to the epic showdown last year - is this the year? We're just 14 wins away.

The Phillies will proceed to the playoffs without grizzled veteran Jamie Moyer, who needs surgery but should be ready in the spring for his 24th season.

Red Sox: Not much to say. Fielding the B-squad, they lost to Roy Halladay and the Blue Jays 12-0. Minor league catcher Dusty Brown pitched the 9th inning. He has thrown a strikeout in the major leagues before he attained his first hit as a batter. He gave up a run, but he wasn't among the worst three pitchers on the night for the Sox. And he was the third position player to pitch for the Red Sox this year. Remember the heralded pitching depth we had?

I guess they were still hung over.

Exciting endings

After a complicated night in our real lives and a general blah-ish feeling about our teams, I'm keeping it short tonight.

We woke up and learned that no matter how awful our teams play this week, there will be at least one extra SoxandPhils game this year because the Angels beat the Rangers last night, guaranteeing the Red Sox at least a tie for the Wild Card - and what would be a one-game sudden-death play-in game on Monday, if necessary.

If the Phillies survive this week, we won't be seeing them in the playoffs. We got our notification that we didn't win the lottery for the opportunity to purchase playoff tickets for the NLDS. After years of getting suckered into buying tickets during the near-misses of the early 2000s, we finally got to see playoff baseball in 2007. We saw three games last year - thankfully, Christine didn't listen to me when I said not to buy tickets because the Phillies were four games out in September and looked like they weren't going to make it. We'll be watching from home this year.

Tonight's games: The Phillies woke up and Ryan Madson looked like Brad Lidge ... Brad Lidge circa 2008 but with the ability to go two innings. The Phillies beat the Astros 7-4 and are also assured of at least a tie for a playoff slot because the Marlins just beat the Braves. Magic number, 1. Christine should be less cranky tomorrow.

The Red Sox came close with their own exciting ending, but couldn't close the deal. Clay Buchholz didn't have it tonight, but the Red Sox scored five in the 8th to pull within a run. They had the potential tying run on second base (speedster Jacoby Ellsbury), but Kevin Youkilis struck out looking to end it. Blue Jays 8, Red Sox 7. Maybe the Angels will finish what they started last night and eliminate the Rangers for us (Halos up 1-0 in the 2nd).

Lord knows our teams can't take care of their own business right now.

Talking points from the weekend

As we try to clear our heads from the lost weekend, some of our SoxandPhils gave us some talking points today.

1) We do not shoot our friends. (Even a chum with 11 blown saves.)

Last week, I wanted to compare Brad Lidge with a champion race horse that could no longer run. Christine outvoted me 1-1, and the insensitive metaphor wasn't published. Since then, she has said I should say the same thing about Jason Varitek. I don't disagree, except for the fact that we have a longer relationship with the Captain, and he has been supplanted as starting catcher by Victor Martinez.

I say all this as background because Charlie Manuel doesn't think Brad Lidge should be shot:

"I don't want to shoot Lidge. I think he'll get back to where he's at," Manuel said yesterday when asked about the status of the closer's job. "He needs a little break."

Maybe Cholly is just a better person than me.

2) The Phillies aren't playing as poorly as you'd think from Christine's reaction. Yesterday I heard they played .500 on their last road trip. Watching Christine mope all weekend, I thought they were 2-12 or something. Cholly says we're both right:

The 5-5 trip was not easy for manager Charlie Manuel. "As bad as we played, we played .500, didn't we?" he said. "Bad as we played, is that accepted? It will have to be, I guess."

3) It's OK to celebrate the Wild Card. It still feels wrong, but several Red Sox said some things to convince me. Here's a SoxandPhil quoted in coverage of his former team:

"You don't want to take [getting to the playoffs] for granted," said the Red Sox' Terry Francona, the only manager since 2000 to take a defending world champion to the postseason the following year. "Because it's tough. You want to get excited, but you also don't want to lose sight of your goal.

"We always like to say that every year is different. So why shouldn't you celebrate?"

Here's the players' take:

"As of right now, obviously (the Yankees are) the better team," left fielder Jason Bay said. "Once the postseason starts, everything else is kind of thrown out the window."

Didn't it sting just a little watching the Yankees celebrate?

"I don’t care," Kevin Youkilis said. "I want to get into the playoffs. Once we get there, it's a whole other game."
[...]
"I was a wild card once and got a World Series," (David) Ortiz said. "That means I don’t care."

4) It still would have been nice to clinch in New York.

"Damn, man," David Ortiz sad. "It gives the carpet a smell a few days later. It kills me. That's why I want to do it here. But it's not going to happen."

Patience, big man. You can stink up their new jaunt once you beat them 4-2 in the ALCS.

Tonight's games: Days after Jon Lester took a ball off his knee, Josh Beckett was scratched from tonight's start with a bad back. Perhaps the baseball gods aren't happy with a team that was setting up its playoff pitching rotation at least a week before it clinched.

In game action, it's like the SoxandPhils are playing chicken with each other to see who can clinch last.

Emergency starter Michael Bowden gave up seven runs in three innings. The Red Sox trailed the Blue Jays 11-5 in the 7th inning when downpours delayed the game. In case they don't resume this one, it will be up to the Angels to beat the Rangers if the magic number is to be reduced from two.

Cole Hamels gave up six runs in 6 2/3, increasing Christine's concerns that the baseball gods are putting the Phillies on the opposite end of the historic collapses they've dealt the Mets in recent years. In the 9th, Astros 8, Phillies 2. Magic number expected to remain stuck at three.

Catching up with catching

In the news today are stories about the guys behind the plate for the SoxandPhils, Carlos Ruiz and Jas--- err, Victor Martinez.

Nick Cafardo takes a look at V-Mart in a column that broaches a few interesting thoughts: His defense is better than perceived (Chris Coste can sympathize), he may knock Jason Varitek out of Boston as soon as next year, and it may be he, not Joe Mauer, who will be the long-term successor to Tek.

As I hinted yesterday when talking about Brad Penny's stupid comment, perhaps it's not so much that Martinez's defense has been underrated but that Varitek's game-calling genius has been overrated.

I love the Captain and the intangibles he has brought to two championship clubs, but those qualities have not been able to offset Varitek's diminished offense in recent years.

I think this quote from Mike Lowell is telling. He probably meant only to inflate Martinez, but it's hard to read it without thinking it's an honest criticism of Varitek:

I've always thought [calling a game] was a little bit overrated. (Martinez is) an All-Star catcher. I believe there's value in guys who call a good game, but I think now that Victor has caught a few guys a few times he's calling good games. Sometimes that's made a little bit more of than it should be, again, not because it's not important, but I believe an All-Star-type catcher can learn his staff. He caught the Indians and they had a pretty damn good pitching staff. It's not like he's doing something for the first time.

If Varitek is still on the team in 2010, it will be merely, and clearly, as the backup.

The Phillies starting catcher, meanwhile, received plaudits for his mediocre offensive campaign. Mediocre by anyone's standards, but stellar for the Choochster. According to FanGraphs, Ruiz is on pace for his most valuable season. And, if he can maintain or even improve upon his .768 OPS, then he could see some positive offensive value for the first time in his career. Right now, he's at 0.0; his career is -23.5.

He's pleased with his season:

The big thing is, you can have the ability to hit, but if you don't relax, it's tough. If you're a player, man, you want to do good. When you don't, it's tough. Now, I'm hitting the ball gap-to-gap, and it has been good again.

Charlie Manuel still isn't satisfied:

He's got 35 RBIs. I think he could do better than that.

Today: Enjoy the grill. Be grateful if you have a job, and remember those who don't.

The Phillies turn to their stopper, J.A. Happ, to avert the sweep in Houston while a pair of struggling aces, Josh Beckett and Mark Buehrle, square off in Chicago.

Catching up with former SoxandPhils

There was no shortage of tidbits about former Phillies and Red Sox in the news today. Here are the highlights. Followed by some snark.

Helping the Astros enjoy a win at the expense of yet another Brad Lidge blown save wasn't good enough for Phillies discard Chris Coste. He couldn't resist taken a swipe at his former team:

It didn't surprise me they let me go. After four years, they never recognized that I was actually a way-above-average defensive catcher. When my role became righthanded pinch-hitter off the bench, and I wasn't doing well in that role, it made sense. But what I never did understand was that I lost my job as a backup catcher, because in my mind I didn't do anything to lose it.

He also said that because he was constantly removed from games in the 9th inning, it hurt his reputation, suggesting he couldn't catch a slider in the dirt. He acknowledges this could be the last month for the improbable Chris Coste story.

The assessment comes from honest feelings and may be true, but at some point, Coster has to accept that sometimes players fall through the cracks. He was destined, too, but he got at least four years in the big leagues. Many would love that without the constant griping about reputation.

Jim Salisbury reports that the Indians fans aren't happy with the Cliff Lee trade (though Phillies fans haven't been that pleased either during the last two weeks), especially because Jason Donald and Jason Knapp have been injured and Carlos Carrasco got shelled in his major league debut. Unmentioned is that Lou Marson is hitting .240/.313/.320 in AAA.

Egad. This one isn't exactly looking like a repeat of Lee, Brandon Phillies, Grady Sizemore and Lee Stevens for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew for the Tribe.

Nick Cafardo notes that Carlos Pena could be the first New Englander since Tony Conigliaro to win a home run crown:

"Don't want to get too far ahead of myself, but that would be an honor to be mentioned in the same way as Tony C," said the Haverhill native. "He's a Boston hero and I heard a lot about him growing up in the Boston area."

Good for him. I have no snark.

Cafardo also reports that Brad Penny credited his new catcher, Eli Whiteside, with his dominant outing against the Phillies because he suggested throwing more breaking balls earlier in the count.

Cafardo's snark:

Question: As a veteran pitcher, did Penny ever think about this on his own while he was getting drilled over his last 10 starts with Boston?

My snark: Um, where's the catching genius of Jason Varitek here? Shouldn't the columnist be questioning the Captain, too? But I agree, Penny's a punk.

Finally, hard to believe for those of us who watched him as a Phillie, but Gavin Floyd has pretty much become an ace.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen loves Floyd, and while he's placed the ace label on Buehrle, he said Floyd has pitched "tough games" for him the last two years. "When we most need him, he shows up," said Guillen. "This kid is so consistent. When he's out there in those situations, you're going to see who's tough. He goes out and dominates."

Today's games: Coste didn't play today, but Michael Bourn went 2-4 with two runs in the Astros third straight win over the Phillies. Cole Hamels' recent dominance has vanished: four earned in six innings. Astros 4, Phillies 3.

Billy Wagner gave up a solo home run after Jon Lester pitched seven scoreless. But the Red Sox scored three more in the 9th for a much-need 6-1 win over the White Sox.

Houston, we have a problem

The Phillies actually scored some runs tonight, breaking a 17-inning drought, and took a 4-3 lead in the 8th inning. Charlie Manuel said he would have Brett Myers make his 2008 bullpen debut in a stress-free situation. Instead, Myers was brought in in the bottom of the 8th.

We thought he would be overly excited and implode, especially after walking the leadoff man. But he got lucky when Lance Berkman tried to steal and was nailed by Carlos Ruiz. Myers finished the inning without incident.

Unfortunately, he didn't come out for the 9th. That's Brad Lidge's inning, no matter how many times he blows it.

He struck out the leadoff man and walked the next guy before Chris Coste, as predicted, singled. Jason Michaels walked. Michael Bourn (how many friggin' former Phils are on this team?) grounded out, allowing Kaz Matsui to be the hero with a two-run single. Game over: Astros 5, Phillies 4.

Red Sox: Not any better. Gavin Floyd retired the first 17, outpitching Tim Wakefield, who I guess did OK for a 42-year-old with no back. White Sox 5, Red Sox 1.

Whack it

Recently, I've been trying to come up with a way to express how this year for the SoxandPhils (more so with the Red Sox), every time the ship seems to be righted, it springs another leak.

Paul Hagen nailed it today:

The Phillies' rotation has begun to resemble a game of Pop-A-Mole.

Just when one concern seems to be hammered into submission - that would be Cole Hamels - another jumps up to demand their attention. Now it's Cliff Lee.

Perfect analogy. Just when you think the Red Sox can cruise into the Wild Card after winning a series in Tampa, they get drubbed 12-2 against the White Sox, reducing their lead to two games. Just when you think Josh Beckett has a chance at the Cy Young, he enters a month-long funk. Just when you think Ruben Amaro was a visionary for signing Raul Ibanez over Pat Burrell, the werewolf disappears in the second half. (OK, the bulldog still hasn't done much either.)

But you get the point. It's impossible to be steady in this game and, although I've done a much better job of keeping my emotions in check since 2004, it's also the biggest struggle of a fan. You have to remember the cliches that it's a long season and today is never as good, nor as bad, as it seems.

Wait, check that. A FanGraphs blog has found the epitome of consistency, and he mans third base for your hometown Phightin' Phils. The forgotten Pedro, not Martinez but Feliz, has had a very stable OPS in recent years: .709 in 2006; .708 in 2007; .705 in 2008; and .706 so far this year. You can go back one more year to include 2005's .717. And, in those five years his OPS+ (some sort of stadium-adjusted measurement against league averages) has remained between 79 and 85.

Interesting. My favorite thing about Feliz was from before I retired from fantasy baseball (and long before he was a Phillie). He was a solid player, but for fantasy purposes, he was eligible at third, first, outfield and, in some years, shortstop.

Enjoy the day. Tim Wakefield looks to steady the boat against the White Sox this afternoon, while Joe Blanton tries to keep his head underground and away from the mallet against the Astros tonight.

Stupid former Indians pitchers

The recent good performances by Cliff Lee and Paul Bryd, both former Indians, have been wiped away tonight.

After starting 5-0 with a 0.68 ERA for the Phillies, Cliff Lee has been shelled in his last two starts. His ERA rose to 1.80 after giving up six earned runs in five innings on Saturday, and it's now 2.81 after yielding six earned runs in three innings tonight. Jamie Moyer is now in, making his first relief appearance for a starter other than Pedro Martinez. In the 5th, it's Astros 6, Phillies 0.

If he keeps pitching like this, come playoff time, Lee might be keeping J-Moy company in the bullpen.

I still can't get over Pedro Martinez's performance yesterday. Christine joked the other night that he's going to wear a Phillies hat on his Hall of Fame plaque.

He's not, according to a Q&A with Yahoo!'s Answer Man:

DB: Assuming you get there, would you wear a Red Sox cap on your Hall of Fame plaque?
PM: I have no idea, but I would love to. Either that one or a Montreal hat. It's not up to me, it's up to the league, but I think Boston without a doubt. I'll take it.

Then, Pedro talks flowers. It's weird.

DB: Which kinds of flowers are your favorite?
PM: Orchids. All of them.
They're so delicate and tender. So beautiful.
DB: Do you talk to them?
PM: Yes!
DB: What do you say?
PM: I pray for them and tell them they have to get better and that I'm sorry about not taking care of them on time.
DB: Do you feel guilty?
PM: I just ... sometimes, I just don't have the time.
DB: What got you into gardening in the first place?
PM: My mom. She would spend a lot of time in the garden and I used to spend a lot of time with my mom.

In the American League, meanwhile, Byrd no longer has an unblemished ERA. He gave up seven earned runs in 2 1/3 innings, inflating his ERA from 0.00 to 7.56. The Red Sox scored one in the 4th, so the comeback is under way. In the 4th, White Sox 8, Red Sox 1.

OK, no more interleague until the All-Star game

The Red Sox finished up their last interleague series by dropping a set to the Astros. Their magic number is now 76 - to clinch the Wild Card over the Twins. Yes, the Rays - the team no one took seriously - is in first place at the midway point. I never wrote them off. They won't choke like the Yankees, but I'm confident my guys will pull away with the division at some point.

In today's 3-2 loss, Josh Beckett pitched OK. I won't mention who allowed an inherited runner to score the decisive run. Did I mention I dropped Hideki Okajima from my fantasy team tonight? On a bright note, Dustin Pedroia has taken over for J.D. Drew as the hottest bat in the Sox lineup, hitting .484 since the Sox crossed leagues on June 13. The Sox finished their interleague schedule 11-7.

The Phillies, meanwhile, finished 4-11 against the American League. There will be no sweet sorrow for the Phils leaving Texas, where they lost tonight 5-1, dropping the series to the Rangers. Typical Jamie Moyer gave up three runs, but untypically he couldn't get out of the 6th. The vaunted Phillies hitters are MIA again - they can't wipe their asses with a tent pole, to paraphrase Charlie Manuel.

Finally, how has there not been more mention of the fact that Jamie Moyer was in the Mitch Williams-Rafael Palmeiro trade between the Cubs and Rangers in 1988? When that deal was made, who would have thought that the last man standing wouldn't be the 23-year-old lefty flame thrower, nor the 23-year-old All-Star outfielder, but the crafty 25-year-old lefty?

Ugly win for Phils; hideous loss for the Sox

"I'm tired of the Phillies being stuck in jams and sucking," Christine said before Brad Lidge struck out Josh Hamilton and Milton Bradley to end the game with the potential tying run on base.

And that quote summed up tonight's game - a rare win for the Phillies, 8-6 over the Rangers.

Cole Hamels didn't have his best stuff but labored for seven innings, giving up four runs. Fortunately, he was matched up against Vicente Padilla, who pitched like he did when he was a Phillie. And we may have a legitimate sighting of the offense - every starter except Pat Burrell had a hit. Chase Utley had three, including a homer, and Ryan Howard also hit one out. Jimmy Rollins tried to stretch a triple into a homer in the 6th, but ran through a stop sign and was thrown out at home. Wonder if he's due for another benching.

Funny moments in the broadcast: Chris Wheeler on Hamels' pitch count at the start of the 7th: "He's thrown 193 pitches." I think he forgot to clarify that it was actually only 93 pitches. Not even Dusty Baker would leave a young ace out there for 193 pitches. ... In the dugout, Brett Myers put on a catchers mask (hmm, with the way he's pitching, maybe not such a terrible idea). He then gave it to So Taguchi, who also put it on. We'd love to hear the conversation between those two.

Stinky Sox: Ugly, ugly, ugly game for what may be the second-place Red Sox. Jon Lester entered with 11 straight starts of three earned runs or less - the longest for a Sox starter since Pedro Martinez in 2002-03. Lester gave up six in five innings tonight in a wild back and forth 11-10 loss to the Astros.

The offense, paced by four hits each by Dustin Pedroia and Mike Lowell, more than did its job. Lester gets a pass - he's entitled to a bad start every couple of months. But the bullpen? Two runs, one earned, for David Aardsma in the 7th, and three for Manny Delcarmen in the 8th.

The Rays are tied with the Pirates in the 13th inning. If they win, the Red Sox are once again the hunters.