Second half starts stinkily

My buddy asked me whether I was excited for the second half of the season to begin.

I'm not.

I thought it was because of everything going on in my life, but maybe it was an unconscious premonition that the Red Sox would start the second half with a lineup that featured Eric Patterson at 2B, Daniel Nava in LF, Bill Hall at 3B and Kevin Cash at C. Not exactly the Red Sox lineup we were expecting during spring training. It didn't work - the Red Sox lost to the Rangers 7-2.

Maybe it was also an unconscious premonition that Tom McCarthy would have a night off and we'd have to endure extended play of Chris Wheeler as the Cubs drubbed the Phillies 12-6. I hate Wheels. I think he made Trent cry. Now I really hate Wheels.

Friday night link dump

The Phillies are playing late tonight, so I have time to catch up on some of the news of the week.

But first, kudos to former Red Sox manager Kevin Kennedy who was among eight men who subdued a nut who was threatening to blow up an airplane.

Here's the stuff I have missed.

***Jacoby Ellsbury decided he needed more tests after he was having trouble breathing - turns out he has four fractured ribs. Great.

***A day after everyone reported that Tim Wakefield was going to the bullpen because Daisuke Matsuzaka was coming back, the Red Sox announced Dice-K will throw a simulated game. We're still waiting to hear from Wakefield:

Tim Wakefield came into the clubhouse 45 seconds before the media had to leave. I asked him if he would answer a few questions. "Nope," he said.

I hope we're not seeing a repeat of Jaime Moyer from last year.

***To cure the inability to stop anyone from stealing bases - even Vladimir Guerrero had a couple swipes the other night - the Red Sox are shopping for a catcher, which probably would mean the end of the line for David Ortiz, who accepted blame for his failures.

Red Sox: Papi homered for the first time this season. Jon Lester wasn't dominant, but he didn't give up a run in 5 2/3 innings against the Orioles. But the bullpen is blowing it - three runs in the 7th and 8th innings after going 21 straight scoreless. It's 3-3 in the 8th.

Phillies: When the game started, I was downstairs and Christine was upstairs. I heard the annoying Chris Wheeler babbling on. "Wheels is on," I angrily yelled upstairs. Christine didn't hear me and came down to tell me that Wheels was back.

We thought he was going to be on the radio again because Scott Franzke is home with his wife and their newborn son August - congrats to the them. By the way, Jim Jackson is doing radio tonight, now that the Flyers have a few nights off before the second round of the playoffs.

The Phillies lead the Diamondbacks 1-0 in the 4th. Cole Hamels continues his Roy Halladay impersonation, even hitting a double and scoring the lone run so far.

Music to our ears

Christine and I were busy getting the house ready for our post-walk party on Sunday, so we missed the opportunity to sit down and enjoy the best Phillies game of the year. I can say that even if they blow their 8-3 lead over the Braves. It's the best game because Scott Franzke left Atlanta because his wife is having a baby, which means Chris Wheeler got bumped to radio (our sympathy to Larry Andersen), and we get nine innings of Gary Matthews on TV. Go Sarge!

The on-field action (so far) isn't bad either. Jamie Moyer escaped after six innings without his trademark lousy inning. He even froze Braves phenom Jason Heyward in a key spot in the 6th.

Red Sox: Clay Buchholz dominated six innings - no runs and nine strikeouts - but then lost it in the 7th, giving up three runs. Folk hero Darnell McDonald had a chance to tie it in the bottom of the 7th, but grounded out. In the 9th, Rangers 3, Red Sox 0.

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.

J-Roll may no longer be top SoxandPhils shortstop

It's no secret that the Red Sox have struggled to find a permanent shortstop since trading Nomar Garciappara for an elusive World Series Championship in 2004.

They've been through Orlando Cabrera, Edgar Renteria, Julio Lugo, Jed Lowrie and Alex Gonzalez twice. But now, a new name has surfaced: Dustin Pedroia.

While he's clearly the best second baseman in the league (American, I know Chase Utley is better), he is gung-ho about the possibility of shifting to short and intent on mastering the position.

In the true spirit of SoxandPhils, he isn't focused on Jimmy Rollins, but the overrated Derek Jeter:

"When the idea of moving back to shortstop was floated to me, I welcomed it," Pedroia says. "I'm excited. Tell Derek [Jeter] to enjoy the gold glove and silver slugger awards while he can. Obviously, I'm not serious about the fun I have with Derek, but I'm never stopping believing in the goal. I believe I can play shortstop and help get the Red Sox back where they belong."

I'm psyched. To quote one of our favorite movie titles: Bring it on. {Favorite movie title, not movie. Promise.}

Although, a Red Sox source told Nick Cafardo that this move would be a last resort:

While there has been internal discussions about Dustin Pedroia moving to shortstop it would not happen unless the Red Sox exhausted every avenue to acquire a shortstop through free-agency or trade, a team source said this afternoon.

The team is hesitant to give up draft picks for Type-A or Type-B free-agents like Marco Scutaro. And they do have Jed Lowrie to go to to if his wrist stays healthy. While Pedroia to short is an option, there's always great pause in moving such a tremendous second baseman to a different position. Suffice to say, a final decision on this subject is still in the distance.

Other news: A Philly sports icon is coming home. No, not yet Allen Iverson, but former Northampton High star Brian Schneider. I don't understand spending $1.5 million a year on a backup catcher when $5 million was considered too much for a starting third baseman.

Chris Wheeler should be happy. He's always had an admiration of Schneider that borders on creepy obsession. I hate Wheels. I miss being able to say I hate Wheels - well, not really because I really hate Wheels.

And it sounds like he won't be the only veteran coming to the Phillies. Ruben Amaro won't discuss specific players, but said John Smoltz fits the description of a player he would sign. Wink, wink.

Phinally: At last we know why the Phanatic doesn't do road games. It's not out of fear of entering enemy territory, nor respecting another team's house. He just doesn't want to pay the extra taxes.

Gag me with a spoon

Don't do it.

Don't even think of it.

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK.

(This is so awful that I will not mention the author nor the title even though it's probably costing me blog hits.)

There are millions of struggling legitimate writers out there. Support them, not this pompous ass. He already has a much larger platform than he deserves. We have to listen to him every night, and that's not enough for him.

By the way, you know this is bad. We've bought books written by Gary Matthews, Chris Coste and even the Phanatic. But even we, as authors of a blog half dedicated to the Phillies, cannot do this one.

Argh.

This reviewer, who sounds an awful lot like Sarge, says it all.

Thankfully, the Phillies are off tonight, so I don't have to hear him. Actually, it is good the Phillies are off, so we can savor Pedro Martinez's performance for one more night. It was so reminiscent of the vintage Pedro who pretty much single-handedly made the Red Sox respectable in the late '90s.

I also had flashbacks of 2003 when Grady Little left him in too long. Last night, I was screaming at the TV when Charlie Manuel let him come out for the 8th inning. I was yelling again when he left him in after visiting the mound.

But then, reading Scott Lauber this morning changed my mind:

Last night, Pedro went eight innings and threw 130 pitches. He hadn't pitched so deep into a regular-season game since May 31, 2006, when he shut out the Arizona for eight innings, and he hadn't thrown so many pitches in a non-playoff game since May 1, 2001, his prime with the Red Sox, when he reached back and fired 136 against Seattle. At one point, a friend from Boston sent me a note on Twitter (@scottlauber) that asked, essentially, if Manuel had never heard of Grady Little, the former Sox manager who ultimately was fired for sticking with Pedro for too long in Game 7 of the 2003 ALCS, forever known in New England as "The Aaron Boone Game."

But what my friend failed to understand is what Pedro explained late last night in the Phillies' clubhouse. He insisted he feels better than he has since 1998, 1999 or early 2000, and with his unexpected health has come an equally surprising level of effectiveness.

I told Christine I was believing in Pedro again. I wish my T-shirt still fit. I wish I could get Don't Stop Believing out of my head.

Tonight: The Red Sox and the Phillies are off.

Stupid rain

So, we're just two games up on the Wild Card with little more than three weeks left in the season. It's raining. Our best pitcher is scheduled to start. What do you do? Start the game, or wait and hope it stops raining?

I'd go with Option B; unfortunately, Option A was what happened. And it was even worse than I imagined. The game was delayed in the first inning after the Rays loaded the bases against Jon Lester with one out.

Fortunately, they canceled this game and will try to play a doubleheader on Sunday. But that means that coming down this tight stretch run, we're going to have one fewer start from Lester.

Oh well, we've overcome worse.

Tonight's completed game: The Phillies actually won one, 4-2 over the Mets, behind a strong Cole Hamels outing: one run in 6 1/3 innings. Shane Victorino was 3-3 with with two walks and a run.

But the only thing that matters these days is who's on tap to close. Tonight it was Ryan Madson. We don't understand why they didn't leave Brett Myers out there because he needed just six pitches to set the Mets down in the 8th. Madson gave up a run, but got out of a jam with the help of a double play.

We miss Harry: In the bottom of the 8th, Chris Wheeler blathered about the Phillies doing something to the team behind them so that they'll be a little bit "closer to a happy ending." I wonder if he knows what he said.

Picture perfect

Recently, I wrote about how Christine likes when the Phillies get zoo-i-fied on the scoreboard.

She particularly liked Jayson Werth's zoo shot Saturday because it looks like he's blowing away the frog.

I know, we're weird.

Looking at that picture reminds me how awful Saturday night's game was and how we forgot to mention whom we hold responsible. Not Cliff Lee. Not the anemic offense. Not even the crappy weather.

No, we blamed the music operator. He was off his game. The biggest offenses were playing a club remix of Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer early on and not playing Bob Marley for Shane Victorino's at-bats.

I thought things were going to get better later in the game when he played Van Halen's Unchained during a Braves pitching change in the 6th, but Peter Moylan stranded the two Phillies who were in scoring position. I foolishly thought things would improve the next inning when he finally broke out Sammy Hagar for Jayson Werth, but Werth just struck out with the bases loaded - just like Ryan Howard before him. Raul Ibanez followed with a flyout to end the inning in the Phillies last at-bats before the rain fell.

The music operator better get his fingers pushing the right buttons before the playoffs start.

We miss Harry: In the first inning tonight, they showed Edgar Renteria's stats at Citizens Bank Park. Tom McCarthy noted that those numbers came when he was a Cardinal and a Brave. Stupid Chris Wheeler chimed in pompously, "And a Marlin."

Yeah, Wheels. Renteria has played in Citizens Bank Park as a Cardinal, Brave, Red Sox and now the Giants, but he hasn't played for Florida since 1998. Citizens Bank opened in 2004.

Tonight's games: Three words: Colbert Richard Hamels. He's back and showing Clifton Phifer Lee who's the real ace of the Phillies. He retired 21 straight batters at one point tonight and has now gone 17 innings without a run. It was a magnificent 1-0 win over the Giants, a complete game shutout for Cole. Kudos to Charlie Manuel for sticking with his ace instead of playing by the book and going to the "closer."

Hamels gave up just two hits and a walk with nine strikeouts when his mates could manufacture just one run off his opponent Jonathan Sanchez.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, lead the Rays 6-2 in the 8th in the start of a series that is hopefully the Rays' last stand. The Sox young lefty ace, Jon Lester, was not as dominant as Hamels: two runs on seven hits and two walks in six innings. But he did have nine strikeouts.

A new cheesy pregame

****Cycle correction****

In case you haven't figured it out from my cryptic but not-too-subtle hints, Christine and I celebrated our anniversary this week with a little getaway to the Azalea Inn, a bed and breakfast in Savannah, Ga.

We should be home any minute, if we haven't arrived already. Hopefully we have, because it was a grueling 13-hour slog on the way down. (But we left before dawn last week and were fueled by five hours of sleep. We are more rested for today's return trip.)

On the way down, we would just hit scan on the car radio until we found a suitable station. On one, we heard a guy who sounded like Pierre Robert. Because of that we stopped and hoped it wasn't another one of the many country or religious stations that come in around the South.

It wasn't. It was Braves pregame. And, as much as it pains me to admit it, the guy who did the pregame interview with Bobby Cox is just as bad as Chris Wheeler. (But I still hate Chris Wheeler.)

In this guy's first question, he asked Bobby about the day before - when the Braves won a blowout after retiring Greg Maddux's number - managing to get in there how it was the perfect day for the team, the fans and the announcers.

Yeah, way to be hard-hitting there. He made Wheels sound like Howard Cosell.

Speaking of announcers' favorite days, Christine was upset when she saw we missed Jimmy Rollins' cycle on Sunday. I wasn't. I bet Wheels - whose life goal is to see a "natural cycle" - will still be blathering on about it when we tune in for tomorrow's game.

J-Roll didn't hit a natural cycle. For those who don't know, it's a term we've only heard used by Wheels to describe a cycle in which all the hits go in progression (single, double, triple and home run, in that order).

Red Sox updates: They're going to retire No. 14 for Hall of Famer Big Jim Ed Rice, and Julio Lugo was shipped to the Cardinals for Chris Duncan.

More SoxandPhils stars

I often wonder whether there is something to the connections I note between the Red Sox and Phillies or if they're mere coincidence highlighted by personal bias.

Take Tim Wakefield, for instance. I've often said his Phillie counterpart is Jamie Moyer, but for the next couple of weeks it will be Raul Ibanez. Both have been released, written-off, underrated but consistent players. This year they will each be remarkable first-time All-Stars.

With all the focus on Tim Wakefield, I haven't paid enough attention to Raul Ibanez's story. Yesterday, Christine said she doesn't want him to play because he has been injured. I agreed, but this story explains why it will be really hard for him to sit out if he is healthy.

He has fought and scraped just to stay in the major leagues. Now he has earned the acclaim of the fans and his peers, but he faces a tough decision whether to appear in the game that should be the reward for all his preservation.

Nothing has come easy for the guy and now, not even this, his first All-Star berth. It adds to his story, for sure. But it's a story already rich with this sort of detail. Just this once, couldn't it be easy?

"Things happen for a reason, they say," he said at one point yesterday. "I believe that."

Other All-Star notes: Ryan Howard will compete in the Home Run Derby, and Shane Victorino is getting help from Mayor Nutter in his final man competition. But he currently trails Pedro Sandoval (Christine's rookie of the year pick).

Former Red Sox All-Stars: The Phillies are looking at Pedro Martinez {Boo!}, and Nomar Garciaparra made his first appearance in Fenway since he was traded nearly five years ago. His pre-game comments make me feel sorry for some of the things I've said about him:

"I love 'em. I love the way they treated me," said Garciaparra, whose eyes were filled with tears. "I'm getting emotional because when I was gone Boston fans were everywhere. I can't say how many times I heard, 'Thank you. Thank you for all you did.' Even today I was walking down Newbury Street a guy came up to me and shook my hand and looked me in the eye and said 'Thank you for all you did.' And I just looked at him and said, 'No ... Thank you.'

"I can't believe what a wonderful experience I had here."

Phillies play the Dick Pole-coached Reds: Last year, Chris Wheeler said of the Reds pitching coach, "I like that Dick Pole." Tonight, as the Phillies trashed Johnny Cueto, Tom McCarthy said something about how Dick Pole couldn't do anything but scratch his head. Shouldn't there be someone reminding the broadcasters to watch their Dick references?

Tonight's games: The Phillies are up 16-1 in the 5th. Victorino, the All-Star hopeful, started off the scoring with a two-run home run. He's now 3-3 with a walk, three RBIs and four runs scored. The Red Sox trail Nomar and the A's 5-0 in the 6th.

Problem solved

Christine and I were quite irritated last night when Chris Wheeler kept blabbering on about Rock Around the Clock. We had no idea what he was talking about, or why, and automatically tuned him out. I guess that's what caused us to miss our possible salvation from the Phillies announcer hell we've been in since Harry Kalas died.

Here's the YouTube clip posted by Salito42. Watch it quickly, because I'm sure MLB will soon have it removed, as it did with the clip posted on Deadspin.



Now, if enough of us write to the Federal Communications Commission to say that we don't appreciate hearing sexual Freudian slips during our baseball games, perhaps we can finally get Wheels off the air. Permanently. Around the Clock. Here's a link to the FCC's complaint information. Start filling out those forms!

Tonight's games: Neither of our teams had a hit through their first three innings - four for the Phillies. The Red Sox rebounded and lead the Nationals 6-1 in the 6th. The Phillies haven't and trail the Rays 2-1 in the 7th. Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer off Joe Blanton in the 2nd inning.

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.

New kids on the block

Last year, the baseball world waited for the Tampa Bay Rays to fall apart so that the Red Sox and Yankees could assume their customary spots in the AL playoffs.

I wasn't so dismissive of the Rays (I knew they were a tough opponent capable of knocking out the Yankees), but I was confident the Red Sox would prevail. I was wrong.

This year, the Blue Jays have been leading the AL East. They have a 3.5-game lead over the Red Sox as the two teams square off for the first time tonight. Everyone expected the East to be a three-team battle among the Rays, Red Sox and Yankees. But we should have seen the Jays lurking.

Since Cito Gaston began his second stint as Blue Jays manager last year, the team has gone 78-51. That's on pace for 98 wins over a full season, which is one game better than the Rays finished in 2008.

Like the Rays last year, I don't think it's a fluke. Tony Massarotti did a tale of the tape on the division: Among the four teams, the Jays have the best starting pitching, offense and defense. The bullpen is just a tick behind Boston's.

I still have faith the Red Sox will improve their play and catch the Jays in the end, but it's not going to be easy.

Greg's personal trivia: Between cementing my disdain for the Yankees and deciding on the Red Sox, I tried out several teams. I was strong on the Blue Jays for awhile. I even had a hat.

NKOTB (Phillies rotation version): As strongly suggested this week, J.A. Happ is trading roles with Chan Ho Park. His first start is Saturday in the Evil Empire's empty new stadium.

OKOTB: Chris Wheeler likened a hitting or pitching coach to the senior member of a broadcast team. Tom McCarthy asked him how that was working out for him. "Not good," Wheeler said.

Well, don't stick around on our behalf. I hate Wheels.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox-Blue Jays rivalry looks to be off to a good start with a pitching duel, 2-1 in the 8th. The Phillies are up 4-3 over the Reds in the 7th.

We're under way

Riding a dominant performance by Josh Beckett and home runs by injured World Baseball Classic participant Dustin Pedroia and has-been Jason Varitek, the Sox beat the Rays 5-3 today, forcing a ninth game of the ALCS.

OK, I know 2008 is over.

I'm pleased with the first effort of 2009. Beckett pitched really well - one run, two hits, three walks with 10 strikeouts over seven innings on just 93 pitches. Hideki Okajima got hit (two runs in a third of an inning), but Justin Masterson and Jonathan Papelbon picked him up.

It was good to see the offense clicking (everyone except for Jacoby Ellsbury had a hit). I know not to overreact to the season's first game, but I like that most of our injury-related question marks seemed to pull through. Magic number = 162.

Phillies: Jamie Moyer, starting his 23rd big-league season, wasn't so hot against the Braves tonight. He gave up four runs in five innings. Christine is not happy.

Observationally: Myphl17, the Phillies other channel this year when they're not on Comcast SportsNet, keeps showing incessant fan shots, as if this is the first time anyone has seen Citizens Bank Park. ... Gary Matthews was all bundled up with a sweater, fleece and jacket but no hat. Sarge is known for hats and wears them throughout the summer. With a new line of hats coming out, he really botched a perfect marketing opportunity. ... I hate Wheels. After Raul Ibanez got thrown out at third in the 2nd inning, Chris Wheeler spent the next two batters ripping the shortstop for throwing to third because something bad might have happened.

Series split a major letdown

Sigh. I don't want to talk about it.

The Phillies had several chances to add to their early 3-1 lead but couldn't pull through. Then, Rudy Seanez and Brad Lidge allowed four runs in the 8th, giving the Mets a 6-3 win. All base runners in the 8th came with two outs. Carlos Delgado had two home runs and drove in half of the Mets runs.

So, in five series against New York this year, the Phils are 5-10. They have beaten the Mets just once in each series, usually in dramatic fashion. Four of the five wins were the first game in the series. What does this mean? I don't know. Phillies stink. They're a half-game out again and start a four-game series against the Cubs on Thursday. Let's hope the bullpen is refreshed by then.

Broadcast notes: Gary Matthews will be singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" tomorrow night in Chicago. Tom McCarthy dared him to say Phillies instead of Cubs during the song. ... Chris Wheeler annoyingly kept referring to Daniel Murphy as David Murphy. Then he acknowledged that he was accidentally doing this and told some story about a kid named Danny Murphy from his high school. Then he called Daniel David for the rest of the night. Stop talking, Wheels.

Red Sox: They crushed the Yankees 11-3. Dustin Pedroia hit a grand slam, his first, during a seven-run 8th inning.

But, as usual, the Rays also won. The Red Sox remain 3.5 games back in the East. It's almost time to stick a fork in the Yankees. They are now 10.5 games back and 7 games out of the Wild Card; the Sox have the Wild Card lead, 2.5 games up on the Twins.

Poor John Danks

Good win for the Red Sox, 5-1 over the White Sox. Josh Beckett pitched eight strong innings, making John Danks a tough-luck loser. He carried a perfect game into the 6th and a no-hitter into the 7th before Kevin Youkilis broke it up with a single and then J.D. Drew later hit a two-run double.

Competitors: The Rays were off but had to DL Evan Longoria today after losing Carl Crawford on Sunday. The Twins beat the Yankees. We're four out of the division lead, two up on the Wild Card.

Phillies: They're playing on the West Coast tonight. Bad news: Gary Matthews was left on the East Coast, meaning Chris Wheeler has to broadcast nine innings. Worse news: They're losing 6-1 to the Dodgers in the 4th. Prediction from Christine: She's not guaranteeing a Phillies win, but a no-decision for Kyle Kendrick. {Um, I'm starting to rethink this prediction. It's now 7-1 and probably an L for K.K.}

Competitors: Mets and Marlins lost. The Mets lost spectacularly with another bullpen disaster.

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.

Lester's contagious

Young Cole Hamels and Justin Masterson weren't quite unhittable, but each tried to match Jon Lester tonight. Hamels threw 7 shutout innings with 4 hits, 2 walks and 11 K's, getting a no decision in the 1-0 win because his teammates couldn't remember how to score until the 9th inning against the Nationals. (They were shut out last night.)

Masterson's line wasn't as pretty, but he got his first major league win against the Kansas City Royals, with 6 1/3 innings, 1 run, 5 hits, 3 walks and 5 K's. Jonathan Papelbon pitched out of Hideki Okajima's based-loaded jam in the 8th to save the 2-1 game.

Disturbing Lester nugget: There have been lots of stories, stats and trivia since last night's no-no. One, taken from baseball-reference's dugout central, scares me:

At 24 years and 133 days, Lester is the youngest lefty to throw a no-hitter since the Cardinals’ Bud Smith no-hit the Padres on Sept. 3, 2001. Smith was 21 years and 315 days.

Disturbing Chris Wheeler comment: At the beginning of the broadcast: "Is Cole Hamels the slumpbuster for the Phillies tonight?" At least there were no thong references.

All-star catcher and movie star from Philly retires: A few days ago, Christine and I wondered if the Phillies would have some kind of ceremony for Mike Lieberthal. We learned on Sunday that they are. He's "retiring" as a Phil and will throw out the first pitch on June 1. Oh yeah, Mike Piazza's retiring, too.

Pedro Martinez says he might retire after this year, but I'm not convinced. If he does, I bet Roger Clemens will love watching those two be inducted into the Hall of Fame in consecutive years while he's sitting alone with his Mindy McCready albums.

Time for an ace

Last fall, when the Red Sox were down 3-1 in Cleveland, Josh Beckett took them back to Boston. Tomorrow it's time for the ace to right the ship after two bad losses to the Blue Jays have left us at .500. Hopefully, he can pretend it's the playoffs.

I'm not happy, however, to learn that it wasn't just Beckett's back that was hurting him - it was his hip, too. There's been no overt concern that Beckett's injuries will be a problem, but I'm a worrier.

With Beckett's return comes Kyle Snyder's farewell. Oh well. Get that waiver claim ready, Pat Gillick. Maybe he can replace Adam Eaton. I know, he actually pitched well today. I'm aghast.

{Eaton started out shaky but definitely pitched well. Without a doubt one of his best outings as a Phillie. After all of our recent bashing, I would be most pleased if he proved us wrong this year. It's only one start, but let's hope he can keep the momentum going next week.}

Highlight of the day when both our teams lost? Broadcaster Chris Wheeler said of the Reds pitching coach: "I like that Dick Pole."

{How have we not mentioned Wheels yet on here? We share the same thoughts as everyone else on him. Greg says: He's the Alex Rodriguez of broadcasters but without the talent. I'm not quite sure what that means, but we don't like him.}

Chat: Todd Zolecki had a fan chat with Ryan Howard. Not very interesting, except for the first question:

Question: Given the choice, would you prefer to remain a Phillie for your entire career? - Mike C., Gary, Ind.

Answer: That's not up to me.

Truthful and probably prophetic. And should give ammo to those who believe the constant contract struggles will stay in the big guy's head.

Congrats: To WrestleCrap, probably the first blog-type Web site I ever read, on its 8th anniversary. Check it out, if you're interested in a recap of a 7-foot, 450-pounder in a thong.