There's only one Phanatic

We got to the park early for Sunday's game. We always get there early, but there was actually something special going on - a whole bunch of Phanatics, on display, in art form.

It was so cultural.

We snapped a bunch of random pictures of the various examples of Phanatics that were fashioned by local artists. They were on display before being auctioned off this month.

Here's a listing of the Phanatics in our pictures(except the first picture). I'm pretty sure the one on the far right is P. Phanatic Star Voyager, but I'm not sure which golden Phanatic is next to him.

1. The Phanatic Paints A Mural

We really liked this one. "It's so meta," Christine quipped. "It's a Phanatic painting on a Phanatic."

2. Ben Phranklin Phanatic

I'd hate to see our electricity bill if this guy and not Benjamin Franklin flew the kite on that infamous night.

3. Key to Golden Love Phanatic

We don't get it.

4. Phanatico Latino

That's a tribute to all the Latin Phillies stars including Ruben Amaro, Juan Samuel and Carlos Ruiz.

5. Yesterday Today and Tomorrow

That's a tribute to all Phillies - past, present and future. It's one of the five statues that the Phillies are keeping.

6. (Not pictured) PhanaTrent.

More info about the rest of the real Phanatic statues can be found here.

Forgotten from yesterday: I didn't mention this in yesterday's recap of our experience at the park on Sunday because it happened on the walk out of the ballpark after I stopped taking notes on my scorecard.

Some guy saw my Red Sox hat and said, "Yeah, Red Sox," and punched me in the arm.

It was random and confusing. I'm not sure if he was sarcastic or not, but even if he were the punch did not seem offensive.

My Red Sox hat elicited another comment today when Trent and I dropped off his application for a local baby parade. We're not going Little Miss Sunshine, just thought it would be a nice little campy thing to do with the little guy.

Anyway, the woman at the counter saw my hat and told me her fiance loves the Red Sox.

Today's games: It was a SoxandPhils double header on the tube tonight. MLB Network was supposed to show the White Sox and Tigers, but the Red Sox and Rays were on instead.

I wish they stuck with their original broadcast.

I thought I'd have an enjoyable moment with Trent and the Sox. They were up 2-0 when I flipped it on.

But then Daisuke Matszuka blew up, giving up eight earned in 4.2 innings. The Rays won 14-5. I'm still holding out hope, but I'm not sure Terry Francona is: "Every player in the Sox starting lineup has either been replaced or changed position," reports Gordon Edes.

The Phillies, despite Jose Contreras and J.C. Romero's efforts to blow the game, beat the Marlins 8-7 to reclaim first place.

The Phillies led 7-4 in the 8th, but Contreras gave up three runs. J.C. couldn't clean up the mess.

In the bottom of the inning, Placido Polanco drove in a run, and because the Braves lost to the Pirates, the Phillies have a half game lead.

Everybody loves Chooch

The other day, Todd Zolecki noted what a great year that our beloved Carlos Ruiz is having:

Ruiz is hitting .298 with a .395 OBP and a .443 SLG this season, all of which are career bests. Ruiz has been a regular since 2006. He hit a career-high .259 in 2007. He set career-highs with a .355 OBP and .425 SLG last season.

If Ruiz had enough plate appearances to qualify, he would rank fifth in the National League in OBP and 13th in batting.

As if that weren't heady enough, today the Daily News and Inquirer upped the ante by taking a multifaceted look at whether Carlos Ruiz is the MVP of the 2010 Phillies:

Playing on a team filled with accomplished all-stars, an argument could be made that Ruiz has been the Phillies' most valuable player through the first four months of the season. His five home runs and 27 RBIs cannot compare with the statistics of most of his fellow position players, but Ruiz's manager, teammates and coaches understand the hidden value of what their catcher does.

"He gets the tempo of the game moving the right way," leftfielder Raul Ibanez said. "He stands up back there and you see him punch his fist into his mitt and he's barking and showing his intensity. He's the guy who is facing us. We're all looking at him. A lot of times if a guy is dead back there, it's human nature to imitate what you see. But when you see all that intensity back there, I think it rubs off on the rest of us in a positive way."

There's lots of love for Chooch from Rich Dubee, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick and, especially, Jamie Moyer, the Chooch Whisperer, who was credited for Ruiz's development:

"I don't want to take credit and I don't think I can," the 47-year-old said. "But when he first came here, I would talk to him about some basic things I saw in catchers when I was a younger player. I know the game has changed a little bit from that time to now. But, for me, the catching part hasn't."

Too bad the MVP couldn't help Kendrick tonight. Kendrick was so bad that Chooch was double-switched out of the game in the 4th inning. In the 9th, Dodgers 15, Phillies 7. ... Red Sox catcher Victor Martinez couldn't keep Daisuke Matzusaka's recent magic going. Dice-K was knocked around a bit, but the Sox hung in there and beat the Blue Jays 7-5.

Jon Lester is a wuss

It's hard for me to say that about our beloved cancer conqueror and World Series hero, but I think I can be critical of a fellow newly minted first-time father:

In the real world, a first-time father returns to work after a day or two off and eases back into the routine while showing everybody photos of his pride and joy.

Jon Lester's task last night was to climb the mound at Fenway Park in drenching humidity and to try and pump pitches past the Cleveland Indians.

Sleep had come sparingly since the arrival of his son Hudson on Saturday and after a few innings his left hamstring started to ache. Errors, a passed ball, and the other residue of a season going steadily awry only made things worse.

“He'd had a long three or four days," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said.

OK, I took off four days (not including the weekend) and I returned to work in a climate-controlled building. But...

I'm just glad that Lester didn't become the 16th Red Sox to be DL'd after hearing last night that the trainer made a couple of visits to the mound.

Tonight's games: Kevin Youkilis' injured thumb will cost him the rest of the season, but the gimpy Sox forged ahead. Daisuke Matsuzaka went 8 strong innings (?!?!?), and the Sox lead the Indians 6-2 in the 9th. ... Roy Oswalt pitched much better than in his debut and left with a 2-0 lead in the 7th, but J.C. Romero allowed the runners he inherited to score and the Phillies trail the Marlins 4-2 in the 9th. They might be attempting a comeback now with two on base and no one out.

Nice gesture by Dice-K

On Sunday, the Red Sox players threw out some baseballs to fans to commemorate their 600th straight sellout. Daisuke Matsuzaka made sure that the fans in the cheap, well, less expensive seats felt some love:

Every Sox player was given a small bucket of commemorative balls to toss to fans before the game. Daisuke Matsuzaka seemed to take particular glee in trying to reach the seats farthest away.

Dice-K has taken much criticism, a lot of it deserved, but it's nice to see a player remember the folks who sit in the types of seats Christine and I sit in. {Any bets on when he goes on the DL from straining his arm by making those throws?}

Tonight's games: The Phillies trail the Cardinals 8-4 in the 8th. The Red Sox play later in Oakland. Dice-K starts. I hope he doesn't give the A's fans any souvenirs.

Unexpected

When we posted last night, the Phillies were losing to the Indians and the Red Sox were getting shut down by Ubaldo Jimenez. But then, the Phillies won a dramatic game, keyed by Jimmy Rollins' first career walkoff home run, and then the Red Sox beat around Cy Jimenez but lost the game when Jonathan Papelbon blew it in the 9th, giving up three runs on two home runs.

Baseball's like life - you never know what's going to happen until it happens.

Today, Joe Blanton pitched 7 2/3 strong innings as the Phillies routed the Indians 12-3. {The rain delay probably kept him from pitching a complete game. By the way, Greg and I are watching the game replay right now. Given our luck over the past few years with bad weather at Phillies games, we're shocked we didn't have tickets to today's matchup.} With the sweep, the Phillies are now 8-7 this year in interleague play with just one series left - the "road" games in Philly against the Blue Jays. Nelson Figueroa's back on the roster, replacing the injured Chad Durbin.

The Red Sox and Rockies just started. Daisuke Matsuzaka, whose return to the roster meant a trip to the DL for Mike Lowell, put them in a hole already. It's 2-0 in the 3rd. Dice threw 37 pitches in the 1st inning.

Weird game

Among my bike ride, lawn work, running to some stores and visiting with Christine's mom, we were kind of out of the baseball loop today.

It was a little surprising to see Scott Atchison starting the game because Daisuke Matsuzaka was suddenly injured. It was even more surprising to see a guy I had never heard of, Daniel Nava, starting in left field.

When he came up with the bases loaded in the 2nd inning, I wanted to call to Christine, who was in another room, "Hey, come see this guy hit a grand slam in his first at-bat." But I could not get the words out in time as he sent the first pitch from Joe Blanton into the bullpen.

Needless to say, Christine isn't thrilled with Nava's remarkable story, nor Blanton, nor the Phillies, who will try to avert the sweep tomorrow after another bad loss to the Red Sox, 10-2.

Not everyone gets dealt a winner

Crazier than a Red Sox fan who was raised a Yankees fan and is now married to a Phillies fan is the fact that we have a friend who is a Nationals fan despite no connections to Montreal or Washington.

This week, as he often claims, is the highlight of his time as a Nats/Expos fan. The Nats drafted Bryce Harper tonight, and tomorrow, their uber draft pick from last year, Stephen Strasburg, makes his much anticipated debut.

When your teams have been as good as the Red Sox and Phillies in recent years, sometimes you forget what it's like to scrap for any sort of moral victory, such as the hope of draft picks or a 4-3 11-inning win over a vaunted division foe. Nick Cafardo reminded us of that in writing about how Sunday's win was so important for the Orioles:

In the grand scheme of things, what did yesterday's 4-3 loss to the Orioles mean to the Red Sox? Nothing more than one loss to a bad team snapping a 10-game losing streak, giving their new manager his first win. It didn't mean a darn thing to the people who follow the Red Sox, except those who feel they should clobber the Orioles every time they play them.

To the Orioles, it was more than that. It was a day when self-respect came back. Maybe it's fleeting because after the Sox left town, the Yankees are paying a visit starting tomorrow.

This was a great snapshot of the psychology of sport. The Orioles are a downtrodden team that had been buried the last two weeks, and been clobbered, 19-2, in the first two games against the Red Sox. They have been made fun of, called horrible things, and ridiculed. But yesterday, under very tough conditions — rain, heat, humidity — Juan Samuel's troops hung in there enough and beat one of the best teams in baseball in 11 innings.

I love that dig at Red Sox fans who act like Yankees fans and expect to go 173-0 every year.

Sometimes, as John Lackey pointed out, the cliche is true: It doesn't matter whether you win or lose, it's more important how you play the game:

And yet the Sox couldn't pull it out, ending a seven-game road winning streak. Not that anyone in the visitors' clubhouse was concerned. It was one loss in a long season.

"I don't think it's a big deal," Lackey said. "It's always disappointing to lose a game, but we're playing good baseball and we played good baseball today. Just came up a little bit short."

That's right. Just make sure that one game doesn't become more tonight (joking).

Happy Birthday: Officially sponsored SoxandPhil Heathcliff Slocumb turned 44 today. In honor of the occasion, and because the Red Sox and Phillies square off this weekend, I thought I'd post his numbers as a Phillie against the Red Sox and vice versa, but his Phillies tenure ended two years before interleague play was created in 1997. He was still a Red Sox for half of that season, but did not appear in the inaugural SoxandPhils series.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox lead the Indians 4-1 in the 9th. Has Daisuke Matsuzaka (no runs, four hits, two walks and five strikeouts) turned a corner? ... Cole Hamels took a no-hitter into the 7th, but lost it on back-to-back homers. The Phillies bats wasted his eight-inning, two-run, three-hit, two-walk, six-strikeout performance in the 3-1 loss to the Padres.

The end of the line for a legend

I read the news with my own eyes, but I could not believe it. The Washington Nationals released Eric Bruntlett.

Funny, when we were wondering what the Phillies would do to replace Jimmy Rollins, I thought they might make a play for the guy who turned an unassisted triple play and scored the clinching run in the last game of the 2008 World Series. It's too bad the Nats didn't give him the boot before J-Roll was just about ready to come back.

Of course, the bearded Bruntlett isn't the only legend saying goodbye today. After 22 years, Ken Griffey Jr., The Kid, who is now 40 years old, has retired. He's neither Sox nor Phil, but I'm sad. It's a bit of my childhood gone. I'll never forget opening a pack of the debut edition of Upper Deck and getting the prized first card of the set. Upper Deck was a little pricey, even in 1989. I didn't buy many packs, and I wasn't expecting to get that trophy.

In other news, before we completely turn the page on May, Big Papi can take a bow for winning AL player of the month. He is joined by teammate Jon Lester, AL pitcher of the month.

Today's games: The Phillies were nice enough to play in the afternoon so that we didn't have to watch them lose 2-1 to the Braves, which completed the sweep and opened a 2.5-game lead over the Phormerly Phightin' Phils.

In 6.2 innings, Daisuke Matsuzaka gave up 10 hits, but incredibly didn't walk anybody. In the 7th, Red Sox 4, A's 3. Mr. May hit a two-run homer and a double.

The Flyers and the Blackhawks are tied 1-1 in the 2nd period.

Travesty: A bad call by umpire Jim Joyce cost Armando Galarraga of the Tigers a perfect game. I'm in shock. Former Phillies prospect Jason Donald was credited with the hit.

[Photo credit: Hollywoodcollectibles.com]

Two knocks and a shave

So Charlie Manuel finally corralled the offensively challenged Phillies in for a team meeting. Nobody's saying much, except that Cholly didn't read them the riot act. It hasn't helped because the Phillies still have not scored a run in their series against the Mets. But they have an excuse tonight - the game has been delayed by rain.

The only thing that seems to have changed is Jayson Werth's beard. He shaved it again, but we want to see a picture to prove it.

It is implied that J-Dub broke out the razor to snap him and his Phils mates out of their phunk, but I have two other theories. 1) He's practicing for when he's a Yankee next year. 2) He wants to be more aerodynamic because he's on pace to make a run at a storied record - most doubles in a season, currently held by Earl Webb, who had 67 in 1931. Sports Illustrated's Joe Posnanski thinks he has a real good chance.

I knew Webb held the record, but I didn't know he was a Red Sox.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox were leading the Royals 1-0 when I started this post, but Daisuke Matsuzaka just suffered an ugly-looking three-run 5th inning. He was yanked mid-frame at 112 pitches. Recently activated Joe Nelson, whose a fan of Miley Cyrus' "Party in the USA," came in from the pen. It's now 3-2 in the 6th.

Two hours late, the Phillies and Mets are just beginning.

Rotating door at the top

It's the middle game of the SoxandPhils series, and each team had a different look at the top of the order.

The Red Sox finally got their speedy leadoff man, Jacoby Ellsbury, back off the DL. He made his first start in more than a month. The Phillies reinserted their speedy leadoff man, Jimmy Rollins, to his usual spot in the lineup on Friday, but he got injured again. He was officially DL'd today. Welcome back, Wilson Valdez.

Tonight's tilt: Joining Ellsbury in the lineup was David Ortiz at 1B and Jason Varitek at C, which is interesting given the reports of the little scuffle between Daisuke Matsuzaka and Victor Martinez.

Replacing J-Roll in the leadoff spot was Shane Victorino, replacing him at SS was Juan Castro.

Actually, the most important lineup machinations were Varitek and Castro - not because of the riff between V-Mart and Dice, but because Tek is the only catcher to squat for four no-hitters. That's notable because he came pretty close to a fifth.

The 8th inning was the most dramatic. Raul Ibanez walked. Then, Carlos Ruiz lined a rope to third. Adrian Beltre made an amazing spear and then doubled off Ibanez. That was followed by a little bloop by ... Castro (where's J-Roll when you need him?). The little duck snort fell just out Marco Scutaro's reach.

At first it looked like it would be a no-doubt hit. "There it is," Christine said happily. But then it looked like Scutaro had a play. She got quiet, before clapping when the ball hit the ground. Her hands still sting. I don't think she's clapped so hard at baseball since the 2008 World Series.

I'll admit it, I wanted it. This might be a season where you have to take moral victories along the way.

That bloop turned a potentially special night into a ho-hum 5-0 victory. Daniel Bard pitched a perfect 9th to end it.

Draining night

Sorry for tonight's post. I'm distracted and under time pressure ...

With the struggles of the Red Sox, I was honestly looking more forward to the Pirates-Phillies game than the Red Sox-Yankees on ESPN tonight. I'm getting tired of waiting for the Sox to turn it on, and I was a little curious to see whether the surging third-place Pirates would make a statement against the reigning NL champs.

We had to run an errand and when we got home, the Sox, behind Daisuke Matsuzaka, were already down 5-0 to the Empire. WTF!!! Something is off this year. They're playing like they're dead. I know, I should remain patient and take life as it comes, especially when there are more important things to worry about, but I'm starting to lose it. David Ortiz hit a big solo home run in the 4th. J.D. Drew hit a three-run homer in the 5th, so maybe they're showing their old pluck. Never give in. In the 7th, Yankees 7, Red Sox 6.

In Philly, Chase Utley got the flu, spoiling the family reunion planned for the return of Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz to the lineup. To make room for J-Roll, Wilson Valdez was designated for assignment as if he were dead to the Phillies. I wonder if he started crying hysterically when he got the news. {Even though he's a former Met, Valdez did well defensively for the injured shortstops. I wouldn't mind having him around the minors in case of any other major infield injuries. But let's hope that doesn't happen.}

After giving up a leadoff home run, Kyle Kendrick settled down and the Phillies made a statement against a potential playoff opponent. Phillies 12, little doodles, err, Pirates 2.

Mugged

At the game on Saturday, we noticed that the Phillies have a new screenshot for players.

Shane Victorino's looked like a mugshot. Actually, not so much when we loaded the picture onto the blog, but on the scoreboard at the park, he really looked like he was just booked for something. Trust us on this one.

The Philadelphia Zoo isn't new to the scoreboard, but it usually it features a frog (one of Christine's favorite critters), not a polar bear (one of mine).

We think Jayson Werth looks like he's ready to go bear hunting.

But considering all the talk about his next contract, he should probably stay safe and keep away from bears in the immediate future.

Today's news: The Blue Jays were mugged and will have to "host" the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park because of the G20 summit next month. Prediction: The Blue Jays will win one game with a walk-off in their opponents' park. ... Josh Beckett was mugged by a back spasm and will miss a start. Tests came back OK, so I hope this is a case where he takes a couple days off and comes back pitching like the ace we paid for. ... Roy Halladay was mugged from his first start in his hometown tonight because of rain. The Phillies and Rockies will play two tomorrow.

Tonight's game: Daisuke Matsuzaka is pitching well - one run on three hits (no walks and nine strikeouts) through six. He's only thrown 94 pitches, but I hope Terry Francona quits while we're ahead. Jason Varitek hit his 6th home run of the season. In the 6th, Red Sox 6, Blue Jays 1.

A complete game of life

Roy Halladay came to Philadelphia with great expectations. He has exceeded them and improved today to 6-1 with a 1.45 ERA in the Phillies 7-2 matinee win over the Cardinals.

But for the fourth time in seven starts, he failed to pitch nine innings. Doc is often seen as a throwback because of his ability to finish games. He leads active pitchers with 52 complete games - four more than Livan Hernandez, 20 more than Tim Wakefield and 21 more than Jamie Moyer.

We're talking completion today, of course, because another dominant righty for the Phillies, Robin Roberts, died at 83. I know they're completely different eras, but to put Halladay's complete games into context: Roberts had 45 shutouts and 28 consecutive complete games over two seasons.

The guy finished what he started. And judging by the eulogies, he led a complete life on and off the field:

"When I think of Robin there is definitely one word that comes quickly to mind: class. He was a class act both on and off the field. He was definitely one of the most consistent quality pitchers of all time, and the way he lived his life was exemplary. Every young baseball player should should model their life after Robin," Bill Giles, team chairman.

Christine and I don't have many personal memories, but we remember seeing him toss out the first pitch before a Red Sox-Phillies game in 2008. It was the 60th anniversary of his debut.

Awkward transition: From a pair of pitchers with 357 complete games to one who has ... one. And, Daisuke Matsuzaka probably won't be adding to that total tonight.

While taking a walk earlier, I told Christine that Boston's four-game winning streak would end tonight because Dice-K is pitching. I turned the game on in the 1st inning and he already had the Red Sox in the hole 4-0 to the Angels. But in the 5th, it's now 4-4.

O nO

The Red Sox were swept away by the Orioles this weekend, and I'm all O'd out because Christine and I spent the weekend in Baltimore to witness Saturday's debacle for ourselves.

Beside the Red Sox - our reason for the trip - it was a nice little getaway.

It was weird seeing so many Red Sox shirts throughout the city. Christine, wearing her Phillies shirt, got to experience what it's like to wear an unrelated team's garb to a ball game.

Besides the game, we walked around the Inner Harbor and took a water taxi over to tour Fort McHenry, and I ate a crab cake sandwich.

During one of our travels, a Red Sox fan (wearing a Cubs shirt?) excitedly stopped us to tell us the Red Sox were staying at his hotel, the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. The team did a number on the breakfast buffet - especially Hideki Okajima with the fruit - and Daisuke Matsuzaka was a bit surly, the fan reported. We doubt that the team would eat at the same buffet as the rest of the guests, but we wanted to pass along the man's story anyway.

Walking to the game, a church had a sign out front that said something along the lines of, "Lord bless the O's, maybe the Sox, but the Yankees? Forgive our thoughts." Amen.

At the park: When we went to Camden Yards in 2007, we couldn't believe how poorly it has aged compared with Citizens Bank. It didn't seem as bad this time, probably because we entered with lower expectations, but it was still bush league.

Prime example: CoverGirl was giving makeovers inside the park. "Philly chicks come for the game," I said to Christine, who pointed out that the booth was full of Red Sox fans.

The makeup company also sponsored Kiss Cam. It found a Red Sox fan whose mate was conked out. She seemed angry and embarrassed by the sleeping and started deeply kissing another nearby fan.

Christine and I recently discussed whether a poor year by the Red Sox would "thin out the herd" of some of the bandwagon jumpers. I was starting to warm to this idea until we saw a group of drunken girls merrily singing Sweet Caroline on the way out of the park. If fans are so oblivious to the games, I don't think they'll give up their Neil Diamond fixes because of some losing seasons.

Other culture shocks: Culture Club was playing before the game, the Orioles sold Red Sox memorabilia throughout the park, vendors were so bored they invited you to buy from their food stands, still no cup holders in the seats!, a random fan threw out the first pitch, and fans (mostly Red Sox) started a wave. And they did it backward - counterclockwise.

Other annoyances: Fans were obnoxious, and ushers did not enforce the rule that says you don't move to or from your seat during a pitch. ... A family near us asked an Orioles fan to take a picture of her "large family from out-of-state." The Orioles fan wasn't happy but obliged even as she was introduced to every one of the 20 members of the Red Sox woman's family. ... A guy had the gall to wear a Yankees hat with a Dustin Pedroia jersey - unforgivable. ... The fans. ... The game.

Game notes: The highlight was watching Super Saver win the Kentucky Derby on the scoreboard. This was the second time Christine and I watched a Triple Crown race at a ballpark (first time was 2007). ... Maxx Factor sang the anthem; it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. ... Dice-K, making his 2010 debut, was actually efficient and effective until giving up six runs in the 5th. ... It was sad watching Tim Wakefield take a beating in his first relief appearance. ... David Ortiz hit two home runs. The game was played in beautiful 84 degree weather and moved at a great clip considering it was a 12-9 game - two hours 48 minutes.

Antiquated SoxandO's jerseys: Jeff Conine, Rick Dempsey, Rafael Palmeiro, Nomar Garciaparra, Gregg Zaun, Manny Ramirez, Jason Bay, Curt Schilling, Melvin Mora, Trot Nixon and Brady Anderson.

Huh? We spotted a Schilling Red Sox shirt with white writing, a Chase Utley UCLA-themed shirt and a couple of Babe Ruth Red Sox shirts. Phillies fans were also representing throughout the city - we saw shirts for Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Utley, Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and Citizens Bank Park.

I rocked a new Red Sox T-shirt Christine got me for my birthday.

Oh yeah: The Orioles new scoreboard is an improvement, but it still seems dated. One improvement is the out-of-town scoreboard that is much more detailed than the ones at Citizens Bank. A random example is pictured above: You can see that the Phillies beat the Mets 10-0. Roy Halladay beat Mike Pelfrey. Utley went 3-5 with a double and three runs. Shane Victorino hit a home run.

Curiously, the picture we took of the final score between the Red Sox and Orioles didn't turn out too well.

Oh well, time to finish unpacking so we can watch the rubber game between the Mets and Phillies on ESPN. Mets are leading 3-2 early in the game.

Halladay lowers expectations

So Roy Halladay will not go 32-0, just a pedestrian 31-1 after he lost last night 5-1 to the Giants. The region is in shock. Halladay vows to learn from the experience:

"You learn from it and move on," Halladay said. "You take something out of it. You take the positives and try to correct the mistakes and move on. There's nothing you can do about it now other than learn from it. You do that, show up tomorrow, work hard and go out and be aggressive next time."

I wonder, however, whether last night was just a masterful stroke by Doc and that in six months we'll be reading about how he set up the Giants for his first playoff win by losing to them in April.

Halladay's ERA skyrocketed from 0.82 to 1.80. But that's still minuscule compared with Josh Beckett's 7.22 after last night's debacle in Toronto. The Globe points out that his crappy start to 2010 is very similar to his crappy start in 2009:

Josh Beckett after five starts last season: 2-2, 7.22 ERA, 28.2 IP, 36 H, 24 R, 23 ER, 16 BB, 31 K, .303 OBA

Josh Beckett after five starts this season: 1-0, 7.22 ERA, 28.2 IP, 37 H, 24 R, 23 ERR, 13 BB, 20 K, .316 OBA

Let's hope he finishes this year as well as he did last year, or else the season could hinge on whether Daisuke Matsuzaka redeems himself:

"If by coming back I can help give the team any sort of little boost or change of momentum, I think that's all that I can ask for," Matsuzaka said. "And by that, I don't mean that I single-handedly am going to make all the difference. But I think sometimes you change the roster up a little bit, and good things start to happen, and I'm hopeful that I can be a part of that."

He starts Saturday, and we'll be watching very closely.

New SoxandPhil: Fabio Castro was called up; Scott Atchison was sent down. Bittersweet day over here.

Tonight's games: The Red Sox lead the Blue Jays 2-1 in the 8th. OK, I'll jinx it - Clay Buchholz is pitching well. Phillies play late again in San Fran.

At least one Red Sox team did well today

Team Red Sox had a much better day than the real Red Sox, despite our rainiest day since we've been participating in the local MS Walk.

We were a little nervous all week with the doom and gloom forecast. We did get wet, but we slogged through our eight-mile walk, doing our part to raise money and awareness of multiple sclerosis.

(The pictures are our team's first-ever customized shirts worn by fans of the Yankees, Phillies and Nationals - we're a multi-partisan team.)

Despite the cold and wet, Christine and I really enjoyed our day with our largest team ever. We're looking forward to next year when we hope we get back to the traditionally beautiful weather we get on walk day.

Thanks to all whom who walked, cheered, supported, journeyed long distances or otherwise participated in our efforts.

Red Sox: On walk day, they did not do their part, losing 7-6 to the Orioles in 10 innings. Tim Wakefield pitched well, Scott Atchison did not. Keep those names in mind, because when Daisuke Matsuzaka comes back, there's a good chance that Wake gets bumped to the bullpen and Atchison gets bumped off the roster. Sad on both ends.

Phillies: Christine was very happy to see Carlos Ruiz drive in two runs to give the Phillies a 6-5 lead over the Diamondbacks in the 6th inning. "Choooch!" she said. That erases the hole Kyle Kendrick dug. We'll see what happens next.

[Photo credits: Kim on the design; Rishi and Wyndham on the financing]

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.

Raul helps team chemistry

Everyone was pleased with the way Raul Ibanez replaced Pat Burrell last year, even though the Phillies didn't achieve as much as they did in 2008.

Ibanez isn't resting on his laurels and, in a true spirit of SoxandPhils, has even helped the Red Sox. When Adrian Beltre considered whether to sign with the Red Sox, he was concerned about stealing Mike Lowell's spot.

Today's story by the Globe's Amalie Benjamin almost suggests that Beltre didn't want to come to Boston purely out of respect to the 2007 World Series MVP. But Ibanez, who played with Beltre in Seattle and is a friend of Lowell, put those feelings to rest:

"I talked to [Ibanez] and said I was thinking about calling Mike before," Beltre said. "He said, 'Don't. Just talk to him when you're in spring training. Mike's a great dude, and he'll understand.'"
[...]
"Those are things that you can't control," Ibanez said. "You can't look to the left or to the right or behind you. You can only look at what's right in front of you and control what's right in front of you."

And, now despite a situation that can't be welcomed for Lowell, the two are handling things very classy and professionally:

Their stories are intertwined, the new third baseman and the old. Their lockers are close together. They take ground balls one after the other, inhabiting a spot big enough for only one. A situation that could have bred distrust and strife in a clubhouse has not, from all evidence, though it is clear that, on many days, Lowell would rather be just about anywhere else.

Perhaps that's because they are, as Ibanez calls them, "two of the best people I've had the pleasure of knowing."

Thanks, Raul. If Lowell's still around in October, I'm sure he'll tip a bottle of champagne to you before he dumps it on Beltre.

Christine's psychic powers strike again: Yesterday, Christine and I were discussing Jamie Moyer's good spring. I noted that Tim Wakefield, the other SoxandPhils elder statesman, was also exceeding expectations. She asked me what the Red Sox were going to do with their rotation, and I said they'll probably start Daisuke Matsuzaka in the minors on injury rehab and then see what unfolds.

"Oh yeah," she said. "And he hasn't even had his annual spring injury yet."

Oops. A stiff neck has officially reduced the number of starters the Red Sox could use to start the season from six to five.

And, last week, Christine and I were talking about Ryne Sandberg, and she noted how no one else has that name. Today's spring training update: "Josh Beckett is sick and will not start today. Minor leaguer Ryne Miller will get the nod."

Her insulting questioning of Beckett being sick on a Sunday morning will be ignored.

A tale of two silent starting pitchers

A pair of highly paid SoxandPhils starting pitchers didn't talk to the press yet, but they took different tacts in doing so.

New Phillies ace Roy Halladay "politely" declined comment, saying the Phillies asked him to address all reporters at once after his workout on Friday. Greg Casterioto, the Phillies director of baseball communications (I never heard of him), did the splainin':

"The first week of spring training, we try to make the best use of everyone's time, and many times that means doing a media group session," Casterioto said.

Casterioto, who also scheduled the availability of pitchers Cole Hamels and Brad Lidge for later this week, noted that the team had used this strategy many times in the past. Former Phils Scott Rolen and Bobby Abreu were among the players who waited until a structured session to speak with reporters.

After the initial availability, Halladay, Hamels, and Lidge will be free to participate in as many one-on-one interviews as they choose, Casterioto said.

The Red Sox Daisuke Matsuzaka, meanwhile, wouldn't talk to American reporters, but told Japanese scribes that he has a sore back. That left Theo Epstein to explain that Dice-K's injury is not serious:

"I'm not a doctor and I don't want to get ahead of this thing, but if it's a real mild strain like we think it is, then he'll be able to have a normal spring training but be delayed a bit at the start of camp. I don't want to put a number of days behind that he will be, but he'll be a little bit behind because while all of our guys are long tossing and throwing pens now, he's not going to do that.

"At this point as we look at it, we think he'll be able to have a normal, if delayed, spring training."

The return of the Diceman isn't starting off too well.

Live action and unpredictable predictions

We have our first glimpse of baseball circa 2010 today as Kevin Youkilis and some prospects took some hacks and the scribes noted who has bulked up (Clay Buchholz) and who has trimmed down (Daisuke Matsuzaka).

But even though the news is welcomed when our yard is still buried with snow, none of it matters because Baseball Prospecutus has updated its screwy projections for the season.

Although, they still have the Nationals finishing under .500, we like where BP is heading: a Red Sox division championship with the Phillies (always predicted to win the NL East) getting closer to the number of wins we expect from them.

But most interesting is what the statisticians see in store for the NL Central: a three-way tie for first place among the White Sox, Tigers and Twins at 80-82.

Christine and I would love to see that, although we'd settle for seeing our lawn again.

[Photo credit: Boston Globe]