Joe the Pitcher

For anybody who has not been watching the Phillies in the playoffs this season they are unaware of how well mid-season acquisition Joe Blanton has played. The guy has done nothing but win and with last night's victory he helped the Phillies step one game closer to bringing the city of Philadelphia their first taste of champagne since 1983.

The 10-2 victory in game four by the Phillies was blown wide open late in the game when Ryan Howard capped off the night with his second home run of the evening, scoring two after Jayson Werth had hit a two run home run earlier in the eighth inning. Having no need for Brad Lidge in the rout of the Rays, J.C. Romero closed it out in relief. Winning early in the morning in game three the Phillies showed no signs of sleep deprivation and jumped out to a 2-0 lead early.

Jimmy Rollins got things off on the right foot with a lead off double in the bottom of the first and was the beneficiary of a blown call when the third base umpire missed a tag from Evan Longoria during a run down between third base and home plate. While Rollins got away with "missed tag" the Rays could have had an inning ending double play if they had used proper baseball logic. As a result the bases were loaded on the fielder's choice and Pat Burrell worked a walk off of Rays pitcher Andy Sonnanstine to force Rollins home for the 1-0 lead. The Phillies left the bases loaded but in the end it would not matter.

Leading 2-1 in the fourth inning the Phillies took a firm grip on game four when Ryan Howard blasted an opposite field home run scoring three runs with Rollins and Werth on base. The Rays responded in the top of the fifth by getting one run back on a bomb to dead center field from pinch hitter Eric Hinske but Blanton was unfazed. In the bottom of the same inning Blanton would smack his first career home run, getting the run back all by himself. If you see a replay of the Blanton home run, the first home run in a World Series by a pitcher since 1974, just watch the sheer joy on Blanton's face. It is classic. He must have known he hit it out of the park when he made contact, judging by his face.


When Blanton's night was done he had recorded six full innings of work, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out seven and walking two. Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre, Ryan Madson and Romero combined to work the final three innings without letting Tampa Bay cross the plate. Some of the "experts" told you before the World Series started that the Rays had the decisive advantage in pitching. You were told that Cole Hamels aside, the Rays have the better starting rotation. You were also told by many hat the bullpen of the Rays was better. Say what now?

While Blanton pitched a solid game it was the offense that carried the team in game four. Rollins has been on fire since returning home to Philadelphia. Going 3-5 last night it was Rollins who set the table for the offense. Howard hit two home runs for five RBI's. Only Burrell and Shane Victorino failed to get a hit. Showing patience at the plate was once again successful for the Phillies on offense. Rays pitchers only struck out the Phillies four times. Conversely the Rays struck out 12 times.

So here we are, the Phillies one game away from a championship. Game five will see baseball's best pitcher this post season when Hamels takes the mound for the Phillies in the key role. Is there anybody else Phillies fans would want to see pitching tonight? Let me answer that for you.


Not a chance.

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A Case of Cold Bats

SERIES TIED 1-1

The Tampa Bay Rays got on the board early off of Phillies starter Brett Myers and the Phillies continued to struggle at the plate with runners in scoring position. The Rays evened up the World Series at one game a piece before the series moves north to Philadelphia.

The Phillies are now 1-28 with runners in scoring position in the World Series. That is a disturbing trend. To think that if they could have gone a dismal 5-28 they would be coming home up two games to zero on the Rays. Despite the struggles according to the numbers there were some positives to take out of this. The one thing that stands out to me is the patience the Phillies have shown at the plate, for the most part.

Shane Victorino was the exception again last night, swinging at the first pitch and popping out after Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell had gotten on base after very patient at bats. Credit given to Rays pitcher James Shields for not allowing a run, but anybody who watched that game knows that the Phillies are shooting themselves in the feet.

Speaking of Shields, and to steal a Bill Walton line, "What did he do wrong?" Shields went five and two-thirds of an inning without allowing a run when manager Joe Maddon pulled him. Perhaps it was the pitch count going over 100 so early? I don't know but what I do know is that Maddon will actually have to do some real managing in the next three games. He won't be able to just switch his pitchers up so freely without the designated hitter in place at Citizens Bank Park. This is one reason I believe the Phillies will do some serious damage to the Rays in the next three games.

In the first two games the Phillies, offense as lacking as it has been, have not let a starting pitcher see the seventh inning. Ironically it is the Phillies starters who are having more effective outings. We all know about Cole Hamels but I feel Myers had a good enough game to win. Myers was in the game for all four runs but one run was unearned, and the home plate umpire gave the Rays an extra out when he called Rocco Baldelli out on strikes and then appealed to first base. I still don't understand how that happened and Myers still had a job to do which he didn't, but when a team gets four outs they should take advantage. The Rays got two four out innings from the umpire and Werth. Myers also got no offensive help behind him (maybe he should have been the DH) but went seven solid innings but not without faults.

Myers walked Akinori Iwamura to lead off the game for the Rays. B.J. Upton then hit a single to right field, which Jayson Werth recorded an error when picking the ball up, allowing Iwamura to get to third and Upton to second. Carlos Pena then grounded out to what would have been a sure double play, but instead it was a one out RBI. Evan Longoria followed that up with a ground out that scored Upton from third. What should have been a good inning from Myers turned in to a two run first for the Rays.

Let's hang our heads in shame as we talk about the offense.

Jimmy Rollins was 0-5 yet again and left four on base. He was also hit by a pitch in the ninth inning (the ball clearly grazed his jersey) and he was not awarded first base. Is that making up for the questionable balk call form the night before? Who knows what could have happened if Rollins reached base. Maybe nothing. They still had to score two runs at that point, but who knows. In any event, Rollins needs to get his approach figured out quickly. This is not the time of year to be figuring things out.

The time is now to switch Victorino and Werth in the lineup. Having Victorino in the six spot is supposed to help balance out the bottom of the lineup but having Werth follow up a lifeless Rollins is even more hurtful. The bottom of the lineup is ok. Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz are not what's hurting this team's chances to win, rather it is the top of the lineup. I would expect to see Victroino back in his old two-spot and Werth moved down to sixth. I wouldn't expect anything more drastic than that for game three adjustments.

Ryan Howard found a way to beat the shift last night, notching two hits in his first two at-bats but he did that in a lead off spot in the second and fourth innings. Go figure that nobody was on base in front of him. With runners on Howard was 0-2, including the last out of the game. Pat Burrell needs to find his game as well. Burrell went 0-3 last night and is still looking for his first hit of the World Series.

Look, it is time to be nervous and concerned, but it is not time to panic. The Phillies did what they needed to do in Tampa and that was to win one game, taking home field advantage. They are getting runners on. They are being patient. They just need to start hitting with runners in scoring position. The Rays may have won last night but there was nothing that sold me that they are vastly superior to the Phillies. The Phillies should feel fine coming home for three games. I know I feel fine. I expect the Phillies to win two of the three games in Philadelphia (Cole Hamels is slated for game five). They are in a good position.

-----------------Random Thoughts-----------------

• Greg Dobbs is clearly a better pinch hitter than designated hitter. Maybe Matt Stairs should have been the DH. Dobbs looked uncharacteristically bad.
• J.C. Romero showed he is ready when called upon with a perfect eighth inning.
• Brett Myers pitched well and was much more economical with his pitches. He is not a reason to be worried.
• Los Lonely Boys and Backstreet Boys are the best Tampa can come up with?
• I stand firm in my prediction; Phillies in six.
• Jamie Moyer has had plenty of time to think about his last couple of starts. He sure will be rested for game three.

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Phillies Escape With Victory

PHILLIES LEAD SERIES 1-0

It doesn't matter how it gets done, as long as it gets done.

That statement could not be any more true when it comes to the World Series. Last night the Phillies jumped a number of hurdles in the form of stranded runners and a first baseman named Ryan Howard to take game one of the World Series from the Tampa Bay Rays, winning 3-2.


Getting things started early was Chase Utley, swinging for a two run home run in the first inning after Jayson Werth had walked. Cole Hamels was much appreciative of the early lead. Extending the lead to 3-0 in the fourth inning with Shane Victorino scoring from third on a Carlos Ruiz groundout would be all Hamels needed. The Rays would score a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Carl Crawford smacked a home run off of Hamels. In the bottom of the fifth inning the Rays would put together one more run when Jason Bartlett scored from second off of an Akinori Iwamura double. Iwamura was the only Rays batter who could seem to find some effectiveness against Hamels, notching three of the five hits Hamels allowed.

Hamels, once again, was fantastic. This Rays team came in as hot as anybody and their offense is very explosive. To only allow two runs in seven innings is darn good. When he did get in some trouble he found ways out of it. To think his outing would have been even better if Ryan Howard could play a semi-decent first base. While Hamels and Utley had memorable debuts in the Fall Classic, Howard had one he would love to forget.

Howard went 0-4 on the night with three strike outs, leaving four on base. He did walk once but his struggles continued in the field. Only credited for one error either he or Hamels made a mistake in the first inning when Iwamura was the beneficiary of a gaffe on someone's behalf of not covering the base in time. Hamels was beat to the bag, but he had let up as Howard appeared to be charging to take it himself.


Jimmy Rollins went 0-5. Chris Coste, inserted as the designated hitter, went 0-4. Pat Burrell was 0-3. Ruiz was 0-3 but he knocked in a run so he is forgiven. All in all the Phillies left eleven batters, including way too many men at third and lead off base runners. This is truly an area of concern and why I believe the Phillies were lucky to escape with a victory in game one.

Don't get me wrong, the Phillies earned this victory. They proved to be the better team in game one against the favored Rays and game one is huge. The Phillies take control of the home field advantage and prove that they can win in Tampa. The Phillies are now three games away from bring a championship to Philadelphia so there is plenty of reasons to be happy today, and I am. The Phillies are still a long way from where they want to be there and there is still massive work to be done.

Tonight in game two Brett Myers takes the mound for the Phillies. On offense the batters will have to continue showing patience I felt they had in game one (for the most part). Winning game one definitely will ease the tension in the Philadelphia club house and may make the Rays a little more eager to get some big hits. That could bode well for Myers. Hopefully Myers shows up with the same controlled intensity he has at home. Getting through the first inning unscathed will be the key for Myers.

---------------------- Random Thoughts ----------------------

• Howard needs to calm down at first. I think his error was caused because he was too antsy to get the out. He had plenty of time.
• Victorino, I love you, but please refrain from swinging at first pitches when the pitcher is struggling and walking guys in front of you.
• What is B.J. Upton doing staring down Hamels? You want some of this?
• This game should have been 8-1 Phillies.
• Mike Schmidt doing the starting line up for the Phillies was a great omen.
• Ryan Madson continues to impress.
• Brad Lidge was awesome once again.
• I didn't think Victorino should have run home from third, testing Upton, but part of me was ok with it. You have to test the arm once since you haven't seen the Rays all year. If you're going to test the "cannon" then Victorino is the one you want running.
  

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Phour Wins Away

PHILLIES WIN NATIONAL LEAGUE!!!

Wow. Folks, for the second time in my life my favorite baseball team is officially the best team in the National League (I do not include 1983 since I was just about two years old). The Phillies punched their ticket to the World Series. I have been in love this team for a while now and today I could not be happier. But there is still business to take care of and that means focusing on the World Series, whether it be against the Tampa Bay Rays or the Boston Red Sox, who are entering their game five tonight in the ALCS with the Rays up 3-1.

Today is a deserved day of celebration though.

Cole Hamels, despite my concerns earlier, was terrific in his third start of the 2008 post season. Hamels went seven full innings and only allowed a solo home run by Manny Ramirez to put a number besides 0 on the scoreboard for the Dodgers. Hamels issued only three walks and struck out five before handing the game off to Ryan Madson in the eighth inning. Hamels was given some early run support when Jimmy Rollins hit a lead off home run off of Chad Billingsley.

The Phillies did enough on their own offensively to win but Rafael Furcal's three errors in the fifth inning helped the Phillies score two runs and open up a 5-0 lead. I could not help but feel bad for Furcal, but of course I was elated. Three errors in the fifth inning by one player? Two of those errors were on the same play. Furcal failed to play a ground ball and wound up kicking it towards the stands on the third base side. With Utley running home after the kicked ball Furcal tracked down the ball and attempted to throw Utley out at home, but the throw was errant, scoring Utley. Ryan Howard advanced to third base on the first error and was held there because of a lucky bounce of the errant throw off of the backstop. Howard would score when Carlos Ruiz hit a ball to Furcal and Furcal made another poor throw to first, sending the ball bouncing away from James Loney. Pat Burrell could have scored on an erratic throw home but remained at third base.

With a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning was there ever a doubt that the Phillies and Hamels would win that game?

While the offense actually provided run support for Hamels the pitching of the Phillies in decisive game was outstanding. For starters where did the fastball from Madson come from? Was Madson hiding that ability all year or was Madson so fired up he couldn't help but throw that major heat. Of course Brad Lidge came in to close the game out. In a non save situation Lidge was the man you wanted to see out there anyway. He was brought here to solidify the ninth innings of games and that is exactly what he did. After a lead off hit by Loney, Lidge got the next three batters to fly out, culminating with Nomar Garciaparra popping up in foul territory. Ruiz caught the ball for the clinching out and the Phillies are on their way to the World Series.

Hamels was named NLCS MVP and it would be hard to argue that. With two ace-like starts in the NLCS it was clear that Hamels was the best player in the series. Sure, Shane Victorino may have been the guy behind many key moments in the series, but it was the cool and steady Hamels that set the pace for the Phillies. In game one he dug a 2-0 hole to the Dodgers at home but never panicked and knew his team would rally behind him. He stayed in long enough to earn the victory after Utley and Burrell connected for home runs in the sixth inning. In three playoff starts Hamels has given up three runs and six walks while striking out 22 batters in 22 innings of work.


Congratulations to the Dodgers for a hard fought series. This was a tough one but the Phillies had some breaks go their way when it really counted and, let's face it, the Phillies were just the better team. I am a big fan of Joe Torre and appreciate the way he treats the game. Torre made a trip in to the Phillies clubhouse after the game last night and spoke briefly with Charlie Manuel and offered his congratulations and some words of advice. Manuel's response? He was thankful and told Torre that he was Manuel's idol.

Now it is a much deserved and needed week off. Manuel will move on to his mother's funeral. Victorino's family is actually holding off on any memorial services for Shane's grandmother until the post season is over. Hopefully the Phillies can send Victorino off with a championship.

Much more on this and the World Series as we move forward. For now we watch the ALCS and scout the opposition. Will the Rays finish off the Red Sox tonight? Or will the Red Sox make a run to extend the series. I like the Red Sox tonight but like the Rays to win this series.

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NLCS Preview

It's time to officially start the coverage of the National League Championship Series between the National League East Division champion Philadelphia Phillies and the National League West Division champion Los Angeles Dodgers. We are not talking about politics when it comes to red states and blue states now folks. Pennsylvania is red for the Phillies and California is blue for the Dodgers this week.

Regular Season Records
Dodgers 84-78
Phillies 92-70

How They Got Here
The Phillies advanced to the NLCS by defeating the wild card Milwaukee Brewers in four games in the NLDS. Pitching from the Phillies was superb while the offense showed small amounts of explosiveness. Struggling at the plate and in key situations all series long the Phillies relied on the pitching of Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton to carry the team. The bullpen did their part as well, filling in when needed to get to ace closer Brad Lidge in the final inning three times. The starters were fantastic in the series and although Moyer was uncharacteristically off he only only allowed the Brewers to score twice.

Chase Utley continued to lack any presence at the plate and his two RBI double in game one was a gift from a misplayed ball by Brewers outfielder Mike Cameron. Ryan Howard came on late in the series to get some hits but Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth were able to pick up some of the slack with their own at-bats.

Playing the role of underdogs the Dodgers swept the Chicago Cubs in three games in dominating fashion. Taking advantage of Cubs errors in game one the Dodgers set the tone early for another dismal Cubs playoff series. The Dodgers got dominant pitching from Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, and Hiroki Kuroda. Offensively the Dodgers were offensive to the Cubs.

Manny Ramierez brought his "Manny Being Manny" act to Los Angeles in a trade earlier this year and Ramierez has provided the spark the Dodgers needed into the post season. Ramierez hit .500 in the NLDS against the Cubs, adding a pair of homeruns and driving in three crucial RBIs at key moments. James Loney added six RBIs of his own in the series and Russell Martin added five.

Regular Season Matchups
It doesn't get too much more even than what the Phillies and Dodgers did to each other this season. The Dodgers struck first by sweeping the Phillies in a four game set in Los Angeles. A week later the Phillies returned the favor, sweeping the Dodgers in a four game set at Citizens Bank Park.

the Dodgers put together a better batting average than the Phillies in those eight games, but this is the playoffs. We can throw away all of those stats from earlier this year!

Storylines
This is a great series as far as storylines go. The main stream media will pick up the Manny Ramierez storylines in hopes of seeing him take the Dodgers to the World Series for a possible match up with the Red Sox, but if you look closer there are some other key stories of intrigue to digest.

Larry Bowa
Former Phillies manager, and the predecessor to Charlie Manuel, Larry Bowa is now the Dodgers' third base coach. Bowa, a Phillies Wall of Famer, helped lead the Phillies to becoming a legitimate contender in the division and an annual player in the wild card chase. While Bowa's teams never made the final push during the Scott Rolen years it ws Bowa who was routinely criticized by some fans, some media and many players for the short comings of the team. Bowa ultimately was fired and Manuel was selected to replace him. Bowa went on to become a third base coach under Joe Torre with the New York Yankees, and followed Torre to the Dodgers.

You know Bowa would love to stick it to his former employer, but I am sure there must be a part in Bowa's heart that hopes to see the Phillies win again. One thing is for sure; Bowa hates wearing that helmet on the field.

The Phillies have a former Dodger player as well. Davey Lopes. The Phillies first base coach was directly involved in "Black Friday" in 1977, a play that also directly involved Bowa.

Phillies-Dodgers Playoff History
There was a time when the Dodgers were in the same division as the Phillies. But that was when the Dodgers were playing in Brooklyn. Despite the Whiz Kids beating out those Brooklyn Dodgers for a National League pennant the two organizations have faced each other a number of times before in the NLCS. If you have been reading this blog regularly you may have seen (or possibly even read!) my NLCS Phlashback series, chronicling the 1977 and 1978 NLCS. They also faced each other in the 1983 NLCS.


Pitching Probables
Game One
Cole Hamels vs. Derek Lowe

Cole Hamels is the ace of the staff in Philadelphia, there is no disputing that. In game one of the NLDS he was masterful, shutting down the free swinging Brewers over eight innings before handing the game over to Brad Lidge. Hamels is 1-0 against the Dodgers lifetime with an ERA of 2.57. Earlier this season Hamels pitched seven innings giving up five hits and two runs in Los Angeles. His only two walks in the game were both intentional walks to Ramierez and Garciaparra.

While this is not exactly the Derek Lowe who helped guide the Red Sox to a World Series championship a few years ago, he is no pushover. After allowing two early runs to the Cubs in game one he shut them down and let the Dodgers rally to win. The Phillies will need to score on Lowe more than one inning a game.

Game Two
Brett Myers vs. Chad Billingsley

If Myers pitches the way he did against the Brewers with CC Sabatia on the mound, it would be hard to go against him in this game. Myers pitched well against the Dodgers this season, including a strong seven inning outing at Citizens Bank Park on August 25. While Myers did give up nine hits in the game he was able to keep the Dodgers off the scoreboard en route to a win.

Billingsley took the loss in that particular outing. When Billingsley pitched down the stretch for the Dodgers though he won five of his last six games to close out the season.

Game Three
Jamie Moyer vs. Hiroki Kuroda

Moyer will without a doubt be ready for his second postseason outing and it will come in the pivotal game three when the series moves back to Los Angeles. After starting slow against the Brewers Moyer seemed to find his groove that he typically does find. Unfortunately for the Phillies it may have been too late in game three against the Brewers. Moyer recieved no help from his offense in that game but Moyer did keep the Phillies in the game.

Moyer is a savvy veteran. He will be ready to do what he needs to do against the Dodgers in game three. If the Dodgers can hold off on some of Moyer's pitches though he could get into some trouble.

Taking the mound for the Dodgers will be Hiroki Kuroda, who stiffled the Phillies in two games this year. In thirteen innings against the Phillies Kuroda allowed only two runs (one in each game). He also only issued two walks in that same work load. The Phillies will need to find a way to strike against Kuroda and get him out of the game as quickly as possible.

Schedule
Every game of the NLCS will be broadcast on Fox. TBS will be airing every game in the American League Championship Series between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. Thursday night the NLCS will get centerfield, er center stage, all to itself as the ALCS starts up Friday night. Here is the schedule for the NLCS as it stands right now...

Game 1 - October 9 8:22pm (Phillies)
Game 2 - October 10 4:35pm (Phillies)
Game 3 - October 12 8:22pm (Dodgers)
Game 4 - October 13 8:22pm (Dodgers)
Game 5 - October 15 8:22pm (Dodgers)
Game 6 - October 17 8:22pm (Phillies)
Game 7 - October 18 8:22pm (Phillies)

By the way, why in the world would the NLCS start at 4:15pm on Friday (1:15pm on the all important west coast) when the NLCS actually has a west coast team and the ALCS has two teams on the east coast? Must be the whole "fair and balanced" system being employed.

On the Record
I correctly predicted that the Phillies would get past the Brewers in four games in my NLDS Preview. Let's see if I can keep the luck going in the NLCS. I will say that the Phillies win this series in six games.

Just eight wins away.

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Defense Wins Championships

Game one of the NLDS in 2008 was a ton better than the one in 2007. Cole Hamels was phenomenal and pitched the second best game I have ever seen a Phillies pitcher pitch in the post season. The first was Curt Schilling's masterpiece in game five of the 1993 World Series. Even so, Schilling's performance only beats out Hamels' due to the fact that he threw way more pitches and the team was staving off elimination by the Toronto Blue Jays. Thank goodness for Hamels though because the offense, despite receiving a three run third inning as a gift, did nothing that was inspiring.

It is hard to pick apart a playoff victory because ultimately the only thing that matters is that the Phillies are up 1-0 in a best of five series and that is huge. Facing the much hyped CC Sabathia in game two it was thought that winning the opener was a must, not that every playoff game is a must win. The win also shoves aside some of the ghosts from the 2007 playoffs. Hamels is now over his hump from 2007, and Chase Utley hit a double and drove in a pair of runs to make amends for his poor October last year. As well as Hamels pitched, the Brewers were never really put away in this game.

The real story of this game though was defense. The Brewers defense could be blamed for the entire third inning. With Carlos Ruiz on first base, Hamels put down a bunt that was mishandled. Instead of having one runner on there were now two runners one. A couple batters later Utley came to the plate. Utley drove one to left center that Brewers centerfielder Mike Cameron possibly misjudged but recovered in enough time to make the snow cone catch. The only problem was the ball didn't say in the glove and with two outs bot Ruiz and Hamels were running allowing them to score. Utley wound up on second base instead of getting ready to field at second base. Ryan Howard walked and Pat Burrell drew another walk to load the bases. Shane Victorino then worked a walk with the bases loaded, increasing the score to 3-0.

The Phillies did play some good defense on the other hand though. Howard made a nice play down the first base line. Pedro Feliz knocked a ball down that took away a hit from the Brewers. Utley made a fantastic play on a bunt that kept the Brewers off the bases yet again as he stole the infield hit. Who knows what could have happened had any of those runners reached base?

Other than the third inning the Phillies fell back on some bad habits, such as swinging on the first pitch (Rollins and Burrell both had crucial one pitch at bats resulting in nothing). Two things drive me crazy in baseball:

1. Mets fans
2. Swinging at the first pitch

I will never understand how a batter can make a decision to swing at the first pitch, ESPECIALLY after the batter before you walks! That is just not smart baseball.

Finally there was Brad Lidge. Would I have rather have seen Hamels finish the game? Absolutely. I was saying that I would have left Hamels in and had Lidge warming up just in case. But on the other hand it is hard to be upset about bringing in a closer who has not blown a save all year. I believe that what worries people the most is not his performance, but the fact that he is overdue for a blown save. This is a good problem to have if you ask me. Yes, part of me was hoping that down the stretch that Lidge would blow a save just to get it over with but the fact remains that Lidge is still perfect in save opportunities this year. Did he make it interesting? Sweat was pouring from my face and my eye was twitching. But this is the playoffs. Every pitch is going to be nerve racking.

Game two could be a rough one. Sabathia has been on fire lately and has been having his way with the National League. He has yet to face the Phillies though so let's see how it develops tonight. The big storyline will be whether or not Brett Myers can rebound from his last two outings though. Go get 'em Myers!

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Phillies Magic Number: Ryan Howard

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