It's not a rarity when the Phillies win a game using only the long-ball. It is a rarity, however, when the big shots come via lead-off man Shane Victorino and his No. 2 man Placido Polanco.

But that's exactly what happened Wednesday afternoon as the Phillies prevented what would have been the team's first real slump of the season.

Down 3-0 in the sixth, Polanco smacked a ball into left field with two runners on to tie the game up at three a piece.

Victorino then broke the tie in the eighth with a monster shot to right-center field. Jose Contreras then finished things off by recording his fourth save of the season in as many attempts.

Starter Cliff Lee had to battle through this game, giving up eight hits and three runs (two earned) along with one walk and only one strikeout in six innings pitched.


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Polanco's RBI knocked the Phillies into first place.


With an 8-7 win over the Florida Marlins on Tuesday night, the Philadelphia Phillies got back to a place that many people thought they might never see again -- first place in the NL East.

The game was winding down when the result of the Atlanta Braves' game came in. The Braves dropped a game to the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates 5-0, and first place was just sitting there in front of the Phils waiting to be taken.

Mike Stanton and a Ryan Madson wild pitch gave the Phillies a scare, but they did what a first place team should do and pulled it out in the end with some clutch hitting and baserunning by Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco.

But now that they're in first place, the hard part starts. They have the bullseye on their backs and can't afford to get into a funk at any point in the final three weeks (or so) of the season. One wrong move and they could find themselves behind the Braves without much of a shot at redemption.

The Phils and Braves both close out the season with a gauntlet of NL East teams, including six games against one another, so Charlie Manuel's group will have to play their very best baseball every single game.

You can bet the Nationals, Mets, and Marlins will be doing everything they can to play spoiler and would love nothing more than to knock one of their NL East rivals out of the playoffs altogether.

If you're looking for a guy to watch, make it Victorino.

If Manuel keeps him in the leadoff spot, a spot in which he's flourished, the Flyin' Hawaiian can do some serious damage. Hitting him in the seventh spot hasn't had the effect they've wanted, and with Jimmy Rollins showing a lot of versatility in the lineup, Victorino could remain at the top of the lineup.

If you're looking for a guy who could potentially be the goat, look no further than Joe Blanton or Jayson Werth.

Blanton has been unbelievably erratic on the mound, either giving up nothing or putting his team into a huge hole right from the get-go. He's played well down the stretch in the past, but he hasn't done a lot this year to breed any confidence that he'll be able to make a turn-around.

In that same vein, Werth has not been nearly as good as his numbers would suggest. Most of his hits have been meaningless with the bases empty, and anyone even showing menial interest knows the historic struggles Werth has been having with runners in scoring position.

The last thing Werth has been is clutch, and at this point I'm about as confident that Werth will get the clutch hit as I am that Cole Hamels will.

So even though the Phils are in first right now, they've shown how easy it is for a team to sneak up and steal that spot. It's important that Manuel doesn't allow his team to get complacent in the slightest, or it could turn into an ugly September.
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Polanco has been a spark-plug for the Phils at 2nd.


So, I’m watching TV waiting for these people to get eaten by sharks when a thought crosses my mind: They can’t get eaten—they’re telling the story.

But wait. I can only see them from the neck up. Perhaps someone lost a limb.

There is hope.

There is hope for a pennant too.

That same “Throw them to the sharks” mentally is what Phillies fans are notorious for, so will they sigh with content at two straight four-game sweeps at home or will they expect the team to go in for the kill?

I’m not suggesting the Phillies will have to claw and scrape their way to the top of the division but it sure is nice to attain something with the effort the team has extended lately.

Take Ryan Howard for instance. He’s my vote for hardest working first baseman in America. It’s easy to observe his greatness, especially when he’s playing opposite Jason Giambi. Ryan was sliding and diving and working so hard he looked like he was dipped in chocolate sprinkles.

Someone should lick him off.

I’m sorry, I meant clean him off.

Then there’s Placido Polanco. He’s my vote for greatest spaz at third base. And now he’s playing Chase Utley quite well at second. Polly rules the Phillie Playmate of the Week pinup in my head and excites me so that I extend to him my highest rating yet—.

Wait, my husband says I can’t say that on public access. Let’s just call the third baseman my own Steely Dan.

Jimmy Rollins is back as the renewed leadoff hitter, Shane Victorino is stealing bases so fast I had to check to see if I still had my pants, and the Jayson Werth signs are back. Whatever Greg Gross is giving out, I’m sure it’s a secret and illegal and I want some.

Now that the lineup is hitting, Ruben Amaro, Jr can turn his attention to pitchers not named Hamels or Halladay. I hate to see him scrape the bank account dry but it’s not like he hasn’t tried some insiders.

We’ve seen Antonio Bastardo, Sergio Escalona, and I even had a dream that Brett Myers was back. But they were all gone by sunup.

Then there’s Scott Mathieson: He’s had more elbow surgeries than he has elbows. At this point why wouldn’t he just have them remove those ligaments altogether. Then he could be like RA Dickey, throw the elusive knuckleball, and set the record for most wild pitches in an inning.

Or he could find a side job as a contortionist. Either way, he’s wowing people.

Andrew Carpenter is a name that comes and goes like Hugh Hefner’s wives.

And who the hell is Vance Worley? He was gone before I could pull up the 25 man roster that bore his name. Now he’s mentioned as a candidate for a trade. It’s like the bullpen’s in a game of hide and seek.

Not long ago the Phils had a guy named Dane Sardinha catching pitches from the unknown Mike Zagurski.

Did you know Zagurski is Polish for “No neck?”

I thought not.

Did you know Dane is from Hawaii and his name rhymes with Shane so he and Victorino are neighbors?

Okay, maybe not. That was judgmental of me. It’s like saying since Pamela Anderson and I both have breasts we must be equally as buoyant.

We all know there’s no comparison. She’s like her own personal life vest. Well, unless she gets deflated. Unlike a guy, there’s nothing Viagra can do for her.

Men have all the options. They virtually pull up to the pharmaceutical air compressor when it’s honky-tonk time while girls have to wear their sex appeal around like a BabyBjörn.

Okay, maybe baby Björns are just what mine look like.

Wait, I’m completely off the subject. Where were we?

I know, things that interest me the most: sweaty men in uniform not married to me.

See, if I put it that way, my husband can’t put on a fancy hat, stand in the sun for a second, and think he has a chance without Tequila. I tell him that’s why The Village People haven’t staged a comeback—like a Charlie Manuel pinup, I think it’s illegal.

Like me going for a swim at the Playboy mansion. I can pay my way into the public pool but a fake bunny tattoo doesn’t get me into Hugh’s place even with my A-cup discount.

Besides childbirth has left me a little leaky—plus my stream now pulls to the right. If Pamela and I were in the pool together I’d have to stand to her left when I have to sneeze, especially if Hugh has that blue indicator in the pool.

I’m like a peeing ventriloquist.

I’m sorry. My husband says that’s too much information.

Speaking of my beau, he’s now following my blogging progress online. He said, “Dolly Parton has 674-some thousand followers and you have 56. There are two reasons for that and both of them are holding up her blouse.”

What’s he saying—I need a strap-on chest?

Maybe I need a BigMamma Björn.

My husband says I need more help than that. Even the sharks won’t come for me.

That’s because they know I pee in the pool.

I'm done now.

See you at the ballpark.
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Polanco would be a great help for the surging Phils.


Ever since getting hit by a pitch against the Braves in the tail-end of April, third baseman Placido Polanco has had serious trouble with his left elbow. He would be forced to miss a few games here and a few games there, but always avoided the DL until recently.

But now, with Polanco set to come off the DL, he's talking about being on the field as early as Saturday when the Phillies will be in the middle of a four-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

"My elbow feels good right now," he said. "It feels better than it did the last two or three weeks when I was playing."

That's certainly good news for the Phillies, but the team also has to make sure Polanco isn't rushing himself back the way Jimmy Rollins did. Rollins' initial return from a calf injury was short-lived after he re-tweaked the injury almost immediately.

Because he aggravated the injury, it's likely it cost him more overall time on the DL than if he had simply waited until he was 100 percent.

But with Polanco, it's likely he won't be 100 percent until he has surgery to remove a bone spur in his elbow. At least, that's the opinion of the Cincinnati team doctor, who told Polanco he should have the surgery "right away."

The surgery, however, would have cost Polanco at least two months of the season -- something he was unwilling to do, and something he says can be taken care of after the season.

"If it's bothering me, without a doubt (I'll have the surgery), because I don't want to think about it," he said.

So while everyone else is enjoying their All-Star break, Polanco said he will be working out Tuesday and Wednesday, then playing a game on Thursday in Class-A Clearwater, and a Friday game with the Phillies' rookie-league team.

Then, on Saturday, he should be back at third base and retaking his spot in the lineup behind Rollins.
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This is how all of Philadelphia has felt all season long.


As if the 2010 version of the Philadelphia Phillies wasn't aggravating enough, the thinned-down and beat up version of the Phillies is enough to drive a man insane.

Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Carlos Ruiz, Chase Utley, J.A. Happ, Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, and others have all seen time on the bench or the DL. In fact, the only guy to see time in every game this season has been Ryan Howard -- that's it. One guy.

And due to the mix of injuries to big-name guys, it's likely the Phillies could miss out on the playoffs altogether, much less repeat as NL East champions for a fourth consecutive season or NL champs for a third consecutive season.

The Braves sit atop the NL East right now and don't appear to be slowing down. They're winning the close games when they have to and are doing all the little things they need to do to stay atop the standings.

Then there's the Mets who look like they're just a few weeks from hitting a real stride and perhaps challenging the Braves for the division. Or, as the Mets are known to do, completely fall apart.

Quite honestly, there's just no telling with that team.

The Phils are only four games back right now, but I expect that number to go up now that they're without a couple key players.

And then with teams like the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Los Angeles Dodgers, it's likely the Phils wouldn't even be able to win a playoff spot as the wild card team.

I would expect the Cardinals and Dodgers to win their divisions, which would leave the Phils in a wild card battle against the Mets, Reds, Padres, and Rockies. And honestly, they're just not going to be able to compete with those teams in their current state.

Everyone is expected to be back this season, but it could be too little too late. Utley is gone for two months and it's obviously going to be very difficult to replace their best hitter and a guy who has been a rock in that No. 3 spot in the lineup.

Polanco could struggle with that elbow all year long and could eventually wind up getting shelved altogether. Happ has looked awful in his rehab starts, and Ruiz is still bouncing around from specialist to specialist trying to figure something out with his head.

And even with Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Jamie Moyer all pitching well -- along with a decent season out of Kyle Kendrick but a struggling Joe Blanton -- the bats can't get enough run support for the guys on the mound.

Even when they only allow two or three runs, it's just too much for this depleted unit to put together. In fact, it appeared to be too much while everyone was healthy, so it's not exactly a surprise.

The Phillies have become to beacon of hope for Philadelphia, and I understand that, but it might be time to temper the expectations and take this team for what it is this year -- just a middle-of-the-pack squad who might get lucky and get hot at the right time.
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