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Game chat: No Chooch, Oswalt falls off the board

Carlos Ruiz remains out of the lineup tonight as Joe Blanton and the Phillies play the second game of their series at Citi Field. First pitch is 7:10 p.m. The Phillies go Rollins SS, Pierre LF, Pence RF, Wigginton 1B, Victorino CF, Polanco 3B, Galvis SS, Schneider C. Meanwhile, a Dallas newspaper has confirmed that former Phillie Roy Oswalt will receive a one-year deal to join the front-running Rangers. [Jump to the newest comments]

Phillies will search for saviors in Doc's stead

The Phillies have placed right-hander Roy Halladay on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 28, with a right latissimus dorsi strain (lat strain). Halladay, who was 4-5 with a 3.98 ERA in 11 starts, was shelled in his latest set of outings. This is his first DL stint since 2009, and according to Jayson Stark, his first arm/shoulder issue that required a DL stint since 2004. According to several twitter reports, he will be shut down completely for three weeks.

In a corresponding move, the Phillies recalled catcher Erik Kratz for a third time. Carlos Ruiz is still coping with a hamstring strain and is considered day-to-day.

Beerleaguer: I've made the mistake of saying the Phillies would fade from contention when they were faced with a long injury like this before and it never happened. Obviously, this is not good, but it could be worse. It's not structural. And taking June and July off might not be the worst thing for a 35-year-old with major miles. The news means that the Phillies' four highest-paid stars - Cliff Lee, Halladay, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley - have spent time on the disabled list. That's $76.7 million, or 44.5 percent, of the Phillies $172 million payroll.

Phillies knew since spring: From Todd Zolecki's Twitter: @ToddZolecki
"Dubee said he thought Halladay had an issue since spring training. Said he thought it was a minor, lingering issue. Never went away."

Keys to survival: Kyle Kendrick needs to build on his last start - an outstanding nine-inning gem. Vance Worley must pitch through the pain. Joe Blanton needs to establish consistency.

But perhaps the biggest need is for someone to take hold of the seventh and eighth innings. Without Halladay, and with questions surrounding three of the five remaining starters, there will be many more six-inning starts during the dog days.

All things considered, Phils exceeding expectations

The Phillies are 26-24 as they finish up May and have been missing vital pieces in the lineup and pitching staff, while many others have slumped to begin the season. Readers weigh in.

"I'm generally a negative person, but I'm having trouble getting down about this season. They can't encounter much worse luck than they have already (knock on wood!) and they're above .500, only 4 games back (1.5 in the WC). This team, as currently constructed, is exceeding my expectations at this point. A few breaks here or there, they'd be atop the division. They're starting to play better ball, so things are looking up." - R. Billingsly

"This is a team who has not had their 3 and 4 hole hitters all year. Their shortstop, center fielder, and right fielder are all either under performing or have gone through bad spurts. Their ace has not been himself for an entire month and their bullpen has been spotty at best save for the closer. With all that they are 1.5 out of the wild card and 4 out of the division. Had the bullpen not all imploded at once in that Mets series in CBP they might be leading the Wild Card race...There are going to be plenty of teams upset they didn't bury the Phillies when they had a chance come late August." - The Truth Injection

"John Mayberry and Ty Wigginton finally get their left-handed starter and they step up. It's a shame Jim Thome was useless and Laynce Nix went down, or they could be giving those guys some time off vs RHP as Ruben correctly planned. It would really balance our offense out right now." - lorecore

Bush goes six: Dave Bush, a candidate to start in place of Roy Halladay, allowed a run on nine hits in six innings Monday. Phillippe Aumont returned from the disabled list for his first appearance since May 2. Michael Schwimer took the loss and allowed six runs in 2-3 innings.

Notes: Roy Halladay will reportedly meet with the doctor today. ... In other news, Roy Oswalt is reportedly expected to pick his suitor soon. The Phillies are believed to be in the mix. I've been mostly ambivalent to Oswalt, but if there was ever time throw money at improving the club, instead of making a trade, this might be it, a chance for perhaps one last shot, especially considering the uncertainty now surrounding Halladay.

Game chat: Phils in NY as specter of shoulder looms

Left-handers Cole Hamels (7-1, 2.17) and Jon Niese (3-2, 4.29) open an important divisional series at Citi Field Monday beginning 1:10 p.m. But the big story continues to be the disclosure of the cranky right shoulder of Roy Halladay.

Beerleaguer: Well ... yeah. Did anyone honestly believe Doc was pitching pain free? Compare the data with 2011 all you like. Go ahead an bury your head in data. But anyone watching can plainly see he hasn't been the same all season. Scouts have reportedly said this for months. Drastically fewer two-seamers. A strange mix of pitches. A significant dip in velocity. And the simple fact that he's been getting pounded. Give him an MRI now; why wait? Read between the lines of Rich Dubee's quotes and you'll understand that he's been pitching through pain for a while. If he's broken, why wait to fix him?

To a much lesser degree, it's also evident that Chad Qualls (knee) isn't right, either, although he's old and marginal anyway. There's absolutely nothing on his pitches. The Qualls injury surfaced around the same time Laynce Nix went on the disabled list.

In terms of replacements for Doc, keep your eye on Dave Bush (4-3, 2.73), who pitches tonight against Julio Teheran (4-2, 2.98) in Triple-A Gwinnett. Bush, the former Brewer, reportedly has an opt-out clause and the Phillies would be wise to keep their depth with injuries to Doc and also Vance Worley. With Thursday's off day, Bush could slot into Doc's spot on regular rest. As for Qualls, they could try the Michael Schwimer experiment again - Schwimer continues to pitch great at Triple-A, but still hasn't been able to make the jump.

Brown report: Dom Brown started in center field for the fourth straight game for the IronPigs Sunday, had two hits for the second straight game, a first-inning single and a fourth-inning double high off the wall in right field, the Morning Call reports. He also botched a second-inning single that led to an unearned run, but later made a diving catch to end the seventh, the story goes on to say. [Link]

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Sunday chat: Phillies seek sweep in Sunday scorcher

Roy Halladay (4-4, 3.58 ERA) tries to silence skeptics as the Phillies take aim at a four-game road sweep of the World Series champion Cardinals. First pitch is 2:15 p.m. ET. Temperatures are expected near 99 degrees. Rollins SS, Pierre LF, Pence RF, Ruiz C, Vic CF, Luna 1B, Galvis 2B, Fontenot 3B. Rollins, Pence and Fontenot have hit over .300 lifetime against Adam Wainwright. ... A couple of good nuggets from the press notes: The Phillies lead baseball with a .9865 fielding percentage. Over the last eight games, the bullpen has a 1.61 ERA. Offensively, they have 81 extra-base hits in May, compared to 47 in all of April. [Jump to the newest comments]

Kendrick sets career benchmark in stunning win

In what proved to be the most efficient, impressive outing of his five-year career, Kyle Kendrick went the distance for his first-ever shutout in a 4-0 victory over the Cardinals. His line: 94 pitches, 70 for strikes, including 26 first-pitch strikes against 32 batters faced. That's pitching, brother.

Saturday chat: Kendrick, Garcia tabbed in Game 3

Kyle Kendrick (0-4, 5.23 ERA) will take the mound for the Phillies following a sharp start against Washington Monday as the Phillies look to make it four straight tonight at Busch Stadium. Jaime Garcia (3-2, 3.55 ERA) goes for the Cards. Placido Polanco bats second. John Mayberry Jr. starts in left. Brian Schneider starts behind the plate.

Lee, Victorino exchange 'heated' words in 5-3 victory

From Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com: "The game featured two strange plays in the fourth inning as Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence both lost fly balls in the twilight. Both balls fell for hits, one a triple. After that inning, Cliff Lee and Victorino exchanged words – 'heated' words, according to Charlie Manuel – in the dugout. Brian Schneider had to step between them. 'That’s good sometimes,' Manuel said. 'There’s nothing wrong with that. No big deal.' Neither Manuel nor Lee would say whether the confrontation stemmed from the balls that had been lost in the outfield. 'It’s going to stay between us,' Lee said. 'I’m not going to talk about it.' Victorino would not talk about it either. 'Just go,' he said brusquely, waving a reporter away from his locker.

The dispute undercut what should have been a clear lede about one of the grittiest wins of the season, one that included a slump-busting, 10th-inning, game-winning homer by Hunter Pence and Victorino, Freddy Galvis and Carlos Ruiz connecting on a game-saving collision at home (pictured from US Presswire). The win put the Phillies back over .500. Read about it here.

Game chat: Phillies hopin' hittin' season has arrived

Twenty-four hours after the Phillies and Cardinals ratcheted up 23 hits in the Phillies' 10-9 victory Thursday, Cliff Lee (0-2, 2.66) goes in search of his first victory opposite former Phillie Kyle Lohse (5-1, 2.91). First pitch is 8:15 as the Memorial Day Weekend arrives in earnest. The Phillies go Rollins SS, Pierre LF, Pence RF, Ruiz C, Victorino CF, Wigginton 1B, Polanco 3B, Galvis 2B. Charlie Manuel has seen the Chooch-as-clean-up-hitter move pay off. Tonight's bottom-half hitters - Wigginton, Polanco, Galvis - enjoyed a nice night Thursday. Enjoy the start of your holiday weekend everyone. [Jump to the newest comments]

Minors: Tough year for Phillies' creme de la creme

We turn our attention to Baseball America's top 10 Phillies prospects with this wrenching update.

1. Trevor May (RHP, AA Reading) The 22-year-old right-hander has experienced significant control problems since taking the leap to Double-A and he was torched for seven runs on eight hits and two homers in two innings in his most recent start. He's 5-2 with a 4.10 ERA and 49/21 K/BB in 48 1-3 innings.

2. Jesse Biddle (LHP, High-A Clearwater) Has made steady strides after a rough start to this season. Lasted a season-high seven innings his last start, allowing a run on six hits. He's 2-2 with a 3.12 ERA and 43/16 K/BB in 43 1-3 innings. Lefties are hitting just .208 against the 20-year-old southpaw.

3. Sebastian Valle (C, AA Reading) The 22-year-old Mexican maintains top prospect status, but has never done much to inspire confidence in terms of a stat sheet. In 139 plate appearances, he''s hitting .227/.262/.341 with three homers and 36 strikeouts. Scouts like his raw power and athleticism behind the plate. Time will tell if he can put it all together to become a ballplayer.

4. Jonathan Pettibone (RHP, AA Reading) Another pitcher whose control has slipped. Baseball America said Pettibone had the best command in the system, but he left it behind in the Florida State League. On the season he's 3-4 with a 3.59 ERA and 33/18 K/BB ratio in 52 2-3 innings. Opponents are hitting .298 against him - righties a whopping .338.

5. Phillippe Aumont (RHP, AAA Lehigh Valley) The wavering command resurfaced in April, a product of his unorthodox delivery and perhaps a bad back that seized up on him April 28 and finally knocked him out of action on May 2. At last report, he was sent to the Phillies' rehab facility in Clearwater. In nine innings, he has four saves and a 15/12 K/BB ratio.

6. Freddy Galvis (SS/2B Phillies) He’s statistically outperforming many of the other minor-league prospects and doing so at the Major League level. See column below for Beerleaguer’s official take on Galvis’ development.

7. Justin DeFratus (RHP, AAA Lehigh Valley) He was recently added to the 60-day disabled list with elbow problems, but has been cleared to begin a throwing program.

8. Brody Colvin (RHP, High-A Clearwater) In 44 2-3 innings at Clearwater, he’s allowed 49 hits en route to a 2-4 record and a 5.64 ERA. The most troubling aspect of Colvin’s performance are the walks – 30 free passes against just 33 Ks. He has allowed 15 earned runs in his last 13 1-3 innings.

9. Jiwan James (OF, AA Reading) He just snapped a nine-game hitting streak Tuesday night, a streak that upped his average by nearly 30 points. Hitting mostly out of the six-spot for Reading, James’ .259/.289/.417 line doesn’t necessarily jump off the page, but his 13 extra-base hits and 19 RBIs are heartening. He is still learning how to apply his speed on the bags, having been caught five times in eight attempts.

10. Maikel Franco (Low-A Lakewood) He’s just 19 years old, so his four homers and 10 doubles at Lakewood hint at some power potential, something the Phils haven’t seen in an infield prospect in a while. His .230 average and .295 on-base, however, suggest that his offensive approach needs some fine-tuning.

Beerleaguer: If Baseball America were to compile their list today, they'd completely re-shuffle the deck. Someone like right-hander Tyler Cloyd, who didn't even crack the top 30, could conceivably move into the top 5. It's not good. Meanwhile, Jonathan Singleton, Travis d'Arnaud, Michael Taylor and Anthony Gose, the prospects lost to trades in recent years, have been largely tearing it up. Jarred Cosart has also made strides in the Houston chain.

Friday: Galvis blossoming with every passing game

The terrific story of the Phillies' 22-year-old wunderkind continued Thursday night with a three-hit, three RBI effort.

Beerleaguer: He's a vacuum defensively and an RBI machine at the dish. Three more makes it 22 RBIs on the season - an outstanding achievement for a rookie eight-hole hitter - and the double raises his slugging percentage to .405. How many second basemen have been better when you tabulate the entire package? The answer: not many. According to Fangraphs' WAR stat, he's the sixth-best NL second baseman overall and second best fielder. It's all transpired in the context of a 22-year-old kid who's as new to the Majors as he is to the position. Terrific story - the best of the Phillies' season, in my opinion.

Turning to the rest of the league, Beerleaguer contributor Drew Silverman senses a juiced ball conspiracy that occurred throughout baseball Thursday because of all the scoring and tape-measure home runs, as seen in the Phillies-Cardinals game. Silverman says the light bill made for a low-key testing ground. San Diego tallied 11 runs and 18 hits at Citi Field. The Twins and White Sox combined for 22 hits. The Phils and Cardinals mashed 23 - 10 of them off back-sliding right-hander Joe Blanton.

Wilson Valdez: .195/.190/.244 (17 OPS+)

Last call to enter Beerleaguer's Friday fantasy freeroll

As featured on MLBTradeRumors, free fantasy baseball arrives on Beerleaguer with a chance to win $200 in prizes this Friday. [Sign up]

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Here’s how it works: Head to this link to register and gain access to the Beerleaguer private draft headquarters (you’ll see the link on the right). From there, you’re given $100K to build your team to compete in Friday’s games. You have until 7:00 p.m. ET to create your team (the first games are slated for 7:05). Space is limited, so sign up early. Your roster will cover these positions: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, 3 OF, 2 UT, 2 SP, 1 RP, 1 P. Obviously, stud players have the highest price tag. As of this writing, Clayton Kershaw and Cliff Lee, each slated to pitch Friday, top the bidding. You get points based on how your team performs Friday. The teams with the highest points take a share of the prize pool. Rules and payouts are detailed on the league page.

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Game chat: Phillies try to cool off Beltran, Cards

The defending champion St. Louis Cardinals play host to their Division Series victims in the first of four beginning tonight at 8:15. Joe Blanton (4-4, 3.74 ERA) meets Jake Westbrook (4-3, 2.41). Jimmy Rollins returns from paternity leave and is automatically reinserted into the leadoff spot. John Mayberry starts in left field. Meanwhile, the Cards have overcome the loss of Albert Pujols, and Lance Berkman, due to a terrific season by league home run leader Carlos Beltran, who was instrumental in the Cardinals' three-game sweep of the Padres the previous series. Positive thinking: Frustrations aside, the Phils are just 4.5 games out of the division lead. [Jump to the newest comments]

Beer nuts: Thome buys house, Hamels, small-ball

What's Gentleman Jim been up to? According to the Chicago Tribune, Jim Thome and his wife, Andrea, are upgrading to a $4.6M Chicago-area home and selling their old residence for $3.8M.

Thome: Not to turn this into TMZ, but this is the only slice of Thome news that surfaced when I went searching for an update on his injury status. It's beginning to feel like a Dave Hollins 2002 situation where he comes back to Philly, realizes there's nothing left and gradually fades from the picture completely. Thome, who started four games at first, went 2-for-18 before landing on the DL with what seemed like an innocuous lower back strain almost a month ago.

It may be that Thome and the Phillies have arranged a gentleman's agreement to activate him only when they truly need him. The American League portion of interleague play begins June 8 in Baltimore. If he isn't back on the roster by then you'd think the best-case scenario is that he's on the Phillies' bench when rosters expand in September. But until then, there's just no point in wasting the roster space on him. Even without Howard, and Laynce Nix, the Phillies have first base adaquately covered, it seems.

Hamels: There's an interesting piece on Fangraphs.com comparing pending free agents Cole Hamels and Zach Greinke using the WAR metric; Fangraphs has Greinke as the more valuable pitcher when you put him in front of a neutral defense, while Baseball-Reference WAR lists Hamels ahead of Greinke and third overall in the National League behind Gio Gonzalez and Johnny Cueto. Either way, Hamels is simply brutalizing opponents with his change-up; his K/9 is 1.4 higher than last season while his walks have remained down. If he can maintain this pace, this will be his best season by a longshot and result in a massive payout. Fangraphs wonders if he'll get more money than Matt Cain. To me, there's no question.

Small-ball: The phrase "manufacture runs," implies doing it the hard way and that's exactly how the Phillies have managed to become a middle-of-the-road National League offense. They're third in the league in hitting (.264) and they're the best team in the league at putting the ball in play, having struck out a league low 17 percent of their at bats. However, they're a slave to BABIP, the dice roll of hitting with RISP and have been hurt by a 6.7 walk rate, which is second to last in the NL and is most likely the product of a). free swingers b). opposing pitchers going right after the hitters, when pressed, recognizing the lack of a big threat.

Still, the Phillies probably deserve some amount of credit for coaxing average run production from this weakened group of banjo hitters, as painful and laborious as it is to watch.

Game chat: Hamels, storms stand in way of sweep

Isolated showers are expected tonight, but not much by way of isolated power from the Phillies' lineup when the hometown nine concludes their series with the first-place Nationals. First pitch is 7:05. Right-hander Edwin Jackson (1-1, 3.31) meets Cole Hamels (6-1, 2.48), who is seeking his seventh-straight victory. The offense-starved Phillies move Carlos Ruiz to the No. 4 hole. Pierre LF, Polanco 3B, Pence RF, Ruiz C, Victorino CF, Wigginton 1B, Galvis SS, Fontenot 2B, Hamels P. Jimmy Rollins remains on paternity leave. … Pitching-wise, the bullpen is riding a season-best streak of 12 2-3 scoreless innings. [Jump to the newest comments]

Can the Phillies still hang their hat on Halladay?

Scouts forewarned us of Roy Halladay's decline back in spring training, and although his stats are in the same ballpark as last season, Beerleaguers can all agree he hasn't been the same all season.

Beerleaguer: Pretty simple: the third inning doesn't happen to Roy Halladay. Single. Single, Triple. Pop out. Sac fly. Two-out homer. Halladay typically digs in and limits the damage there. Big innings aren't supposed to happen, and he never makes the same mistake twice in an inning. He's allowed four home runs in his last two starts. He's hanging more pitches than we're used to seeing, and he's laboring, on the whole, a little more. Strikeouts have been a little harder to come by.

Yes, by most accounts, Halladay has slipped, a bit. What does that mean to their chances this season and going forward? The Phils have lost seven-straight series to the Nationals, and they just brained our ace. If that isn't a wake-up call, what is?

And what can you say about the rest? Pierre, Polanco, Victorino, Pence, Ruiz (then Schneider, then Kratz), Luna, Galvis, Fontenot. You can't spell it out any better. And the only two runs came off the bats of Luna and Kratz. By the end of the game, over half the starting lineup held prospect status two months ago or were operating with minor league deals.

Game chat: Phillies in search of a little more ‘O’

Roy Halladay (4-3, 3.22) battles Jordan Zimmermann (2-4, 2.58) as the Phillies try to avoid their seventh straight series defeat at the hands of the Nationals. First pitch is 7:05.

Notes: The Phillies recalled Erik Kratz from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill the roster spot vacated by Jimmy Rollins (paternity leave). … Lineup: Pierre LF, Polanco 3B, Victorino CF, Pence RF, Ruiz C, Luna 1B, Galvis SS, Fontenot 2B, Halladay P.  … Vance Worley’s second opinion matched his first opinion. The right-hander will not need Tommy John surgery, Jim Salisbury reports, and hopes to pitch through the discomfort caused by a bone chip. Doesn't sound like a great situation to be honest.  … The Phils are 1-8 in their last nine games against the Nationals, but they have good career numbers against Zimmermann, so hopefully tonight’s the night.

Smoke and mirrors offense? “Live by RISP, die by RISP. The uptick in offense in May has almost been entirely due to increased batting average and BABIP (batting average on balls in play. The same underlying rot with this lineup (inability to work BBs, below average power with a ton of ground balls) is still there. Bases on balls has improved, but the HR/FB ratio and BABIP are probably less sustainable. Offense isn't as bad as it was in April but it isn't as good either as evidenced by their run totals in May either. This is still a bad lineup especially on days where Chooch has to sit.” - MG

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Beer nuts: Phils keeping stinky company with RISP

The Phils can't hit when it counts? Join the club.

The hometown nine is stuck in one of those ruts where they can't buy a big hit. In their three latest losses 4 for 31 with runners in scoring position. On the season, they're .259/.326/.377 hitters with RISP, which is actually rather close - if not slightly above - the National League average.

Notes: Beerleaguer is still thinking about Cliff Lee's disappointing start in Sunday's rubber match with the Red Sox. At some point, we'd like to see Lee nail down a meaningful win this season. … John Mayberry Jr. is all kinds of out of sorts. In addition to the crazy tentative base running Monday night, he's striking out a ton; these are bad habits resurfacing from his days as a Quad-A tweener. … Kyle Kendrick took the loss Monday, but it was his best performance of the season; he actually outpitched Gio Gonzalez to a certain degree. Raul Valdes also made an impressive showing in two innings of relief. ... Finally, the biggest thing the Phillies need right now is one of their few impact hitters - Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence - to get red hot. Rollins, however, will be out up to 72 hours on paternity leave and is expected to miss the rest of the series.

Game chat: Phils try to restore order against Nats

Early season Cy Young hopeful Gio Gonzalez, who enters the night as baseball's strikeout king (11.1 K/9) meets Kyle Kendrick in the first of three between the Nationals and Phillies. First pitch is 7:05.

Notes: Jimmy Rollins was scratched from the lineup as he and his wife reportedly welcomed their first child to the world earlier today. The Phillies' official Twitter reported the family is doing well. That means Mike Fontenot gets his first start as a Phillie; he'll play second base while Freddy Galvis slides over to his natural position. Placido Polanco is also back in the lineup and will hit second. John Mayberry Jr. is at first base. ... In other news, Todd Zolecki tweets that Vance Worley is visiting Dr. Andrews (gulp) for a second opinion on his right elbow. Cross your fingers there. ... The Phils are five back in the division race. The Nationals trail the Braves by 1.5 games. ... Finally, look for details about Beerleaguer's first-ever free fantasy baseball challenge tomorrow morning for a chance to win $200 in prizes.

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Sunday chat: Lee prepared to deal in series settler

Cliff Lee (0-1, 1.95 ERA) seeks his first win of the season as the Phillies play the third and final game against the Red Sox. First pitch is 1:35 p.m. Josh Beckett (3-4, 4.97 ERA) tries to build on a solid start in his previous outing.

Beerleaguer: In regards to Saturday night's 7-5 defeat, as one reader put it, it was "easily the best loss of the year." Joe Blanton was smoked early and often so the Phils spent the rest of the game playing catch-up. They would have completed the job with some better luck with runners in scoring position. The Phils stranded 11 runners and were two for 12 with runners in scoring position. Afterward, questions swirled around Shane Victorino's first-pitch pop-up with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth, after Alfredo Aceves had just walked them loaded. “I went up there looking for a cutter, to be honest with you,” Vic told CSNPhilly.com. “I faced him in spring training, had many at-bats against him, and I went up there looking for a first-pitch cutter. I got the pitch I wanted. I’ll swing at that every single time."

Readers disagreed. "Victorino needs to understand the situation there," wrote Beerleaguer commentor Fatalotti. "Aceves is a walk machine this year, and as much as Vic might like to hit a double there, even taking a walk drives in one run and makes it a one run game. You have to be more selective there and force the pitcher to throw a strike."

The good news: The entire National League East also lost.

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