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Dodgers vs. Phillies: Series open thread

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Phillies vs. Marlins: Series open thread

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Reds vs. Phillies: Series open thread

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Angels vs. Phillies: Series open thread

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Game 34: Phillies limp into Citi Field after sweep

After being embarrassed by the Blue Jays in a four-game series sweep, the Phillies head to Citi Field to take on the floundering Mets, who were just swept by the Marlins.

The Phillies' rotation seemed to line up perfectly for winning a home-and-home series with Toronto. Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and a red-hot A.J. Burnett pitching three of the four games? That sounded like a winning combo.

But those pitchers gave up 18 runs in 18.1 innings — Kyle Kendrick actually tossed a quality start in the series' second game — and the Phillies were outscored 31-11 and shut out twice by the Blue Jays.

Good riddance, Canada.

Roberto Hernandez (2-1, 4.50) taking the mound following his best start of the season in a pitcher's paradise sounds welcoming. And it'll come against an ice-cold Mets offense, which has been shutout in two straight games.

New York has lost six of seven overall after a road trip in Colorado and Miami. Three of its last four defeats came in its opponents' final at-bat.

Young righty Jenrry Mejia (3-0, 5.23) gets the ball for the Mets.

OF NOTE...

• The Mets' 23-inning scoreless streak is the franchise's longest since a 24-inning drought in July 2010.

• David Wright is hitting .373 with five homers and 12 RBIs in his last dozen games against the Phillies, of which the Mets have won five straight.

• The only Mets who've faced Hernandez more than three times are Curtis Granderson (17 for 41, nine XBH) and Bobby Abreu (5 for 23, 6 BB, 0 K).

• Phillies vs. Mejia: Combined 7 for 14 as a team, including a homer from Ryan Howard.

• Fireballer Ken Giles was promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Friday after striking out 29 in 15 innings with Reading.

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Game 32: Asche starts vs. lefty, while Howard sits

Believe it or not, Cody Asche will start at third vs. southpaw Mark Buehrle on Wednesday ... and Ryan Howard will get the night off.

All is took was the baserunning gaffe of the year, a botched play at shortstop and an 0-for-2 day at the plate for Freddy Galvis, combined with a 4-for-4 night and a game-tying grand slam for Asche for Asche -- finally -- to get the start at third base against a left-handed starter.

Asche has been crushing the ball recently and is 9 for 22 with three doubles, two homers and eight RBIs in his last eight games.

It's the first time he's in the lineup against a lefty starter since the second series of the year against the Cubs.

And even with the designated hitter creating room for a ninth bat in the order, Howard, who's 8 for 37 vs. LHP this season, will sit in favor of John Mayberry Jr.

Jimmy Rollins will get another day off from the field, but he'll serve as the DH and Jayson Nix will man shortstop. Rollins has started only once as a DH -- July 1, 2011 in Toronto -- and he went 0 for 4.

Cliff Lee (3-2, 3.00) opposes Buehrle (5-1, 2.25) at the Rogers Centre.

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Game 31: Time's right for Hamels' first win

Cole Hamels goes for his first win Tuesday as the Phillies aim to rebound from an ugly 3-0 loss to the Blue Jays the night before.

This time out, Hamels (0-2, 6.75) shouldn't be restricted to 86 pitches, and he won't be facing the Mets on a chilly, damp night.

And he'll be pitching on a full week of rest, after having his start pushed back two days because of the flu.

Drew Hutchinson (1-2, 3.82) takes the mound for Toronto. He's coming off his longest outing of the year in which he gave up four runs in seven innings against the Royals.

The Phillies, whose bats have fallen into yet another slump, have scored just 14 runs over the past six games. During that span, they're 7 for 47 with runners in scoring position.

Luckily, Jimmy Rollins is expected to be back after having yesterday off, so Freddy Galvis can reassume his spot on the bench.

Hamels has never beaten the Jays, although he hasn't faced them since 2010. He's 0-2 vs. Toronto with a 6.75 ERA in three starts.

OF NOTE...

• A win for Hamels would be the 100th of his career.

• Ex-Met Jose Reyes, who led off Monday with a homer, is 14 for 24 vs. Hamels since 2010.

• Key matchups for Hamels: Jose Reyes (22 for 56, 6 2B), Melky Cabrera (6 for 17, HR), Jose Bautista (1 for 6, 3K)

• The Blue Jays have yet to win three in a row this season.

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Game 30: Freddy Galvis is back in the lineup...

Jimmy Rollins is off (but available to pinch hit), and Freddy Galvis is starting at shortstop and batting second as the Phillies open a four-game, home-and-home series with the Blue Jays.

It's probably a good thing to be cautious and hold Jimmy Rollins out of the lineup on Monday night after the 35-year-old appeared to tweak something in his leg during yesterday's 1-0 win over the Nationals.

It's probably not a good thing to bat Freddy Galvis second in Rollins' absence with the Phillies on a roll after taking two of three from the Nationals over the weekend.

Freddy Galvis hasn't had a hit since April 20. He's hitless in his last 24 at-bats. He's 1 for 31 on the season overall. But he'll bat between Ben Revere and Chase Utley tonight.

Presumably, Ryne Sandberg is hoping the protection of Utley batting after him will get Galvis' bat going.

Going where exactly? That's not clear. Maybe somewhere in the area code of Galvis' career slash line of .216/.256/.350.

Left-handers Domonic Brown (.243/.301/.311) and Cody Asche (.221/.293/.368) will also sit in favor of John Mayberry Jr. (.167/.286/.333) and Jayson Nix (.182/.229/.273).

At least it's dollar dog night.

Kyle Kendrick (0-2, 3.52) opposes J.A. Happ (0-0, 4.15) at 7 p.m.

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History shows you can't outrun a bad bullpen

The Phillies can only run from their porous bullpen for so long.

Because eventually, leaky relief will rear its ugly head and dash any hopes the club had at rekindling the 2007-11 magic.

History shows that a bad bullpen typically means no postseason.

After the Phils' relief corps blew its sixth game — tied for second-most in baseball this season — in a disheartening 5-3 loss to the Nationals on Friday, the team’s bullpen ERA spiked to an NL-worst 5.07.

If the trend continues, the chances of Ryne Sandberg’s crew making the playoffs — or even contending — are faint.

From 1995 — the first complete season when both the NL and AL were divided into three divisions with four teams from each league qualifying for the postseason — to 2013, only seven clubs out of 78 total National League playoff-qualifying teams (5.5 percent) have made the postseason with a bullpen ERA ranked in the bottom five of the NL.

Of those seven teams, only one made it past the NLDS (Cardinals – 2000) before losing in the NLCS.

The seven teams and respective bullpen marks:

• Rockies (2009, 92-70) won wild card with fourth-worst NL ERA (4.53)

• Phillies (2007, 89-73) won NL East with fourth-worst NL ERA (4.50)

• Braves (2005, 90-72) won NL East with fifth-worst NL ERA (4.74)

• Diamondbacks (2002, 98-64) won NL West with third-worst NL ERA (4.60)

• Cardinals (2000, 95-67) won NL Central with fifth-worst NL ERA (4.84)

• Cubs (1998, 90-73) won wild card with fourth-worst NL ERA (4.40)

• Giants (1997, 90-72) won NL West with fourth-worst NL ERA (4.75)

• Rockies (1995, 77-67) won wild card with second-worst NL ERA (4.64)

This season, the Marlins own the NL’s fifth-worst bullpen with an ERA of 3.80 — substantially better than the Phils.

Yes, it is early, but Phillies relievers have shown no signs of patching up gaping holes. The bats could mash and the starters could dominate, but until the bullpen proves it can do its job, the Phils are as far from the postseason as anybody.

Game 27: Lee leads off crucial series vs. Nationals

Whatever momentum the Phillies may have built after a strong West Coast road trip has waned after three of four days off, but they reshuffled the rotation for an important three-game set against the Nats.

The next three games will feature some marquee pitching matchups:

Friday: Cliff Lee (3-2, 3.29) vs. Stephen Strasburg (2-2, 4.24)
Saturday: A.J. Burnett (1-1, 2.15) vs. Tanner Roark (2-0, 2.76)
Sunday: Cole Hamels (0-2, 6.75) vs. Gio Gonzalez (3-1, 3.25)

Despite finishing April .500, the Phillies still find themselves in the basement of the NL East. But they'll have a prime opportunity to climb the standings this month, with 21 of the next 29 games at home.

The Nationals enter without Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman, who are both on the disabled list. Still, Washington features a stacked lineup with Jayson Werth (.288/.383/.462), Adam LaRoche (.312/.413/.495) and Anthony Rendon (.316/.352/.544) swinging hot bats.

WATCH FOR...

• Against the Phils last year, Strasburg allowed only one run and 11 hits in 23 innings. He struck out 29, walked three and picked up two wins.

• Hot Nats: Rendon is 11 for 23 with five extra-base hits in his last five games. Werth is hitting .371 in his past eight.

• Key matchups for Lee: Werth (10 for 28, 2 HR, 9 K), Danny Espinosa (7 for 19, 3 HR)

• Key matchups for Strasburg: Jimmy Rollins (2 for 18, HR, 7 K), Chase Utley (1 for 9), Carlos Ruiz (3 for 8, HR)

• Lee is allowing right-handed batters to hit a whopping .333 against him (43 for 129) with eight doubles, two triples and two homers.

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Game 26: Hamels makes home debut vs. Mets*

*Weather permitting

If the rain holds off or doesn't get too heavy Tuesday night, Cole Hamels will make his home debut against a team he's never been able to solve -- the Mets.

Maybe it would be better for Hamels if the next two games against the Mets get washed out. It's within the realm of possibility.

We all know of Hamels' career-long struggles against the Mets. He's 7-13 with a 4.44 ERA and 1.46 WHIP in 26 starts. David Wright (.349 off him) and Daniel Murphy (.353) have owned him.

But Cole did look pretty good in his last start, when he held the Dodgers to two runs and six hits in six innings. Displeased he was allowed to throw only 86 pitches, he'll be extra determined to pitch deep into Tuesday night.

Hamels will oppose Jon Niese (1-2, 2.45).

WATCH FOR...

• Niese is not the ideal pitching matchup for Hamels. The 27-year-old lefty has historically handled the Phils, going 6-6 with a 3.13 ERA and 1.21 WHIP against them. Last season, he gave up just one run and nine hits in 15 2/3 innings (including a complete game shutout) against them.

• Both of last year's starts came at Citi Field. At the Bank, Niese is 1-4 with a 5.91 ERA in his last six starts there.

• Key matchups for Hamels: David Wright (22 for 63, 5 HR), Daniel Murphy (12 for 34, HR), Eric Young (9 for 21). Hamels has never faced Curtis Granderson or Bobby Abreu.

• Key matchups for Niese: Ryan Howard (1 for 15, 7 K), Chase Utley (2 for 22), Carlos Ruiz (7 for 21, HR), Jayson Nix (4 for 7). 

• The Phillies and Mets have both won six of their past eight games.

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After good road trip, Phils at home for most of May

The Phillies return to Citizens Bank Park after winning six of 10 games on a West Coast road swing. They'll play 22 of their next 29 games at home.

Here's how the Phillies' next month of games play out:

April 28-29: Mets (14-11)
May 2-4: Nationals (14-12)
May 5-6: Blue Jays (12-13)
May 7-8: at Blue Jays
May 9-11: at Mets
May 13-14: vs. Angels (11-13)
May 16-18: vs. Reds (11-14)
May 20-22: at Marlins (11-14)
May 23-25: vs. Dodgers (14-12)
May 26-28: vs. Rockies (14-12)
May 29-June 1: vs. Mets

The Phillies appear to be entering what's arguably the most favorable portion of their schedule at the perfect time after road series wins over the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.

Carlos Ruiz is red hot -- he was named NL Player of the Week today. In just six games, Chooch raised his slash line from .204/.328/.286 to .296/.412/.479. He did so by going 11 for 22 with six extra-base hits, seven RBIs and five walks.

A.J. Burnett is also heating up. In three games since being diagnosed with a hernia, the right-hander has given up just two runs and 14 hits over 21.2 innings while striking out 18 and walking three.

And the back end of the bullpen, namely Jonathan Papelbon and Mike Adams, is finally in sync.

Perhaps we're in for an enjoyable month of baseball.

Game 24: Time to save the series, Cliff

Following an utterly disappointing 5-4 loss to the Diamondbacks in Friday's series opener, Cliff Lee takes the ball Saturday night with a chance to get the Phillies back to .500.

Of course, the Phils followed up their strong series win over the Dodgers with a clunker Friday night.

That headscratcher of a move pinch-running for Ryan Howard with John Mayberry Jr. in the eighth proved fatal in the ninth when JMJ struck out looking on a pitch right down the middle to end the game. And the D'Backs improved to 2-11 at home.

No matter -- the Phils can still salvage the series with Lee pitching tonight and A.J. Burnett tomorrow and finish their West Coast road trip a respectable 6-4.

Lee (3-2, 3.09) squares off against Bronson Arroyo (1-2, 9.50) at 8:10 p.m.

OF NOTE...

• Lee has a chance to get four wins in April for the first time since his Cy Young season when he went 5-0 in April 2008. 

• Freddy Galvis is 1 for 25 and starting for the fifth time in six games. At least he's batting eighth tonight, although he'll offer zero protection for Carlos Ruiz, who's batting seventh.

• Key matchups for Lee: Martin Prado (6 for 29), Aaron Hill (7 for 23), Cody Ross (3 for 14)

• Key matchups for Arroyo: Marlon Byrd (10 for 27, 2 HR), Chase Utley (7 for 23, 2 HR), Domonic Brown (6 for 12)

• The Phillies haven't lost a series to Arizona since April 2011.

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Maybe Jonathan Papelbon was right about velocity

Remember the fastball flung from the hand of Jonathan Papelbon that was causing so much distress — the fastball that’s being thrown at a diminished 92.7 mph and has raised questions regarding the closer’s ability to finish games?

Well, that fastball, lacking its past velocity, is doing just fine.

This season, opponents are hitting a meager .154 against Papelbon’s heater, and it’s been the punctuation on seven of his eight strikeouts.

Since his collapse in Texas, Papelbon has tossed eight scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and converting all six of his save opportunities.

The 33-year-old is hitting spots, mixing and matching and still throwing the fastball with confidence in all counts.

Maybe he was right all along.

"Why do you guys care about velo so much, man?" Papelbon said to reporters after saving the Phillies’ 1-0 win on April 17. "Is that -- does that matter? You think that matters? I don’t understand that. I mean, if a ball has life at the plate and you are throwing 88 miles an hour as opposed to 98 miles an hour, it doesn’t make one damn bit of difference. Whether you throw 93 or 94 or 84. I just, I don’t get it, man."

In fact, Papelbon does get it. And so far, he’s been right.

Game 22: Can Phillies win rare road series vs. L.A.?

The Phillies haven't been so great on the road recently, but they'll have a chance to take three of four at Dodger Stadium with Kyle Kendrick on the mound tonight.

The Phillies are just 14-30 in their last 44 road games. They had a chance to win Wednesday night in Cole Hamels' season debut, but Zack Greinke was just too good (and the bullpen was what we've come to expect it to be).

They still have a chance to win their second road series of the year tonight, but it won't be easy against Dan Haren (3-0, 2.16).

The former three-time All-Star is off to a super start, with 20 strikeouts and just two walks in 25 innings.

A win tonight would give the Phillies a realistic chance to finish their road trip 6-4 -- if they can also take two of three over the weekend in Arizona. That seemed extremely unrealistic after they dropped the first pair of games at Coors Field.

OF NOTE...

• Dan Haren is 1-4 with a 5.09 ERA in eight lifetime starts against the Phils.

• Ryan Howard is 8 for 17 with seven RBIs in his last four games.

• Key matchups for Haren: Marlon Byrd (10 for 21, 2 HR), Ryan Howard (3 for 11, 2 HR)

• Key matchups for Kendrick: Yasiel Puig (5 for 6), Andre Ethier (6 for 22, 2 HR)

• Kendrick has made 11 straight starts without earning the win.

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Game 21: Hamels makes season debut vs. L.A.

The long-awaited return of Cole Hamels comes Wednesday night against Zack Greinke and the Dodgers at Chavez Ravine.

Beerleaguer is back -- and just in time for Hamels' season debut.

The lefty has dominated the Dodgers in his career, going 3-1 with a 1.76 ERA and 0.88 WHIP in seven starts. He's also beaten them three times in the playoffs.

But this bunch isn't those Dodgers. Hanley Ramirez, Andre Ethier, Matt Kemp, Scott Van Slyke and Justin Turner are batting a combined 42 for 130 (.323) off Hamels with 16 doubles and four homers. They're all in the lineup tonight.

Hamels is also a notoriously slow starter, especially in his first start of the year. Hamels has a 9.55 ERA and 2.123 WHIP in his last five season debuts. He also has a career ERA of 3.92 in March/April -- the highest of any month.

Zack Greinke (3-0, 2.42) goes for the Dodgers. Surprisingly, he's yet to pitch into the seventh inning in any of his four starts.

Lifetime at Dodgers Stadium, Greinke is 10-2 in 17 starts with a 2.10 ERA and 0.949 WHIP -- both his lowest marks in any park where he's pitched at least five times.

OF NOTE...

• Cody Asche isn't in the starting lineup for the third straight night and the sixth time in 11 games. The young third baseman is just 6 for 42 (.143) at the plate minus his three-hit season opener. In his place, Freddy Galvis (1 for 18) mans the hot corner.

• Maikel Franco is 9 for 67 at Lehigh Valley with no homers.

• B.J. Rosenberg (6.1 IP, 6 R, 13 H, 3 BB) was optioned to Triple A to make room for Hamels.

• Key matchups for Greinke: Marlon Byrd (3 for 20, HR), Jimmy Rollins (3 for 14), Ben Revere (6 for 14)

• Key matchups for Hamels: Ramirez (17 for 63, 10 2B, 2 HR), Matt Kemp (9 for 25), Justin Turner (5 for 11)

• The Dodgers are hitting .203 and have scored 21 runs over the last eight games.

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Game 18: Once again, Phils aim to avoid sweep

The Phillies avoided a sweep to Atlanta by squeaking by with a 1-0 win in that series finale. After dropping two straight in Colorado, they hope to salvage a game against the Rockies in the series finale Sunday.

All you need to know is the Phillies' offense has scored three runs in four games and none of the other mind-blowing stats about how anemic their offense has been lately will actually blow your mind.

• Like they've gone four straight games without an extra-base hit for the first time since 1968.

• Or that it's been the first time any team in baseball has done that since the expansion Marlins did it in September 1993.

• That their last extra-base hit was Domonic Brown's go-ahead three-run bomb against the Braves on Monday, which still brings back bad memories because of the ensuing ninth-inning collapse.

• That Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Brown are a combined 2 for 23 in the series against consecutive right-handed starters. (They'll face another righty in Juan Nicasio today.)

• And, the two runs they earned in this series were actually unearned. So they've got exactly one earned run in four games.

Roberto Hernandez (1-0, 3.86) opposes Juan Nicasio (2-0, 3.50).

WATCH FOR...

• John Mayberry Jr.'s name to appear on the lineup card. He's 3 for 5 off Nicasio with all doubles. The rest of the Phillies are 4 for 37 (.108) against him.

• Hernandez vs. Justin Morneau, who's 9 for 31 off the Phillies' pitcher with two doubles and three homers.

• Our weekly dose of Wil Nieves, which might actually not be a bad thing since Carlos Ruiz is 4 for 23 in his last seven games.

Happy Easter, everyone. 

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Game 16: On the road again in Colorado

Get ready for some late nights. The Phillies hit the road on their first West Coast road trip of the season.

First stop: Colorado, for a three-game series against the Rockies (8-9).

Chase Utley's hot bat, against three right-handed starters, at Coors Field -- what a combination that could prove to be for the Phillies (7-8) in the next three games.

Utley, who leads the league in hitting, OBP and slugging -- and is 17 for 34 in his last nine games -- will face a trio of righty Rockies starters this weekend at a stadium where he's historically crushed the ball.

Utley hasn't seen either Tyler Chatwood, Jordan Lyles or Juan Nicasio much (combined 2 for 6 against them in his career), but he's hit .360/.390/.632 lifetime at Coors Field with seven homers in 26 games.

The righty-righty-righty rotation lineup should benefit Ryan Howard -- .294/.376/.539 at Coors -- and Domonic Brown as well. Maybe, just maybe, the Phillies can score more than two combined runs against the starters in this series.

The Rockies, obviously, have the benefit of hitting there too -- and they're batting .354 with a .990 OPS at home this season.

The Phillies also pay the price of facing Colorado early in the season, when both Carlos Gonzalez and Troy Tulowitzki are healthy. CarGo is .395/.425/.663 in 23 career games against the Phils; Tulo is .292/.379/.494 in 25 games.

It's Jonathan Pettibone (0-0, 1.80) vs. Tyler Chatwood (0-0, 6.00) at 8:40 p.m.

WATCH FOR...

• Whether Pettibone can rebound against the Rockies. He got hammered at Coors last year in his worst career start to date, when he allowed seven runs and 10 hits in three innings on June 15. Current Rockies are batting .450 against him.

• Key matchups for Pettibone: Willin Rosario (2 for 2, 2B, 3B)

• Key matchups for Chatwood: Ryan Howard (2 for 5, 2B), Ben Revere (3 for 5), Tony Gwynn (3 for 4), Jimmy Rollins (0 for 6)

• The Phillies are 30-9 vs. Colorado since 2008.

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Game 15: Can Phils avoid another sweep?

A lousy bullpen on Monday and lousy bats on Wednesday resulted in a pair of gut-wrenching losses to the NL East-rival Braves.

So can A.J. Burnett give a gutsy performance Thursday pitching with a hernia to avoid a demoralizing series sweep to Atlanta?

Burnett (0-1, 3.94 ERA) left his last start against the Marlins with discomfort and was diagnosed with a hernia soon thereafter. No matter, he's going to try to pitch through it.

Unfortunately for him, his history against the Braves doesn't offer promising prospects: He's 5-12 against them lifetime with a 4.14 ERA and 1.46 WHIP. He's also walked 12 batters in his last 11 innings pitched.

For the Braves, Alex Wood (2-1, 1.89) hopes to extend his club's winning streak to six.

As a rookie last year, Wood made two starts against the Phils. In his first, the left-hander tossed six innings of one-run ball. He took a no-decision in the other after giving up four runs and nine hits over 4.2 innings.

WATCH FOR...

• Evan Gattis' name in the lineup. Though he probably won't catch the day game after a night game, with three homers in the past two games, he's too hot not to put in the lineup. He could play left field, where he started 47 games last year, or first base, where he played four times.

• Chase Utley getting back in the hit column. His 11-game hitting streak to start the season was snapped Wednesday night, but the second baseman still leads baseball in hitting (.449), OBP (.509) and slugging (.776).

• Key matchups for Burnett: B.J. Upton (9 for 46, 2 HR, 17 K), Dan Uggla (2 for 10, HR, 5 K), Gerald Laird (5 for 8), Jason Heyward (4 for 8)

• Key matchups for Wood: Marlon Byrd (3 for 7), Jimmy Rollins (0 for 7), Chase Utley (2 for 6)

• Mike Adams' season debut.

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Series resumes as Phillies honor Robinson

Cliff Lee and Julio Teheran square off as the Phillies celebrate Jackie Robinson Day at Citizens Bank Park. First pitch is 7:05. Here's a look at the standings.

 

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Game 12: Home, sweep home vs. Marlins

After getting swept by the red-hot Brewers (who have now won eight straight) in their home-opneing series, the Phillies have a chance to sweep the Marlins on Sunday.

Kyle Kendrick (0-1, 3.75), who served up two homers to Ryan Braun last Tuesday, will face a lineup he's much more comfortable with in the Marlins -- Kendrick is 8-0 with a 1.69 ERA in the past three years against Miami.

Chase Utley will look to keep his hot bat going. The second baseman owns a 14-game hitting streak dating back to last season, and he leads the league in OBP (.537), slugging (.778) and OPS (1.314) this season.

Plus, he's batting .522 with four doubles, two homers, eight RBIs and three walks in his last six games.

Jimmy Rollins is also hitting .417 over that same span with three extra-base hits and five RBIs.

Henderson Alvarez (0-2, 4.15) will take the ball for the Fish, who have lost six straight.

Why the Phillies' next seven games are crucial

It’s not time to push the panic button on this 2014 Phillies season.

But depending on how the team fares over its next seven games, it soon could be.

After the next seven at Citizens Bank Park, the Phils head west for what sure looks like a difficult 10-game road trip. If the Phillies go limping into those 10 games, it will spell trouble — and not just for the trip, but the season.

The Phils — especially the bullpen — just got done showing their vulnerability against deep and powerful offenses.

Here’s what they’ll get on this 10-game road trip:

· The Rockies, who lead baseball in batting average (.320), on-base percentage (.371), slugging percentage (.494), and feature MVP candidate Carlos Gonzalez (.389 avg.), Troy Tulowitzki (.407 avg.), Michael Cuddyer (.415 avg.) and Justin Morneau (.387 avg.)

· The Dodgers, the defending NL West champions with names such as Hanley Ramirez, Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Yasiel Puig, Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier sprayed throughout their order, not to mention quality starting pitching to go with it

· And the Diamondbacks, who have an MVP candidate of their own in Paul Goldschmidt (.370 avg.) and one of baseball’s early home run leaders, Mark Trumbo (5 HRs, 13 RBIs)

That’s power, power and more power on tap for the Phillies’ leaky, questionable and inexperienced bullpen.

One nightmare road swing can crush a season. Entering July 20 last year, the Phils were 49-48, in second place and 6½ games out of first. They then lost eight straight to finish their nine-game trip away from home and the season was gone.

Given the circumstances, the Phillies can’t afford a bad April. They need to play well enough before the July trade deadline approaches to convince management to keep this going.

And that brings us back to these seven upcoming games. If the Phils don't stem the tide before going west, April could be disastrous and the season unsavable.

Lots of Phils news before series finale vs. Brewers

Plenty of Phillies tidbits on Thursday before the team finishes its three-game series against the Brewers.

Let’s get right into it:

Hamels update
Ruben Amaro Jr. told reporters that Cole Hamels (biceps tendinitis) could need just two more rehab starts before making his 2014 debut. The lefty is scheduled to make minor-league rehab appearances on Saturday and April 17, with an April 22 return date as a possibility.

Galvis, Adams update
Amaro also said Freddy Galvis (MRSA) could be activated from the disabled list on Friday, while Mike Adams (shoulder surgery) could return to the Phils’ bullpen on Monday.

Adams has been throwing well in his minor-league rehab appearances, and on Wednesday, Ryne Sandberg said the reliever is “on a fast track” to returning.

Pettibone to start Saturday
The Phillies announced that Jonathan Pettibone will start Saturday against the Marlins. Up to this point, the schedule allowed the Phils to ride a four-man rotation while Hamels worked his way back from the disabled list.

In 18 starts as a rookie last season, the 23-year-old Pettibone went 5-4 with a 4.04 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 38 walks before being shut down because of shoulder soreness.

Ruf, Martin update
Darin Ruf is working his way back from an oblique strain he suffered in spring training. Amaro told reporters that he’s hopeful Ruf will begin doing baseball activities early next week.

Also, according to Amaro, Ethan Martin (shoulder strain) will throw his first bullpen session of his rehab on Friday. Amaro said the organization has decided that Martin will move forward strictly as a reliever.

Tonight's lineups
Oh, and there’s a game tonight (see story). Cliff Lee (2-0, 6.00) opposes Milwaukee right-hander Marco Estrada (0-0, 1.59). Chase Utley returns from the flu. Carlos Ruiz moves in the order … again.

Here are the lineups:

Phillies

1. Ben Revere, CF
2. Jimmy Rollins, SS
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Marlon Byrd, RF
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. Cody Asche, 3B
9. Cliff Lee, P

Brewers

1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Jean Segura, SS
3. Ryan Braun, RF
4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
5. Jonathan Lucroy, C
6. Khris Davis, LF
7. Mark Reynolds, 1B
8. Rickie Weeks, 2B
9. Marco Estrada, P

Defense, bullpen lose another for Phillies

The Phillies lost again because of spotty defense and poor late-inning relief.

The defeat — 9-4 to the Brewers (6-2) on Wednesday night — is the Phils’ (3-5) third in a row.

It’s early, but the Phillies have been glaringly bad in the field and bullpen.

It did them in once again Wednesday night.

What we liked
• The Phils are hitting. They’ve had seven or more hits in every game thus far and are scoring runs at a solid clip. Sure, they’ve left some on base, but you can’t knock in every runner. For the most part, the Phillies’ bats have been a bright spot.

• Ryne Sandberg made an interesting move by going to lefty Jake Diekman in the seventh inning to face four right-handed hitters: Ryan Braun, Aramis Ramirez, Jonathan Lucroy and Khris Davis. Diekman allowed a hit to Ramirez and struck out the side. The left-hander would be a huge plus if he can pitch in all situations against both righties and lefties.

• Ben Revere made two quality plays in the field. One was a diving grab and the other a running, over-the-head catch going back toward the fence. Revere will pull off the spectacular catches, but he needs to improve on running better routes and making routine plays.

What we disliked
• Defense, defense, defense. The Phils made two more errors in the loss. Ryan Howard committed one of them and it came in the eighth inning and snapped a 4-4 tie by bringing home Milwaukee's go-ahead run.

• More defense: The Phillies now have an NL-worst nine errors and an MLB-worst 10 unearned runs allowed. Defense is critical.

• Leadoff walks in the late innings will kill you, and it killed the Phils Wednesday night. Antonio Bastardo walked Mark Reynolds to start the eighth inning and the Brewers went on to score three runs in the frame to take a 7-4 advantage.

What’s next
In the series finale, Cliff Lee (2-0, 6.00) takes the ball for the Phillies and opposes Milwaukee right-hander Marco Estrada (0-0, 1.59).

Game 8: Trying to contain Ryan Braun, Take 2

Just keep Ryan Braun in the yard.

If the Phillies do that, they’ll obviously have a much better chance at beating the Brewers on Wednesday than they did in Tuesday’s home opener.

Roberto Hernandez will get the first crack at trying to cool off Braun after Milwaukee's slugger went deep three times in the Brewers' 10-4 win over the Phils on Tuesday.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to continually bust Braun inside. The 30-year-old is playing through a serious thumb injury.

Here’s how serious:

"The analogy is if you touch a hot stove, no matter how badly you want to keep your hand there, the natural reaction will be to take your hand off it," Braun said, per the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, about the feeling he has while gripping the bat. "That's kind of what happens every time I make contact, when it gets bad. No matter what I want to do or try to do, I can't keep two hands on the bat.

"I've tried lots of different things, different padding. Hopefully, we'll figure something out, some type of treatment, something that eventually helps.

"One [surgery] is I would never feel anything in my thumb again, which didn't make sense. The other is they would completely remove the nerve. That doesn't make sense, just long-term, living life.

"In the other one, there would still be nerve endings because they would remove the nerve but the nerve endings would still be there, which could be really painful. [Hand specialist Don Sheridan] said he didn't think that would be a great option either."

Braun’s thumb looked just fine Tuesday.

Now a three-homer day would maybe suggest not pitching to Braun tonight or Thursday, but Milwaukee has weapons up and down the lineup, so if he doesn’t beat you, someone else can.

As far as the Phillies’ bats, Chase Utley is out of the lineup for the second straight game with the flu, but he will be available to pinch-hit (see story). The Phils face right-hander Matt Garza.

Here are tonight’s lineups:

Phillies

1. Ben Revere, CF
2. Jimmy Rollins, SS
3. Carlos Ruiz, C
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Marlon Byrd, RF
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. Cesar Hernandez, 2B
8. Jayson Nix, 3B
9. Roberto Hernandez, P

Brewers

1. Carlos Gomez, CF
2. Jean Segura, SS
3. Ryan Braun, RF
4. Aramis Ramirez, 3B
5. Jonathan Lucroy, C
6. Khris Davis, LF
7. Mark Reynolds, 1B
8. Scooter Gennett, 2B
9. Matt Garza, P

Game 7: Phillies open at home under sunny skies

Kyle Kendrick takes the ball for the Phillies as they open at home against Kyle Lohse and the Milwaukee Brewers.

Looks like the Phillies made the right move postponing the home opener by one day to Tuesday, as the forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-60s under sunny skies.

Chase Utley, however, is under the weather and won't be in the lineup. In fact, he's not even at the park — the second baseman is under quarantine as he battles the flu.

Cesar Hernandez will start in his place and bat seventh in the order. Carlos Ruiz will take Utley's spot in the order and bat third.

Kendrick hopes to build on a successful first start in which he limited the Rangers to one run on five hits over seven innings. His brilliant outing was, of course, wasted when Jonathan Papelbon blew the Phillies' two-run lead in the ninth inning and ultimately walked in the winning run.

Lohse, the former Phillie, is coming off a decent first start of his own in which he allowed three runs and five hits over seven frames while striking out eight Atlanta Braves. The right-hander is 4-4 with a 2.98 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 13 career starts against the Phils.

Current Phillies are batting .231 against him, with Ryan Howard (11 for 24, 3 HR) leading the way. Jimmy Rollins falls at the other end of the spectrum and is only 7 for 40 with a homer in his career against Lohse.

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Phillies already show what they can't afford

If the Phillies want to get back to the postseason or even contend in 2014, they can’t do what they’ve already done just one week into the season.

And that’s waste strong starting pitching by coughing up leads late.

Take away a Jonathan Papelbon implosion and another loss charged to the bullpen, and the Phils are 5-1 instead of 3-3 after a season-opening six-game road trip.

In Texas, A.J. Burnett and Kyle Kendrick combined for 13 innings and two earned runs (1.38 ERA), but both starts went for no-decisions and two Phillies losses.

That can’t happen. When the Phils receive starts like those from their third, fourth and fifth starters, they must capitalize. As evidenced Sunday, Burnett can be brilliant and then brutal. Same goes for Kendrick and Roberto Hernandez.

So, bullpen, win the ones you get.

In 2012, the Orioles went 29-9 in one-run games to clinch a postseason berth. In 2013, they went 20-31 in one-run games and missed the postseason.

Of all the things the Phillies need to go right, the bullpen may be the most critical.

“Not a bad week,” Jimmy Rollins said Sunday after the Phils' 8-3 loss, per CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury, “but it could have been better.”

The Phillies better hope that’s not the theme of their 2014.

Game 6: Burnett, Phils eye sweep before coming home

The Phillies sure would be riding plenty of momentum home with a win and three-game sweep over the Cubs on Sunday.

A.J. Burnett takes the bump at Wrigley Field, looking to build off his impressive debut and supply the Phils that sweep and momentum heading into the team’s home opener on Tuesday.

Burnett went six innings and allowed just one run against the Rangers in his first regular-season start earlier this week.

On Sunday, he’ll be in the right ballpark and playing the right team.

Since 2011, Burnett is 3-0 over four starts at Wrigley Field with a 1.63 ERA and .129 opponents batting average. In seven starts over the past three seasons versus Chicago, the righty is 4-2 with a 2.27 ERA and .195 opponents batting average.

Burnett will oppose Cubs right-hander Carlos Villanueva.

Watch for …

• A blistering Chase Utley, who’s off to a 10-for-21 (.476) start to 2014 and has five hits, four RBIs, three runs scored and two homers in the last two games — both Phillies wins.

• Jimmy Rollins against Villanueva. The shortstop is 2 for 14 (.143) to begin the season, but in his career against the Chicago starter, he’s 3 for 10 (.300) with a pair of doubles, a homer, two walks and no strikeouts.

• Brad Lincoln … seriously, where has he been? The reliever is the only player on the 25-man roster who has not appeared in a game this season. Meanwhile, Jake Diekman has thrown in four contests and Mario Hollands, Antonio Bastardo and Jonathan Papelbon have all appeared in three.

Here are today’s lineups

Phillies (3-2)

1. Ben Revere, CF

2. Jimmy Rollins, SS

3. Chase Utley, 2B

4. Ryan Howard, 1B

5. Marlon Byrd, RF

6. Domonic Brown, LF

7. Carlos Ruiz, C

8. Cody Asche, 3B

9. A.J. Burnett, P

Cubs (1-4)

1. Emilio Bonifacio, 2B (13 for 24, .542 this season)

2. Ryan Kalish, LF

3. Anthony Rizzo, 1B (3 for 15, .200 vs. Burnett)

4. Nate Schierholtz, RF

5. Luis Valbuena, 3B

6. Starlin Castro, SS (9 for 22, .409 vs. Burnett)

7. Ryan Sweeney, CF

8. John Baker, C

9. Carlos Villanueva, P

Lee, Papelbon rebound in win at Wrigley

Well-pitched, low-scoring games like their 2-0 win over the Cubs on Saturday are the kind we should expect from the Phillies this year.

Seven shutout innings, six strikeouts and no walks — that's more of what we expected from Cliff Lee.

A 1-2-3 ninth inning en route to a stress-free save — that's more of what we want from Jonathan Papelbon.

Lee (2-0) rebounded from an eight-run clunker on opening day by shutting out the Cubs for seven frames. Although he allowed 10 hits, he was very much in control in throwing 74 of 104 pitches for strikes. He even picked up a hit at the plate.

Chase Utley provided all the offense he needed with a solo homer in the first. Utley also scored the Phils' only other run in the fourth on an RBI single from Domonic Brown.

Papelbon followed up his three-run, blown-save meltdown Wednesday by throwing 13 of 18 pitches for strikes in a perfect ninth.

THREE CHEERS

• Utley's bat, and his baserunning. Chase homered for the second straight game and after his 3-for-3 day is 10 for 21 with two doubles, two homers and five RBIs through five games. He also read Brown's single perfectly in the fourth to score easily with one out. Even more, he has just one strikeout thus far.

• Lee finding his form. We all knew it, but that opening day outing is not the type Cliff Lee is going to have very often. He was much sharper on Saturday, even if he gave up 10 hits — when a pitcher throws so many strikes, that's bound to happen sometimes. Lee is now 5-0 with a 1.72 ERA in his career against the Cubs.

• Papelbon "pitching." After the game, Jonathan Papelbon admitted after the game he may need to have more finesse on the mound moving forward. "The longer and longer I pitch the more and more I learn, so sometimes I need to be a pitcher more than a thrower," he said (per CSNPhilly.com). We all know that — but it's another thing for him to admit it. Imagine Jimmy Rollins admitting he needed to take more pitches, or bust it down the line... It's a small first step.

THREE JEERS

• Missed opportunities. Jeff Samardzija is a good pitcher, which is more the reason why the Phillies needed to seize the opportunites they had, but they were just 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position. Wil Nieves came up three times in such situations and three times failed to plate a run (GIDP, strikeout, groundout). It's understandble trying to get Nieves' feet wet early, but one could also argue there's no need to give Carlos Ruiz an off day with your ace on the mound when the team already had off Thursday and is idle again Tuesday.

• Don't overuse Diekman. Speaking of someone who could use a rest, how about Jake Diekman? Sandberg has already used him four times in five games. The lefty has a lot of promise, but it's a long season and it's important to keep him fresh. Sandberg's predecessor might not agree with me.

• Speaking of fresh arms... There's a perfectly fresh one out in the 'pen Sandberg seems to have no interest in using. It's the right-handed arm belonging to Brad Lincoln, who (on my unofficial count) has warmed up only once in five games. What gives? This guy has potential. Let's see what he's got.

Game 5: Cliff Lee gets back on the bump

Jimmy Rollins is back in the lineup and Cliff Lee makes his second start of the season against Jeff Samardzija and the Cubs on Saturday afternoon.

After playing short a man the past two games, the Phillies get J-Roll back at shortstop from unofficial paternity leave on Saturday afternoon. Rollins, who has a homer and five RBIs in his first two games, will bat second against Chicago righty Jeff Samardzija.

Carlos Ruiz, who's batted in the two-hole for consecutive games, gets the afternoon off in favor of backup catcher Wil Nieves, who will make his Phillies debut. The club suffers a significant dropoff in offense with Nieves, who has a career slash line of .242/.283/.314. He went just 5 for 24 in spring training (all singles).

And Cliff Lee gets a chance to rebound from his poor performance on opening day, when he blew a 6-0 lead and allowed eight runs and 11 hits in five innings. Lee is 4-0 in his career against the Cubs with a 1.95 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in seven starts.

WATCH FOR...

• Jimmy Rollins' chase for home run No. 201. J-Roll has seven career homers at Wrigley Field in just 46 games — third-most of any visiting ballpark after Turner Field (10) and Dolphin/Landshark/Sun Life Stadium (10). But don't expect the winds to help — compared to Friday, they're expected to be more calm (7-10 mph blowing left field to right).

• Key matchups for Cliff Lee: Justin Ruggiano (4 for 10, 3 2B), Darwin Barney (3 for 6, 2B), Emilio Bonifacio (1 for 10)

• Key matchups for Jeff Samardzija: Chase Utley (4 for 13, 3 2B, 3B), Jimmy Rollins (2 for 10, 2B)

• We're officially on watch for Brad Lincoln, who will be the only player on the 25-man roster yet to play after Nieves starts today. Lincoln, a former fourth overall pick whom the Phils acquired from Toronto for Erik Kratz, struck out 14 batters in 11.2 innings in the spring.

Here are the lineups:

Phillies

1. Ben Revere, CF
2. Jimmy Rollins, SS
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Marlon Byrd, RF
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. Wil Nieves, C
8. Cody Asche, 3B
9. Cliff Lee, P

Cubs

1. Emilio Bonifacio (S), CF
2. Starlin Castro (R), SS
3. Justin Ruggiano (R), RF
4. Anthony Rizzo (L), 1B
5. Junior Lake (R), LF
6. Mike Olt (R), 3B
7. Welington Castillo (R), C
8. Darwin Barney (R), 2B
9. Jeff Samardzija (R), P

Game 4: Hernandez debuts at Wrigley Field

Roberto Hernandez will make his Phillies debut Friday afternoon against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, where temperatures will dip into the 30s.

Hernandez had a very solid spring until his final start against the Blue Jays, when he allowed seven runs and 11 hits in 3 2/3 innings. The start prior, he took a perfect game into the sixth inning and dominated the Yankees by keeping his ball down and inducing ground-ball outs.

Hernandez will want to do just that again Friday afternoon, with winds expected to be blowing around 25 mph out to right-center field. The 33-year-old owns a career ground-ball rate of 57.8 percent.

Carlos Ruiz is in the No. 2 hole for the second straight game after he went 2 for 4 with a walk in that same spot on Wednesday. Chooch is 2 for 5 with two walks lifetime against Chicago lefty Travis Wood, who you'll remember took a perfect game into the ninth inning before Ruiz broke it up in July 2010.

Jimmy Rollins was in the original posted lineup and slated to bat second, but about two hours later was removed. Ryne Sandberg called it "miscommunication" -- Rollins should return from paternity leave and be in the Phillies' lineup tomorrow afternoon.

WATCH FOR...

• Red-hot Emilio Bonifacio, who's 11 for 16 to start the season. He's the first player with 11 hits in his team's first three games since 1982.

• Key matchups for Roberto Hernandez: Ryan Sweeney (2 for 15), Emilio Bonifacio (1 for 3)

• Key matchups for Travis Wood: Marlon Byrd (3 for 14), Ryan Howard (0 for 8), Domonic Brown (1 for 2, HR)

Here are the lineups:

Phillies

1. Ben Revere, CF
2. Carlos Ruiz, C
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Marlon Byrd, RF
5. Ryan Howard, 1B
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. Jayson Nix, SS
8. Cody Asche, 3B
9. Roberto Hernandez, P

Cubs

1. Emilio Bonifacio (S), CF
2. Starlin Castro (R), SS
3. Anthony Rizzo (L), 1B
4. Nate Schierholtz (L), RF
5. Luis Valbuena (L), 3B
6. Welington Castillo (R), C
7. Ryan Sweeney (L), LF
8. Darwin Barney (R), 2B
9. Travis Wood (R), P

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New Game: Papelbon can be successful by adjusting

Jonathan Papelbon still owns the act — his slow turn and intense stare toward the plate.

But he no longer owns the fastball that once sizzled between 95-96 mph and topped out at 97.

Now, Papelbon, the richest ninth-inning arm in baseball, throws a heater at 90-92 mph and his blown saves have skyrocketed.

But none of this renders Papelbon incapable of reforming back into a guy who can nail down ballgames.

The 33-year-old should hear a lot of the same word Roy Halladay heard.

Reinvent.

When you think closer, you think fierce, intimidating and hard throwing. But closers don’t have to uncork jaw-dropping fastballs to be successful.

Trevor Hoffman, the game’s second all-time saves leader, underwent shoulder surgery after the 1995 season, and as a result, his velocity diminished.

So, he adapted.

Hoffman developed an all-world changeup and became dominant with an off-speed, location-based repertoire. From 2006-10, his final years as a big leaguer, Hoffman threw no harder than 87 mph, yet saved 165 games and posted a 1.83 ERA as an All-Star in 2009.

John Franco made a living the same way, racking up 424 saves (fourth all-time) with guile, not power.

Papelbon must now adjust. His slider and splitter become all that more important, with location now key and outsmarting the name of the game.

Papelbon no longer strikes fear into hitters. But that doesn’t mean he can’t be effective.

Poof: Nice night for Phils thrown away by Papelbon

Much was wasted Wednesday night.

And wasted by: Jonathan Papelbon.

A sound game from the Phillies went for naught when the enigmatic closer entered the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead and promptly permitted this:

Single, strikeout, double, single, single, walk, walk.

Ballgame. 

A colossal collapse by Papelbon handed the Rangers (2-1) a come-from-behind 4-3 win and series victory over the Phils (1-2) in Arlington, Texas.

Prior to the ninth, all was well. Two massive cogs to the Phillies’ 2014 hopes set things up nicely.

After overcoming a rocky first frame, Kyle Kendrick finished with seven innings of one-run ball, while Ryan Howard popped his first home run of the season.

Ryne Sandberg threw Mario Hollands right back into the fire and the rookie responded. Hollands confidently hurled a 1-2-3 eighth inning against the same portion of the Texas order in which he failed against the night before: Shin-Soo Choo, Elvis Andrus and Prince Fielder.

Again, so much wasted.

What we liked
• Kendrick shook off first-inning trouble and settled into a groove. The Rangers had men on second and third with no outs and Fielder, Adrian Beltre and Alex Rios coming to the plate. Kendrick admirably saw his way through it unscathed.

• Carlos Ruiz is a nice fit in the Phils’ two-hole. Typically the team’s top on-base man, Ruiz walks, puts the ball in play and doesn’t strike out at a high clip. On Wednesday night, Ruiz went 2 for 4 with a double, single, walk and two runs scored.

• Howard walloped his first homer of the season off Texas starter lefty Robbie Ross. It was a two-out, two-run shot in the third inning estimated at 411 feet. That’s three two-out RBIs versus left-handed pitching over the last two games for Howard.

What we disliked
• Umm … Papelbon. Two consecutive nights of outstanding starting pitching go for two losses.

• The Phillies were a bit slipshod in the field, committing three errors that fortunately did no harm. Jayson Nix made an error at shortstop on a redirected ball, but also turned a nice double play with Chase Utley. For the most part thus far, Nix looks pretty capable at third base and shortstop.

• Not a whole lot to dislike aside from the meltdown by the closer.

What’s next
The Phils head to Chicago for three 2:20 p.m. games against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Here are the probable pitching matchups:

Friday — RHP Roberto Hernandez (first start) vs. LHP Travis Wood (first start)

Saturday — LHP Cliff Lee (1-0, 14.40) vs. RHP Jeff Samardzija (0-0, 0.00)

Sunday — RHP A.J. Burnett (0-0, 1.50) vs. RHP Carlos Villanueva (0-0, INF)

Game 3: KK leads manship of RHPs into rubber game

We're going to see the right-handed relievers tonight - you can bet on that - be we're not going to see Jimmy Rollins.

Rollins is not in the lineup Wednesday for the Phillies' rubber match with the Rangers in Arlington, Texas. Instead, the shortstop is headed back to Philadelphia to be with his wife as the couple is expecting its second child. Instead, Jayson Nix is making his Phillies' debut at short. Kyle Kendrick makes his season debut on the bump. Ryan Howard will DH. The John Mayberry Jr. experiment at first continues into the 2014 season, and I know you're excited about that.

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Phillies should let young relievers take their lumps

Following Tuesday’s one-run loss, some questioned whether Ryne Sandberg pulled the right late-inning levers, with Mario Hollands making his big-league debut and taking the loss in a critical spot in the ninth.

Weitzel: There will be plenty of opportunity to roast Ryne Sandberg this season, and this will be the first of many, many losses attributable to the bullpen. But don’t burn that card on the second game of the season. Give it a rest. Only two of their relievers - Antonio Bastardo, who pitched a perfect eighth, and Jonathan Pabelbon, who is not a lockdown reliever anymore - would make most Opening Day bullpens. The Phils are auditioning the rest, and doing so amidst very modest expectations to compete this season. 

Clearly, the Phils thought enough of Mario Hollands to make the unprecedented call to bring him north despite having pitched only 25 games above A-ball. They made this huge deal about it. He’s not on the roster to sit. He’s here to pitch. He’s young and fringe, just like the rest, and they should all be given ample opportunity to succeed or fail so we aren’t wasting our time with the likes of Mike Adams, Chad Durbin and Danys Baez.

Jason Weitzel is the founder of Beerleaguer and hangs out on Google+.

Mistake, young bullpen cost Phillies in first loss

After beating the Rangers in an opening-day score-fest Monday, the Phillies were locked in a low-scoring, bullpen battle with Texas on Tuesday.

A.J. Burnett handed the youngsters in relief a 2-1 lead after the sixth inning, but that advantage would not hold. Jake Diekman gave up the game-tying run with two outs in the seventh before Mario Hollands, making his big-league debut, struggled to throw strikes in the ninth and took the loss when B.J. Rosenberg allowed the game-winning run on an RBI single to Adrian Beltre.

Rangers 3, Phillies 2.

Ben Revere made what turned out to be a costly gaffe on the bases (read more about that below), while the Phils’ bullpen took its first hit of the season.

What we liked
• Burnett looked very strong. His breaking pitches had bite and he mixed his off-speed and fastball well in taming a deep and dangerous Texas lineup that exposed Cliff Lee the day before. Burnett threw six innings of one-run ball in 97 pitches. We all know how important the righty is, and Tuesday was a nice start to 2014.

• Marlon Byrd’s diving catch and subsequent double play in the sixth inning crushed a Rangers rally and epitomized why his addition was a plus this offseason. If Donnie Murphy’s blooper drops for a single, Texas, trailing 2-1 at the time, has two men aboard with no outs and the top of its order right around the corner. Defense — even just one play — can win a game (see story).

• Ryan Howard wanted plenty of reps in spring training versus left-handed pitching. He got 22 at-bats and hit .318. On Tuesday night, he delivered a two-out RBI double off left-handed starter Martin Perez, who was awfully tough against the Phillies.

What we disliked
• Revere was picked off at second base in the sixth inning after originally being called safe before ruled out following replay review by the umpires. The next pitch, Byrd singled up the middle, which would have scored Revere. The Phils then plated another run that same inning. No team is perfect, but limiting mistakes obviously go a long way in winning games. In this case, it could have been the difference.

• Ryne Sandberg has been creative and experimental thus far, which is good. But rolling with Hollands in the ninth inning of a tie game against Shin-Soo Choo, Elvis Andrus and Prince Fielder is asking a lot of a 25-year-old making his first-ever major-league appearance. Baptism by fire? That was it.

• On the other hand, Howard twice struck out against lefties by flailing at off-speed pitches well out of the strike zone. The Big Piece is continually working on his discipline and could be all that more dangerous if he improves it.

What’s next
In the series rubber match Wednesday night, Kyle Kendrick goes for the Phillies (1-1) and opposes Rangers (1-1) lefty Robbie Ross.

Game 2: Show us what you've got, A.J.

The $16 million man makes his Phillies debut tonight against young Rangers lefty Martin Perez.

The signing of A.J. Burnett this winter was one of Ruben Amaro's shrewder moves of the past few offseasons.

Sure it came with a high price tag, but just one year guaranteed for a pitcher who's made 61 starts with a 3.41 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 3.02 K/BB ratio in the last two years? Sign me up.

Tonight, the 37-year-old will be unveiled.

Burnett is coming off a poor spring (6.05 ERA, 19.1 IP, 22 H, 12 K, 9 BB), but that shouldn't be cause for concern. The veteran right-hander had similar struggles with the Pirates last spring (7.36 ERA, 1.55 WHIP) but came out of the chute strong and finished April with a 2.83 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 48 K's in 35 innings.

As a former member of the Blue Jays and Yankees, Burnett has pitched his fair share of games in Arlington. In seven starts there, he's 3-1 with a 4.46 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and a .244 opponents' average. Current Ranges are hitting .244 off him.

TRUE TEST

Sure, the Phillies shellacked young right-hander Tanner Scheppers — who couldn't throw a strike — yesterday, but they'll get their first real test tonight against Venezuelan lefty Martin Perez.

Perez, 22, also had a rough spring (6.23 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 13 IP, 8 K, 8 BB) but was one of the Rangers' best pitchers down the stretch last season, going 7-3 with a 3.19 ERA from July 31 forward.

Fortunately for the Phillies, Perez isn't particularly nasty against lefties — .269/.276 vs. LHB/RHB in his career — but it's still not difficult to envision Ryan Howard lunging at his low-and-outside slider. Hopefully, the Big Piece can duplicate some of that new-found discipline he showed at the plate Monday.

WATCH FOR...

• Where Howard bats in the order. Ryne Sandberg liked to slot him fifth against lefties in the spring, which he'll hopefully do again. Howard is batting .173 off southpaws the past two seasons.

• Burnett vs. Adrian Beltre & Prince Fielder. The Texas duo is a combined 14 for 48 (.292) against him with six doubles and three homers.

• J-Roll at the dish. Sandberg insisted Jimmy Rollins wasn't thinking homer before his grand slam on Monday, but Jimmy admitted he was. The skipper wants his shortstop thinking more line drives and ground balls, but Rollins seems more likely to continue pointing his follow-through at the clouds. For the record, he hit three fly balls (including his homer), two ground balls and struck out once yesterday.
  
  

Here are tonight's lineups:

Phillies

1. Ben Revere, CF
2. Jimmy Rollins, SS
3. Chase Utley, DH
4. Marlon Byrd, RF
5. Ryan Howard, 1B
6. Carlos Ruiz, C
7. John Mayberry Jr., LF
8. Jayson Nix, 3B
9. Cesar Hernandez, 2B

Rangers

1. Shin-Soo Choo (L), LF
2. Elvis Andrus (R), SS
3. Prince Fielder (L), 1B
4. Adrian Beltre (R), 3B
5. Alex Rios (R), RF
6. Mitch Moreland (L), DH
7. Donnie Murphy (R), 2B
8. Leonys Martin (L), CF
9. Robinson Chirinos (R), C

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Phillies win hit parade on Opening Day

Just like they drew it up: Cliff Lee got the win, Jonathan Papelbon closed out a close game with a perfect ninth and the Phillies topped the Rangers on Opening Day.

Looks like Jimmy Rollins was right after all, at least for one day.

The Phillies went into the season opener having gone three straight spring games without scoring a run, but who cares now? They racked up 17 hits and six walks in a 14-10 win over Texas — their highest run total on Opening Day since a 19-17 win on April 19, 1900.

Rollins appeared to open the game up in the second inning with a two-out grand slam to make it 6-0. It was his 200th career homer. In all of April last season, Rollins had one homer and seven RBIs.

Cliff Lee just didn't have it and got hit around all afternoon. He allowed eight runs on 11 hits and a walk and struck out just one, but considering his solid spring there should be no reason to worry. He picked up the win.

Ben Revere, Chase Utley and Cody Asche picked up three hits apiece. Marlon Byrd and Asche also hit solo homers. Ryan Howard struck out three times but also picked up two singles and drew a walk.

Jake Diekman, B.J. Rosenberg and Antonio Bastardo combined for three innings, allowing two runs, and gave way to Papelbon, who retired the Rangers in order in the ninth. Papelbon needed just 12 pitches, nine of which were strikes.

Pedro Figueroa was charged with the loss for yielding four runs in 1 2/3 innings. Tanner Scheppers struggled in his first big-league start, needing 93 pitches to get through four innings while giving up seven runs. The only Texas pitcher who didn't surrender a run was Seth Rosin, the former Phillies prospect, who tossed a scoreless ninth.

THE GOOD

1. Patience at the plate. The three walks the Phillies drew in the second inning all led to runs, thanks to J-Roll's grand slam, and the bats forced Scheppers to throw 38 pitches in the frame, which contributed to his early exit. The Phillies drew three bases on balls in one inning just six times in 2013; they drew six or more walks in a game just nine times.

2. Jake Diekman. Thanks to his buddy B.J., he was charged with two earned runs, but it doesn't take away from what Diekman did in the sixth inning. He mowed through the top of Texas' order on 11 pitches, getting both Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder on strikeouts. Probably shouldn't have gone out for the seventh inning, anyway.

3. Byrd, Revere keep strokin'. Really the only two Phillies who looked good offensively all spring, Byrd (.298 in Florida) and Revere (.294) kept their hot bats going, combining for five hits and knocking in four runs. The homer was Byrd's first as a Phillie since Aug. 29, 2004 (off Pedro Liriano, then of the Brewers). All three of Revere's hits were hard-hit.

THE BAD

1. Howard on the basepaths. Has Howard ever looked worse on the bases? He hobbled around like his legs were tied together at the ankles. He had no business heading home on Carlos Ruiz's grounder with the Rangers' infield halfway in the third and was out by only about 30 feet.

2. Lee with a big lead. What is it about Cliff Lee that he can't seem to pitch with a big lead? Including today, his career ERA is 4.11 when his team gives him six or more runs of support and opponents are hitting .267 off him. When his team scores five runs or fewer, his ERA is 3.26. What gives, Cliff?

3. Miss the memo, Dom? Domonic Brown was about the only Phillie who didn't exercise patience in the batter's box. He saw a total of 14 pitches in five at-bats, which included a strikeout. He did pick up a hit and subsequently stole second and scored a run, but it would be nice to see him build on a spring in which he drew nine walks in 63 plate appearances by working the count more.

UP NEXT

A.J. Burnett makes his Phillies debut vs. lefty Martin Perez and the Rangers on Tuesday at 8:05 p.m. (TCN). Texas hitters are a combined .244 lifetime off Burnett with four homers.

Game 1: Cliff Lee takes the ball on Opening Day

In his first visit back to Texas since leaving as a free agent, Cliff Lee will face a formidable Rangers lineup, while Tanner Scheppers makes his first career start against the Phillies.

It's Opening Day — just Game 1 to be followed by 161 more. It usually carries with it a more important weight simply because it's the first one, but for the Phillies — this year — it should.

It should because there's no wiggle room on this team that Ruben Amaro Jr. has insisted can contend. And he proved his beliefs through the signings of A.J. Burnett and Carlos Ruiz and the refusal to trade in the club's most valuable chip: Lee.

If the Phillies are going to contend, or at least remain in the race, they're going to need to win an overwhelming majority of the games Lee starts. Last season's 16-15 record with Lee on the bump won't cut it.

It will have to be something much closer to two-thirds of the games he starts, like when they went 22-10 in his games in 2011, which also means they'll have to give him run support better than 3.8 per game (14th-worst in '13).

Moreover, they'll have to take the winnable games... obviously. And not every game is going to be as winnable as today's is. Missing Yu Darvish in the only series they'll see Texas this year is luck they can't afford to gamble away.

In fact, all of their first four series — against the Rangers, Cubs, Brewers and Marlins — are against mediocre-to-bad teams that the Phillies, in theory, could beat up on.

In reality, the Rangers' lineup could beat up on Lee if he doesn't have his best stuff. It's the scary kind of lineup that can instill fear in a pitcher, and justifiably so, especially in Arlington. Lee's career numbers there aren't great, either. In 14 games, he sports a 5.07 ERA with 82 strikeouts, 12 walks and nine homers allowed in 94 innings.

But he has had success against the hitters he'll be facing, who are collectively batting .206 against him (27 for 131) with one homer. Only Prince Fielder (6 for 8), Elvis Andrus (3 for 8) and Alex Rios (7 for 25) have hit him well.

Here are the lineups:

Phillies

1. Ben Revere, CF
2. Jimmy Rollins, SS
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Marlon Byrd, RF
6. Domonic Brown, DH
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. Cody Asche, 3B
9. Tony Gwynn Jr., CF

Rangers

1. Shin-Soo Choo (L), LF
2. Elvis Andrus (R), SS
3. Prince Fielder (L), 1B
4. Adrian Beltre (R), 3B
5. Alex Rios (R), RF
6. Mitch Moreland (L), DH
7. J.P. Arencibia (R), C
8. Leonys Martin (L), CF
9. Josh Wilson (R), 2B

Phillies could have used Abreu's bat

The Phillies informed Bobby Abreu on Wednesday that he wouldn't make the opening day roster, and Thursday the club granted him his unconditional release so he could pursue other options.

In the end, Abreu's defense in the outfield proved to be too much of a liability for the Phils.

The 40-year-old outfielder misplayed a couple balls in his final spring game with the club on Wednesday in a 1-0 loss to the Tigers, in which he played a full nine innings in right field.

Now that Abreu's out of the picture, the Phillies' bench will likely consist of John Mayberry Jr., Wil Nieves, Cesar Hernandez, Tony Gwynn Jr. and possibly Reid Brignac. It's a crew who — minus the up-and-coming Hernandez — lacks a certain knack to get on base, which was Abreu's speciality.

Even in Florida, where he went just 10 for 41 with three doubles and a triple, Abreu demonstrated his ability to get on base, drawing 10 walks. In his last three big-league seasons, from 2010-12, Abreu struggled to hit the ball (.252 average) but still worked counts and got on base, with a .352 OBP. That would've represented a team-best for the 2013 Phillies, who managed only a .306 club OBP a season ago.

In their careers, Mayberry (.304), Nieves (.283), Gwynn (.312) and Brignac (.262) haven't exactly excelled in that category, although collectively they've all done a much better job this spring in a small sample size.

Also troubling is the lack of power the Phillies will bring off the bench, which Corey Seidman touched upon yesterday.

Darin Ruf, who hit 14 homers (one per 17.9 ABs) with a .348 OBP a year ago, will help fix both problems when he returns from his oblique injury — sometime in late April or early May, if the Phillies are lucky. In the meantime, they could have used Abreu's bat.

Phils part with Cedeno & Frandsen, buy time with Abreu

The Phillies released infielder Ronny Cedeno on Monday, and Kevin Frandsen opted for free agency. Bobby Abreu, who's been bothered by a sore shoulder, agreed with the club to move his opt-out date back four days.

Tuesday marked the deadline on whether the Phillies would have to place Cedeno on their 25-man roster or grant him a $100,000 bonus to play at Triple A.

Ultimately, after his lousy spring, they chose door No. 3 and let him go. The 31-year-old went just 4 for 22 in Grapefruit League play.

Frandsen, who would have been guaranteed $900K if he accepted his demotion, chose to become a free agent instead.

Granting Frandsen guaranteed money didn't look good after the Phils outrighted him Sunday, but the 31-year-old's decision to walk let the club off the hook. He also had a subpar spring, going 7 for 34 with no extra-base hits or walks. He did lead the league with 14 pinch hits a year ago, although his overall performance at the plate was a mediocre .250 average.

Abreu is the most interesting case of the three. By moving his deadline back to Sunday, the Phillies have bought themselves more time to decide on who will make up their bench — after John Mayberry Jr. and Wil Nieves. The final spots will likely come down to Abreu, Tony Gwynn Jr., Reid Brignac and Cesar Hernandez.

All four have had good springs, although Brignac's sample size has been easily the smallest — he's the only one who hasn't gotten 20 plate appearances, while the rest have gotten at least 38.

Phils outright Frandsen; bench coming together

The Phillies' opening-day bench is coming together after the club outrighted infielder Kevin Frandsen off the 40-man roster on Sunday.

Frandsen was reassigned to Lehigh Valley, a demotion he has three days to accept or decline. If he refuses and elects to become a free agent, he'll lose the $900,000 the Phillies guaranteed him when they signed him over the winter.

Frandsen, who hit .280/.333/.389 over the past two seasons with the Phils, really strugged at the plate this spring. He went just 7 for 34 (.206) with no extra-base hits and no walks.

Now that Frandsen, Freddy Galvis (MRSA) and Darin Ruf (strained oblique) are no longer in the picture for opening day, the Phillies' bench is coming together.

After Wil Nieves and John Mayberry Jr., the remaining spots seem to be between Tony Gwynn Jr., Bobby Abreu, Reid Brignac, Ronny Cedeno and Cesar Hernandez. The Phils could carry a five- or six-man bench to start the year.

Here's a look at how they are faring so far this spring:

Gwynn: 11 for 34 (.324/.465/.500), 3 2B, 1 HR
Abreu: 9 for 35 (.257/.422/.400), 3 2B, 1 3B
Brignac: 6 for 16 (.375/.500/.563), 3 2B
Cedeno: 4 for 21 (.190/.261/.286), 2 2B
Hernandez: 8 for 31 (.258/.294/.290), 1 2B

Of the group, Hernandez offers the most versatility, which is a trait we know Ruben Amaro Jr. values.

Hernandez can play second base and center field and even played third base in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Twins. He's also appeared in five straight spring games, so the club seems to be trying to get as many looks at him as it can.

Phillies send Maikel Franco to the minors

A spring competition ended Saturday when the Phillies re-assigned Maikel Franco, who was unlikely to win the third base job from Cody Asche, to the minor leagues.

Franco hit .184 this spring, 7-for-38 with seven singles. Ryne Sandberg told reporters including CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury that he'll need to work on shortening his swing. 

The Phils' next decision is Double-A or Triple-A for Franco. In 2013 he tore up the Eastern League in 69 games after a promotion from Clearwater. For Reading, Franco hit .339 with a .926 OPS, 15 homers and 51 RBI in 292 plate appearances. There is nobody blocking Franco at Lehigh Valley, but the Phils may decide to start him back at Reading to get him going offensively.

Asche, who wasn't officially named the starting third baseman but will be, gets the chance to prove himself offensively. He had a nice three-week run last season, batting .333 over 24 games with four homers, six doubles, a triple and 18 RBI. That came after his 1-for-17 start.

He's going to need to hit to balance out a glove that -- in an admittedly small sample of major-league time -- looked average. Third base defense was an issue last year for a Phillies team that's declined defensively across the board. Asche showed impressive range at times but made five errors -- a few ugly ones -- in 50 games.

Ruf, then Galvis -- Phillies' injuries piling up

On Thursday, Darin Ruf strained an oblique taking batting practice and will likely be off the Phillies' Opening Day roster because of it. On Friday, another bench candidate, Freddy Galvis, was hospitalized with a staph infection in his right leg.

This re-shapes the Phillies' bench, at least for April. Ruf wasn't a lock to make the team by any stretch because of the presence of John Mayberry, Jr. and Bobby Abreu, but now it's likely Ruf opens the season on the DL. Oblique injuries take several weeks to recover from, and players generally need time off before even attempting to swing, which could re-injure the area because of twisting.

Galvis was the frontrunner for the Phils' utility infield job. No timetable was given for his return, and as Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reported, Galvis could also open the season on the DL.

If that's the case, the Phils could turn to Reid Brignac or Ronny Cedeno, two veteran infielders signed to minor-league deals over the winter. Brignac is 6-for-15 this spring with three doubles, two walks and two RBIs and Cedeno is 4-for-15 with two doubles, two walks and three RBIs. Neither is known for offense, but the role will be about defense anyway.

If the Phils go with a five-man bench to start the season, you could be looking at Mayberry, Abreu, backup catcher Wil Nieves, Kevin Frandsen, and either Brignac or Cedeno. Very little power on that bench.

Don't sleep on Tony Gwynn, Jr., either. Ryne Sandberg has raved about him this spring because of his defensive ability in center field and his penchant for getting on base. Gwynn is 9-for-26 (.346) this spring with six walks and two steals. He's a better defender in center than Mayberry, who was looking more and more redundant before the Ruf injury.

Gwynn is 31 and hasn't played in the majors since 2012. He's a career .244/.312/.318 hitter in nearly 1,700 major-league plate appearances with the Brewers, Dodgers and Padres. He's stolen 77 bases in 103 tries, a 74.5 percent success rate.

No-brainer: Cliff Lee named opening day starter

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg annouced Monday something we all knew already: Cliff Lee will get the ball on opening day.

It'll be just the second opening day start of Lee's career — his last came in 2009 with the Indians, following his Cy Young season, also at the Rangers. The Phillies open the season in Texas on March 31 at 2:05 p.m.

Even if Cole Hamels, last year's opening day starter, weren't injured, the nod probably should have gone to Lee anyway considering his tremendous 2013 campaign.

Easily the best on the Phils' staff, Lee went 14-8 with a 2.87 ERA, 222 strikeouts and just 32 walks in 222.2 innings (31 starts). His 6.94 strikeout-to-walk ratio led the majors. Plus, the 35-year-old is having a great spring with four runs, 11 hits, 13 strikeouts and two walks in 13.2 innings.

Opening day will be Lee's first return to Arlington since helping lead the Rangers to the World Series in 2010. Most recently, he tossed eight shutout innings against Texas in a 2-0 Phillies win on May 21, 2011.

Washed out

Monday's scheduled game against the Orioles in Clearwater was rained out.

Pitchers Kyle Kendrick, A.J. Burnett, Jake Diekman and Jonathan Pettibone all got work off the mound in indoor facilities.

The Phillies are off Tuesday and play the Blue Jays on Wednesday in Dunedin.

Rollins admits Sandberg is upset with him

It became a big story Wednesday night that Jimmy Rollins would be benched for a third straight game Thursday, and this morning he was frank with reporters about the situation with manager Ryne Sandberg.

"Obviously he’s upset about something,” Rollins told reporters, including CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury. “When he’s ready, he’ll let me know.

“I don’t know. You have to go ask the manager. I don’t write the lineups. It is unusual, yes, but I’m not going to try to second-guess or predict or try to come up with a reason why.

“Over the course of spring training, it could have been one specific incident he’s upset about it. That’s something that when he’s ready he’ll let me know.”

Rollins was quoted a few days ago in the Daily News with a "Who cares?" when asked about the Phillies' spring futility. That could have been what set Sandberg off. Typically, spring training numbers are meaningless, but that's not the best thing for a team leader to say when his team ranks dead last in baseball in batting average, OBP and slugging, 29th in runs and steals, and has 12 fewer hits than any team in Florida or Arizona.

Freddy Galvis gets another start at shortstop against the Yankees. 

This is far from the first time a manager has tried to send Rollins a message, though he says no message has ever needed to be sent. 

Rollins, who turns 36 in November, is in the final guaranteed year of a three-year contract. If he totals 434 plate appearances in 2013, an $11 million vesting option kicks in for 2015. If he stays healthy that's a virtual assurance -- Rollins' 434th PA of 2013 came on July 26.

Hamels to test arm, throw bullpen session Wednesday

Another chapter to the Cole Hamels spring-training saga will be written Wednesday.

Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg told reporters Monday afternoon that his lefty ace is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday.

Hamels' live throwing session last Friday was canceled because of a "fatigued arm." The 30-year-old said he needed to "step back and start over."

Well, maybe this is step one in starting over, but it seems like every step will be an unknown.

We'll have to wait and see until Wednesday if the Phils' all-important arm has some more life to it.

Lee on track, Howard hits fifth
The Phillies lost another spring game on Monday, 8-1, to the Braves.

A couple things to note:

• Cliff Lee struck out five in 3 2/3 innings of two-run ball. For all the club's starting pitching woes, Lee looks just fine and on schedule. That's a relief for fans.

• Ryan Howard hit fifth and went 0 for 2 with a walk, as Marlon Byrd batted cleanup. Sandberg told reporters he wanted to "split up the left-handed bats" of Chase Utley and Howard, and that it was "something to try in spring training … it gives us another look." 

Spring is the time to experiment and it looks like that's exactly what Sandberg is doing.

What's next?
David Buchanan starts Tuesday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., as the Phillies take on the Braves.

After Hamels' setback, Burnett, Gonzalez rocked

A day after Cole Hamels realized he needed to "step back and start over" in preparation for the 2014 season because of a "fatigued arm," the Phillies' starting pitching got no better on Friday.

A.J. Burnett and Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez were shelled in Sarasota, Fla., as the Phils were eviscerated by the Orioles, 15-4.

The game was not televised locally, but here were the lines for Burnett and Gonzalez.

Burnett: 3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO

Gonzalez: 1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 SO

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Gelb, Gonzalez was burned by a few seeing-eye singles, but was erratic and fell behind five of his nine batters faced, while his fastball clocked between 88-90 mph.

Sure, it's only spring training, but just about nothing has gone right for the club's starting pitching, which, before the team even arrived in Florida, was besieged by question marks.

It's only gotten worse.

At the plate
• Darin Ruf is hitting .316 after clubbing his second homer of the spring

• Marlon Byrd had a hit and an RBI and is batting .368 thus far

• Ryan Howard delivered a two-out, RBI double off of left-hander Brian Matusz

Not just the arms
The Phillies' bats have been just as worrisome as the starting rotation. Among all of baseball this spring, the Phils are dead-last in batting average (.189), on-base percentage (.279), slugging percentage (.301) and extra-base hits (17).

Up next
The Phillies host the Astros on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Righty Roberto Hernandez will make his third spring start.

In true Phillies spring fashion, Hamels has setback

Cole Hamels' scheduled throwing session Thursday was canceled because of arm fatigue. Hamels was scheduled to throw batting practice, but instead needs to "step back and start over," according to CSNPhilly.com.

Hamels wasn't going to be ready for Opening Day, but now it looks doubtful that he'll pitch in April. 

"April is the last thing I want to think about right now," Hamels told reporters. "I would say, right now, we’re just taking it day by day. Ultimately I just want to get back out and get on the mound and see how I’m going to fare there."

If Hamels is out for an extended period of time -- and right now, it's hard to see any way he returns quickly -- the signing of A.J. Burnett morphs from an added bonus for the Phillies to a 1-for-1 swap at the top of the rotation. 

Hamels has said he's lost weight and strength and that his arm is tired, not in pain. 

“I felt good when I threw my last bullpen [Saturday], everything was great,” Hamels said. “But later that day and the next day, my arm felt fatigued. After 35 pitches, my body felt like I had thrown 1,000.

“I’ve been pushing everything I can to get ready and get back, and I pushed a little too hard. I wasn’t able to recover the way I have to.”

Hamels added that neither an MRI nor a cortisone shot has been deemed necessary.

The Phillies won't need a fifth starter until mid-April, but this now means that they likely must turn to either Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, David Buchanan, Sean O'Sullivan or Jeff Manship for some late-April starts. That is, unless Jonathan Pettibone or Ethan Martin are recovered from their own arm issues in time.

Hamels joins Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Roy Halladay and Brad Lidge as Phillies in the last few years who've suffered spring training setbacks.

Phillies play some small ball in spring training tie

Although the game ended with a thud and little offense (again), the Phillies showed a nice sign in Wednesday’s 2-2 tie against the Braves at Bright House Field.

Small ball.

In the seventh inning, the Phils manufactured a go-ahead run with two singles, a sacrifice bunt and a groundout.

Now, three of the four players (Cameron Rupp, Reid Brignac, Tony Gwynn Jr.) that played a part in it will likely be left off the opening-day roster, but still, it’s good to see the Phillies putting it to practice.

This team is not the 2008 club. That’s stating the obvious. The Phils can no longer rely on bashing home runs and erasing deficits with one swing of the bat.

So you better bet the Phillies’ offensive approach will see more small-ball decisions from Ryne Sandberg.

A tie?
An errant throw down the third baseline by relief pitcher Brad Lincoln allowed the Braves’ game-tying run in the top of the ninth inning.

After the Phils went scoreless in the bottom half of the frame, that was it.

No extra innings. Instead, a 2-2 tie.

Touching tribute
Prior to the game, the Phillies and Braves paid homage to the late Jim Fregosi.

It was a wonderful ceremony comprised of a video tribute and special words and appearances from friends, colleagues, players and teammates.

The Phillies always do a great job with their various types of ceremonies. They did it again with class in remembering Fregosi.

Verlander, Tanaka next
Half of the Phils' spring-training roster will travel to Lakeland, Fla., on Thursday to take on Justin Verlander and the Tigers.

The other half will stay in Clearwater, Fla., to face the Yankees and their prized offseason acquisition Masahiro Tanaka.

Per CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury, here are the Phillies' lineups for both games. Kyle Kendrick opposes Tanaka, while David Buchanan starts versus Verlander. Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez will follow Buchanan.

In Clearwater vs. Yankees

1. Freddy Galvis, SS
2. Kevin Frandsen, 3B
3. Chase Utley, 2B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Marlon Byrd, RF
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. John Mayberry Jr., CF
9. Reid Brignac, DH

In Lakeland vs. Tigers

1. Ben Revere, CF
2. Jimmy Rollins, SS
3. Bobby Abreu, RF
4. Darin Ruf, 1B
5. Maikel Franco, DH
6. Cody Asche, 3B
7. Tony Gwynn Jr., LF
8. Cesar Hernandez, 2B
9. Wil Nieves, C