The  Philadelphia Phillies have sole control of first place in the NL East division, thanks to a brilliant performance from pitcher Brett Myers, coupled with another impressive offensive showing. The Phillies extended their winning streak to five games, scoring an astounding 60 runs over the stretch.

Despite scoring 12 runs on the evening, including multi home run blasts by Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, Myers was the star of the show. After getting into some major trouble in the first inning, leading many frustrated fans to believe that this was just going to be another poor outing by the beleaguered star, Myers settled in and shut down the potenet Marlins offense, striking out 11 on the night.

It was Myers’ first win since April 17th against the Houston Astros, a gem similar to tonight. Myers once again showed that he is capable of being the dominant top flight pitcher that many thought he would be. Myers gave up three runs on three hits and two walks in the …

The Phillies face their biggest series of the young season this weekend as they square off against the division leading Florida Marlins at Citizen’s Bank Park. The Phillies sit just a half a game behind the Marlins, and two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves, who start a three game series in Cincinnati tonight.

The Phillies are currently riding a four game win streak in which they have scored a total of 48 runs, including a three game sweep of the reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies. The recent offensive surge has been led by none other than Chase Utley, who has 3 home runs and 13 RBIs in the last week alone. Struggling slugger Ryan Howard has contributed 7 RBIs of his own, despite hitting only .200.

An unlikely compliment to Utley has been third baseman Pedro Feliz, batting .346 with 8 RBIs over the same stretch. Feliz is batting .265 with 7 home runs and 28 RBIs on the year, but 12 of those RBIs have come …

Philadelphia Phillies’ second baseman Chase Utley leads the NL All Star balloting with 537,788 votes, second in the majors to Boston designated hitter David Ortiz, who has 556,567. He holds a commanding lead over Houston’s Kazuo Matsui (182,287).

Utley is batting .309 on the season, and is tied with Lance Berkman for first with 16 home runs. Berkman holds a small lead over St. Louis’ first baseman Albert Pujols in balloting with 329,473 votes.

Utley, a two time All Star, is having his best start yet in the majors, and is coming off a game in which he hit a career best 6 RBIs against the Colorado Rockies on Monday night.

Widely considered to be the front runner for NL MVP coming into the season, Utley is making a great case for continuing the Phillies’ streak of MVP players. Utley is in the top five in home runs, RBIs, runs, slugging percentage and total bases. He has pulled away from most of the NL, with the exception of Berkman, …

Be prepared Phillies fans.  Kris Benson might soon be on his way…

The 33 year-old pitcher threw his second extended spring training game yesterday and looked strong.  Benson threw 75 pitches (four-plus innings), where he allowed one run and three hits, while striking out four.  More importantly, Benson showed some added velocity to his fastball (topped at 90 MPH) and was pain-free after the outing.

Benson’s next stop will be a minor league game, pitching for the Clearwater Threshers on Sunday.  His pitch count will remain at 75, but given the varied setbacks Benson’s had this spring, a minor league start is a big step.

There’s no timetable for Benson’s return. Estimations range from late-June to early-July.  It all depends on how Benson fairs in his rehab starts, and no new setbacks develop.

Another factor to consider is if Benson remains with the Phillies.  After Benson re-negotiated his contract with the Phillies, a clause was added, alowing Benson to become a free agent if he’s not on the 40-man roster.  Odds are he …

After finally proving to be the player many thought he could be, Jason Werth has again found himself on the disabled list, this time with a strained oblique. He injured himself during Thursday’s win over the Houston Astros and was out of the lineup on Friday.

After spending much of his career as a bench player with the Toronto Blue Jays and Los Angeles Dodgers, Werth has found a home with the Phillies. Injuries to Shane Victorino in the August and September of 2007 put Werth into the starting lineup, where he proved that he deserved to play more than just off the bench.

During a Spring Training game in 2005, Werth was hit by a pitch from A.J. Burnett that broke his left wrist. He was able to play in a career-high 102 games, but hit .234 with 7 home runs. Eight months later, Werth underwent exploratory surgery that revealed two ligament tears, which were repaired, despite the discomfort never subsiding. Werth would later injure his wrist …

Former Philadelphia Eagles’ lineman Thomas McHale was found dead Sunday in the Tampa Bay home of a friend.

The Pasco County Sheriff’s office said that McHale was found dead by his friend, but that foul play was not suspected. An autopsy has been scheduled.

McHale spent 1987-1992 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then the next two seasons with the Eagles, before spending his last year with the Miami Dolphins.

He was 45.

Well the real Brad Lidge has stepped up.

When the Phillies traded Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary, and Mike Constanzo for the former elite closer (and Eric Bruntlett), it immediately fueled speculation at Philadelphia sports radio stations, bars, and water-coolers.  Would a change of scenery be what Lidge needed to return to his former dominant ways, or did Pat Gillick deal one of the fastest players in the game and a power-hitting prospect for an overpriced wash-up?

There’s never been any doubt in Lidge’s ability.  Armed with a mid-90’s fastball and one of the best sliders in all of baseball, he has the tools to enter a game in any situation and gets the big out.  That if his head doesn’t get in the way.

October 17, 2005 was the turning point in the career of Brad Lidge.  In Game 5 of the NLCS, the Astros called on Lidge to protect a two-run lead.  At the time, Lidge was as automatic as they come. That was until he threw one …

Triple A:
With the struggles of Adam Eaton and Brett Myers, some have called on JA Happ to be the call-up to make a start should a move be made.  Happ is a lowly 1-4 at Lehigh-Valley, but has also been a victim of being on a poor team.  Latley it seems the poor supporting cast has begun to take it’s toll.  He’s given up 8 earned runs in his last 13 innings pitched.  This is only a minor concern.  Every young pitcher hits a rut from time to time.  Should the Phillies look to make a move, Happ would still be the favorite to get the call-up.

Jon Knott has flourished since the Phillies picked him up off the Twins scrap-heap.  In 22 games as an Iron Pig, Knott is batting .313 with 2 home runs and 13 RBI’s.  Like many of the Iron Pigs, Knott is another minor-league jounreyman, who’ll probably never get to smell the grass at Citizen Bank Park.  The Phillies don’t have much …

According to a Los Angeles Times article, the San Diego Padres could be preparing for a fire sale, as they have the worst record in the majors. One of those players that is possibly on the block is former Philadelphia Phillies Randy Wolf, who is reportedly being shopped to the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Florida Marlins, as well as the Phillies.

This season Wolf is 2-4 with a 5.05 ERA, but is considered to be having a much better season than his record or ERA show. The Padres do not provide a lot of run support for their pitchers, with just one position player batting over .300 (they have three pitchers batting over .300). Wolf also suffers from Moyer syndrom, as he tends to run out of gas in later innings. As good as the Phillies’ bullpen has been this season and an offense that is capable of six or seven runs a night, Wolf could once again prove himself to be a good fit in …

The Phillies’ bats came out of hiding Wednesday night, led by struggling slugger Ryan Howard and Shane Victorino. Jamie Moyer pitched six shut out innings to improve to 4-3 on the season.

After scoring a total of one run in the previous two games and leaving 41 men on base in the previous four, the Phils bats came alive for 12 runs on 15 hits. Howard led the attack with two home runs and a double, knocking in four. Howard raised his average to .195 and is starting to show life over the past week or so.

Despite striking out in his final at bat, extending his streak to ten straight games with a strikeout, tonight’s game could prove to be the pivotal point in which his season turns around. It was his first multi home run game of the season.

Howard’s first inning RBI double was the first of many hits for the Phillies with runners in scoring position, something they have been struggling mightily with, going 6 …

The Phillies received another stellar performance from ace Cole Hamels, extending his scoreless innings streak to 19 with seven shut out innings Tuesday night against the Washington Nationals. Nationals’ Jason Bergmann was equal to the task, throwing seven shut out innings of his own. It came down to a battle between the bullpens, a contest narrowly won by the Phillies.
After receiving a shut out eighth inning from Tom Gordon, pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs once again came through in the clutch, knocking in the lone run of the game. Dobbs has 10 pinch hits and 9 RBIs in 22 at-bats this season, tops in the majors. Dobbs’ hit ended the 12 inning scoreless streak of Nationals’ reliver Jon Rauch.

Brad Lidge pitched a scoreless ninth for the save.

Dobbs’ hit kept the Phillies from being shut out in consecutive games for the first time since September 11-12, 1999 and their first four game losing streak since August 22-25, 2007.

While the stellar pitching of Hamels, Gordon, and Lidge is the story …

When the Phillies opted not to re-sign Aaron Rowand, I knew he would be missed.  Not for his Gold Glove defense, or clutch bat in the late innings, but for his clubhouse presence.  In a locker room that boasts numerous All-Stars and MVP’s, Rowand was the vocal leader in the clubhouse.  When the Phils heads weren’t on straight, Rowand got them to focus.  When the team was a in rut, it was Rowand who led the locker room meeting.
 
Right now is when the Phillies need Rowand.  After being unable to figure out Tim Redding for a second time this season, the Phillies are in a season-high, three game losing streak.  It’s not just a losing streak; …