1987 Fleer Exciting Stars #42 Kent Tekulve

Mets 8, Phillies 0
Game 44 - Tuesday Night, May 25th in New York

And so it comes to this. The first Kent Tekulve card of the 2010 season. Last season, I called on the former relief pitcher whenever things looked bleak and the Phils needed a shot in the arm, a pick-me-up, an exciting dose of Teke. As a Phillies fan, I should be used to the streakiness of this team, the sudden dry spells that have plagued them for the past several seasons. But it's still frustrating. The Phillies have not been fun to watch for 3 games in a row, and their offense has been M.I.A. for almost a week.

A journeyman knuckle-baller named R.A. Dickey was the culprit tonight, shutting out the Phillies through 6 innings. The Mets scored single runs in 5 different innings, and plated a trio in the 8th just to rub salt in the wound. Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur knocked in 2 runs a piece. The Phils offense? Absent again, leaving 13 men on base and going 1 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

The slate's wiped clean tomorrow.

All-Stars: Ending with a bit of positive news, in the early stages of the All-Star voting, 5 Phillies lead their respective positions - Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino. Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz are in second place at their positions.