1997 Metal Universe #201 Gregg Jefferies

Braves 4, Phillies 3

Game 87 - Sunday Afternoon, July 8th in Philadelphia

Record - 37-50, 5th Place, 14 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies were swept by the Braves to end the first half of their dreadful 2012 season.

What It Means:  The team will limp into the All-Star break with their worst first half record since they went 24-61 in 1997.  They'll try to regroup and get things going in the right direction on Friday in Denver.

What Went Wrong:  Jason Pridie was a late insertion into the line-up after Shane Victorino was mysteriously benched just prior to the game.  (Victorino wasn't traded.  Manager Charlie Manuel apparently just thought the slumping Victorino needed a break.)  Pridie's two-run home run in the second and his RBI-double in the fourth were the extent of the Phillies scoring.  Carlos Ruiz added two more hits to raise his average to .350.

Vance Worley had a decent performance, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five.  Reliever Raul Valdes was victimized by Brian McCann, surrendering McCann's go-ahead solo home run in the seventh.

Featured Card:  During the next few months, I envision the 2012 Phillies team collectively trying to out-run the horrendous start to its night-marish season, much like Gregg Jefferies is trying desperately to escape the smoking dungeon of horrors lurking behind him on this baseball card.

1988 Topps #705 Juan Samuel

Braves 6, Phillies 3
Game 86 - Saturday Night, July 7th in Philadelphia
Record - 37-49, 5th Place, 14 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies were never really in this ballgame, as the Braves easily handled the reeling last place team, 6-3.

What It Means:  The Phillies have lost nine out of their last ten.  They continue to explore new and painful levels below rock bottom.  Mathematically, it's going to be next to impossible for the team to wriggle its way back into any kind of play-off contention at this point.  The 2012 Phillies are also on pace to record one of the worst (if not the worst) turn-arounds in Major League Baseball history.  Coming off their record-setting 102-win 2011 season, they are on pace to lose 92 games.

And here's more doom and gloom - their 17-26 home record is the worst in baseball.  The last time the Phillies were 12 games under .500 was back at the end of 2000, when Terry Francona was the manager.

Maybe it's time for a change.  I'm starting to agree with everyone who has been saying all along that the return of Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay wouldn't just automatically flip on the "win" switch.  I'm starting to wonder how this team would react to having Ryne Sandberg at the helm.

What Went Wrong:  Spotty pitching and shoddy offense.

Featured Card:  I'm trying to like Hunter Pence.  It's just that his free swinging, tongue wagging, Juan Samuel knocking down ways are starting to get to me.  Not to mention that Pence takes some of the most awkwardly zig-zagging routes on balls hit to the outfield that I've ever seen.

In the second last night, Pence completely took out Samuel, the third base coach, as Pence took an extremely wide turn at third while coming home to score on a Juan Pierre double.  Pence and the players in the dugout were shown cracking up after Samuel had picked himself up and dusted himself off.  Samuel was shown to be seething mad.  I'm with Samuel on this one, and I tried to find the meanest looking Samuel card in my collection for this post.

Bastardo! (Not Feeling Chipper)

2001 Topps Combos #TC2

Braves 5, Phillies 0
Game 85 - Friday Night, July 6th in Philadelphia
Record - 37-48, 5th Place, 13 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Antonio Bastardo gift-wrapped the 5-0 win for the Braves, completely and spectacularly imploding in the eighth inning.

What It Means:  The Phillies are 11 games under .500 for the first time since June 5, 2002.  By all accounts, and by the sound of the radio broadcast, the Phillies fans in attendance booed louder and with more anger than ever before in the history of Citizens Bank Park.

What Went Wrong:  Bastardo entered the ballgame, that's what went wrong.  (And of course there's the matter of the Phillies going 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.)  With the game scoreless after seven innings, Bastardo allowed a lead-off single and two walks to load the bases.  He walked in the first run of the game and then allowed a grand slam to Brian McCann.

Bastardo's performance ruined Ryan Howard's 2012 debut and Kyle Kendrick's fine pitching performance.  Howard doubled in his first at-bat and singled later in the game.  Kendrick scattered four hits over his seven innings of work, striking out five.

1999 Finest Split Screen
Right Refractor #SS8

Featured Cards:  Chipper Jones announced earlier this year that 2012 would be the final season of his 19-year career.  To say Jones has killed the Phillies over the years would be a huge understatement.  Even last night, he only went 1 for 3, but it was his walk in the eighth that loaded the bases and set up the latest Phillies melt-down.  Jones is hitting .334 lifetime against the Phillies with 47 home runs and 146 RBIs in 234 total games.  Only his stats against the Mets (.316, 48 home runs, 156 RBIs) are comparable.

As a result of his longevity and his pairings with Scott Rolen and Mike Schmidt, I have seven (non-parallel version) Chipper cards in my Phillies collection:

1996 Bowman's Best Mirror Image #3 - Chipper Jones, Scott Rolen, Wade Boggs, George Arias
1998 Donruss Preferred Great X-Pectations #22 - Chipper Jones, Scott Rolen
1999 Finest Split Screen #SS8 - Scott Rolen, Chipper Jones
1999 Topps #453 - Vinny Castilla, Chipper Jones, Scott Rolen
2000 SkyBox Dominion Double Play #3 - Chipper Jones, Scott Rolen
2000 Upper Deck Legends Reflections in Time #R9 - Chipper Jones, Mike Schmidt
2001 Topps Combos #TC2 - Chipper Jones, Mike Schmidt

I can't believe I just did a post with Chipper Jones as the focus.  That's how bad it is, folks.

Braves at Phillies: July 6th to July 8th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Friday 7:05, Saturday 7:15, Sunday 1:35

Braves 43-39, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 6 games behind the Nationals
Phillies 37-47, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 13 games behind the Nationals

Braves Probables:  Tim Hudson (6-4, 3.87), Tommy Hanson (9-5, 3.70), Jair Jurrjens (2-2, 5.19)
Phillies Probables:  Kyle Kendrick (2-8, 5.35), Joe Blanton (7-7, 4.85), Vance Worley (4-5, 3.46)

At the Ballpark:  Other than a food drive happening before Sunday afternoon's ballgame, there are no promotions this weekend at the ballpark.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .355

Runs:  Hunter Pence - 56

Home Runs:  Hunter Pence - 16

RBIs:  Hunter Pence - 49

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 20

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 10

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.20

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 118

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 18

1979 Topps #85 and #610

1979 Topps Flashback:  As we ease into the All-Star Break, today's flashback features two players who are no strangers to the Phillies organization.  Gary Matthews continues to provide color commentary on the team's television broadcasts.  I know a lot of people who enjoy Sarge's take on the game, but I can't say I'm one of those people.

Hall of Famer Mike Schmidt joins the team every spring in Clearwater as a guest hitting instructor.  He and Matthews were teammates with the Phils for three years in the early '80s.  Sarge joined the Phils for the 1981 season after being acquired from the Braves for Bob Walk.  Schmidt, Matthews and the rest of the Wheeze Kids helped the Phils to the National League pennant in 1983.  Matthews was named MVP of that year's N.L.C.S. after he hit .429 with three home runs against the Dodgers.  But both Schmidt (.050, 1 for 20) and Matthews (.250 with one home run) suffered poor World Series performances against the Orioles.

Five months following the postseason, Matthews was shipped to the Cubs along with my favorite, Bob Dernier, in a deal that still makes me cringe.

2001 Fleer Platinum #365 Jose Mesa

Mets 6, Phillies 5
Game 84 - Thursday Night, July 5th in Flushing
Record - 37-47, 5th Place, 13 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Jonathan Papelbon couldn't escape the ninth, blowing the lead and the game in yet another devastating loss.

What It Means:  This was an exciting game.  It was an enjoyable game.  Until the ninth inning.  The Phillies played well, Cole Hamels pitched well and it was great to see the club show some life.  But for the second time this season, Papelbon couldn't get the job done.

What Went Wrong:  Papelbon loaded the bases on a double, hit by pitch and a walk.  Daniel Murphy blooped one back to the pitcher, but he was unable to handle it, allowing the tying run to score.  David Wright blooped another one into right and Hunter Pence was unable to track it down, allowing the winning run to score.

The blown save negated Hamels' outing - seven innings, seven hits, four runs, seven strikeouts.  Jimmy Rollins had three hits (single, double, triple) and two RBIs in the loss.

Featured Card:  As much as I wanted to post a card featuring someone vomiting for this game summary post, in order to appropriately capture my mood, I don't have such a card in my collection.  Instead, here's a card of the Phillies all-time saves leader, Jose Mesa, which somehow also seems appropriate.

2011 eTopps #20 Cliff Lee

Phillies 9, Mets 2
Game 83 - Wednesday Afternoon, July 4th in Flushing
Record - 37-46, 5th Place, 12 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  For one day at least, all seemed right with the world as Cliff Lee, Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz celebrated their independence from the team's six-game losing streak.

What It Means:  The losing streak is over - both the team's and Lee's.  What the Phillies need now is an impressive winning streak.  Maybe 10 games?

What Went Right:  Lee won his first game of 2012, pitching eight impressive innings and striking out nine.  He allowed just two runs on seven scattered hits.  The Mets led 2-0 heading into the seventh, but Utley hit a two-run home run followed by a Chooch solo home run to tie up the ballgame.

The Phils broke the tie with three more runs in the eighth, starting with Jimmy Rollins' RBI-double to center.  Three more runs in the ninth broke the game open and the corn on the cob along with the grilled burgers and dogs tasted so much better because of it.

Featured Card:  It had to be a Lee card, and I felt this eTopps card would be appropriate given the bright red firework-ish background.

1997 Circa #170 Mark Leiter

Mets 11, Phillies 1
Game 82 - Tuesday Night, July 3rd in Flushing
Record - 36-46, 5th Place

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies lost in convincing fashion to the Mets, 11-1.

What It Means:  The Phillies are in the midst of a season-high six game losing streak, in which they've been outscored 41-18.  During these six awful games, the offense is hitting .250 while the pitchers have a 7.20 ERA.  By comparison, Phillies opponents are hitting .313 and the opposing team's pitchers have a 2.83 ERA.  They have not been ten games under .500 since July 22, 2002.  Crap.

What Went Wrong:  Pretty much everything.  Other than a Carlos Ruiz solo home run in the second, the Phillies managed just two singles.  Vance Worley allowed six runs on ten hits in his four innings of work.  The trio of pitchers that followed him (Raul Valdes, Brian Sanches and Jake Diekman) just threw fuel on the fire.

Featured Card:  I'm not going to lie to you.  It's bad folks.  My comparison of this season to the woeful 1997 season a few days ago drew quite a few passionate responses, which is to be expected from a Phillies fan base that has come to expect much more from their team.  Until this losing streak is over, I may just continue to post cards of members of that '97 squad.

Mark Leiter went 10-17 with a 5.67 ERA for the 1997 Phillies, finishing second in wins on the club behind Curt Schilling's 17.  The Phils better win this afternoon or so help me I'm pulling out a Calvin Maduro card.

Phillies at Mets: July 3rd to July 5th

Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Tuesday 7:10, Wednesday 1:10, Thursday 7:10

Phillies 36-45, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 11 games behind the Nationals
Mets 43-37, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 3 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Vance Worley (4-4, 2.92), Cliff Lee (0-5, 4.13), Cole Hamels (10-4, 3.08)
Mets Probables:  Jonathon Niese (6-3, 3.55), Chris Young (2-1, 3.30), R.A. Dickey (12-1, 2.15)

At the Ballpark:  It's fireworks night tonight at Citi Field!  Happy Independence Day!

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .356

Runs:  Hunter Pence - 56

Home Runs:  Hunter Pence - 16

RBIs:  Hunter Pence - 48

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre and Shane Victorino - 19

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 10

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.08

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 111

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 18

1979 Burger King Phillies #12 and
1979 Topps #621

1979 Topps Flashback:  This season is starting to make me a little wacky.  Today's featured players have nothing in common except they are both sporting fantastic examples of late-'70s-style, free-flowing, stone cold groovy beards on their 1979 cards.

Doug Bird appeared in 32 games (all but one in relief) for the 1979 Phillies after being acquired from the Royals for Todd Cruz.  He had been part of a steady Kansas City bullpen that advanced to the A.L.C.S. three years in a row (1976-1978) only to be defeated by the Yankees each time.  The Phils released him at the outset of the 1980 season, and he spent the next four seasons with the Yankees, Cubs and Red Sox before calling it a career.

Pat Zachry wrapped up his 10-year career by appearing in 10 games with the 1985 Phillies.  Acquired in spring training 1985 from the Dodgers for Al Oliver, Zachry put up a respectable 4.26 ERA with the Phils before getting released in June.  Zachry won the N.L. Rookie of the Year Award in 1976 after going 14-7 with a 2.74 ERA for the Big Red Machine.

1997 Select #199 Garrett Stephenson

Marlins 5, Phillies 2
Game 81 - Sunday Afternoon, July 1st in Miami
Record - 36-45, 5th Place, 11 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The bats went quiet in Miami as the Marlins won the game, 5-2, sweeping the three-game series.

What It Means:  At the mathematical mid-point of the season, the 2012 Phillies haven't had a record this bad since they were 23-58 in 1997.  Also, it's the first time they've been nine games under .500 since back on July 25, 2006.  With both Jim Thome (Orioles) and Chad Qualls (dealt to the Yankees yesterday) wearing different uniforms now, it's starting to look more and more as if more trades could be on the way.  Free agents-to-be Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino may be playing elsewhere this time next month.  This is getting depressing.

What Went Wrong:  Joe Blanton gave up his league leading 19th home run in the third and the Marlins two-run lead at that point may have well have been a 20-run lead.  The Phillies managed seven hits off Marlins pitching on the way to getting swept out of town.

Credit is due to Juan Pierre who seemed to be the only player showing signs of life.  He had a nice outfield assist, a great slide at home to score the Phillies first run, and he laid down a perfect bunt single.

Featured Card:  It's bad, but at least it's not as bad as 1997.  Here's the Philadelphia Inquirer article following the team's 10-6 loss to the Orioles back on July 2, 1997.  Garrett Stephenson started that game, but had to leave after five innings after giving up four hits and six walks.  For the '97 squad, it would be another four years before the Phillies were at least competitive again.  Hopefully we don't have to wait that long this time around.

2012 Topps #371 Jim Thome

Marlins 3, Phillies 2
Game 80 - Saturday Afternoon, June 30th in Miami
Record - 36-44, 5th Place, 10 games behind the Nationals

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 9 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  Mark Buehrle pitched a better game than Cole Hamels as the Phillies lost to the Marlins again, 3-2.

What It Means:  Each loss at this point drops the Phillies to a new season low.  They went 9-19 in June.  That's not good.

What Went Wrong:  Hamels battled through seven innings, allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out five.  Buehrle allowed one fewer run in his seven innings of work.  Hunter Pence contributed three hits, including a solo homer in the seventh.  Carlos Ruiz added two more hits to raise his average to .358.

Featured Card:  I started this mega day of catch-up posting with a Jim Thome card, so it's kind of fitting that I'm ending it with another card of the newest member of the Baltimore Orioles.  Following the loss on Saturday, the Phillies announced that Thome had been traded to the Orioles for two prospects - catcher Gabriel Lino and right-handed pitcher Kyle Simon.  (Simon has a card in this year's Bowman Prospects set while Lino has yet to have his first major cardboard appearance.)

Thome is featured here on perhaps his last Phillies baseball card as an active player.  He'll be missed and I'm grateful that I got to see him play live.  It's a move that makes sense for the Phillies and Thome, as he's no longer able to play the field.  He'll receive regular playing time with the Orioles as their primary DH.

I only hope that the trade of Gentleman Jim doesn't signal the start of more trades to come for the Phillies - unless the trades are to bolster the roster for a play-off run.  (Staying positive.)

2002 Multi-Ad Lakewood BlueClaws #12 Ryan Howard

Marlins 6, Phillies 2
Game 79 - Friday Night, June 29th in Miami
Record - 36-43, 5th Place, 10 games behind the Nationals

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 8 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee got knocked around again, as the Phillies dropped their third in a row.

What It Means:  Here are the grim facts -

• The Phillies are 3-10 this season when Lee starts, and Lee is now 0-5 with a 4.13 ERA.
• Lee has a 8.64 ERA in his last three starts.
• The Phillies have not been 7 games under .500 since April 20, 2007.
• The team's starting pitchers have a 5.04 ERA in June.

What Went Wrong:  The Phils were just never in this ballgame.  Hunter Pence drove in both Phillies runs, but it wasn't nearly enough.  Lee didn't escape the fifth inning, allowing six runs on ten hits.

Featured Card:  Help is on the way.  Maybe.  Roy Halladay threw a bullpen session on Friday and by all accounts, it went pretty well.  And Ryan Howard began his rehab assignment with Class-A Lakewood, playing five innings at first and going 1 for 2 with a single and a strikeout.  The card featured here is from Howard's initial stint with the BlueClaws ten years ago.  (Upon further review, I've already featured this card on the blog, so this is its encore performance.)

Beach Report:  It's not all doom and gloom in The Phillies Room.  We had a wonderful trip to the shore this week and the picture below is one of my new favorites.  One night, our family decided to take an evening beach walk and play a little catch.  Ben wasn't so sure about walking on the soft sand, but his brother Doug took his hand and assured him it was safe.

2008 Upper Deck First Edition #437 Adam Eaton

Pirates 5, Phillies 4
Game 78 - Thursday Afternoon, June 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 36-42, 5th Place, 9 games behind the Nationals

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 7 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  As a parting tribute to his former team mate Chad Qualls, Kyle Kendrick allowed five first inning runs to the Pirates in the eventual loss.

What It Means:  The Phillies fell back into sole possession of last place.

What Went Wrong:  We spent this morning on the beach and we returned in time for lunch and the beginning of the Phillies game.  After Kendrick's first inning implosion, I took a nap.  Other than home runs from Erik Kratz and Hunter Pence, it appears as if I didn't miss much.

Featured Card:  By posting this card, I am hoping to put the reverse black cat on the Phillies starting pitchers.  It's time to end their Eatonesque ways.

2012 Topps #361 Chase Utley

Pirates 11, Phillies 7
Game 77 - Wednesday Night, June 27th in Philadelphia
Record - 36-41, Tied for 4th Place, 9 games behind the Nationals

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 6 of 9


One Sentence Summary:  The bullpen, led by Joe Savery and Chad Qualls, failed to subdue the Pirates, ruining Chase Utley's much anticipated 2012 debut.

What It Means:  For some reason, this loss seemed particularly deflating, more so than other recent Phillies losses.

What Went Wrong:  Charlie Manuel chose to use the bullpen in this game (Raul Valdes started) rather than call up a starting pitcher from Lehigh Valley.  He chose poorly.  Despite three hits from Utley, including a first inning home run in his first at-bat of the season, and a scraping a clawing offense, the bullpen couldn't hold things together.

Savery (2 2/3 innings, 5 runs) and Qualls (1 inning, 3 hits and a walk, and a cuss-inducing two-run home run to Andrew McCutchen) found themselves off the roster following this game.  Savery was optioned back to Triple-A and Qualls was unceremoniously designated for assignment.

Featured Card:  When I think back through the first half of this miserable season, three memorable games come to mind:

1.  Cliff Lee's amazing 10-inning shutout performance against the Giants on April 18th.  The Phillies lost in the 11th, 1-0.
2.  Jim Thome's walk-off home run from last Saturday, giving the Phillies a dramatic 7-6 win over the Rays.
3.  And this game.  Utley hit a perfectly scripted home run in the first inning only to have Qualls and the rest of the bullpen completely negate the good vibes.

The fact that the Phillies were 1-2 in these games in a perfect microcosm of the season.  The two losses listed should have been wins if not for a shaky bullpen and/or an AWOL offense.  Utley's return provided so much needed electricity at the ballpark and among Phillies fans everywhere.  They should have won this game.  They could have won this game.  But they didn't.

Blog bylaws be damned.  Here's Utley's fantastic card from this year's Topps set.

2006 Upper Deck #990 Carlos Ruiz

Phillies 5, Pirates 4
Game 76 - Tuesday Night, June 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 36-40, 4th Place, 8 games behind the Nationals

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 5 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  Ty Wigginton and Carlos Ruiz contributed home runs in support of Vance Worley's winning effort against the Pirates.

What It Means:  The Phillies are back!  Long winning streak, here we come!  (Or maybe not.)

What Went Right:  Ruiz added three more hits, raising his league-leading batting average to .361.  He knocked in the first Phillies run in the first on an RBI-single and he added a much-needed insurance run in the eighth on a solo home run to left.  The homer was Chooch's tenth of the year - a career high.

Wigginton hit his eighth home run of the year in the third - a two-run shot to left.  Worley pitched six innings for the win, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out five.

Featured Card:  Save for his team-issued card and his Topps Opening Day card, I've already featured every 2012 Carlos Ruiz baseball card in my collection in prior game summary posts.  That's a testament to what an outstanding season the catcher is having and I shudder to think where the Phillies would be without him at this point.

There's a definite hole in my Phillies collection from 2005, as I don't currently own any of Ruiz' many "rookie" cards issued that year.  A quick review of Beckett's online database shows me that Ruiz had 14 base cards issued that year through various Upper Deck and Donruss brands.  Other than his minor league cards, my Ruiz collection starts in 2006 with his Topps 52 card and the Upper Deck card featured here.

(Note to self:  Must start working on 2005 Phillies want list one of these years.)

2012 Topps Archives #71 Jimmy Rollins

Phillies 8, Pirates 3
Game 75 - Monday Night, June 25th in Philadelphia
Record - 35-40, Tied for 4th Place, 8 games behind the Nationals

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 4 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies showed hustle in the 8-3 victory, aided by four Pirates errors.

What It Means:  This is why the 2012 version of the Phillies is so frustrating.  Just when I'm about to completely give up hope, they pull off a game like this one, in which everything seemed to come together nicely.

What Went Right:  The Phils jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first thanks to aggressive base running and three throwing errors from the Pirates.  Carlos Ruiz had three hits in the win and Jimmy Rollins contributed a lead-off double to start the first and a two-run home run in the fourth.

Joe Blanton pitched seven strong innings, allowing all three runs (two earned) on seven hits while striking out eight.

Featured Card:  It feels like forever since I featured a new Phillies card, given the losses that have piled up recently and my week-long vacation to the shore.  (I featured three newish Phillies cards back on June 21st.)  This is J-Roll's 1971 Topps-style card from the Topps Archives set, which after much deliberation, I decided not to collect.  Don't get me wrong - I like the set, and I'm learning not to mind the flimsy card stock.  But my multi-year transformation from a set collector to a Phillies card collector is now complete.

One day, I'll turn my attention back to the sole Topps base set from the '70s currently missing from my set collection.

1986 Sportflics #132 John Denny, Fernando Valenzuela & Vida Blue

Rays 7, Phillies 3 (Game 2)
Game 74 - Sunday Night, June 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 34-40, 5th Place, 9 games behind the Nationals

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 3 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee's struggles continued as the lefty remains winless on the season.

What It Means:  I barely paid much attention to this game, as once the Rays had the lead it just seemed as if the Phils weren't going to be able to get back into the ballgame.  My hunch was correct.

What Went Wrong:  Lee allowed five runs in his seven innings of work and the offense went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position.  It was a bullpen game for the Rays and other than Placido Polanco's two RBI doubles, the offense looked lethargic, once again.

Featured Card:  This is a stretch, I know, but hear me out.  Lee is now in dubious company, becoming just the second former Cy Young Award winning in history to be winless through at least 12 starts in a subsequent season.  (Per the MLB.com game summary write-up.)  The other pitcher was Vida Blue, who started the 1983 season with an 0-5 record after 14 starts with the Royals.

This is the only Blue card in my Phillies collection.  If you tilt your computer screen just right, you'll see that Blue shares this card with former Phillies Fernando Valenzuela and John Denny.

(Please leave a comment if you actually tried tilting your computer screen to see the other two pitchers.  I could use a pick-me-up now that my vacation is over.)

2009 Topps Heritage #387 2008 World Series Game #3

Rays 3, Phillies 2 (Game 1)
Game 73 - Sunday Afternoon, June 24th in Philadelphia
Record - 34-39

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 2 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  Antonio Bastardo gave up a back-breaking three-run home run in the eighth, ruining Cole Hamels' fine outing and giving the Rays a 3-2 win.

What It Means:  So much for the "momentum starter" win from the day before.

What Went Wrong:  Hamels was pulled after seven innings and 111 pitches, having surrendered just three singles while striking out seven.  Bastardo walked two batters before allowing a two-run blast to Carlos Pena and all the good vibes from Jim Thome's walk-off home run from Saturday afternoon were gone.

The Phillies had the bases loaded with two out in the eighth, but couldn't push across the tying run.  Charlie Manuel opted to let Michael Martinez hit (.136), but the light-hitting utility infielder couldn't get the job done.

Featured Card:  This series represents the Rays' first trip back to Philadelphia since the magical 2008 World Series.  The way this season is going, it definitely seems like it was much more than four years ago.

Here's the Chachi card and a brief game write-up of Game 3 of the 2008 World Series.

2012 Chachi #39 Jim Thome RB

Phillies 7, Rays 6
Game 72 – Saturday Afternoon, June 23rd in Philadelphia

Record - 34-38, 4th Place, 8 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Vacation Catch-Up - Part 1 of 9

One Sentence Summary:  Jim Thome hit a dramatic, 9th inning game-winning home run, giving the Phillies a 7-6 victory and pulling them out of the basement in the N.L. East.

What It Means:  Momentum starter?

What Went Right:  Last Saturday was our first day down at the shore, and I had the pleasure of watching the end of this game on TV.  Fortunately, I missed the part where Jonathan Papelbon blew the save in the top of the ninth, but I did correctly predict that Thome was going to win the thing on a walk-off.

Juan Pierre contributed an improbable three-run home run in the fourth, which came after Jimmy Rollins' two-run home run in the third.  It was just Pierre's fifth home run since 2006.  Papelbon came away with the win, but the pitcher contributing the most to the victory was Raul Valdes.  Valdes pitched two scoreless innings of relief, striking out four, after starter Kyle Kendrick exited after just four innings.

Featured Card:  I thought Thome's feat deserved the first Chachi Record Breaker/Highlight card of the year.  This card was modeled off the Record Breaker subset featured within the original 1979 Topps set. Thome’s home run was the 609th of his career, tying him for seventh on the all-time list with Sammy Sosa.  It was also his 13th game-winning home run, the most in Major League history.  Finally, the victory gave Charlie Manuel his 900th win overall as a manager.