Phillies at Braves: August 31st to September 2nd

Turner Field - Atlanta, GA
Friday 7:35, Saturday 4:05, Sunday 5:05

Phillies 62-69, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Braves 74-57, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 5 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Roy Halladay (8-7, 3.88), Cliff Lee (3-7, 3.67), Cole Hamels (14-6, 2.99)
Braves Probables:  Mike Minor (7-10, 4.71), Tim Hudson (13-4, 3.57), Paul Maholm (11-9, 3.44)

At the Ballpark:  It's a busy weekend at the Ted.  Fireworks will follow tonight's game and the first 30,000 fans will receive a commemorative Chipper Jones print.  On Saturday night, Lynyrd Skynyrd will play a post-game concert on the field.  And kids can run the bases following Sunday's game.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .243^

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 77

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 15*

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 32

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 14

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.99

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 172

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 30

^Hunter Pence, now with the Giants (.271) and Shane Victorino, now with the Dodgers (.261) have the overall team lead among players with enough qualifying plate appearances.

*Hunter Pence has the overall lead with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs.

2012 Chachi #46 Jonathan Papelbon AS

Phillies 3, Mets 2
Game 131 - Thursday Afternoon, August 30th in Philadelphia
Record - 62-69, 3rd Place, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Kendrick had another impressive outing and Kevin Frandsen added a four-hit performance as the Phillies won against the Mets, 3-2.

What It Means:  The Phils salvaged one game from the three game series and regained sole possession of third place in the East.

The win was somewhat overshadowed by the benching of Jimmy Rollins, who failed to run out a pop-up in the sixth inning.  It marked the second time this year that Rollins was called out by manager Charlie Manuel for not hustling.

What Went Right:  Kendrick allowed two solo home runs in the first two innings and then settled in on the way to his eighth win of the season.  He allowed just four more hits in the third through the eighth innings.  Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 30th save of the season.

Frandsen went 4 for 5, raising his average to .355 and John Mayberry, Jr. added three hits for the offense.

2011 Choice Lehigh
Valley IronPigs #11

Featured Cards:  Kendrick was the pitching star of this game, but I've been waiting for a decent excuse to feature Papelbon's All-Star card from this year's Chachi set.  With his save yesterday, Papelbon became the 10th Phillies pitcher to record a 30-save season.

I also wanted to honor Frandsen for his impressive performance.  Manuel has awarded Frandsen the starting third baseman's job for the duration of the season as Placido Polanco continues to deal with a bad back.  With Tyler Cloyd's recent promotion, here's an updated listing of the 2012 Phillies players without a Phillies baseball card to date, and Frandsen tops the list.  Phillies Team Issue 2.1, the Topps Update set or a late-year Bowman issue are these players' last hopes for a 2012 Phillies card:

• Kevin Frandsen (29 games)
• Josh Lindblom (13 games)
• B.J. Rosenberg (11 games)
• Nate Schierholtz (11 games)
• Phillippe Aumont (2 games)
• Tyler Cloyd (1 game)
• Steven Lerud (1 game)

2012 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #5 Tyler Cloyd

Mets 3, Phillies 2
Game 130 - Wednesday Night, August 29th in Philadelphia
Record - 61-69

One Sentence Summary:  Tyler Cloyd lost his Major League debut as the Phillies bats were silenced by Matt Harvey and the Mets bullpen.

What It Means:  In the course of 24 hours, Cloyd was named the Most Valuable Pitcher of the International League, was named the recipient of the 2012 Paul Owens Award as the best pitcher in the Phillies minor league organization, and was recalled to start against the Mets.  Cole Hamels was scheduled to start, but he came down with a stomach bug prior to the game.  Cloyd was 12-1 with a 2.35 ERA with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and 15-1 when you include his starts with Double-A Reading at the outset of the season.

The Phillies are 1-7 against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park this season.  That stinks.

What Went Wrong:  Cloyd had a decent outing, allowing three runs on seven hits over six innings of work.  The Phils managed just six hits off Mets pitching and they were shut out in the third through ninth innings.

Featured Card:  Starter Vance Worley is done for the season with loose bodies in his elbow, so it appears as if Cloyd will receive an extended audition for 2013.  He has yet to appear on a Phillies card, although he has cards in both the IronPigs set and the Reading Phillies set this year.

2012 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #22 Darin Ruf

Mets 9, Phillies 5 (10 Innings)
Game 129 - Tuesday Night, August 28th in Philadelphia
Record - 61-68, 3rd Place, 16 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Reliever B.J. Rosenberg allowed four unanswered runs in the top of the 10th as the Mets won in extras, 9-5.

What It Means:  Just when I thought that maybe the Phillies were getting ready to go on a nice little run . . . this happens.

What Went Wrong:  Vance Worley couldn't escape the fifth inning, quickly turning the evening into a bullpen game.  Worley now has a 6.75 ERA in his last five starts and it's definitely time to start wondering if it would be best to shut him down for the duration of the season.  Antonio Bastardo surrendered a two-out double in the eighth to Kelly Shoppach, allowing the Mets to tie up the game 5-5.  Shoppach added a two-run home run in the 10th off Rosenberg, putting the game out of reach and helping Rosenberg's ERA reach 12.66.

Ryan Howard's first inning grand slam and Chase Utley's solo homer in the fifth were all for naught.

Featured Card:  Down on the farm, all attention this month has been on Double-A Reading prospect Darin Ruf, who hit his 19th home run of the month last night.  Let me repeat that - Ruf has hit 19 home runs in the month of August.  His 37 home runs for the season has tied the single-season Reading mark set by Howard back in 2004.

Ruf will hopefully get the call when rosters expand on Sunday.  To date, he's been featured in the 2010 Bowman Chrome Prospects and 2010 Topps Pro Debut sets, as well as a handful of Phillies minor league issues.

Mets at Phillies: August 28th to August 30th

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday and Wednesday 7:05, Thursday 1:05

Mets 59-69, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Phillies 61-67, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 16 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Mets Probables:  Chris Young (3-7, 4.33), Matt Harvey (2-3, 2.75), Jonathon Niese (10-7, 3.51)
Phillies Probables:  Vance Worley (6-9, 4.06), Cole Hamels (14-6, 2.99), Kyle Kendrick (7-9, 4.12)

At the Ballpark:  Kids will be allowed down on the field to run the bases after Thursday afternoon's game.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .244^

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 75

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 15*

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 32

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 14

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.99

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 172

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 29

^Hunter Pence, now with the Giants (.271) and Shane Victorino, now with the Dodgers (.261) have the overall team lead among players with enough qualifying plate appearances.

*Hunter Pence has the overall lead with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs.

1979 Topps #655 and #675

1979 Topps Flashback:  Jerry Koosman started his 19-year career playing in parts of 12 seasons with the Mets and he ended his career with two uneventful seasons with the Phillies.  Between 1967 and 1978, Koosman was a two-time All-Star and compiled a 140-137 record with the Mets.  In four World Series games, in 1969 and 1973, Koosman went 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA.  His time with the 1984-1985 Phillies was less impressive, although he did manage a 20-19 record in 55 games with a 3.67 ERA.

Tim McCarver played in parts of nine seasons with the Phillies between 1970 and 1972 and again between 1975 and 1980.  He joined the Phillies broadcast booth in 1980, partnering up for three seasons with Harry Kalas, Richie Ashburn, Andy Musser and Chris Wheeler.  In 1983, McCarver joined the Mets broadcast team, where he would stay through the 1998 season.  I have very vivid memories of my Pop-Pop tuning into Mets games on Channel 9 in the '80s, simply to yell at McCarver for the inane  comments he'd make throughout the broadcast.

1994 Phillies Team Issue Update - Phillie Phanatic

Reader Brad recently mailed me his extra Mike Lieberthal Wall of Fame print, given away to fans upon Lieberthal's induction into the Phillies Wall of Fame.  It looks great in the actual Phillies Room next to the John Kruk print that Brad sent me last year.

Brad collects Phillie Phanatic cards and as of this writing, he needs the Phanatic cards from the 1991 and 1994 team issued update sets.  Featured here is the Phanatic card included within the hard to find 1994 Phillies Team Issue update set, released late in the 1994 season (pre-strike) at the Vet.

If you're able to help out Brad with these two missing cards, please let me know and I'll put you in touch with him.

2012 Topps Archives #108 Cliff Lee

Phillies 4, Nationals 1
Game 128 - Sunday Afternoon, August 26th in Philadelphia
Record - 61-67, 3rd Place, 16 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Cliff Lee notched his first home win of the year, pitching seven solid innings and adding an RBI-double for good measure, as the Phils completed the sweep of the Nationals, 4-1.

What It Means:  The Phillies are playing good baseball.  They just started to kick it in 4 1/2 months too late.

What Went Right:  Lee allowed a lone run on seven hits while striking out five in his impressive outing.  His RBI-double in the fifth broke the 0-0 tie, and he came around to score on Jimmy Rollins' 15th home run of the season.  Laynce Nix added a solo home run in the sixth for a little breathing room.

Josh Lindblom recorded the final five outs of the game for his first career save.

Featured Card:  I hope to feature a few more of Lee's 2012 baseball cards before the season ends and if he pitches more like he did yesterday, I will.  This is his card from the Topps Archives release, featuring the 1980 Topps design.  It's not bad, but I'm partial to my own version.

2012 Topps Phillies #PHI7 John Mayberry, Jr.

Phillies 4, Nationals 2
Game 127 - Saturday Night, August 25th in Philadelphia
Record 60-67, 3rd Place, 17 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  John Mayberry, Jr. was the offensive star again, driving in three runs, as the Phillies defeated the first place Nationals, 4-2.

What It Means:  The Phils go for the sweep this afternoon as they try to pull just six games under .500.

What Went Right:  In the first, Mayberry followed Chase Utley's RBI-single with an RBI-single of his own.  His solo home run in the sixth put the Phils ahead for good, and he added an RBI-sac fly in the eighth to give the Phils an insurance run.

Roy Halladay earned his eighth win, allowing just two runs on seven hits in his seven innings of work.  86 of Halladay's 105 pitches were strikes - which is good indication that Halladay is getting his old form back.  Antonio Bastardo struck out the side in a scoreless eighth and Jonathan Papelbon pitched a perfect ninth for his 29th save.

2001 Donruss
Rookies #R56

Featured Cards:  I'm quickly running out of Mayberry's cards to feature, so here is his Topps Phillies card (referenced a few days ago by Steve F.) featuring a closer cropped photo than his card in this year's base Topps set.

* * *

The Phillies Room was saddened to learn of the passing of astronaut Neil Armstrong yesterday.  Here's a post from three years ago, taking a look back at what the Phillies were doing the day Mr. Armstrong took his one giant leap.

* * *

And of course the big news in baseball yesterday was the blockbuster deal sending Nick Punto from the struggling Red Sox to the surging Dodgers.  Some other players were involved as well.  This season definitely has not gone as planned for the Phillies or the Red Sox, and the long-awaited 1915 World Series rematch will have to wait one more year.

2012 Phillies Team Issue 2 #38 Kyle Kendrick

Phillies 4, Nationals 2
Game 126 - Friday Night, August 24th in Philadelphia
Record 59-67, 3rd Place, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Kendrick continued his impressive second half and Jimmy Rollins hit a clutch two-run single in the fourth and the Phillies downed the Nationals, 4-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies are slowly creeping back to .500, playing the spoiler to the first place Nationals.

What Went Right:  Kendrick pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits.  Six Phillies relievers combined to keep the Nationals off the scoreboard for the remaining 2 1/3 innings.

Featured Card:  Who are you and what have you done with the real Kyle Kendrick?  Kendrick had his scoreless inning streak snapped at 21 innings last night and he left the field to a standing ovation.  The world is topsy turvy.

Nationals at Phillies: August 24th to August 26th

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

Nationals 77-47, 1st Place in the N.L. East, 6 1/2 games ahead of the Braves
Phillies 58-67, 3rd Place in the N.L. East, 19 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Nationals Probables:  Edwin Jackson (7-8, 3.69), Gio Gonzalez (16-6, 3.23), Jordan Zimmermann (9-7, 2.54)
Phillies Probales:  Kyle Kendrick (6-9, 4.20), Roy Halladay (7-7, 3.95), Cliff Lee (2-7, 3.78)

At the Ballpark:  On Sunday, all kids will receive a Jimmy Rollins back to school cooler bag.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .239^

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 72

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz - 14*

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 31

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 14

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.99

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 172

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 27

^Hunter Pence, now with the Giants (.271) and Shane Victorino, now with the Dodgers (.261) have the overall team lead among players with enough qualifying plate appearances.

*Hunter Pence has the overall lead with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs.

1979 Topps #495 and 1979 Burger King Phillies #17

1979 Topps Flashback:  Before looking up his career stats for this post, I had no idea that Hall of Famer Tony Perez spent three whole seasons manning first base for the Expos.  Amazingly enough his game total with the Expos (434 games) is second only to his total games played with his primary team, the Reds (1,948 games).  Perez came to the Phillies in January 1983 and made up part of the Wheeze Kids that won the National League pennant.  In 91 games, as Pete Rose's back-up at first and right-handed bat off the bench, Perez hit .241.

Current bench coach Pete Mackanin spent the majority of his Major League career with the Expos, playing in 299 games with Montreal between 1975 and 1977.  In early September 1978, the Phils selected him off waivers.  He appeared in 5 games with the Phillies in 1978 (2 for 8 at the plate) and 13 games in 1979 (1 for 10).  He was traded to the Twins following the 1979 season.  He received two Phillies cards for his 18 games in burgundy - this Burger King card and a hard to find card within the 1979 Phillies Postcards set.

2011 Topps Heritage Minor League #54 Phillippe Aumont

Phillies 4, Reds 3 (11 Innings)
Game 125 - Thursday Night, August 23rd in Philadelphia
Record 58-67, 3rd Place, 19 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  It was a very, very long game, but the Phillies prevailed in the 11th on John Mayberry, Jr.'s walk-off single.

What It Means:  The Phillies are nine games under .500 and only 10 1/2 games behind in the Wild Card race.  All it would take is a nice 15-game winning streak from the Phils to get back into this thing.  And for the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Pirates and Cardinals to completely collapse.  And for the Brewers and Mets to keep playing poorly.  And for the offense to have more timely clutch hitting.  And for our starting pitching to be more consistent.  And for the bullpen to get their acts together.  That's all it would take.

What Went Right:  Mayberry singled home Chase Utley with the winning run in the 11th.  The biggest reason the Phillies were still playing in the 11th was the five scoreless innings thrown by B.J. Rosenberg, Phillippe Aumont (in his big league debut), Jonathan Papelbon, Jeremy Horst and Raul Valdes.

Featured Card:  Welcome to the big leagues Phillippe Aumont!  Aumont was one of three prospects acquired from the Mariners when the Phillies made their ill-advised trade of Cliff Lee back in December 2009.  Aumont joins the growing list of members of the 2012 Phillies squad without a proper Phillies baseball card to date.  Although in Aumont's case, I have a feeling his inclusion on the Missing Links list won't last long.  This is his most recent widely-released card, from last year's Topps Heritage Minor Leagues set.

1991 Stadium Club Members Only #3 Tommy Greene

Reds 3, Phillies 2
Game 124 - Wednesday Night, August 22nd in Philadelphia
Record - 57-67

One Sentence Summary:  It was '90s Retro Night at the ballpark, with both the Phillies and their offense turning back the clock to the woeful early '90s.

What It Means:  Both the Phillies are Reds wore retro uniforms from 1991.  Bring back the burgundy uniforms!

What Went Wrong:  The Phillies managed just two hits through the first eight innings - both from Domonic Brown.  Brown hit a solo home run with two outs in the fifth to break up Bronson Arroyo's perfect game.

Featured Card:  The Phillies played a highlight reel prior to the game from their 1991 season.  (It was a short reel.)  The most memorable event from that season was perhaps Tommy Greene's no-hitter against the Expos on May 23rd and Greene was on hand to throw out the first pitch.  The 45-year-old right-hander looks as if he could still be more effective on the mound than some of the current Phillies relievers.

Field Report:  Jenna and I were there as the Phillies paid tribute to the '90s, complete with the Phanatic performing with Spice Girls look-alikes and one-hit wonder Spacehog singing "In the Meantime" prior to the ballgame.  The scoreboard photos featured the Phillies photo-shopped into photos of recognizable '90s icons - Jimmy Rollins was the Fresh Prince, Ty Wigginton was Forrest Gump and our personal favorite, as evidenced below, Chase Utley was Dylan McKay.  The Phils are now 3-7 in games I've attended this year.

Photo Credit:  Jenna

2012 Chachi #49 July Trades - Victorino & Pence

Reds 5, Phillies 4
Game 123 - Tuesday Night, August 21st in Philadelphia
Record - 57-66, Tied for 3rd Place, 20 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies battled but ultimately lost when the back end of the bullpen faltered.

What It Means:  Cliff Lee still has only two wins this year and no wins at home.  Hard to believe, Harry.

What Went Wrong:  First off (glass half full), here's what went right - The Phillies were clutch in the seventh and eighth innings, tying up the game twice.  In the seventh, it was a two-run Jimmy Rollins double that tied it up.  In the eighth, it was a RBI-triple from Kevin Frandsen.  Frandsen, by the way, made two stellar defensive plays at third base.

Now what went wrong - With the score tied 3-3, Antonio Bastardo allowed a solo home run to Todd Frazier with two outs in the top of the eighth.  And then with the score tied 4-4, Jonathan Papelbon allowed a solo home run on the first pitch he threw to Zack Cozart in the top of the ninth.

Featured Card:  Last night at the ballpark was Hunter Pence bobble head night, and the Phillies included a nice note from Pence with the bobble head thanking the fans for their support.  Pence of course was traded to the Giants on July 31st, a few short hours after the Phils had traded Shane Victorino to the Dodgers.

Since the trade, through Monday, Pence is hitting .211 in 19 games with the Giants.  He has one home run and 15 RBIs.  Victorino has fared slightly better, hitting .247 in 18 games with a home run and 7 RBIs.  Entering Tuesday night's late game, Pence's Giants held a half game lead in the N.L. West over Victorino's Dodgers.  I find it very difficult to root for either team, so I will choose to abstain and just root for Pence and Victorino to have successful Septembers.

2012 Topps #353 John Mayberry, Jr.

Phillies 12, Reds 5
Game 122 - Monday Night, August 20th in Philadelphia
Record - 57-65, Tied for 3rd Place, 19 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The bats came out again as the Phillies easily handled the first place Reds, 12-5.

What It Means:  Sure, the season is a bust.  But wouldn't it be slightly redeeming if the Phils were to finish with a .500 record?  They're now only eight games under the break-even point.  The win also moved them into a tie for third place with the Mets.  It's the first time the Phillies haven't been in last or fourth place since April 16th.

What Went Right:  Everyone in the starting line-up had at least one hit, with John Mayberry, Jr. swinging the biggest bat.  Mayberry had three hits, including an RBI-single in the fifth and a two-run home run in the sixth.  Domonic Brown gave the Phillies the lead with a two-run double following Mayberry's homer.  Ryan Howard (number 8) and Erik Kratz (number 7) also went deep for the Phils.  Juan Pierre added three hits and stole his 30th base of the season.

Starter Roy Halladay battled through seven innings, allowing five runs on ten hits, but his offense provided more than enough support.

Featured Card:  Mayberry has had a disappointing season to this point, hitting just .239 while making 71 starts in the outfield and at first base.  It's hard to tell if he's in the team's plans for 2013, as he was given a shot this year and fell short of expectations.  Mayberry has a short-printed card in the Topps Heritage set this year to go along with his card in the Topps flagship set.

Reds at Phillies: August 20th to August 23rd

Citizens Bank Park - Philadelphia, PA
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday 7:05

Reds 74-48, 1st Place in the N.L. Central, 6 1/2 games ahead of the Pirates
Phillies 56-65, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 19 games behind the Nationals

Reds Probables:  Mike Leake (5-7, 4.29), Homer Bailey (10-8, 4.16), Bronson Arroyo (9-7, 3.96), Johnny Cueto (16-6, 2.44)
Phillies Probables:  Roy Halladay (6-7, 3.80), Cliff Lee (2-7, 3.83), Vance Worley (6-8, 4.11), Cole Hamels (14-6, 2.94)

At the Ballpark:  Tonight is the latest Dollar Dog Night, and if you plan on partaking, here's a little dog-related advice.  Tuesday night is Hunter Pence bobble-head night.  Awk-ward.  And Wednesday night is 1990s Retro Night with both the Phillies and Reds wearing 1990-style uniforms.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .239^

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 70

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz - 14*

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 29

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 14

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.94

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 168

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 27

^Hunter Pence, now with the Giants (.271) and Shane Victorino, now with the Dodgers (.261) have the overall team lead among players with enough qualifying plate appearances.

*Hunter Pence, now with the Giants, has the overall lead with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs.

1979 Topps #650 and 1979 Burger King Phillies #13

1979 Topps Flashback:  Up until a few weeks ago, I would have sworn Pete Rose had one Phillies card from 1979, and one card only.  Perusing through Checkoutmycards.com recently, I discovered Rose also had a 1979 Hostess issue featuring a bad airbrush job giving him two Phillies cards from 1979.  Of course I added the Hostess card to my collection, and I'll be sure to feature it in a future post.

Rose's 1979 Burger King Phillies card has a special place in my collection, as it may have been the first baseball card I ever saw.  More importantly, it may have been the first baseball card I ever saw and then wanted, as I recounted in a post from three years ago.

Rose joined the Phillies organization on December 5, 1978, when he signed a four year, $3.225 million contract with the club.  At the time, he was the highest paid player in the Majors.  It turned out to be money well spent as Rose helped lead the Phillies to their first World Championship in 1980.

2012 Topps #98 Domonic Brown

Phillies 8, Brewers 0
Game 121 - Sunday Afternoon, August 19th in Milwaukee
Record - 56-65, 4th Place, 19 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Kendrick continued to impress with seven shutout innings as the offense came to life in Milwaukee.

What It Means:  I can't imagine this actually means anything at this point, but the Phils are 10 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race.  Jenna and I have already earmarked the funds we would have spent on play-off tickets this year for home improvement projects.  Sorry, Phillies.  For the first time in many years, I will not be writing you a hefty check this fall.

The Phils are 11-8 since the the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline.

What Went Right:  We live in a world that makes no sense whatsoever.  Kendrick has looked better than both Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee in his last two starts, which positively baffles me.  He allowed three hits while striking out seven on the way to his sixth win of the season.

The offense banged out 14 hits, including three a piece from Kevin Frandsen (hitting .329) and Domonic Brown.  Michael Martinez had a two-run home run in the second and Brian Schneider added a two-run double in the eighth.

Featured Card:  I just couldn't bring myself to feature another Kendrick card and fortunately Brown gave me a good reason to go with one of his cards.  Along with his three hits, Brown knocked in four runs yesterday afternoon.  Despite spending the majority of this season in the minors, Brown has appeared in the Topps flagship set along with the Topps Heritage, Opening Day and Gypsy Queen offerings.

2012 Topps 1987 Topps Minis #TM-66 Cole Hamels

Phillies 4, Brewers 3
Game 120 - Saturday Night, August 18th in Milwaukee
Record - 55-65, 4th Place, 19 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels pitched the Phils to another win, striking out 10 Brewers in the 4-3 victory.

What It Means:  The only mildly interesting, Phillies-related late season pursuit at this point involves Hamels and his potential bid for the National League Cy Young Award.  Hamels is now 3-1 with a 1.38 ERA in his four August starts.

What Went Right:  Hamels pitched 7 2/3 innings, allowing three runs on eight hits.  Jonathan Papelbon recorded the final four outs of the game for his 27th save.  In the second, John Mayberry, Jr. and Erik Kratz hit back-to-back home runs.

Featured Card:  I'm still trying to decide on the vintage Topps design to utilize for my 2013 Chachi set. I recently threw out a few possibilities (1971, 1973, 1978, 1985 and 1988), but 1987 should be added to the list as well.  It's a tough decision, and I have a feeling I'll be calling a Phillies Room Executive Team meeting soon.

Topps did a great job paying tribute to its 1987 design with a set of mini inserts found within packs of its 2012 product.

2011 Topps Heritage Minor League #65 Jesse Biddle

Brewers 6, Phillies 2
Game 119 - Friday Night, August 17th in Milwaukee
Record - 54-65, 4th Place, 20 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Brewers easily handled Vance Worley and the hapless Phils, winning 6-2.

What It Means:  The Phillies have put together a crappy little three-game losing streak, dropping them 20 games behind the Nationals.

What Went Wrong:  The Phils held a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Worley allowed two base runners with two outs.  Nyjer Morgan hit a ball to Domonic Brown that should have been caught for the final out of the inning - but it was not.  Two runs scored and the Brewers never looked back.

The Phillies managed just six hits, two coming in the ninth inning.

Featured Card:  In good news for the team's 2014 or 2015 season, prospect Jesse Biddle threw seven no-hit innings last night for the Clearwater Threshers.  Biddle, ranked as the Phillies second best pitching prospect by Baseball America, has now struck out 137 in 129 2/3 innings this season.  Born and raised in Philly, Biddle was the team's first round draft pick in the 2010 draft.  Call him up.

1986 Fleer Update #U-99 Ron Roenicke

Brewers 7, Phillies 4
Game 118 - Thursday Night, August 16th in Milwaukee
Record - 54-64, 4th Place, 19 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Josh Lindblom loaded the bases in the eighth and then allowed a crushing grand slam to Corey Hart as the Phillies dropped one late to the Brewers, 7-4.

What It Means:  Lindblom, acquired from the Dodgers in the Shane Victorino deal, is 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA since moving east.  That's not very good.

What Went Wrong:  Cliff Lee allowed three home runs in his 7+ inning outing, striking out 12 along the way.  But he's still stuck on just two wins for the season after Lindblom's performance.  For what it's worth, right fielder Domonic Brown came thisclose to catching Hart's grand slam ball and ending the Brewers threat.  With two outs and nobody on in the eighth, third baseman Kevin Frandsen made a crucial throwing error to allow the floodgates to open.

Featured Card:  For a few months during the 1986 season, and for reasons completely forgotten by me, Ron Roenicke was my favorite Phillies player.  The current Brewers manager appeared on seven baseball cards as a Phillie, including this one from the underrated 1986 Fleer set.

Phillies at Brewers: August 16th to August 19th

Miller Park - Milwaukee, WI
Thursday and Friday 8:10, Saturday 7:10, Sunday 2:10

Phillies 54-63, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Brewers 52-64, 4th Place in the N.L. Central, 18 1/2 games behind the Reds

Phillies Probables:  Cliff Lee (2-7, 3.85), Vance Worley (6-7, 3.97), Cole Hamels (13-6, 2.91)
Brewers Probables:  Marco Estrada (0-5, 4.36), Yovani Gallardo (11-8, 3.78), Mike Fiers (6-5, 2.63)

At the Ballpark:  Saturday is "Autograph Saturday for Kids" at Miller Park, when "Brewers players and coaches will autograph photo cards for kids 14 and under."  Pretty cool promotion.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Jimmy Rollins - .246^

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 69

Home Runs:  Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz - 14*

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 28

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 13

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 2.91

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 158

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 26

^Hunter Pence, now with the Giants (.271) and Shane Victorino, now with the Dodgers (.261) have the overall team lead among players with enough qualifying plate appearances.

*Hunter Pence, now with the Giants, has the overall lead with 17 home runs and 59 RBIs.

1979 Topps #180, #265 and #685

1979 Topps Flashback:  This is the last meeting between these two teams in 2012, so here are the last three Brewers cards within the 1979 Topps set with Phillies connections.

Larry Hisle came up with the Phillies in 1968 and appeared in 314 games with the club between 1968 and 1971.  His production from a successful 1969 season (.266, 20 home runs, 56 RBIs) significantly tailed off the next two years and the Phils traded him away to the Dodgers following the 1971 season for Tommy Hutton.  Hisle spent 1972 with the Dodgers top farm club and then bounced from the Cardinals to the Twins prior to the 1973 campaign.  He found success in the American League, serving primarily as a DH for the Twins (1973-1977) and Brewers (1978-1982).

Don Money was Hisle's teammate first in Philly and then with the Brewers.  Originally a shortstop, the Phils moved him to third base to make room for rookie Larry Bowa in 1970.  He was dealt to the Brewers following the 1972 season to make room for rookie Mike Schmidt.  With the Brewers between  1973 and 1983, Money was named to four All-Star teams and he earned the nickname "Brooks" for his fine defense.  Over his 16-year career, he tallied 176 home runs.

Sixto Lezcano began his 12-year career playing in parts of seven seasons with the Brewers.  He was acquired by the Phillies from the Padres in August 1983 and he hit .308 in a losing effort for the Phillies against the Dodgers in that year's N.L.C.S.  He was the team's primary right fielder in 1984, hitting .277 with 14 home runs and 40 RBIs.