2010 Topps Heritage #217 Carlos Ruiz

Phillies 1, Reds 0 (11 Innings)

Game 86 - Saturday Night, July 10th in Philadelphia

Another one! For the third game in a row, the Phillies pulled off an extra-inning walk-off win, defeating the Reds 1-0. This time it was Jimmy Rollins doing the honors, driving home Carlos Ruiz with a single to right with 2 outs in the bottom of the 11th.

The Phils were retired in order through the first 8 innings as Reds' rookie starter Travis Wood, making his 3rd big league start, flirted with a perfect game. Phillies ace Roy Halladay matched Wood by shutting out the Reds through 9 innings, allowing 5 hits and a walk while striking out 9. Halladay received a no decision, but lowered his ERA to 2.19. Ruiz broke up Wood's perfecto with a clean double to left-center to begin the 9th. Chooch doubled again in the 11th to start the winning rally.

Brad Lidge worked out of a bases loaded jam in the 10th, and Jose Contreras pitched a perfect 11th to preserve the shutout and earn the win. The Phils go for the 4-game sweep tomorrow afternoon as they head into the All-Star break. Hard to believe, Harry.

Hire Me: We were at the game tonight and we were disappointed to find a Cody Ransom baseball card completely missing from the starting line-up posted within the left field gate using 2009 Topps baseball cards. If I can come up with a new Ransom Phillies baseball card given my limited skills and resources, surely the Phillies can give the man his due as well. Just saying.

2010 Chachi #42 Cody Ransom

Phillies 9, Reds 7 (10 Innings)
Game 85 - Friday Night, July 9th in Philadelphia

Unbelievable! This post was going to be about how lifeless the Phils look (again), and I had been debating if I should feature a Miguel Cairo baseball card (3 for 5 last night) or a Cliff Lee baseball card (traded to the Rangers yesterday) in the game summary. The Phillies sleepwalked through the first 8 innings of this game, finding themselves down 7-1 heading into the bottom of the 9th. They were getting completely out-played by the 1st place Cincinnati Reds. Joe Blanton was awful. He lasted into the 6th inning, allowing 6 runs on 12 hits. His ERA is now at 6.41, which is not very good.

And then the improbable happened. I didn't get too excited when Shane Victorino started the bottom of the 9th with a double, and then came around to score on a Ryan Howard single. 7-2 Reds. And I'll actually admit I called Greg Dobbs a ding-dong before his 3-run home run to make it 7-5 Reds. (That's right. I called him a ding-dong. Out loud.) But then pinch hitter Ben Francisco walked with 2 outs, and I was mildly interested. Up stepped pinch hitter Cody Ransom, who is on the roster solely due to the spate of injuries to the team. Ransom launched an 0-1 Francisco Cordero fastball into the first row of the right field seats for a 2-run home run and we were suddenly tied up with the Reds, 7-all.

All of that set up Howard's 2-run walk-off home run in the 10th, as the Phils won 9-7. It was the second walk-off home run in extra innings in as many days. Howard had the dramatic winning blast, but it was all made possible by Ransom's improbable pinch-hit home run in the 9th. Ransom is card #42 in this year's Chachi set.

Phillies debut: July 3, 2010
Major League debut: September 5, 2001
How acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the New York Yankees, December 14, 2009.
Others wearing #12 in the 2000s: Mickey Morandini 2000, Brian L. Hunter 2001, Eric Valent 2002-2003, Anderson Machado 2003-2004, Ryan Howard 2004, Ramon Martinez 2005, Randall Simon 2006, Tadahito Iguchi 2007, T.J. Bohn 2008, Matt Stairs 2008-2009
2009 Postseason: Ransom finished the 2009 season with AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and didn't appear on the Yankees' Postseason roster.
Pictured: It's hard to track down a good picture of Ransom in a Phillies uniform. This shot was scanned from the Phillies 2010 Yearbook.

2010 Chachi #25 Ryan Madson

Reliever Ryan Madson was activated from the disabled list yesterday, after missing the last few months with a broken toe. (The toe was broken in a post-game tirade involving a folding chair.) He had started the year as the team's closer while Brad Lidge recovered from elbow woes. Madson will slide back into his familiar 8th inning role, and he's #25 in this year's Chachi set.

Phillies debut: September 27, 2003
How acquired: Selected by Phillies in the 9th round of June 1998 draft
Others wearing #46 in the 2000s: Trever Miller 2000, Mark Holzemer 2000, Vern Ruhle 2001-2002 (coach), Elizardo Ramirez 2004, Aaron Fultz 2005-2006, Joe Bisenius 2007, John Ennis 2007, Drew Carpenter 2008, Ryan Madson 2009
2009 Postseason: The Phillies played 15 Postseason games, and Madson pitched in all but 3 of those games. In 10.1 innings, he compiled a 3.48 ERA, striking out 14 while winning a game and saving a game.

Pictured: World Series Game 5, October 31st - Madson pitches a scoreless top of the 9th inning against the Yankees.

2010 Phillies Team Issue #23 Brian Schneider

Phillies 4, Reds 3 (12 Innings)
Game 84 - Thursday Night, July 8th in Philadelphia

Catcher Brian Schneider played a part in allowing the Reds to score a crucial run in the top of the 8th, but he completely redeemed himself with a walk-off solo home run in the 12th to give the Phillies the victory.  Kyle Kendrick pitched a great ballgame, settling in after allowing a 1st inning home run to Joey Votto and not allowing another run.  He was pulled with 2 outs in the 7th having surrendered only 3 hits.

Shane Victorino countered Votto's home run with a solo shot of his own in the bottom of the 1st.  His 14th home run of 2010 matched his career high set back in 2008.  Victorino factored into the team's second run in the 3rd.  After Jimmy Rollins walked, Victorino reached on a sharply hit ball knocked down by Votto at first.  Votto recovered and threw to pitcher Johnny Cueto covering, but Victorino knocked off Cueto's glove as he ran by and the ball trickled away.  Votto recovered again and threw the ball to a gloveless Cueto, hitting the helpless pitcher below the belt as Rollins scampered home on the bizarre play.

Ryan Madson entered the 8th with a 1-run lead.  With 2 runners on with 2 outs, he appeared to have struck out Brandon Phillips to end the inning.  But Schneider couldn't block the pitch.  Madson failed to cover home as Schneider tracked down the errant ball and the Reds had their 2nd run.  The Phils managed to take the lead once again when Wilson Valdez tripled to start the 8th and he came home on a Rollins' sacrifice fly.

The Reds' 3rd run came as Brad Lidge was trying to close things out in the 9th.   The first two Reds reached, and former Phillie Miguel Cairo doubled with 2 outs to score the tying run.  It was Lidge's 3rd blown save in his last 4 opportunities.  Jose Contreras and Nelson Figueroa pitched 3 scoreless innings of relief to set up Schneider's dramatic winning home run in the 12th.  There were more bizarre plays and sloppy baserunning by the Phils, but the important thing is the win pulled the team to within 5½ games of the idle first place Braves.

Reds at Phillies: July 8th through July 11th

Thursday, Friday & Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35

Records: Reds 49-37, 1st Place in NL Central (3 games ahead of the Cardinals); Phillies 43-40, 3rd Place in NL East (6 games behind the Braves)

1999 UD Choice Mini Bobbing Head #21 Scott Rolen

I knew Scott Rolen was having a great year, but I was still caught off guard when the MLB Network had a segment discussing the early picks for the NL MVP and Rolen's name came up several times.  His average has dipped below .300, but he's among the top ten in both home runs (17) and RBIs (57) so far this year.  He's also served as a team leader for the first place Reds.  Rolen will join teammate and fellow ex-Phillie Arthur Rhodes in Anaheim for the 2010 All-Star Game. 

Reds Probables: Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake, Travis Wood, Matt Maloney
Phillies Probables: Kyle Kendrick, Joe Blanton, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels

2007 Chachi #22 Geoff Geary

Braves 7, Phillies 5
Game 83 - Wednesday Night, July 7th in Philadelphia

The bats woke up a little tonight, but the Phillies were ultimately undone by a 6-run 6th inning from the Braves against Phillies' starter Jamie Moyer.  The loss dropped the Phils to 6 back in the NL East, the first time they've been that far back in the East since September 2007 (see below).  Martin Prado did the most damage - hitting 2 home runs and going 3 for 5 on the night.  Brian McCann's bases clearing double in the 6th didn't help matters either.

Jimmy Rollins (2 doubles), Ryan Howard (2-run home run in the 5th) and Greg Dobbs each had two hits a piece, but it wasn't enough to overcome Moyer's nightmarish 6th inning.  Shane Victorino added a solo home run (his 13th) in the 7th inning.  Billy Wagner (who is a bum) recorded his 19th save of the season, shutting down the Phils in order in the 9th.

6 Games Back:  The last time the Phillies were at least 6 games back in the NL East was September 2007, right before the team rallied to overtake the Mets and win the division on the last day of the season.  Things looked grim back on September 12th, when the Rockies roughed up Kyle Kendrick to win, 12-0, and drop the Phils 7 games back in the East.  It looked even worse the next day when Phillies' starter J.D. Durbin allowed three 1st inning Rockies' runs.  The Phils countered with 4 runs of their own in the bottom of the 1st, capped by a Wes Helms' 2-run double.  Geoff Geary came on in the 2nd to shut down the Rockies for 3 innings, as the Phils eventually won the game, 12-4. 

I've previously posted Kent Tekulve and Johnny Wockenfuss baseball cards in the hopes of turning around the Phillies' fortunes.  Why not try Geoff Geary?

2010 Multi-Ad Reading Phillies #1 Domonic Brown

Braves 6, Phillies 3 (11 Innings)

Game 82 - Tuesday Night, July 6th in Philadelphia

The second half of the Phillies' season started with a lack of offensive punch and a defeat at the hands of the 1st place Braves. Through the first 10 innings, the team managed just 2 hits - a 2-run home run from Raul Ibañez in the 1st and a Ryan Howard triple in the 7th. The next three batters after Howard's triple were retired in order and the team missed yet another opportunity to score. Braves starter Jair Jurrjens and 6 relievers all stifled the offense, which is becoming increasingly easier to do.

Cole Hamels pitched 7 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits while striking out 8. He was cruising to victory before a 7th inning home run to Martin Prado gave the Braves a 3-2 lead. The bullpen managed to wriggle its way out of a few tough spots before the inexperienced David Herndon and Mike Zagurski coughed up 3 unanswered runs in the top of the 11th. Billy Wagner pitched a scoreless bottom of the 11th for his 18th save. The Phils go for the series win tonight.

Bring Him Up: Top prospect Domonic Brown continues to impress at the AAA level. Brown was ranked as the 15th best prospect in baseball by Baseball America prior to the 2010 season. So far this year, in 78 games between AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley, Brown is hitting .332 with 19 home runs, 59 RBI and a 1.019 OPS. He's been playing right field this year although he played some center field earlier in his minor league career. Why not call him up? He could rotate around the outfield, spelling all three of the current punchless starters. Todd Zolecki asked GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. the same question recently:

Q: Domonic Brown has only been in Triple-A for 12 games, but has played very well.  Could you see him helping you this season?
A: Could he help us?  Possibly.  But again it's only been 12 games.  You said it yourself.  But he's making a good impression.  The players dictate their progress.  He's dictating it.

At the very least, he'd provide a little bit of needed spark to a line-up (and a team) that has stumbled through the last few months looking like zombies.

2010 Chachi #22 Chad Durbin

Chad Durbin has been one of the Phillies' most reliable relievers since he signed as a free agent prior to the 2008 season. Primarliy a middle reliever, he's been pushed into high pressure late inning situations over the past few seasons with varying degrees of success. He's been on the DL for the past few weeks with a strained right hamstring. He's also card #22 in this year's Chachi set.

Phillies debut: March 31, 2008

Major League debut: September 26, 1999

How acquired: Signed as a free agent formerly with the Detroit Tigers, December 20, 2007

Others wearing #37 in the 2000s: Bryan Ward 2000, Omar Daal 2000-2001, Rheal Cormier 2002-2006, Zack Segovia 2007, Kyle Lohse 2007, Chad Durbin 2008-2009

2009 Postseason: Durbin was perfect in the NLDS and NLCS, but he got hit around a bit by the Yankees in Games 3 and 6 of the World Series.

Pictured: World Series, Game 3 on October 31st - Durbin pitches in the 7th inning.

2010 Upper Deck #377 Greg Dobbs

Phillies 3, Braves 1

Game 81 - Monday Night, July 5th in Philadelphia

Two things are certain: 1. It's stinkin' hot. 2. Roy Halladay is a very good pitcher. Halladay needed 93 pitches to win his 10th game of the season - a key victory over the first place Atlanta Braves, drawing the Phils to within 4 games of the top spot. He allowed 5 hits while striking out 7, allowing just a 1st inning solo home run to Chipper Jones.

So why feature a Greg Dobbs baseball card? Two simple reasons: 1. I don't have any new Roy Halladay Phillies cards (yet). 2. Without Dobbs' 2-run home run in the 6th inning, Halladay's masterpiece would have resulted in another no decision for the staff ace. The former IronPig is hitting .333 (6 for 18) in his last 5 games since returning to the Majors.

Other Stuff: Chase Utley met with the media prior to last night's game and he believes he'll be ready to return to the Phils sooner than the originally planned 8 weeks. Geoff Jenkins, a member of the 2008 World Championship team, will sign a one-day contract with the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday and officially retire as a Brewer. And it's stinkin' hot.

2010 Chachi #21 Antonio Bastardo

Antonio Bastardo was the lone lefty reliever in the Phillies' bullpen to open the season, due to J.C. Romero's lingering elbow issues. He was optioned back to Lehigh twice before finding himself on the DL with elbow issues of his own. There's no timetable for his return, but he did throw a bullpen session this past weekend in Pittsburgh. Bastardo is card #21 in the 2010 Chachi set.

Phillies debut: June 2, 2009
How acquired: Signed as an amateur free agent, February 17, 2005

Others wearing #58 in the 2000s: Lou Collier 2004, Eude Brito 2005-2006, J.D. Durbin 2007, Antonio Bastardo 2009

2009 Postseason: Bastardo was on the Phillies' roster throughout the Postseason, but he only pitched a third of an inning through all 3 series. He did not appear in the World Series.

Pictured: NLDS Game 2, October 8th - Bastardo faced 1 batter in the top of the 8th, striking out the Rockies' Jason Giambi.

Braves at Phillies: July 5th through July 7th

Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday 7:05

Records: Braves 48-34, 1st Place in NL East (2 games ahead of the Mets); Phillies 42-38, 3rd Place in NL East (5 games behind the Braves)

2007 Topps Allen & Ginter #94 Charlie Manuel

The Glass is Half Full: The Phillies will play their 81st game tonight, marking the official end of the first half of the 2010 season. Over the past several seasons, they've been a strong second-half team, performing at their best when faced with adversity and when a lot of people (including me) had written them off. Over the past 3 seasons, the team held the following record through 81 games, and each year they finished at the top of the NL East:

2007 - 41-40 in 3rd Place, 6 games behind the Mets

2008 - 43-38 in 1st Place, 1 game ahead of the Marlins

2009 - 43-38 in 1st Place, 2 games ahead of the Marlins

Granted these teams weren't faced with as many injuries as the 2010 Phillies, but if you just look at the Phils' record right now and their recent history, things are not as bad as they seem. (He types as he knocks on wood and hopes he hasn't somehow offended the baseball gods.)

Let's go Phils!

Braves Probables: Derek Lowe, Jair Jurrjens, Kris Medlen

Phillies Probables: Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer

1977 Topps #140 Mike Schmidt

Pirates 8, Phillies 5

Game 80 - Sunday Afternoon, July 4th in Pittsburgh

Everything was fine until the 7th inning. The birds were chirping, the bees were buzzing and a breeze was serenely blowing. The Phils held a 5-2 lead and Joe Blanton was cruising, having not allowed a Pirates' hit since the 1st inning. A July 4th victory seemed within our grasp and I shut my eyes for a few minutes to contemplate whether or not I wanted a hot dog or a hamburger or both for dinner. I may have taken a short nap . . .

I awoke to find the Pirates in the midst of batting around in the 7th, scoring 6 runs off Blanton, Jose Contreras and Mike Zagurski. Deflated, the Phils went down easily in the 8th and 9th innings and the series with the Pirates ended with 1 win to 3 losses. The Pirates! The worst team in the National League! The Braves also lost their game, so this loss kept the Phils at 5 back in the NL East with the 1st place Braves coming to town tomorrow. I have a bad feeling about this.

Spirit of '76: With the Phils loss today, I thought I'd post a baseball card showing a member of the '76 team wearing a Phillies pillbox hat. (It seemed like a festive and patriotic thing to do.) From the wonderful resource, Marc Okkonen's Baseball Uniforms of the 20th Century: "To commemorate the 1976 bicentennial, many clubs decided to occasionally wear the old striped, 'pill-box' style cap - a reminder of earlier days in baseball history." The Phillies, Mets, Reds, Cardinals and Pirates wore pillbox hats throughout the season, with the Pirates keeping the hats until 1987. Much to my disappointment, I couldn't find any Phillies baseball cards showing an example of the pillbox Phillies hat worn during the '76 season. Instead, I'll feature a classic '77 Topps Mike Schmidt baseball card clearly showing the commemorative patch worn by the Phillies to celebrate the bicentennial. Here's hoping the mojo from this inconic Schmidt card rubs off on the '10 Phillies.

2009 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Mini #215 Jimmy Rollins

Phillies 12, Pirates 4

Game 79 - Saturday Night, July 3rd in Pittsburgh

Throughout the long baseball season, there are bound to be several games when I don't get to see or hear a single pitch, or even follow along on-line. Last night was one of those games. Jenna and I had a night out in Atlantic City, enjoying a lovely dinner and an extremely entertaining Ringo Starr concert. So of course the Phils decided to break out their bats and win a blow-out against the Pirates, 12-4, proving that sometimes it does come easy.

Kyle Kendrick pitched his first career complete game for his 5th win of the season. (I wonder if J.A. Happ's pending return to the rotation was a little added incentive for Kendrick to get his act together?) Jimmy Rollins (single, home run, double) and Shane Victorino (triple, single, single) paced the offense with 3 hits a piece, while Ryan Howard added 2 hits and 3 RBIs.

The Bocock Era: Is already over. Cody Ransom was recalled from Lehigh prior to the game, and Brian Bocock was designated for assignment. The right-handed hitting Ransom will platoon at third with the left-handed hitting Greg Dobbs until Placido Polanco recovers from his elbow injury or until the Phils swing a trade for a third baseman.

Scrapbook Sunday: July 4, 1984

1984 Donruss #111 Steve Carlton

I've always loved the 4th of July holiday. Back in my younger years, 4th of July meant spending the day on the beach, ordering dinner from Phil's, and then enjoying the Sea Isle City fireworks before challenging my Nana to a few games of skee ball. It meant sparklers and painting sea shells and falling asleep to the revelry that continued throughout the night on the small island.

That's all changed now of course. The Sea Isle house was sold when my Nana couldn't keep up with it, and her grand children scattered to start their careers and families. Phil's is gone, and sitting here now I can't remember the name of the place that replaced it. I think the last time I saw the Sea Isle fireworks was back when Jenna and I first started dating. The city must have had a budgetary problem that year, because I remember the show was all of 10 minutes long.

Time marches on, but a few things remain constant. I'm fortunate enough to have grown up in this wonderful country, and I get to spend the 4th of July holiday with my family. We're forming new traditions and the seeds of new memories are being planted in the minds of our sons. My sister is getting married this month, and soon (no pressure) her children will join ours in whatever holiday traditions we decide to adopt.

26 Years Ago: I'm sure we were in Sea Isle when the Phils lost in extra innings back on the 4th of July, 1984. Despite home runs from Ozzie Virgil and Johnny Wockenfuss the team came up short. Closer Al Holland came in for a 2-inning save in the 8th, allowed a home run to Cesar Cedeno to tie the game . . . and stayed in the game for 2 more innings. The blown save meant Steve Carlton's fine pitching performance was all for naught. Mr. T actually balked home the Reds' winning run in the top of the 10th.

2010 Chachi #20 David Herndon

As a Rule 5 selection from the Los Angeles Angels, David Herndon must remain on the Phillies' roster for the entire 2010 season, or the team has to offer him back to the Angels. He's roughly to the half-way point of completing this requirement, and he's been used so far this season in low-pressure relief situations.

Herndon's rookie cards have popped up in this year's Topps and Bowman offerings. He's also card #20 in the 2010 Chachi set.

Phillies debut: April 5, 2010
How acquired: Selected from the Los Angeles Angels in the Rule 5 draft.

Others wearing #57 in the 2000s: Nelson Figueroa 2001, Ryan Madson 2003, Amaury Telemaco 2004-2005, Antonio Alfonseca 2007, Rudy Seanez 2008, Jack Taschner 2009

Pictured: Spring Training, February 21, 2010

1985 Fleer #653 John Russell/Steve Jeltz

Pirates 2, Phillies 0

Game 78 - Friday Night, July 2nd in Pittsburgh

If this had been 2007 or 2008 or 2009, Jamie Moyer probably would have walked away with a win tonight after pitching 6 strong innings and allowing just one earned run on 5 hits, while striking out 8. But it's 2010, and the Phillies offense right now is being paced by Wilson Valdez, who had 2 more hits tonight. Exlcuding Valdez, the rest of the patch-work line-up combined to go 3 for 27 against a starting pitcher (Ross Ohlendorf) who entered the game with a 0-6 record and 16 consecutive starts without a win. John Russell's Pirates may have the worst record in the National League, but the Phils are doing their part to make them look like a pretty good team.

It was the 8th time this season the Phils have been shut out. I've used several adjectives (lackluster, lifeless, flat) to describe the Phillies offense so far this season and they could all apply to this uninspired game. I'll add a few more family friendly adjectives that come to mind: frustrating, vapid, wearisome and, perhaps the most descriptive of all, Jeltzian.

And One More Thing: While I'm whining, I'll go ahead and put it out there that I think the white hats being worn to celebrate patriotic occasions this year look completely ridiculous.

2010 Chachi #19 Drew Carpenter

Righty reliever Drew Carpenter scraped and clawed to make the Phillies Opening Day roster this year, only to be optioned back to AAA Lehigh Valley 2 games into the 2010 season. The Phils claimed Nelson Figueroa off waivers back on April 7th, and Carpenter was demoted to free up a roster spot. He's started 15 games for the IronPigs so far, going 6-6 with a 3.47 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 83 innings. He's #19 in this year's Chachi set.

Phillies debut: August 27, 2008

How acquired: Selected by Phillies in the 2nd round of June 2006 draft

Others wearing #48 in the 2000s: David Coggin 2000-2003, Pedro Liriano 2005, Brian Sanches 2006-2007, Kane Davis 2007, Francisco Rosario 2008, Drew Carpenter 2009

Pictured: Spring Training, March 4, 2010

1984 Cramer Portland Beavers #208 John Russell

Pirates 3, Phillies 2
Game 77 - Thursday Night, July 1st in Pittsburgh

Just a lousy day for the Phillies . . . On the day they learned they'd be without Chase Utley for at least 8 weeks following his thumb surgery, the team sleep-walked through another loss in Pittsburgh.  The Phils scored their lone earned run on a solo home run from that prolific slugger Wilson Valdez in the 3rd.

Cole Hamels really didn't hit his groove until the 5th inning, as he held the Pirates hitless in the 5th, 6th and 7th innings.  Unfortunately, he struggled in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th innings, allowing Pirates' runs in each of those frames.  His record now stands at 6-7 for the year.

Other Stuff:  Charlie Manuel watched the game from the pressbox level, as he served a 1-game suspension for his blow-up in Cincinnati on Tuesday night.  Bench coach Pete Mackanin called the shots in Charlie's stead.  It looks as if catcher Brian Schneider could be the latest casualty, as he left the game with a thumb injury.  Two minor league baseball cards of Pirates' manager John Russell in the same day?  Sure.  Why not?

Phillies at Pirates: July 1st through July 4th

Thursday, Friday & Saturday 7:05, Sunday 1:35

Records: Phillies 41-35, 3rd Place in NL East (3½ games behind the Braves); Pirates 27-51, 5th Place in NL Central (16½ games behind the Reds)

2007 Choice Ottawa Lynx #28 John Russell MG

I've begun my annual hunt for the Phillies minor league team sets.  Since the mid-'90s, I've managed to track down just about every baseball card set issued throughout the team's minor league organization, from their rookie league team to their AAA team.  So far this year, I've added the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (AAA) and Reading Phillies (AA) sets, but I haven't been able to track down any of the others.  The teams' on-line stores are the first place I look, but it's surprising how several of the Phillies' minor league teams don't seem to update their on-line inventory throughout the summer. 

This John Russell card is from the 2007 Ottawa Lynx team set.  The Phillies' AAA franchise played their final year in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2006 before playing a year in Ottawa while they waited for their new facility in Allentown to be built.  The IronPigs opened Coca-Cola park in 2008, just as Russell was beginning his Major League tenure as manager of the Pirates.

Phillies Probables: Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick, Joe Blanton
Pirates Probables: Daniel McCutchen, Ross Ohlendorf, Paul Maholm, Jeff Karstens

2006 Upper Deck #740 Arthur Rhodes

Reds 4, Phillies 3
Game 76 - Wednesday Afternoon, June 30th in Cincinnati

June went out with a whimper and a series loss in Cincinnati.  If not for Jay Bruce's 2-run home run in the 8th inning this afternoon, you'd be looking at a splendid 2010 Chachi card of back-up catcher Dane Sardinha right now.  Sardinha provided the Phillies' only offense today, hitting a 3-run home run in the 4th.  Busy at work, I turned my attention away from the game at the end of the 6th inning with the Phils holding a 3-1 lead.  By the time I had a chance to check the score again, it was 4-3 Reds and the game was all but over.

Roy Halladay pitched another complete game (why?) but he was the victim of low run support and two home runs to Bruce in the 8th and Joey Votto in the 6th.  He struck out 10 and threw an amazing 89 strikes out of 119 pitches.  But you can't win ballgames when Wilson Valdez (2 more hits) and Dane Sardinha are your offensive stars.  The middle of the line-up was AWOL again, going 2 for 16 with 7 strikeouts.  Former Phillie Arthur Rhodes picked up the win in relief for the Reds.

2010 Chachi Set:  Speaking of Chachi cards . . . the 2010 Chachi set now stands at 41 cards with the addition of Brian Bocock to the roster yesterday.  I have fronts and backs finished for all but 2 of the cards in the set.  (I need to wrap up the backs of the team card and Charlie Manuel's card.)  I had been holding these cards back just in case Nelson Figueroa or David Herndon or Paul Hoover did something astounding to earn star of the game status and thus have their Chachi card featured in a game summary post.  I've come to realize the chance of that happening is slim (sorry guys), so look for these cards to start popping up between now and the All-Star break.