2008 Topps Heritage #625 Greg Dobbs

Marlins 9, Phillies 2
Game 117 - Wednesday Afternoon, August 15th in Miami
Record - 54-63, 4th Place, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The bullpen converted a one-run game into a blowout loss as the Phillies dropped the series finale in Miami, 9-2.

What It Means:  The Phils are now 10 1/2 games back in the Wild Card race, with four teams ahead of them.

What Went Wrong:  Roy Halladay allowed three runs in his seven innings of work and then turned the game over the bullpen.  In the remaining two innings, the bullpen allowed six runs on five hits and two walks.

The Phillies offense managed only five hits - two of which came from Ty Wigginton in his first start in recent memory.

Featured Card:  Former Phillie (and former Phillies Room favorite) Greg Dobbs went 3 for 4 with the go-ahead solo home run off Halladay in the sixth inning.  He's now hitting an even .300 for the season.

2007 Upper Deck Future Stars #156 Kyle Kendrick

Phillies 1, Marlins 0
Game 116 - Tuesday Night, August 14th in Miami
Record - 54-62, 4th Place

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Kendrick pitched seven shutout innings and Jimmy Rollins hit a lead-off home run as the Phillies won, 1-0.

What It Means:  The Phillies have pitched two consecutive shutouts against the Marlins, with whom they were supposed to compete for the N.L. East title this year.  With this game, Rollins has now played more games at short than any other Phillies player, passing Larry Bowa.  The victory also marked Charlie Manuel's 700th as the club's manager.

What Went Right:  See the "One Sentence Summary" portion of this post.

Featured Card:  It pains me to give him the featured card in this post, but Kendrick pitched a great ballgame.  He's just so frustratingly inconsistent.  I'm still a big proponent of bringing up prospect Tyler Cloyd to take Kendrick's spot in the rotation, but for every three crappy games Kendrick pitches, he throws a gem like this one.  You are maddening, Mr. Kendrick.

This is the sole autographed card in my 41-card Kendrick baseball card collection.

2012 Chachi #45 Cole Hamels AS

Phillies 4, Marlins 0
Game 115 - Monday Night, August 13th in Miami
Record - 53-62, 4th Place, 18 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Cole Hamels threw his second straight shutout on the way to his 13th win of the season and a 4-0 Phillies win.

What It Means:  The Phils won their first ever game at the new Marlins ballpark and increased their lead over the last place Marlins to a game and a half.  It's the little things.

What Went Right:  Hamels allowed just seven hits and struck out five in his latest masterful performance.  He's now thrown 22 consecutive scoreless innings.  Juan Pierre enjoyed a three-hit game, including an RBI-triple.

Jimmy Rollins scored a pair of runs and he tied Larry Bowa for the most games played at shortstop for the Phillies with 1,730.

Featured Card:  This is Hamels' well-earned All-Star card from this year's Chachi set.  With the season all but over for the Phils, I've started thinking about which past Topps set's design I should use for the 2013 Chachi set.  The short-list of contenders are:  1971, 1973, 1978, 1985 and 1988.  Any thoughts?

1952 Bowman #40 Emory Church

I can't help but think of my Dad every time I add an old Bowman card to my Phillies collection.  Having completed a 1951 Bowman Phillies team set, I've turned my attention to the rest of the Phillies Bowman cards issued between 1948 and 1955.  There's no rush in this pursuit, and each time I've ordered a sampling of newer Phillies cards from Checkoutmycards.com, I'm always sure to add at least one reasonably priced vintage Bowman card.  That's how this 1952 Bowman card of Bubba Church made its way into my collection recently.  My Dad would have approved.

* * *

My Dad also would have been disgusted with the current state of the Phillies.  "Bunch of bums," he'd say, and then he'd facetiously announce that he had decided to "root for the Braves," just to get a rise out of me.

Phillies at Marlins: August 13th to August 15th

Marlins Park - Miami, FL
Monday and Tuesday 7:10, Wednesday 12:40

Phillies 52-62, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals
Marlins 52-63, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 19 games behind the Nationals

Phillies Probables:  Cole Hamels (12-6, 3.08), Kyle Kendrick (4-9, 4.86), Roy Halladay (6-6, 3.80)
Marlins Probables:  Nathan Eovaldi (3-7, 4.33), Josh Johnson (7-8, 3.88), Mark Buehrle (9-11, 3.80)

At the Ballpark:  On Wednesday afternoon, the first 15,000 fans will receive a Giancarlo Stanton All-Star poster.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .335

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 66

Home Runs:  Carlos Ruiz - 14*

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 28

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 12

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.08

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 153

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 25

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

2011 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs Series 1 #14 Erik Kratz

Phillies 8, Cardinals 7 (11 Innings)
Game 114 - Sunday Afternoon, August 12th in Philadelphia
Record - 52-62, 4th Place, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:   Erik Kratz (yes, Erik Kratz) continued to lead the Phillies offense, hitting a game-tying three-run home run in the eighth and starting the team's winning, 11th inning rally.

What It Means:  The Phils took the series from the Cardinals and they'll head to Miami for a three-game, 4th place showdown with the Marlins.

What Went Right:  The offense was spotty and starting pitcher Vance Worley had another iffy outing, but the bullpen, with the exception of Michael Schwimer, did its job.  Schwimer entered in the eighth with the score tied 4-4 and proceeded to allow three Cardinals runs.  Kratz countered in the bottom of the eighth with his game-tying blast.

Jeremy Horst pitched two scoreless innings for his first Major League win.  Kratz led off the 11th with a double, but was erased at third on a Jimmy Rollins fielder's choice.  Rollins would eventually score the winning run when Juan Pierre legged out a two-out, infield hit.

Featured Card:  In 21 games this season, Kratz is now hitting .333 (15 for 45) with five home runs, six doubles and 12 RBIs.  If you do the math, that means that only four of his 15 hits are singles.  And at his current pace, if you project his home run and RBI totals over a full 162-game season, he'd have roughly 39 home runs and 93 RBIs.  That's pretty good.

Kratz has been knocking around the Blue Jays and Pirates farm systems since 2002.  To date he has only one mainstream baseball card, which was included within the 2010 Bowman Draft Picks and Prospects set.  I've already featured his lone Phillies card, but this is one of his two IronPigs cards from last season.

1999 Metal Universe #39 Mike Lieberthal

Cardinals 4, Phillies 1
Game 113 - Saturday Night, August 11th in Philadelphia
Record - 51-62, 5th Place, 19 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The bats were held in check by Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee couldn't escape trouble in the sixth as the Phillies lost to the Cardinals, 4-1.

What It Means:  The two teams will play the rubber match this afternoon.

What Went Wrong:  The Phils had two hits in the first two innings, and then were shut down without another hit until the sixth.  Lee pitched a decent ballgame until the sixth when he allowed a three-run home run to Matt Holliday.

Garry Maddox

Featured Card and Field Report:  We were there last night and we witnessed yet another Phillies loss.  The best part of last night's game (by far) was the pre-game ceremony and the introduction of about 30 ex-Phillies players.  It was great to see some of my personal favorites such as Larry Christenson, Ricky Jordan and Larry Milbourne.  We also got to see Garry Maddox outside the ballpark, prior to the game, at his annual Stephen Starr-Garry Maddox Barbecue Challenge.  In a bit of a role reversal, Steve Carlton caught the first pitch from his former personal catcher, and new Hall of Famer, Tim McCarver.

The star of the weekend however was new Wall of Fame inductee, Mike Lieberthal.  Lieby gave an emotional acceptance speech prior to Friday night's game, thanking his ex-teammates along with the late, great Harry Kalas and John Vukovich.  He spent the majority of his 14-year career with the Phillies, playing in 1,174 games with the Phils between his debut in 1994 and his last season with the club in 2006.  He appeared in 38 games with the Dodgers in 2007 before his retirement.  Lieberthal's 1,139 games behind the plate is the most in franchise history, ahead of Red Dooin (1,124), Bob Boone (1,095) and Darren Daulton (965).  It's fitting that Boone was the person who inducted Lieberthal into the exclusive Wall of Fame club.

This is a card from Lieberthal's best year, 1999, in which he went to the All-Star Game, won a Gold Glove and hit career highs  in home runs (31) and RBIs (96), while batting .300.

The Phils are now 3-6 in games I've attended this season.  As we were leaving the ballpark, Jenna pointed out that Kevin Frandsen, Nate Schierholtz and Erik Kratz now have giant 2011 Topps-style baseball cards appearing in the starting line-up outside Ashburn Alley.  And a spot check at a few different vendors confirmed that the Phillies have not yet released version 2.1 of their team-issued postcard set.

2012 Topps Archives 1977 Topps Cloth Stickers #77C-RH Roy Halladay

Phillies 3, Cardinals 1
Game 112 - Friday Night, August 10th in Philadelphia
Record - 51-61, 4th Place, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Roy Halladay pitched like it was 2010 as the Phillies took game one of the series against the Cardinals, 3-1.

What It Means:  It was a feel-good night for the Phillies and their fans.  In a pre-game ceremony, living Phillies legends looked on as former catcher Mike Lieberthal was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame.  Halladay and Chase Utley took over from there, reminding everyone why we continue to root for the Phils.

What Went Right:  Other than a second inning home run allowed to Carlos Beltran, Halladay was flawless in his eight innings of work.  He allowed just two hits while striking out eight on the way to just his sixth win of the year.  Jonathan Papelbon pitched a scoreless ninth for his 25th save.  The score was knotted at one a piece until the bottom of the eighth when Utley hit a two-run home run, scoring Jimmy Rollins, and giving the Phils a 3-1 lead.

Featured Card:  Halladay just hasn't given me too many reasons this year to feature any of his 2012 cards in game summary posts. So I've especially enjoyed his late season resurgence as it gives me more opportunities to show off some of his cooler 2012 cards. This is his 1977 Topps Cloth Sticker-inspired insert card from the Topps Archives release.

Cardinals at Phillies: August 10th to August 12th

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

Cardinals 61-51, 3rd Place in the N.L. Central, 5 games behind the Reds
Phillies 50-61, 5th Place in the N.L. East, 18 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Cardinals Probables:  Kyle Lohse (12-2, 2.79), Jake Westbrook (11-8, 3.76), Lance Lynn (13-5, 3.52)
Phillies Probables:  Roy Halladay (5-6, 4.02), Cliff Lee (2-6, 3.78), Vance Worley (6-7, 3.83)

At the Ballpark:  It's the annual Alumni Weekend at Citizens Bank Park, with the highlight being the induction of former Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal into the Phillies Wall of Fame tonight.  There's a ton of stuff going on Saturday as well, with full details of the festivities here.

Phillies Leaders

Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .335

Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 64

Home Runs:  Carlos Ruiz - 14*

RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*

Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 27

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 12

ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.14

Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 153

Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 24

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

1979 Topps #111 and #136

1979 Topps Flashback:  Today's flashback features two players with both Phillies and Cardinals connections.

Roger Freed was the Phillies regular right fielder in 1971 after being acquired in the off-season from the Orioles for Grant Jackson and two prospects.  He played in a career high 118 games that year, also enjoying a career high in RBIs (37) and tying his career high in home runs (6).  Following a disappointing 1972 season, Freed was shipped to the Indians with Oscar Gamble for Del Unser.  Freed enjoyed his most successful professional season in 1976 with the Montreal Expos' top farm club, the Denver Bears.  He hit 42 home runs that year and won MVP honors for the American Association.  He found some stability with the Cardinals from 1977 to 1979 as the back-up at first base to Keith Hernandez.  Freed has one mainstream Phillies card, from the 1972 Topps set.

Jim Kaat is one of only a few players to have appeared in the Majors in four different decades.  He came up with the Washington Senators in 1959 and called it a career after being released by the Cardinals in July 1983.  Kaat spent three seasons with the Phillies from 1976 to the beginning of the 1979 season, going 27-30 with a 4.23 ERA.  He was acquired from the White Sox in December 1975 in a deal that sent Dick Ruthven to Chicago.  He started the decisive Game 3 of the 1976 N.L.D.S for the Phillies in which the Phils eventually lost to the Reds.  He also won the last of his 16 Gold Gloves in 1975 and 1976 as a member of the Phillies.  The Phils sold him to the Yankees in May 1979.  Kaat had his first mainstream Phillies card within the 1976 Topps Traded set, and his 1979 Topps card was his final mainstream Phillies card as an active player.

2009 O-Pee-Chee #146 Chad Durbin

Braves 12, Phillies 6
Game 111 - Wednesday Night, August 8th in Philadelphia
Record - 50-61, 5th Place, 18 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Kyle Kendrick is not a very good starting pitcher.

What It Means:  The Phillies were going for their third series win in a row, but it was not to be.  After a brief visit to fourth place, they're now back in last.

What Went Wrong:  Kendrick allowed six runs in his 3+ innings of work before getting yanked.  The Phillies tied it up, 6-6, behind Ryan Howard's three-run home run in the fifth.  But the Phillies bullpen failed again, allowing six unanswered Braves runs in the seventh and eighth innings.

Featured Card:  Former Phillie Chad Durbin picked up the win in this ballgame, pitching a scoreless sixth inning.  Durbin is having a nice little year as a set-up guy in the Braves bullpen, compiling a 4-1 record and a 3.07 ERA.

The Phils could use a reliable reliever like Durbin these days.

2012 Bowman Platinum #67 Cole Hamels

Phillies 3, Braves 0

Game 110 – Tuesday Night, August 7th in Philadelphia

Record - 50-60, 4th Place, 17 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  Ace Cole Hamels pitched his fifth career shutout, blanking the Braves, 3-0.

What It Means:  The season is a bust, but games like this make me happy.

What Went Right:  Hamels needed 111 pitches to complete his latest masterpiece, his first win since signing his massive contract extension a few weeks ago.  He struck out six and allowed just five Braves hits.  Ryan Howard provided most of the offense, with a two-run home run in the first.  Domonic Brown knocked in the other run, doubling home Jimmy Rollins, who had himself doubled to start the ballgame.  Brown also had a nice outfield assist in the fifth, throwing out Brian McCann at second on the Phillie Killer’s attempt to stretch a single.

Featured Card:  If the Bowman Platinum set is released in the woods, and no one hears it, does it make a sound?  I was recently perusing the items that came up on eBay when searching for "2012 Phillies Set," and I was slightly surprised to see the Bowman Platinum Phillies team set appear.  (I had no idea this set was being released again this year.)  Being the obsessive collector I am, I clicked Buy It Now and the set arrived in the mail a few days later.  This set does nothing for me.  It's shiny, but there's no new ground being broken here.  Yet into the 2012 Phillies binder it goes.

2012 Topps Phillies #PHI17 Citizens Bank Park

Braves 6, Phillies 1

Game 109 – Monday Night, August 6th in Philadelphia

Record – 49-60, Tied for 4th Place, 17 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  With their 60th defeat of the season, the Phillies matched their entire loss total from the magical, very distant 2011 season.

What It Means:  The loss was witnessed by the first non-sell out crowd at Citizens Bank Park since July 6, 2009.  The Phillies fell short of a complete sell-out for the first time in 257 games.  The fans have spoken, and we’re not happy.

What Went Wrong:  Vance Worley took the mound with some sort of stomach bug, and he was gone in the fourth inning after surrendering four runs on six hits.  Braves starter Ben Sheets and two relievers held the Phillies to just a run (a John Mayberry, Jr. home run) on seven hits.

Featured Card:  The ballpark is a little emptier and a little sadder these days, but 2013 is just around the corner.

Field Report:  I was traveling for work this week, but Jenna attended this game and she was kind enough to take a few pictures of the giant Topps cards in Ashburn Alley representing the starting line-up.  My guess is that the Phillies won’t bother to have cards made up for Nate Schierholtz and Kevin Frandsen, as evidenced by the gaping holes on the wall.

Jenna picked up another team-issued series two set (for the 14,000 Phillies collection), and the Phillies haven't made any further updates since my initial report.  My guess is that Schierholtz, Frandsen and Josh Lindblom will find themselves without Phillies cards this year, but I'll keep checking back with the vendors at the ballpark.

2012 Chachi #51 Nate Schierholtz

#22

Nathan John Schierholtz

Outfield

Bats: Left  Throws: Right  Height: 6'1"  Weight: 205

Born: February 15, 1984, Reno, NV

Drafted: Selected by San Francisco Giants in 2nd round of June 2003 draft

Teams: San Francisco Giants 2007-2012, Phillies 2012

Acquired: Acquired from the San Francisco Giants with Seth Rosin and Tommy Joseph for Hunter Pence, July 31, 2012

Contract Status: Eligible for free agency following the 2014 season

2012 Chachi #48 Domonic Brown

#9

Domonic Larun Brown

Outfield

Bats: Left  Throws: Left  Height: 6'5"  Weight: 205

Born: September 3, 1987, Zephyrhills, FL

Home: Clearwater, FL

Drafted: Selected by Phillies in 20th round of June 2006 draft

Teams: Phillies 2010-

Acquired: Via draft

Contract Status: Pre-arbitration eligible

2012 Chachi #47 Kevin Frandsen

#28

Kevin Vincent Frandsen

Infield

Bats: Right  Throws: Right  Height: 6'0"  Weight: 185

Born: May 24, 1982, San Jose, CA

Home: San Jose, CA

Drafted: Selected by San Francisco Giants in 12th round of June 2004 draft

Teams: San Francisco Giants 2006-2009, Los Angeles Angels 2010, Phillies 2012

Acquired: Signed as a minor league free agent formerly with the Los Angeles Angels' organization, March 28, 2011

Contract Status: Signed through the 2012 season

Braves at Phillies: August 6th to August 8th

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

Braves 62-46, 2nd Place in the N.L. East, 3 games behind the Nationals
Phillies 49-59, 4th Place in the N.L. East, 16 games behind the Nationals

Braves Probables:  Ben Sheets (3-1, 1.46), Mike Minor (6-7, 5.01), Tim Hudson (11-4, 3.45)
Phillies Probables:  Vance Worley (6-6, 3.63), Cole Hamels (11-6, 3.34), Kyle Kendrick (4-9, 4.45)

At the Ballpark:  The Phillies host their annual Jewish Heritage Celebration on Tuesday night.

Phillies Leaders
Average:  Carlos Ruiz - .335
Runs:  Jimmy Rollins - 61
Home Runs:  Carlos Ruiz - 14*
RBIs:  Carlos Ruiz - 58*
Stolen Bases:  Juan Pierre - 27

Wins:  Cole Hamels - 11
ERA:  Cole Hamels - 3.34
Strikeouts:  Cole Hamels - 147
Saves:  Jonathan Papelbon - 24

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

1979 Topps #629 and #419

1979 Topps Flashback:  On June 15, 1978, the Phillies and Braves swapped veteran right-handed pitchers with reliever Gene Garber heading to Atlanta and starter Dick Ruthven coming back to Philadelphia after a 2 1/2 season absence.

Garber was purchased from the Royals back in July 1974 and for parts of five seasons, he was one of the Phillies most reliable relief pitchers.  He appeared in 250 games with the Phils, including a league leading 71 in 1975, compiling a 33-22 record with 51 saves and a 2.68 ERA.  Garber's career spanned 19 seasons and he eventually retired following his release by the Royals in July 1988.

Ruthven was drafted by the Phillies in January 1973, and he appeared in his first game with the big club in April 1973.  After struggling in 1975, the Phils shipped him to the White Sox in the deal that netted Jim Kaat.  His second stint with the Phillies was much more successfully, as his 17-10 record in 1980 helped the team to their first World Series ring.  In May 1983, Ruthven was dealt to the Cubs for Willie Hernandez.  He pitched with the Cubs until his release in May 1986.

2012 Topps Allen & Ginter's #2 Juan Pierre

Phillies 5, Diamondbacks 4
Game 108 - Sunday Afternoon, August 5th in Philadelphia
Record - 49-59, 4th Place, 16 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies came back twice to tie the game and eventually won on Ryan Howard's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, 5-4.

What It Means:  For the first time since June 27th, the Phillies aren't a last place team as they've now pulled a half game ahead of the Marlins.

What Went Right:  Chase Utley, Domonic Brown and Erik Kratz paced the offense with two hits a piece.  Utley hit his 7th home run of the year in the 5th, to tie the game up at 3-3.  The Diamondbacks retook the lead in the 6th, but the Phils came back to tie it up again in the 8th on three infield singles, two wild pitches and an error.

Pinch-hitter Juan Pierre singled to lead off the ninth and he'd come around to score on Howard's walk-off hit.

Featured Card:  Along with Carlos Ruiz' break-out year, one of the only other success stories of 2012 has to be the year put together by Pierre.  Signed as a minor league free-agent, Pierre has hustled his way to a .314 average and despite his reduced playing time, he's leading the team with 27 stolen bases. He's provided veteran leadership and at times he's appeared to be the only Phillie on the field with his heart in the game.  The assumption is that Pierre won't be back in 2013, but I've certainly enjoyed watching him play this year.

2012 Topps Archives 1969 Topps Deckle Edge #69DE-1 Roy Halladay

Phillies 3, Diamondbacks 0
Game 107 - Saturday Night, August 4th in Philadelphia
Record - 48-59, 5th Place, 16 games behind the Nationals

Another Massive, Vacation-Related Catch-Up, Part 7 of 7

One Sentence Summary:  It was the Roy Halladay and Erik Kratz show at Citizens Bank Park, as Halladay and two relievers combined for the first shutout of the year at home.

What It Means:  It means the Phillies are only a half game behind the Marlins for fourth place in the division.  Woo-hoo.

What Went Right:  Earlier in the day, it was announced that regular catcher Carlos Ruiz would miss the next four to six weeks with his nagging foot injury.  Kratz, the third string catcher, continued to step up, hitting a solo home run in the third and walking with the bases loaded in the fourth.  He's now hitting .346.

Halladay won his first game since May, allowing just three hits and striking out five in his seven innings of work.

Featured Card:  Hard to believe, but this is just the second time I've featured a Halladay card following a Phillies victory this year.  (The first time was following the first game of the season.)  If that's not an indication of how poorly the Phillies season has gone this year, I don't know what is.

This is one of the cooler inserts from this year's Topps Archives release, paying tribute to the original Deckle Edge set released back in 1969.

2009 Multi-Ad Lakewood BlueClaws #6 Tyler Cloyd

Diamondbacks 4, Phillies 2
Game 106 - Friday Night, August 3rd in Philadelphia
Record - 47-59, 5th Place, 16 games behind the Nationals

Another Massive, Vacation-Related Catch-Up, Part 6 of 7

One Sentence Summary:  The long, slow march to the off-season continued with a 4-2 loss to the Diamondbacks.

What It Means:  I was kind of cranky watching this game.  My vacation was ending, the Phillies had just traded Joe Blanton to the Dodgers, putting an exclamation point on their 2012 fire sale, and I was listening to the Phillies TV announcers for the sixth game in a row.

What Went Wrong:  Kyle Kendrick filled in for Blanton, who was supposed to start this game.  He allowed three runs (two earned) in his four innings of work.  The Phillies should have tied the game up in the sixth.  John Mayberry, Jr. appeared to slide home safely on Kevin Frandsen's single, but the home plate umpire ruled him out.

Featured Card:  Tyler Cloyd might be the guy to take Blanton's spot in the rotation for the rest of the season.  Cloyd pitched Friday night for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, allowing just a run on three hits in his seven innings of work.  With both the IronPigs and Double-A Reading Phillies this year, Cloyd is now 14-1 with a 1.91 ERA in 22 starts.

Bring him up, Ruben.  What do we have to lose?

2009 Topps Ticket to Stardom Autographed Relics #TSAR-JW Jayson Werth

Nationals 3, Phillies 0
Game 105 - Thursday Night, August 2nd in Washington
Record – 47-58, 5th Place, 15 1/2 games behind the Nationals

Another Massive, Vacation-Related Catch-Up, Part 5 of 7

One Sentence Summary:  The Nationals avoided the sweep as the Phillies decided to completely take the day off.

What It Means:  I'm actually considering starting a count-down of the number of days until pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater in February.

What Went Wrong:  Ross Detwiler and two Nationals relievers shut down the Phillies offense, allowing just three singles to a line-up consisting of Kevin Frandsen at third and Michael Martinez in center.  It seems like 1997 all over again.  Cole Hamels was the hard luck loser, allowing all three runs in his seven innings of work, while striking out nine.

Featured Card:  Jayson Werth returned to the Nationals line-up on this night for the first time since early May.  He had been out with a broken wrist and his return should only help the Nationals during their play-off push.

A year ago, it looked as if Werth had made a purely money-driven decision by signing a multi-year deal with the lowly Nationals.  He swore at the time that the Nationals were close to competing and they'd soon give the Phils a run for the N.L. East.  Unfortunately, Werth’s comments are proving to very prescient, as the Nationals are on their way to October baseball, while the Phillies are looking to finish out the regular season without causing too much more embarrassment to themselves.

This Werth card came to me via a redemption card I won on eBay a few years ago.  It was my first experience with the Topps redemption process, and I was honestly pleased with how quickly Topps turned around my request.