The injury, determined to be a sprained ankle, initially appeared to be a day-to-day discomfort for Jimmy. However, 30 days, 16 wins, and 12 losses later, the Phillies MVP shortstop is looking to return to the starting lineup…finally. The mere thought of having Jimmy back in the leadoff spot is very exciting, especially with how well this offense has played without him. To make room for his activation, Brad Harman was sent back to the 5-29 Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Eric Bruntlett was immediately introduced to the wrath and passion of Philadelphia fans after committing two errors in a six-run Mets third inning as Jimmy’s replacement. I disagreed with the amount of flack he was receiving, but you know what they say about first impressions. (They say they’re lasting impressions.)

Bruntlett has actually done a respectable job in Jimmy’s stead. Since his disaster of a debut, Bruntlett has committed only 2 errors in 27 games, hit .304 with RISP, and helped the Phillies split a a four game series with the ML-best Diamondbacks by going 7-18 with 2 doubles, a triple, a homer, and 8 RBI. Many people who have closely monitored the Jimmy Rollins saga over the last month are skeptical that he will be able to stay healthy on that ankle for the rest of the season, so don’t be too surprised if you see Eric Bruntlett back at shortstop later in the season. Just hope that you never again have to read a paragraph about Bruntlett doing a commendable job again.

Some thoughts on the D-Backs series:

• Winning the third game of that series was huge. Pedro Feliz has done many things wrong this season (.293 OBP, major-league best 8 GIDP’s), but his home runs have all come at very crucial times. His two-run shot off Micah Owings in the seventh inning of Wednesday’s game tied it at 3 and enabled the Phillies to make a very impressive comeback win. Of his other four homers, two have come in tie games, one in a one-run lead, and the other in the seventh inning of a three-run deficit. He may be the least clutch player of all time and a lock to cancel out a leadoff single, but he has sure picked some good spots to go deep in.
• Shane Victorino is really heating up. In his last five games, Victorino is 8-24 with 8 runs scored. As I stated a few days ago, this is the perfect time for Victorino to be en fuego, because the Phillies have desperately needed a surge out of the leadoff spot since Jimmy went down. And with Jimmy’s return imminent, let’s hope Victorino can keep this up out of the 2-hole.
• There have been several trade rumors surrounding Ryan Howard lately. The most widely circulated one involves Melky Cabrera and Phil Hughes of the New York Yankees. What a ridiculous rumor. Why am I even wasting my time mentioning it? Because it brings up the possibility of Howard leaving at some point. I strongly believe that if Howard does depart from the Phillies, it will be via free agency rather than trade. The Phils will have to pay Cole Hamels and Howard after the season, and if they have any intention at making a major push at re-signing Brad Lidge or Pat Burrell, they will need as many dollar bills as they can get their hands on. Combine that with the fact that Pat Gillick will be stepping down as GM after this season, and we have quite a controversy brewing. Lidge and Burrell have been two of the four most valuable Phillies thus far (Chase Utley and Hamels being the other two), so letting them both walk would be a major mistake.

Cole Hamels will face Patrick Misch tonight at AT&T Park. Misch struggled against the Phillies last week, giving up homers to Utley and Feliz en route to four earned in four innings. Hopefully he hasn’t made any adjustments.

Tomorrow’s game will not be televised due to Fox restrictions. This is completely retarded. I’m sorry if that word choice offends some, but I am really burned up that because of TV contracts, I have to watch Yankees-Tigers instead of my own team. Speaking of which, every national game doesn’t have to be Yankees-Tigers or Red Sox-Tigers or Yankees-Red Sox. For those of us who love National League baseball, there is nothing worse than a four-hour snoozefest between these A.L. teams, especially when it features national TV announcers who have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about. That’s not even a generalization, either. Orel Hershiser aside, name me one good baseball announcer on on ESPN or Fox. Seriously, go ahead.

Sorry for going off on a rant, but to me, things like, I don’t know… being able to watch your home team play baseball on a Saturday afternoon mean more than contractual obligations, blackouts, and having to see the Tigers and Yanks on TV for the 40th time this season. It’s the same argument as with the MLB Extra Innings package fiasco last year. When did the welfare of these large companies or TV stations become more important than the welfare of the fans? I know this may seem like an overreaction, because this stuff rarely happens, but it should never happen at all. Period.

I’m not going to write a game report because if you are interested in reading one you can find it anywhere on the internet. I will instead just use tonight’s post as a way to get some Phillies related stuff off my chest.

That series against the Giants was way too hard. The Phils should have handled the Giants easily, but for whatever reason, they played down to a very bad team. Speaking of which, is there a worse situation than the Giants in all of baseball? There is really no quick fix for this team, nor is there much to look forward to in the future. Yeah, they have Tim Lincecum. He’s dominant and will be for years to come, and who knows, might even develop the look of a pre-teen someday. There’s Matt Cain. He has nasty offspeed stuff and has unfortunately had a very rough time finding run support in his young career. But that’s it.

Some may argue that the Giants have these other young arms like Jonathan Sanchez or Brian Wilson, but they won’t be able to add enough to make this franchise anything close to legit in the coming years. They own the worst contract in the history (yes, the history) of professional sports in Barry Zito, and just threw 60 million at Aaron Rowand, who, while solid and a clear fan favorite here in Philly, is not someone you build a lineup around. That’s what baffled me when the Giants first signed Rowand. How do you make such an expensive and long commitment to a player who was the fifth best offensive weapon on his team last year? Mind-boggling.

Okay, I’ll stop talking so much about the Giants. I’m just a little upset that the Phillies could have easily gotten swept in that series.

Tonight’s game was necessary after the three games against San Francisco that came down to a final at-bat. It enabled the Phillies to rest Lidge, Romero, Gordon, and Durbin while getting Ryan Madson some work in order to boost confidence. It also took some pressure off of the hitters and loosened everyone up. It may be early May, but you can already see guys like Ryan Howard and Geoff Jenkins pressing up at the plate.

Howard and Jenkins each had very good games tonight. Howard crushed two balls that resulted in a sac fly and a flyout, but easily could have been doubles had they not been hit right at Chris Young and Eric Byrnes. He may be hitting .169, but a number like that doesn’t matter much because Ryan Howard is hitting the ball hard right now. He is creating runs, striking out a little less, and earning the fear his presence causes.

Geoff Jenkins has struggled so far this season, but had three nice singles to center, scored twice and drove in one in tonight’s game. Shane Victorino is also getting into a groove, which couldn’t come at a better time because the Phillies need a spark out of the leadoff spot and it’s hard to imagine Chase Utley and Pat Burrell continuing this torrid pace much longer. Don’t get me wrong, I fully expect Utley and Burrell to have great seasons, but I do not expect them to repeat their April magic each month during the course of the season.

Guys stepping up when others have a bad night is what defines a very good team. On a night where Burrell goes 0 for 5 and strands eight runners, the Phillies win convincingly. Why? Because guys like Victorino, Jenkins, and Eric Bruntlett get on base a total of eight times.

And for more good news, Jimmy Rollins went 4 for 4 with three doubles today in a rehab stint. There have been reports that he could be ready for the Phillies as early as Thursday. Regardless of how well the Phillies play, this team has a different feel without Jimmy. A negative one. Not that the other guys lack it, but Jimmy Rollins leads the Phils in swagger. He brings a confidence to the team that we all miss dearly and hope to see back soon. It’s weird how the Phillies have lost their unquestioned team leader for 25 games now, but there aren’t too many bad things to say.

Ok, enough warm-hearted optimism. Randy Johnson tomorrow. He’s not the pitcher he once was, but he will still probably dominate the Phillies. I have a feeling. Expect a big strikeout day out of Ryan Howard as well as two GIDP’s by Pedro Feliz. Those aren’t exactly bold (haha, get it?) predictions, given that Howard leads the majors in strikeouts and Feliz leads in grounding into double plays. But if either man has big game, feel free to rub it in my face in the comments section below.

Had anybody told you the Phillies would finish April two games over .500 without 2007 MVP and team catalyst Jimmy Rollins, you likely would not have believed it, especially based upon the slow starts this team is prone to getting out to.

However, four hitters, along with the superb pitching out of the bullpen, have helped keep the Phillies afloat without their leader.

• Chase Utley obviously gets first mention here. Utley is playing out of his mind right now, and is showing no signs of letting up at the plate. He currently leads the NL with a .357 batting average, 11 home runs, and a 1.182 OPS. If the MVP award were given out today, Utley would likely be the unanimous selection in the National League.
• Pat Burrell has looked more like a #1 overall draft pick this year than he has at any point in his career. With the early struggles of Ryan Howard, Burrell has stepped up admirably from the five hole, setting a Phillies franchise record with 25 RBI in April. This Pat Burrell, who does not appear to be looking for walks (although his eye is sharp as ever), is one that every Phillies fan likely forgets ever booing, and it will be a tricky decision what to do with him at season’s end. Jayson Stark reported earlier in the week that with the current financial situation the Phillies have, they will probably be able to give Burrell only half of what he is currently making per year. Burrell has stated numerous times that he loves Philadelphia and the atmosphere of playing in this city, so one would hope a hometown discount is in the works. However, if he keeps this up, count on many American League teams making a STRONG push at Burrell to be their 2009 DH.
• Jayson Werth has gone from pretty good platoon player to very good starting centerfielder. He is averaging more pitches seen per plate appearance than any other player in the major leagues this season, and has looked very impressive in center field. He has very good speed and instinct and looks like a natural centerfielder. Some guys just have that look about them at certain positions, like they aren’t out of their element at all. Werth has that look in center.
• The fourth player is a combo of two role players: Greg Dobbs and Chris Coste. I don’t know how either of these guys do it, but it seems whenever a clutch situation presents itself, they deliver. Dobbs especially, given the fact he is mostly used in the late innings coming off the bench cold. He has expanded on his magnificent 2007 pinch hitting season by leading all pinch hitters in RBI and hits. Coste produces in every game he plays in place of Carlos Ruiz, and with his .350 average and a 1.035 OPS, it’s hard to imagine the two catchers having anything but a very close amount of at-bats throughout the season. Coste has earned the extra playing time.

As stated above, the bullpen has been remarkable. Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero STILL have 0.00 ERAs and the combination of those two, Chad Durbin, and Rudy Seanez have allowed 4 earned runs in 52.1 innings pitched. Ridiculous numbers.

Finally, Ryan Howard seems to finally be coming along. Yes, this is easy to say after a night in which he hits a game-winning homer and drives in another run with a double, but it was not just tonight that makes me say this. He has been hitting the ball hard lately, and while some of his ropes have resulted in bad-luck line outs or fly outs, the fact that he is putting the ball in play in some of these at-bats rather than fouling pitches off or striking out weakly is a sign that he may be on his way back.

How scary would this lineup be if Utley and Burrell keep this up and Howard finally gets it going? You would be hard pressed to find a better 3-4-5 than that.

Last year, Howard still managed to post a .268/.392/.584 line despite the fact that he was injured through most of the season and struck out 199 times. This season, Howard has already struck out 35 times and, simply put, isn’t putting the ball in play enough to warrant a starting job. Manuel benched Howard on Thursday against Milwaukee, and again Friday night against lefty Zach Duke and the Pirates. Howard could be in the lineup tonight when right-hander Matt Morris pitches for Pittsburgh. In a pinch-hit appearance last night against Damaso Marte, the lefty made Howard look foolish, getting him to chase pitches out of the zone.

It’s clear that these desperate times call for desperate measures. On this night, the lineup worked. Chris Coste batted 5^th and had 3 RBIs. Pat Burrell had another hit and scored another run. But the problem remains Howard, who is now hitting a miserable .174 on the year. If he’s in the lineup tonight, he needs to be shifted. Manuel is not afraid to have a short leash with some of his players, and Howard needs to be demoted to the 6^th spot in the order. Coste, who has played well so far this season, needs more time behind the plate. Carlos Ruiz can afford to ride the pine until he turns around his slow start into something more prosperous.

Manuel’s strokes of brilliance in regard to in-game managing have been few and far between at times. On Wednesday night, he left Cole Hamels in far too long and the Brewers took advantage. On Thursday, Manuel pulled Jamie Moyer at an opportune time, and got a great inning out of set-up man Tom Gordon. On Friday, Gordon once again pitched the 7^th inning despite the fact that he is the “oh-so-holy set-up man”. It’s refreshing to see a manager who doesn’t stick to the book 24/7. The better part of the Pittsburgh lineup was due up in the 7^th, and Manuel used Gordon. J.C. Romero pitched the 8^th, and Brad Lidge threw more filth at hitters to get the save in the 9^th.

So that crazy lineup worked. So did those managerial moves. He might not be Tony LaRussa, Earl Weaver, or Billy Martin, but Charlie Manuel has done a fine job with this team so far. They may avoid a losing April for the first time since 2003. Utley and Burrell have led the team’s attack while Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino have been out. Now they need their $10 million man to start hitting. 

The last time the Phillies finished a season in first place, I was a sprout yet to understand the significance of it. Coming into this season, I didn’t know how I would react to things. It was the first time in my life that I was a fan of a playoff baseball team (no matter how brief the stay was,) which is such an odd feeling for someone not used to it. Those who haven’t been following a losing team for so long could never understand it. A Yankees fan my age, or even a Red Sox fan my age could not comprehend the strange euphoria that comes with finally seeing your team make it after all those years.

But that was last year.

And the Mets are 4-2 against the Phillies this year. So the “Who made the playoffs” crap doesn’t really work right now.

When the Phils beat the Mets in the first game in which the teams met this season, I mentioned how many mistakes the Mets have been making in this series’ recent history. They had been unable to score late in games off of the Phillies bullpen, and when they did, defensive or baserunning miscues were taking them out of games. Since that first Phillies-Mets game, however, it seems the teams have traded places.

Johan Santana had the game I envisioned him having against the Phillies when news of the trade first broke. He was completely dominant, and other than a Chase Utley solo homer, was practically untouchable. After Greg Dobbs‘ pinch hit three-run homer, momentum seemed to be on the Phillies’ side. But that was quickly shot down when a Ryan Howard error paved the way to an insurance run on a Carlos Delgado sac fly, putting the game away.

The next day, the “pretty good” Oliver Perez showed up and the Phillies couldn’t overcome an early deficit. The struggling Aaron Heilman punched out Geoff Jenkins and Jayson Werth in the eighth inning with the bases loaded to end a late Phillies threat.

In the Sunday night game, Chase Utley was “the man” yet again, homering twice en route to four RBI. Adam Eaton, as he did so often last year, failed to hold a lead after seeing his team have a big inning. However, a Pedro Feliz go-ahead homer gave the Phils a lead that Brad Lidge wouldn’t relinquish. Lidge did get into trouble, but an improbable David Wright out and a spectacular play on Carlos Beltran by Eric Bruntlett at short ended the game.

The Phils flew to Colorado after salvaging game three of the Mets series and completed a quick two-game sweep of the Rockies. Both game saw the Phillies make late comebacks, scoring five runs in the final two innings Monday night and four runs in the final two innings Tuesday night.

A few thoughts on the series’:

• Utley and Wright are a pleasure to watch. The feeling of dread watching David Wright come to the plate is equaled when Mets fan hear “Kashmir” play and Utley makes his way to the batter’s box. Both are early season candidates for N.L. MVP, as I am sure they will be for many years to come. When Utley or Wright get into one of these grooves, it’s hard to even imagine them making an out. In the three game series, Utley was 6-11 with 4 HR and 6 RBI, while Wright finished 8-11 with 4 doubles, a triple, and 4 RBI.
• Ryan Howard is in such a funk right now that the intentional walks need to stop. Hindsight is 20/20, but I firmly believe that had the Rockies pitched to Howard last night and either pitched to or intentionally walked Pat Burrell afterwards, they would have won the game.
• This brief two-game series starting tonight against Milwaukee will provide Howard with an opportunity to hit his way out of this slump, as Brewers manager Ned Yost has never been one to put Howard on base.
• Last night’s game was a perfect example of why Pat Burrell belongs in the lineup in the late innings of close games.
• Brad Lidge looked dominant in shutting the door on the Rockies last night. After opening the ninth inning with a fastball up and in to Rockies shortstop Clint Barmes, Lidge threw 10 consecutive strikes, whiffing Barmes and Todd Helton and inducing a weak groundout from the bat of Matt Holliday to end the game. Lidge and J.C. Romero both have ERA’s of 0.00.

Tonight’s game:

• Luckily for the Phils, Ben Sheets was scratched from his scheduled start tonight. Cole Hamels will take on Dave Bush instead. Bush is 0-3 with a 7.02 ERA this season
• Geoff Jenkins will likely be starting in right field tonight against the Brewers, his former team that he spent the entirety of his 10-year career with prior to signing with the Phillies.
• It will be interesting to see how Hamels fares tonight against the plethora of right-handed bats the Brew Crew send out. As a team, Milwaukee has an N.L. high .531 slugging percentage against lefties, whom they are hitting .293 off of. However, Hamels has limited righties to a .192 batting average, allowing only 6 extra base hits in 78 at-bats.

The replacements? With shortstop Jason Donald injured, the Phillies called up infielder Brad Harman from Double-A Reading. Harman, a 22-year old from Australia, hit .222 in 16 games for the Reading Phillies.

T.J. Bohn will replace Snelling on the roster. Bohn was picked up on waivers by the Phillies towards the end of last season, and is hitting .190 so far with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

Rollins had four pinch-hit appearances for the Phillies after injuring his left ankle sliding back into second base on April 8^th.

Marzano was born bred a true South Philadelphian. He attended Eagles, Sixers, Flyers and Phillies games growing up in the area. He knew what it was like to be a true fan. He attended Central High School and was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1981. He elected to attend Temple University, and was drafted again by the Boston Red Sox in 1984.

He was never a superstar, but the outgoing Marzano fought his way to a 10-year big league career with three different teams. He got the chance to play catch with Roger Clemens, which is good enough to be a dream for many kids. He was there in Fenway Park, playing in front of thousands of fans and living out his dream. He headed off to the Texas Rangers organization, and then finished his career with the Seattle Mariners in 1998.

For Marzano’s future, the choice was easy. Everyone loves an outgoing personality, and it usually translates well to the media. Marzano became a lead analyst on Comcast Sports Net’s Phillies Post Game Live in Philadelphia, and made numerous appearances on Sports Radio 610 WIP. It seemed at times that Marzano was everywhere. Maybe he was. For Marzano, he was still living the dream. It was a continuation of sorts of a career that wasn’t always the most stable or most thrilling. He was getting the chance to talk about baseball day in and day out, and people listened. He always had points that raised discussion. Not everyone always agreed with him, but he told the truth and never sugarcoated anything.

He moved on to much bigger and better things before the beginning of the 2007 season, taking a job as a host on MLB.com’s daily show on their website. Although he was often caught up with having to talk about national stories on the program, he always found time to come back to Philadelphia and appear on radio and television. He appeared on Comcast’s Daily News Live this past Thursday, a show that was broadcast from the atrium at the Wachovia Center. Marzano was riled up as Flyers fans cheered behind him before Game 4 of the team’s first round match-up against the Washington Capitals. Right in the middle of it all was “Johnny Marz”, who was just as excited for the upcoming Flyers game as he was about the Phillies’ 10-2 win against the Astros earlier in the day.

There was a baseball game played Saturday. The Phillies lost it 4-2 to the New York Mets. It doesn’t seem to matter right now, however. Sometimes life is taken for granted. Everyone who has lived in the Philadelphia area has seen the character known as John Marzano. Now, things won’t be the same without him. Marzano will leave behind his wife and his two children. We’ll always remember his silly smile, his upbeat persona, and his love of the game of baseball. Sometimes our future can be so uncertain. In this case, a future was cut far too short.

Santana was not alone in his pursuit to stop the Phillies. He had plenty of help from third baseman David Wright, who went 4 for 4 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.

The Mets got a scare in the 2^nd inning when shortstop Jose Reyes attempted to steal 2^nd base. On his slide, Reyes collided head first with Chase Utley’s knee, and immediately gestured for help from the dugout. After a stoppage in play of about five minutes, Reyes remained in the game and scored on Wright’s one-out triple that got past center fielder Jayson Werth.

With the Mets leading 2-0, Santana continued dealing. He appeared to relish the opportunity of pitching in front of a sold out crowd at Citizens Bank Park. He wanted to ruin the beautiful evening with some magic of his own. He kept the Phillies off the board until the 7^th inning, when Chase Utley crushed a dead-center field homerun off Santana to cut the New York lead to one.

Hamels ran into trouble in the 8^th, but for the third time in four starts received almost no run support. The Mets tacked on three runs in the frame, with Hamels giving way to J.C. Romero after loading the bases. Hamels finished with a seven inning performance, allowing four earned runs and striking out four. He got into trouble by walking three, and it cost him.

The Phillies rallied behind a Greg Dobbs three-run homerun in the bottom of the 8^th, but the Mets got another run in the 9^th. Billy Wagner turned the Phillies down in order in the bottom of the 9^th for his third save of the season.

It was up to Santana to ruin the perfect evening. There was a majestically bright sky, temperatures in the 70s, and the hated Mets in town. Hate the Mets, but respect the job Santana did in this one. He shut the Phillies down after their biggest offensive explosion of the season on Thursday. Johan could be ruining a lot of moods in Philly this year.

The Mets are in town for the first time in 2008, and they’re bringing the whole cast of characters. Wright, Beltran, Reyes, and Wagner are all there. But undoubtedly the new sheriff in town is Santana, the venerable 29 year old who’s heading right into the prime of his career.

He was signed by the Houston Astros in 1995 as a sixteen year old. He was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 1999 Rule V Draft, and then traded to the Minnesota Twins that same day for Jared Camp, a player who will always be known as “the guy that was traded for Johan Santana.”

The numbers for Santana were stifling with the Twins. He won 93 games and lost just 44 with an offense that helped him so little at times. He pitched 200+ innings four times, posted WHIPs under one in three of those seasons, and dominated batters with his pinpoint fastball and deathly change-up. So far this season, Santana is 1-2 with a 3.05 ERA. He’s getting just 3.67 runs per game worth of support so far, but it’s not bound to stay that way. The Mets have a potent enough offense to give Santana the chance to win 20 games.

With all the talk about Santana, there should be an equal amount of talk from a certain Cy Young candidate in Hamels. All Cole’s managed to do so far is post a .82 ERA while allowing just 11 hits in his 22 innings pitched so far. The lanky lefty from San Diego is 1-1 lifetime against the Mets with a 2.77 ERA, striking out 26 New Yorkers in 26 innings.

It’s no coincidence that Hamels and Santana both use the same out pitch. Hamels’ changeup has become nearly unhittable, and his curveball is slowly improving to a respectable level.

Sometimes the hype is never reached. Sometimes the big matchups turn out to be much ado about nothing. Tonight, Hamels and Santana look to change that. So kick back, this is going to be good.

Contrary to last night, there was no magical comeback, there was no South Philadelphia celebration, as the Sixers fell down in Charlotte. Instead there was an agitated murmur spreading through the CBP crowd. We all know how this team starts the season, and actually we should be welcoming a .500 April, but it just doesn’t seem right after August/September of last season.

Maybe it was Roy Oswalt and not the Phillies lineup, maybe Oswalt truly is back to his 2001-2007 self after an early season funk. Oswalt did throw an absolute gem. His fastball was sharp, and seemed to overpower much of the Phillies lineup, while his off-speed pitches were just filthy. In fact, the only extra base hit all night, for the Phils, was Chase Utley’s double in the third. Jayson Werth, meanwhile, was the only Phillies runner to even reach third base, and the only to cross home plate.

All in all, the Phillies fell to a Houston Astros team that they have no business losing to, not even to Oswalt. The month of April, so far, is looking very reminiscent of the stretches last year where the Phillies simply couldn’t score. Granted, last year those stretches came with the abscenses of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley or Shane Victorino. This year they come with virtually the full line-up, in tact and healthy. Now it’s most likely just an early season slump, for the entire lineup, but it is slightly unnerving seeing this team put up a total of 2 runs, barring Tuesday’s 9th Inning, in the last two games.

Once again, the Phillies starting pitching did it’s job. Kyle Kendrick seemed to snap out of his April funk and pitches very well. Kendrick went 7 innings, giving up just 2 runs and striking out 5 in the process. Overall it was actually more than we expected from Kendrick coming in to the season, and hopefully he can keep it up. The Phillies bullpen even did their job, holding the Astros hitless in the final two frames. Yet, as I said, the Phillies lineup simply could do nothing at all.

In true ex-Philadelphia athlete fashion, Michael Bourn came back to bite the Phillies right in the backside. Bourn accounted for both of the ‘Stros runs on the night, hitting a solo homer in the fifth and using his speed in the first to manufacture Houston’s runs. Now, I didn’t like the Bourn trade when it happened, as I feel Bourn is a better player than Victorino, but it is yet to be seen who gets the better end of the deal. Right now though, the edge can go the Astros with the win Wednesday.

Thursday is a Citizens Bank Business Persons Special, and so far this season they are 3-4 in day games. Hopefully they can even up their Day and Overall records in one shot with the “Ace” Brett Myers on the mound against Houston’s Brandon Backe. The biggest hope for tomorrow is that, after seeing him Pinch Hit tonight, Jimmy Rollins is ready to start.