The Phils are 5-1 since the Mets meltdown. Have they turned it around, or have they capitalized on favorable match-ups in games they were supposed to win anyway?
Beerleaguer: Or does it really matter? It's such an unusual season that Thursday's match-up, Roy Halladay against Chris Volstad, pitting perhaps the best and worst pitchers in the National League, reads as a loss because the Phils can't buy a win for their aces. So why not throw away the press notes, ignore where the Phillies sit in the standings on May 17 and watch Doc do his thing. Common sense says he'll eventually get his wins.
The Phils' win streak - which reached four after Wednesday's 9-2 victory - also coincides with Charlie Manuel's talk. One of the takeaways from a players' perspective might have been to take nothing for granted. The Phils are not the same team that made miracles happen night after night after night. Nevertheless, they're good enough, based on their starting pitching alone, to approach each individual game with confidence.
And we've seen better approaches, too. Freddy Galvis raised his season slash line to .235/.273/.374 Wednesday. The Phillies will gladly take that considering he's in the lineup for his glove. If he can raise his on-base percentage to something closer to .300, consistently, than he's in this league to stay. Carlos Ruiz raised his hand and volunteered to pick of the slack. He hit his seventh homer Wednesday, which passes his 2011 total. Pitching-wise, Kyle Kendrick makes the best of being on the rotation/bullpen yo-yo and delivered six innings of three-hit ball. Hector Luna and Mike Fontenot, new additions with small sample sizes, should at least stand for a bench that, on the whole, has improved.





