The Team to Beat

Usually we come off losses criticizing every single move our team's manager/coach made. Or chalk it up to a blown call.

The Phillies are just too good. Power? Check. Ibanez and Utley hitting homer after homer. Never mind Howard. Speed? Check. Rollins, Victorino, Werth (he who stole home earlier this season). Defense? Check. Every one of gets to anything questionable and Ibanez is throwing out everyone from left. Bullpen? Check. No Lidge, but the other guys, with the matchups they present, are right up there with the Mets pen as it currently stands. Starting pitching? Maybe we found something. However, if they acquire a stud via a trade this season, we're screwed and looking at the frightening possibility of a Philly-Yankee World Series come October (Yes, the Yanks are 0-8 vs the Sox, but after all that they are only two games out and are a Joba move to the pen away from fixing their mess).

Speaking of which, if you switched over to that Yankee game last night and all you heard was "this is the game C.C. was brought here to pitch," you had to feel a little bit better with the eventual result. Just a little bit. It all goes down the toilet if we have a bad weekend.

It does not matter who pitched that 10th inning last night. The result would have been the same.

John Maine is now on the DL. As Billy Wagner says, "F-n shocker." Who is the poor soul that will be taking his place in the cauldron that is the New Yankee Stadium?

David Wright had three hits again and the stats say he is on fire. All three hits came leading off an inning. He had another stolen base and is still stuck on four homers on the season. When the team gets healthy, that sounds like a number two hitter to me. Remember the spring training a couple of seasons ago? Maybe that spot in the lineup is not so farfetched for Wright after all.

Fernando Martinez has one last shot to prove he can stay, with Sheffield likely taking DH duties and fly balls to right that are homers in the Bronx.