Along with a numbing series of baseball games, the Phillies may have lost something they needed to lose on this road trip.

Their cool.

Every long baseball season has significant mile markers. Sometimes they're obvious as they happen, sometimes they seem clear only in retrospect. At the end of this season, whatever happens in the Phillies' unfamiliar quest to defend a championship, the events of the last few days will stand out.

Charlie Manuel finally locked the clubhouse doors and addressed his team in an effort to fan away the psychic fog that had engulfed these Phillies.

Cole Hamels and Chase Utley lost their Cali-cool with a couple of umpires.

Jimmy Rollins was sent into dugout exile by the manager, who has used these involuntary mental vacations to right players in the past.

J.C. Romero was accused of assaulting a fan after a game in St. Petersburg, Fla., last week.

These seemingly unrelated incidents form a mosaic of a team that finally seems as frustrated as it should be by its own performance. Sometimes a little anger is a good thing, a shot of passion that can jolt a team out of the doldrums.

Saturday's cathartic 10-0 victory in Toronto was obviously a good sign. Yesterday's game might have been an even better one. After Jamie Moyer gave up three early home runs, the Phillies put together a fourth-inning rally to take a 5-4 lead.

It was a comeback right out of the 2008 highlight film, a glimpse of the gritty, whatever-it-takes resilience that had gotten lost in that mystifying June fog.

If this is it - if this is the Phillies regaining their lost mojo or focus or whatever you want to call it - the timing is pretty good. July looms, with the all-star break in the middle and the non-waiver trade deadline at the end. Thanks to the combination of ineptitude and bad breaks, the rest of the National League East has failed to take advantage of the Phillies' miserable June.

That means control of their fate remains firmly in the Phillies' hands.

It doesn't mean they got off without any consequences, though. Failing to bury the New York Mets and Florida Marlins will have an impact on the rest of the season. The Mets will get a boost from each injured player who returns to action. The Marlins have been given hope - a dangerous thing for a young team with good pitching.

If the Phillies had merely played around .500 ball since their high-water mark of 35-23 back on June 11, their division lead would be at a comfortable 6 or 7 games. They'd be a short hot streak from turning the Mets, Marlins and Braves into trade-deadline sellers with their eyes turned toward 2010.

So the Phillies have made it harder on themselves. They seem more comfortable this way, and they have a few reasons to feel better about themselves as they leave June and interleague play behind them.

First up: Rollins. A little time off doesn't automatically snap a player out of a slump. When it has worked in the past - Pat Burrell, Brett Myers - it has been because the player took the right attitude. Manuel takes the risk that a player will sulk and fall into a deeper funk.

Rollins' refusal to talk to reporters during his time-out could be a worrisome sign. But the TV camera caught Rollins in the dugout during that rally yesterday, and he was clapping and fist-bumping teammates and looking very much like a man who will be ready to put this little episode behind him.

A Rollins breakout, along with the return of injured Raul Ibanez, would go a long way toward righting the Phillies' offense. That would take care of the easy part.

The tougher part, as always, is pitching.

Bringing up Carlos Carrasco to fill in for the injured Antonio Bastardo (who is filling in for the injured Myers) could be a season-changing move. Carrasco has everything it takes to succeed in the major leagues except, for far, the opportunity. He's 22 years old, the same age Hamels was when he was called up for the first time.

Carrasco can take some of the pressure off general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. to find a legit starting pitcher in what looks to be a fairly uninspiring crop. Just as a restoration of order from closer Brad Lidge and setup men Romero and Ryan Madson would go a long way toward allowing time to heal the bullpen.

The Phillies' next six games are against NL East opponents - three in Atlanta and a holiday weekend series against the Mets at the Bank. The week represents a perfect opportunity to flush June away and get on with the business of winning a third consecutive division title.

They have nothing to lose but their cool.

Contact columnist Phil Sheridan at 215-854-2844

or psheridan@phillynews.com.

Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/philsheridan.