The Phils are one of nine non-dome teams not to have a rain-out this season (these are the types of things I waste my time looking up when I get a free minute in the press box), and they'll likely remain in that exclusive club tonight. Just got a press release from the PR department saying that the Phillies do expect to play tonight (translation: come and spend your money!).

Currently I am sitting in the press box watching a few gentlemen squee-gee off the tarp that is covering the infield. But I've got to scram over to the Wachovia Center to appear on Daily News Live.

In the mean time. . .

Here's the game story from last night.

And here's a little note I did attempting to explain Pat Gillick's viewpoint when it comes to handing out long term contracts to young players. In short, he's very hesitant to do it. I understand where he's coming from. I'm sure not everyone agrees, though.

I usually try to watch as little of the Best Damn Sports Show as possible. But they've got a great special on right now, the Top 50 Blow-Ups of all-time. Mostly, it's athletes going after various media members, usually TV goobs, after games. But Allen Iverson's famed "Practice?" monologue just played, and now I'm going to have that stuck in my head for the rest of the week.

One guy who didn't need much practice tonight was Cole Hamels (how's that for a segue?).

Four hits, his first complete game shutout, 120 pitches. It really was a masterful performance.

Other positives:

Ryan Howard hit his third home run in five games.

Shane Victorino hit his first home run of the season.

Pedro Feliz hit the ball well, narrowly missing a two home-run night (he'll have to settle for one).

Not many negatives, really.

What was the key to Hamels success? Pitching coach Rich Dubee thinks a lot of it had to do with the fastball. The thing was cracking tonight. When he's got that pitch flying, it makes his trademark change-up that much more deadly.

Read more in tomorrow's paper.

The Marlins looked like they were going to steal a game last night when they rallied for six in the top of the ninth, but the Reds rebounded in the 10th. . .The Mets, on the other hand, allowed a four-run rally in the seventh and fell to the Nationals. The Braves, Marlins, Mets and Phillies are all within two games of each other, and all are over .500. It's only May, but it's something to keep your eye on. . .

^

I don't know how many of you have noticed it over the past several years, but it has seemed to me that players' bats are breaking more and more violently. It seems like every game a bat shatters and a chunk of it explodes past the pitchers mound. I asked around about it, and it turns out the bats that you see "exploding" are usually ones made out of Maple wood, which has become more popular amongst hitters in recent years because it is a "harder" wood.

That might not be news to some of you, but as someone who is in his first year covering baseball on a day-to-day basis, I found it interesting. I figured I'd write about it now because there have been a couple of instances over the past week when a Phillie has had to dodge shrapnel while fielding a ball. Kyle Kendrick had a large chunk of a bat fly at him in his last inning two nights ago.

Of course, many batters disagree that Maple bats are inherently dangerous. I talked to Greg Dobbs briefly yesterday. He's used both ash and maple during his career, and he says he's seen ash bats explode and come close to players too. Eric Bruntlett also said he didn't think maple was a bona fide security hazard.

Others think that Major League Baseball needs to address the maple bat "issue." Several players I talked to didn't feel like grumbling about them on the record. Because, of course, in the grand scheme of things, it isn't a huge issue. And I think there is a good portion of pitchers who would sacrifice some element of safety in order to keep hitters happy.

But I had a conversation with Pat Gillick prior to the game yesterday, and he said the issue isn't so much the players, but other people who surround the field of play, including fans and coaches. In mid-April, just before the Phillies embarked on a weekend series to the Steel City, Pirates hitting coach Don Long was hit just below the eye with a chunk of a maple bat. He needed 12 stitches. Phillies broadcaster Larry Andersen told me that Long told him he was an inch away from losing his eye. Andersen said he definitely thinks that something needs to be done about Maple Bats.

Where do I stand on the issue?

I see both sides of it. I haven't been able to find much scientific evidence that says Maple bats make balls go further. But basketball shoes don't make players jump higher, and everyone has their specific pair that they prefer. That's how hitters are with bats. It's about comfort, about feel. I asked Eric Bruntlett why he recently switched to the same model bat that Chase Utley uses - Bruntlett's bat even have Utley's name and number on them - and he couldn't really put a finger on it. It's just about feel.

So I definitely understand why many hitters would shrug off the fact that their preferred bat seems to shatter. But I was talking a week or so ago to a Phillies hitter who uses ash and he also said he didn't think there was a big difference between the way the two bats break.

At the same time, like mom always said, it's all fun and games until a short stop walks off the field with a jagged piece of wood protruding from his neck.

Hey, it isn't a controversial issue, and it won't take its place beside the Black Sox and steroid scandals as threats to the integrity of the national past time.

I just found it interesting.

^

The Cubs have signed Jim Edmonds to a deal, it appears. According to Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune, that should make for some interesting clubhouse dynamics between Edmonds and Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano. . .If anyone wants a reminder of how much a pain in the butt recovering from shoulder surgery can be, follow the progression of Mark Prior, who suffered a set back while throwing yesterday. Prior had his surgery roughly around the same time as Kris Benson, who continues to try to work his way back on the field in Clearwater.

Thoughts from tonight's 8-5 loss to the Braves.

Half-empty:

1) Brett Myers guaranteed tonight that his struggles won't continue for the rest of the season. Why won't that happen? "Because I'm not going to let it happen," he said. That said, the Phillies have some cause for concern until Myers regains the form that saw him become one of the more solid young pitchers in the league. He was hit often, and hit hard tonight by a team that entered hitting just .253 on the road. He gave up three home runs in his first 20 pitches. It's hard to believe a team can make it to the playoffs if it's Opening Day Starter finishes the year with an ERA at 5.93, which is Myers' mark after tonight's performance.

2) The Phillies struggled to get much offense for the first five innings off of Glavine, putting just one runner on base until their four-run sixth inning. They lead the league in come-from-behind wins with 13. But can they really continue to win like this all season?

Half-full:

1) Ryan Howard continues to put good swings on the ball. He hit a solo home run to the opposite field in the eighth inning and a long foul ball to the opposite field in his first at-bat. He wasn't doing those types of things when he was struggling. His hitting streak is now at six games, which was already a season-high.

2) Chase Utley extended his major-league leading home run total to 14.

3) Jimmy Rollins had a couple of RBI doubles, and Chris Coste went 4-for-4, the third time he's had four hits in a game in his career.

4) The bullpen once again performed well, pitching 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Anyway. . .

There is no consensus in the clubhouse as to what ails Brett Myers. Chris Coste, who caught tonight, said he didn't think it was a matter of velocity. Charlie Manuel said it was more a matter of location, and said that perhaps Myers should be more aggressive and pitch inside more. All three home run pitchers were fastballs left over the big part of the plate. One thing pitcher, catcher and manager all agreed on is that the Braves seemed to crush anything that was in the zone.

Random thoughts from tonight's 5-4 win:

Every time Kyle Kendrick pitches, I swear I feel like he got hit hard. Yet the Phillies are 6-2 when he pitches this season. Last week, he gave up 10 hits and the Phils won. This week, he allowed three runs on three hits in the first inning, yet picked up his third victory of the season.

^

What's higher: Chipper Jones' batting average, or the chance of rain on the average spring day in Philadelphia? It's the latter, but only because the northern reaches of the humid subtropical climate zone are CRAP.

But, yeah, Chipper's not a bad player. Three hits today, raised his average to .415.

^

I'm not sure who the player of the game is, Jayson Werth or Ryan Howard.

Howard's two hits were huge. But Werth had 4 RBI.

Is it a cop-out if I make them co-players? It's my blog, I can do what I want.

Co-players of the game.

^

Tom Glavine pitches tomorrow night. I'm anxious to see how much he has left.

^

Dark Horse Pub after the game. Meeting some of the hockey writers over there. No one's Flyer'ed up anymore, are they?

^

Werth admitted he made a little hiccup in the ninth inning, starting in on a well-hit fly ball by Brian McCann that eventually landed over his head and put the potential game-tying run on second base. Didn't end up costing the Phils, though Brad Lidge did give up his first earned run of the season.

^

Lidge is 10-for-10 in save opportunities.

It's hard to believe he goes 40-for-40.

Any believers out there?

Hope everyone had a good off day.

I generally like to start off my blog posts by pretending some of you actually give a crap about my life on the road, so here's our Tuesday Morning anecdote: A couple other beat writers and I took the red eye back from San Francisco after Sunday's game. We got into Philadelphia at about 6:30 a.m., at which point I picked up my car from the Economy lot and headed home. It was rainy and overcast and 50 degrees (San Francisco and Philadelphia have a lot in common).

So I get home, and in the spot where I usually park my car in front of my apartment, there is a fallen down tree. And under that fallen down tree is a car.

The only moral to the story is this: As life-force-sucking an experience as a red eye flight back from San Francisco can be, it's nowhere near as bad as waking up for work on Monday morning and realizing that there is a tree trunk jutting through the rear window of your Honda Civic. . .

With that in mind, let's start off another week . ..

My first thought: Where do the Phillies stand in this NL East? We're roughly a quarter of the way through the major league season, and I'd say the division is as unsettled as it was in spring training. In a story I wrote for today's paper, I wondered allowed whether the Florida Marlins are for real. A lot of it depends on your definition of "real," but I really don't think they'll make a serious push for the playoffs. Look, they're playing great right now. But they've taken advantage of a great schedule, they recently got swept by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and a quarter of their wins have come against the Washington Nationals.

Here's Jayson Stark's take on the situation. . .

And here are some other things to keep your eyes on. . .

1) Bill Conlin checks in with some thoughts on the amateur swingologists who have checking in about Ryan Howard's (slump). . .

2) Zen and the art of hitting the cover off the ball: Paul Hagen on a swing that has no holes. . .

3) Phillies fan favorite Kyle Lohse has a 13.50 ERA in his last two starts. He allowed seven runs on eight hits in four innings his last time out. He pitches tonight for the Cardinals.

4) Check out this story on a kid from Florida State named Buster Posey. He played all nine positions in a game yesterday. Granted, it was against Savannah State. I have no problems with the 'Noles pulling a gimmick like this. College baseball is never in the headlines, and Posey is one of the top prospects for this year's draft. Plus, he's one of the few college baseball players whose GPA (4.00) is higher than his ERA. Why else do I care about Buster Posey? I got a chance to talk to him this spring prior to a scheduled exhibition between Florida State and the Phillies. The game was ultimately rained out. But Posey will be facing professionals before long.

I asked Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. yesterday whether the organization was still confident that Kris Benson would be able to help the team this season.

Here is what he had to say:

"We're hopeful. Things have been very slow with him. Obviously, he's had a couple of setbacks, which hurt us. But we still have to let it play out and see how it's going. He's back throwing off the mound again, which is a good sign, but he still has some fatigue in his groin and he's got to get himself healthy before we even really consider him being an option for us."

Benson is well behind schedule. He's still recovering from an injured groin, which followed a bout with biceps tendinitis. The Phillies initially thought he'd be ready to help the team sometime this month. Now, there's no telling when he might be ready to go.

Combine that situation with the fact that the Phillies have used more than five starting pitchers in each of the last 15 years, and the chances are good that the team will eventually find itself looking for help from its minor league system.

General manager Pat Gillick said a couple of weeks ago in Pittsburgh that if Benson didn't pan out, the Phils would likely look internally for pitching help should a need arise. The prospects of finding a starter via trade or the waiver wire simply aren't good.

So who will it be?

Lakewood right-hander Drew Naylor recently tossed a complete game two-hitter and struck out 12. He now leads all minor leaguers with 62 strikeouts. But he won't be the answer. Amaro said Naylor is "a ways away" as far as his MLB readiness goes.

One possibility is J.A. Happ, a lefty who is currently fourth in the minor leagues in strikeouts at Triple A Lehigh Valley. Happ pitched one game for the Phillies last season and was in major league camp this spring.

Antonio Bastardo and Carlos Carrasco are also options, though Carrasco has a better shot at this point. Carrasco made some headlines this spring with a couple of solid performances. He's had his ups and downs this year at Double A Reading, but right now is 3-3 with a 3.77 ERA.

^

Don't be too hard on J.C. Romero. He was bound to blow a game at some point.

^

Big series coming up with the Braves. The Phils finished under .500 on this most recent road trip and lost a series to a team many thought would be the worst in the NL heading into the season. But they can put that behind them with a strong showing against one of their chief competitors in the NL East. Keep in mind the Phils have lost three straight NL East series to start the season - one to Washington and two to New York.

Good morning, Day 2 in San Francisco.

No paper tomorrow, so you'll have to rely on the inter-web for your Phillies fix (I guess you could check out one of the other paper's too, but who'd want to do that??)

Word out of the ballpark today is that Scott Mathieson will likely have a third surgery on his right (throwing) elbow. Assistant general manager Ruben Amaro indicated last week that would probably be the case. Mathieson's never fully recovered from Tommy John surgery a year and a half ago. It's a shame. He's a really likeable kid. Not that it's not a shame if you aren't likeable. But Mathieson was really pumped up this spring training to get back on the mound. That said, he's only 24, so he's still got time ahead of him.

Other brief morning notes. . .

Short stop Omar Vizquel is expected to re-join the Giants today. . .

Jamie Moyer will be the sixth straight lefty the team has faced. They are 0-5 in the first five games, including last night's loss to Cole Hamels. . .

Jimmy Rollins said last night his mother is handling all ticket requests. So if your brother's friend's mother's cousin-in-law twice removed's mailman once used to deliver packages to the Rollins residence in Alameda, you'll have to get in touch with Mama J-Roll if you want to score some tickets. . .

Asked last night if there was anything he didn't do in his return, Rollins responded, "Hit a triple." He finished one hit shy of the cycle. Though I think Charlie Manuel will forgive him. . .

Anyone in Philly want to explain what happened to the Fly Guys last night? I guess Pittsburgh is all Pengin'ed Up for this series. . .

 What do you all think of the newly re-designed Philly.com? I think it's pretty fresh, though nothing is fresher than the signature on my pay-check, so as long as the powers that be keep kickin' those dollars into my bank account every Friday, I'm down with whatever they want to do in cyber space.  I forgot that the re-design was going down and I thought I had reached the wrong web site by mistake this morning. It's kind of weird being on West Coast time: At the start of last night's game, my blog looked one way. By the end, the new design changes had taken hold. It wasn't until esteemed Daily News columnist and renowned Reinaissance Man Rich Hoffman reminded me of the changes this morning that I realized what had happened.

Any thoughts?

Just got back upstairs from the Phillies clubhouse, and I've got to say, that place is positively giddy. I think a lot of times we as sports writers get a little too corny with our attempts to place unwarranted psychological significance on certain events. A lot of times in baseball, it simply comes down to: see ball, hit ball.

But I'm convinced that Jimmy Rollins is one of those rare athletes whose presence really can invigorate a team. It's why I disagree with those who say he shouldn't have been MVP last year. By now, I'm sure you all know he singled, doubled and homered in his first start in over a month. But beyond that, I'm convinced his presence made his teammates better. Not in a concious way. Jayson Werth and Greg Dobbs didn't walk up to the plate thinking, "I'm going to single now because Jimmy Rollins is here." But baseball is a team sport, and sometimes we forget about it, and a good baseball team is a beautiful thing to watch. The past month, the Phillies really haven't been a complete team. They've ridden some spectacular individual efforts by guys like Pat Burrell and Chase Utley. Werth got hot at the right time. Eric Bruntlett gave them everything they could have asked for.

But there's just something about this offense, this team, when Rollins is in the line-up. Everything clicks. Shane Victorino gets to hit second instead of first. That's where he belongs. Werth gets to hit sixth and bring some speed to the middle of the order. Pedro Feliz gets to hit seventh. Carlos Ruiz gets to hit eighth.

How many times over the past month has the leadoff spot come up with two out in an inning? When Rollins is that leadoff guy, there's a real potential for something big to happen. In fact, it's expected.

"He always tells me just to get on," pitcher Cole Hamels said.

Hamels got on the eight with two out, and Rollins hit a huge home run.

I asked Hamels if we make too much of the impact Rollins brings to the entire team.

"Absolutely not," he said.

Here's another thing I think. And again, it's just me thinking. But me thinking thinks that Rollins returning will help Ryan Howard too. I don't think the first baseman would ever admit it, but there was more pressure on him with Rollins out. And that may have affected him. Last year he hit .223 when Chase Utley was down. He put some good swings on the ball tonight. Scored a run.

We'll see what happens. But the Phillies have to be ecstatic with the way this team looked in Rollins' return.