Yo Spielberg - a suggestion for your next flick.

How about, Indiana Jones and the Search for  Decent Cup of Coffee in the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

This place is bizarre. Walked about a half mile through terminal E, like a pilgrim on a religious quest, and finally stumbled across a Starbucks tucked away in a corner. Except I gave up after standing in line for 15 minutes. So I trekked back to a restaurant where  I grabbed breakfast.

ME: Do you have egg whites or Egg Beaters?

WAITRESS: No.

ME: OK then, I'll. . .

WAITRESS (interupting): Actually our eggs are kind of, um, Egg substitutes.

I didn't ask anymore questions. Unfortunately, the cup of coffee I received with my meal had the consistency of a muddy puddle. It's never a good sign when the cream and coffee-like substance separate linke oil and vinegar upon mixing. So now I've got a cup of Burger King Joe that tastes vaguely like coffee.

Anyway, one of my personal flaws is I get really judgmental in airports. So on to the baseball. . .

Charlie Manuel said yesterday he hadn't made up his mind yet about what to do with Brett Myers, but he sounded like he was 95 percent certain of whatever way he was leaning. And judging by what I've heard, it sounds like it is going to be a little less drastic than promoting a pitcher from the minors, though if that does happen, both myself and Paul Hagen think J.A. Happ would be the guy to get the call.

Apparently Pat Gillick made a remark on the Phillies' pre-game radio show a couple of days that suggested they were leaning more toward using the off day to juggle the rotation to get Myers a little bit of a break. That also sounded like the way Manuel was leaning yesterday, though that is just reading between the lines, because he really didn't tip his hand, other than to say the Phillies weren't going to send Myers back to the minors a la Dontrelle Willis.

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Yeah, the Phillies are struggling. But they've also faced the best pitching they've seen all season. We could go on and on about what that might signal down the road for this team, but that's another issue for another day. For now, here's yesterday's game story.

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Note to the lady who was talking on her Bluetooth while simultaneously eating a bacon-and-egg sandwich at Terminal E in the DFW Airport: It wasn't a pleasant conversation to watch, and it couldn't have been a pleasant conversation to be a part of.

It's a 5:05 p.m. start here, which makes it 6:05 p.m. back home, so I'm not really sure if this is a day game or a night game. Maybe we'll call it a dusk game. Either way, it's an important one for these Phillies. They haven't won back to back games since June 12-13, the second of which was the famous - perhaps infamous? - 20-run explosion against the Cardinals.

Still no word on what the Phillies are going to do with Brett Myers. He's scheduled to pitch against July 3, which could be pushed back thanks for the off day on June 30. I've got to believe they'll be hesitant to take Chad Durbin out of the bullpen, especially if it is only for a short-term solution.

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The Phils have scored 15 runs in their last two games. It's the first time they've scored seven-plus runs in back-to-back games since they hung 20 and 7 on Colorado on May 26 and 27. And it's the most they've scored in back-to-back games since that 20-run win over the Cards on Friday the 13th.

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If you're a Phillies fan looking to make a baseball-related road trip in the future, there aren't much better ones than Texas. Don't think so? First of all, the Stadium is beauitful. Frankly, I think it's nicer than Citizens Bank Park, and I'm a big fan of the Bank. It really does feel like an old-school ballpark. The billboards that hang above Center Field look like something you'd see at a minor league park, there's a nice grass berm below them, the Rangers offices are in center field bordered by nice white railings and lattice work that have a retro feel to him. The second deck in right field is covered. You don't have the scenery of some other parks - the Skyline in Philly; the city in Pittsburgh, etc. -- but you don't really need it. Furthermore, there are several hotels within walking distance, along with various restaurants, and you can see Six Flags over Arlington from there. So fly in on a Friday night, go have a nice dinner, get up early on Saturday and spend the day at Six Flags, get back to the hotel, shower up, then catch the game on Saturday night.

The weather is great, too. At least it has been this weekend. It's hot, which I like, but not nearly as muggy as places like Miami or Atlanta.

I'll be expecting a check in the mail from the Dallas/Fort Worth Visitor's Bureau.

Charlie Manuel's post-game body language was probably the lousiest I've seen since this rough stretch began. We peppered him with questions about Brett Myers' future, and he really didn't have any answers. For those who didn't catch the game, Myers had one of his worst perfromances of the season. He gave up a home run on his second pitch of the game and it was all down hill from there.

He was finally lifted after failing to retire any of the five batters he faced in the third inning.

Thanks to a grand slam by Pedro Feliz, Myers took a no decision. Which is appropriate, because right now there is no decision as to his future.

Manuel said he would talk to Myers, pitching coach Rich Dubee and general manager Pat Gillick about the Phillies' options when it comes to Myers' spot in the rotation.

One of the beat writers asked Manuel if Myers job is "secure."

“Can I say his job is secure?” Manuel said. “I don’t know what to say if you want to know the truth. We have to find somebody to do his job first, I guess. He had a tough outing.”

But don't get all hot and bothered just yet. The Phillies don't really have many options besides Myers. You can point to Chad Durbin, but they need to get him stretched out first. And you don't want to stretch him out and then send him right back to the bullpen and risk ruining what seems to be a good thing in the 'Pen.

Kris Benson? Even if he is lights out at Triple A on Sunday, the Phillies aren't going to rush him up.

Pat Gillick has said repeatedly he doesn't think any of the team's prospects - Carlos Carrasco, namely - is ready yet. Besides, you don't want to throw a young kid into this situation, do you?

Probably their best option right now is to give someone other than Myers a spot start: Perhaps J.A. Happ, who did it last year and has been OK this season at Lehigh Valley, or maybe Travis Blackley, a lefty who has performed well as of late for the IronPigs.

"Those are things that we discuss," Manuel said. "When things go bad, we are always concerned and we always discuss things. I told you a few outings ago, we're trying to get him right. We go from there."

Other excerpts from Manuel:

"Tonight was a rough outing for him. You've got a five run lead and he walks (three) in one inning."

Charlie Manuel is going back to what worked two nights ago.

1. Jayson Werth RF

2. Chase Utley 2B

3. Jimmy Rollins SS

4. Pat Burrell LF

5. Ryan Howard DH

6. Pedro Feliz 3B

7. Shane Victorino CF

8. Chris Coste C

9. Eric Bruntlett 1B

Kris Benson has been transferred to Lehigh Valley and will pitch for the Triple-A Iron Pigs on Sunday.

The veteran righty has been working his way back from shoulder surgery. He allowed one run on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings Tuesday for Class A Clearwater.

It's a big step for Benson, who seemed to take a step backward every time he took a step forward, at least for much of the last couple of months. But he's pitched twice in the minors now without incident. We'll see how he does against Triple-A competition.

I get the feeling these next couple starts are big for Adam Eaton. Benson still isn't close to major league ready - he'd probably have to prove himself for at least two more starts on the minor league level - but he's taking steps forward.

I don't think anyone is looking at Benson as The Answer. But he can be good insurance.

Charlie Manuel said last night there was a chance he'd keep Shane Victorino in the lower half of the line-up, and that's exactly what he did.

Gotta be honest - I like today's line-up, and it might not just be a short term answer.

1. Jimmy Rollins SS

2. Chase Utley 2B

3. Pat Burrell LF

4. Ryan Howard 1B

5. Greg Dobbs 3B

6. Shane Victorino CF

7. Jayson Werth RF

8. Geoff Jenkins DH

9. Carlos Ruiz C

Jayson Werth Photo by Steven Falk/Daily News

It can't be any worse than what has been going down the past six games, can it?

Charlie Manuel posted his lineup for tonight's game against Oakland, and it was a doozy.

1. Jayson Werth, RF

2. Chase Utley, 2B

3. Jimmy Rollins, SS

4. Pat Burrell, LF

5. Ryan Howard, DH

6. Pedro Feliz, 3B

7. Shane Victorino, CF

8. Chris Coste, C

9. Eric Bruntlett, 1B

Manuel acknowledged in his pregame meeting with reporters that the lineup change is a product of the Phillies' recent struggles.

“More than likely, if we were winning, I’d go with what’s winning for us,” he said.

Five players are making their season debuts in their respective slots.

Thoughts?

First thing's first: you can blast Charlie Manuel all you want for leaving Jamie Moyer in the game to face Emil Brown, but it looks like the right decision. Moyer had been lights out for six innings, and the two hits he allowed to put men on base in the seventh were relatively cheap. Plus, he'd struck Brown out once and got him to pop to short the other time. Durbin was warm in the bullpen, but I can't fault Manuel for this one. Moyer just made a bad pitch. One of  the few he made all night.

Second thing's second: Nobody is hitting right now. Nobody. Hard to win games when nobody is hitting.

That's about what it boils down to from this one. In a game where the hitters don't hit, one pitch will do you in.

Geoff Jenkins is is now hitless in his last 22 at-bats and has just two hits in his last 37.

Here's the interesting thing about the DH: in the top of the seventh, the Phils had bases loaded with one out and Ruiz up at the plate. Ruiz was batting ninth. In most games, the pitcher is up. That means Manuel would have had to choose between leaving Moyer in to hit with a one-run lead and the bases loaded or putting someone -- Dobbs, perhaps -- in to pinch-hit. What would he have done? I gotta think he would have pinch-hit. And I've got to think that would have worked out better than Ruiz's inning-ending double play.

Feel free to disagree.

For those keeping score at home: Phils have lost six straight for the first time since 2006 and 10 of 13. Yet they are still a game up in the NL East.

Here's the most interesting factoid I ran across when working on today's off-day story on Jimmy Rollins' return to the Bay Area:

While Rollins numbers may seem off his MVP pace of a year ago, in actuality, they are fairly similar to where he was at this time last year. When I say "this time last year," I'm speaking in reference to the number of games he has actually played, rather than the date, since Rollins missed more than 20 games with a sprained ankle.

Here are his 2008 numbers through 235 plate appearances:

.282 BA, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 34 RS, .346 OBP, 17 SB with six home runs, 26 RBI, and 34 runs scored.

Here are his 2007 numbers through 234 plate appearances:

.271, 9 HR, 28 RBI, 41 RS, .326 OBP, 10 SB.

So his on base percentage is better, his stolen bases are better, his batting average is better. His power numbers are slightly down, but we all know that home runs come in bunches. I don't know if there is a deeper meaning in any of that, but it's interesting.

I had an opportunity to spend a couple hours with Rollins' high school coach yesterday. I covered high school sports at my last stop and it's always fascinating to watch guys who have made the pros through the eyes of those who were there at the beginning. Encinal has produced its share of All-Star baseball players, starting with Willie Stargell and proceeding through Rollins and Tigers lefty Dontrelle Willis. Jim Saunders office at Encinal is plastered with pictures of all three guys, though Stargell was there well before Saunders got to the school.

Rollins hasn't changed much since his high school days. I was looking at the front page of the sports section of the Oakland Tribune from his senior year of high school when he was named the paper's Player of the Year, and he looks exactly like he does today. Saunders said Rollins played the game like he was 30 years old even when he was 18. His preparation was unbelievable, the coach said. He never had to put Rollins in position on defense. In fact, by the time Saunders would look up to signal a shift to his outfielders, Rollins had already taken care of it, motioning them to the proper alignment.

Here's the story: