Lots of stuff to get to. Before I get into some of the details of the trade deadline negotiations, I thought I'd point out one of the most intriguing and bewildering developments of the day. General manager Pat Gillick said the Phillies were pondering an "adjustment" that would get J.A. Happ out of the bullpen. When asked if that adjustment involved sending Happ to the minor leagues, Gillick said that the Phillies were examining another "alternative." I'll tell you this: it isn't Brett Myers going to the bullpen. Beyond that, I have nothing concrete.

Gillick didn't say it was a definite. But everything the Phillies have said - particularly Charlie Manuel, who reiterated today that he views Happ as a starter - seems to indicate that they want the young lefty to get another major league start.

Now, onto the other business. . .

Gillick said the Phillies thought they had a chance to add a starting pitcher through a three-way trade that eventually fell through. He also said the Phillies were involved in discussions for Manny Ramirez, but that the asking price was too high. Ramirez eventually landed with the Dodgers.

Other notes:

1) The market for lefty relievers was well beyond what the Phillies were willing to pay. For example, the Marlins gave up a 21-year-old pitcher who Baseball America rated as the No. 5 prospect in the organization to land 38-year-old Arthur Rhodes.

2) Interest in short stop Jason Donald was significant, but it would have taken the right player for the Phillies to part with him.

3) Gillick and Manuel both said they are not disappointed that they did not add another piece. The silver lining: the Mets and Marlins did not significantly upgrade either.

Though the Phillies spent much of the past two days actively trying to land a lefthanded reliever in order to bolster their playoff chances, Major League Baseball's trading deadline passed at 4 p.m. today without any announced moves.

The Phillies had considered a number of players, including Pittsburgh's John Grabow, Atlanta's Will Ohman, San Francisco's Jack Taschner and Kansas City's Ron Mahay, but were unable to strike a deal.

The Phillies still could add a player before the end of the season, but any players involved in a trade would have to pass through waivers before being dealt. It isn't out of the question -- the Phillies added Jamie Moyer in that manner two years ago -- but general manager Pat Gillick said yesterday the likelihood of a deal decreases significantly once today's deadline passes.

"There are guys that slip through, but there is just a larger pool of players to pick from prior to (the deadline)," Gillick said.

The Phillies added righthander Joe Blanton earlier this month, but were hopeful to add a lefty reliever to supplement J.C. Romero in the bullpen. They also were exploring a possible deal for a hitter that could help bolster an offense that has been inconsistent for most of the last two months.

Striking a deal beyond July 31 can be difficult because rival clubs can block a trade by claiming a player off of waivers and forcing his current club to withdraw the waiver request and keep him on the team.

So while the Phillies may not be done adding personnel, all the major parts are likely in place for the playoff run.

From Phils PR man Greg Casterioto. . .

Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz had an MRI on his back yesterday and was examined by team physician, Dr. Michael Ciccotti.  He was then seen today by back specialist Dr. Todd Albert at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, where he had an epidural injection.  Feliz has a mild disc bulge in his back.  He will not take part in any baseball-related activities until sometime next week.

Just three more hours to go before the trade deadline.

Here's what we've got thus far:

1) Manny Ramirez is not an option, unless the Red Sox wrap him in paper, put a bow on his head, and give him away to the Phillies. The Phillies aren't just shooting down the Ramirez reports privately to the media, they have told the Red Sox they don't have strong interest.

2) George Sherrill and Brian Fuentes likely aren't options. The Rockies have played there way into semi-contention, and any deal to get Sherrill would have to be huge.

3) If the Phillies land a lefty arm, it will likely be either Pittsburgh's John Grabow, San Francisco's Jack Taschner, or Kansas City's Ron Mahay.

4) Reading short stop Jason Donald is a guy several teams around the league like and could be a nice bargaining chip now or in the future.

5) Pat Gillick said the Phillies were not interested in Tiger-turned-Yankee Pudge Rodriguez.

6) Jayson Stark is reporting over on ESPN that the Cardinals would be willing to part with Kyle Lohse for the right price.

We were sitting in the press box yesterday when a fellow reporter leaned over to me. Brett Myers was in the midst of pitching his seventh scoreless inning. In the second row of the press box sat us Philadelphia writers. Below us, in the first row, sat the Washington, D.C. contingent of media.

The reporter gestured to them and said something to the effect of this:

"You know," he said. "Right now we are all writing about how Brett Myers beat a team that has scored just one run in its last three games. And they are all writing about how their team couldn't even beat Brett Myers."

It's all about perspective, and I think it's important to keep some when looking at this most recent start by Myers. Certainly, there was some cause for hope. In his first two games back from the minors, he has allowed four runs in 12 innings. He hasn't allowed a home run. Yesterday, he commanded his fastball a lot better. He looked crisper, sharper, more aggressive.

All that is good.

But. . .

We've seen this before from Myers. Don't forget that he was pretty close to dominant in two or three starts this season.

On April 17 against Houston he allowed one run on five hits and struck out eight in seven innings.
On May 3 against the Giants he allowed two runs on six hits and struck out 10 in seven innings.

On May 30 against the Marlins, he allowed three runs on six hits and struck out 11 in eight innings. And he wasn't any more dominant than he was on June 4, when he allowed one run on one hit and struck out eight against the Reds.

We've seen this before from Myers. Doing it over and over and over again has been the problem.

Don't get me wrong: last night's start was important. The way Charlie Manuel was talking before the game, a horrendous outing might have led him to insert J.A. Happ into the rotation the next time around. Now, at least, Myers gets some grace. But Sunday's outing is a big one.  

Here's Paul Hagen's view of the situation. . .

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The Phillies have now scored three or fewer runs in 40 games this season. Last night was just the seventh time they've won one of those games. They did so thanks to a two-run home run by Chase Utley in the third inning.

Utley did it how he always does: smooth and steady.

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I know there's been a lot of chirping about a potential Ron Mahay trade. But everything I've heard indicates there is no deal in place between the two teams. And they are not close to one, either. That could change in a hurry. But there are other options out there besides Mahay. ESPN.com was floating that the Royals were looking for Jason Donald in exchange for Mahay. At first glance, that strikes me as a pretty hefty sum to pay for a 37-year-old reliever who already has a ton of mileage on his arm this season (54 innings). Don't get me wrong, Mahay's numbers have been dynamite. Righties are only hitting .228 against him, let alone his .209 BAA against lefties. But Donald appears to be a guy who a number of teams in the league are developing a high opinion of. And even if his future isn't here, is there a chance he could, at some point, be used to nab someone of greater significance than Ron Mahay?

It's a trick time of year, for sure.

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Tom Gordon is throwing off the mound. Still too early to tell when he might be back, but I'd be surprised if it is before mid-August.

Today's  media session with Charlie Manuel was interesting, to say the least. The Phillies brought J.A. Happ up from Lehigh Valley, and I think most people assumed it was to be the left-handed reliever the team has needed for quite some time. But Manuel made it clear he looks at Happ as a starter, even if it means he has to start in the bullpen before he gets his chance.

I asked Manuel whether there was a chance Happ starts at some point this season. . .

Here's the paraphrased back and forth between reporters:

Q: Was Happ brought up to be a reliever?

A: I look at Happ as a starter. We haven't really talked about it yet. We figured we needd a picture and he was definitely the best one down ther eand he pitched good up here and we haven't decided exactly where he's going yet, but I'd say for a short period of time he'll go in the bullpen and if he pitches out of the bullpen, that's not bad because that's how most guys break in to the major leagues, or used to, not anymore, they don't as much. I'd say even six, seven, eight 10 years ago, that's what they used to do. Bring young pitchers to the big leagues and ptich them a few times or find places to put them in and then if they were good and did a good job they either got into the starting rotation or they pusehd them back farther int he bullpen or they became set up or closer or a guy you could use in the back end. I"m not saying we are goin to do that yet.

Q: Is there a chance he can start this season?

A: Without a doubt there's a chance, yes. We liked what Happ showed us.

Q: So he was not brought up to be a lefty reliever?

A: No. (When) we brought him up, one of the reasons is we figured he's the best guy we had in Lehigh Valley and also he pitched two good ballgames up here and we liked the way he pitched. And that means that he might be better than someone we have. We just want to see him pitch more.

The Phillies have placed Pedro Feliz on the disabled list and recalled first baseman Mike Cervanek from Triple A.

Feliz has not played since Thursday because of a lower back injury. Greg Dobbs, baseball’s top pinch hitter this season, will take over as the everyday third baseman.

Dobbs, 30, is hitting .313 this season with three homers and 21 RBI in 131 at-bats.

Cervanek hit .320 for Lehigh Valley, the Phillies Triple-A affiliate. He had seven homers and 56 RBI in 388 ABs for the Iron Pigs.

As noted earlier, the Phillies also officially recalled lefthander J.A. Happ.

Some big trade deadline news from One Phillies Way this afternoon. . .

For the second straight year, Citizens Bank Park has been named the most vegetarian-friendly stadium in Major League Baseball.

According to a press release distributed by PETA (I think it stands for People Eating Tasy Animals), the Bank grabbed the honor thanks to "its phenomenal brand-new mock-chicken sandwich, faux Philly steak, and crab-free crab cake."

PETA is also delighted that the park also offers a faux Philly steak, veggie dogs, Gardenburgers, a roasted vegetable sandwich, tomato basil soup, peanut butter and jelly, and various salads.

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Here's what I found funny: PETA's email announcing the honor popped into my inbox seconds after the Phillies sent out a press release announcing a Media Barbecue Tasting (that's Media tasting Barbecue, not Barbecue made out of media -- at least I don't think. . .I should probably check up on that) outside the stadium in the coming weeks.

As expected, the Phillies have added lefthander J.A. Happ to the big-league roster. He takes the place of Adam Eaton, who was sent to the minors yesterday.

Happ is 7-6 with a 3.30 ERA for the Triple A Lehigh Valely IronPigs this season, allowing just 97 hits in 117 1/3 innings while striking out 127.

He has made just three relief appearances in his professional career, but is expected to pitch out of the bullpen, at least at the outset. After that it depends to some extent on how well Brett Myers, who is 3-9 going into tonight’s start against the Nationals, and Joe Blanton pitch. If either falters, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Happ move into the rotation.

Happ made two starts for the Phillies before the All-Star break, pitching two no-decisions despite a solid 3.27 ERA.

Another interesting roster turn just popped across the wire.

Adam Eaton has been optioned to the minor leagues, paving the way for what should be the promotion of lefthander J.A. Happ from Triple A Lehigh Valley. Eaton has not been assigned to a specific classification because his schedule has not been announced.

Eaton, like Brett Myers before him, had the right to refuse the assignment. Eaton, 31, was 4-8 with a 5.80 ERA in 21 games (19 starts) for the Phillies this season.  His last two appearances came in relief. He allowed three runs yesterday in the Phillies' 12-10 win over the Braves.

Yesterday in Richmond, Happ was lifted from the game by manager Dave Huppert after just 2 2/3 innings and 41 pitches against the Triple A Braves. He hadn’t allowed a run, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out three. There were reports that he received high fives from his teammates when he came back to the dugout.

“I’m physically fine,” Happ coyly told a reporter who reached him by phone last night. “They haven’t made a move yet, so I don’t feel it’s appropriate to comment. I’m still waiting for the phone call.” 

The Phillies said a roster move would be made before tomorrow's game in Washington against the Nationals.