Wag-ging his tongue

Mets reliever Billy Wagner concedes he's a bit like a cranky old man, capable of speaking out at any time, against anyone, on anything. Wagner, 36, who spent two seasons with the Phils, doesn't care how anyone reacts to what he says, and that includes his general manager, Omar Minaya, and manager, Willie Randolph. He knows time is running out for his chance to be on a championship team.

"I've got two years," Wagner told the Bergen Record. "I'm losing a lot of patience. When you're having a good year and your season is not going right, it's frustrating because you don't know how long this run will go."

Wagner has one year left on his contract after this season. He hasn't said if he'll stay on after 2009, but he has a 200-acre farm in Virginia awaiting him after retirement.

Careful what you wish for

Second-guessers of the Phillies' front office came out of the woodwork last month when Kyle Lohse got off to a 3-0 start with a 2.36 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals.

But Lohse, who pitched decently for the Phillies last season before becoming a free agent and signing with the Cardinals, has bombed in his last two outings, giving up 15 earned runs in 10 innings and watching his ERA balloon to 4.87.

After allowing four two-out runs in the first inning Thursday against Colorado, Lohse implied he could have done better had home-plate umpire Mike Reilly seen some pitches his way.

"I felt like I made several pitches that with a little help from behind the plate I could have been out of the inning," he said in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I walked five guys and you've got a guy with a 20.00 ERA [the Rockies' Jorge De La Rosa] who didn't hardly walk anybody. I'll probably get in trouble for it, but that changes the game."

Short-term folk hero

It might be a little early to call Arizona pitcher Micah Owings the next Wes Ferrell, or even the next George Uhle.

Huh? Who?

Owings, the Diamondbacks righthander, gets more ink for his hitting than his pitching. He socked a pinch-hit home run - the stuff of folk-hero status - on April 29, and is batting .417. Last season, he hit .333 with four homers and 15 RBIs.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Ferrell hit 37 home runs, the most by a pitcher for a career, from 1928 to 1941. Uhle, who played from 1919 to 1936, owns the best career batting average by a pitcher with at least 500 at-bats, a robust .288.

"He's proud of being a baseball player and being able to contribute on both sides of the ball," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said.

J-Mike a Buc

It didn't take ex-Phillie outfielder Jason Michaels long to find a new job, going to the Pittsburgh Pirates, but it may take him a while to get off the bench.

Two days after designating Michaels for assignment, the Cleveland Indians traded him with cash to the Pirates for a player to be named. The 32-year-old outfielder finds himself a backup on one of the league's top young outfield units, made up of Nate McLouth, Jason Bay and Xavier Nady.

At least he'll know a few guys. Manager John Russell and bench coach Gary Varsho were coaches in the Phillies' organization when Michaels was here.

Notable

The Washington Nationals placed catchers Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada on the 15-day disabled list. ... The San Diego Padres requested unconditional waivers on outfielder Jim Edmonds.

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Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494

or jjuliano@phillynews.com.