Phillies Notebook: Bourn stars for Astros in historic sweep of Phillies

The Astros, at 58-69, are playing for pride, for jobs, and, for some, for validation.

Michael Bourn, J.A. Happ, Brett Myers, Jason Michaels and Nelson Figueroa, all former Phillies, could barely control their glee at having swept the club that let them go.

"I just wanted to sweep these four games," said Figueroa, whom the Phillies waived last month. "I hope they win all the rest of their games. Including all four in the World Series."

"I was saying the same thing," said Happ, who was part of the trade last month that netted Phillies ace Roy Oswalt. "We had a plan. Just tried to execute it."

Bourn, part of the trade that brought closer Brad Lidge for the 2008 season, was more diplomatic: "It's always satisfying to beat a team that's contending. We just tried to make them earn whatever they got."

Myers, whom the Phillies did not pursue as a free agent this offseason, won the series opener Monday, allowing two runs over seven innings. Happ allowed two runs in 6 1/3 innings in his win Wednesday.

Michaels played little. Figueroa did not get a start.

It was Bourn's showcase series.

"We couldn't stop Michael Bourn," moaned Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

Bourn finished the series 8-for-20 with a homer and four stolen bases, moving his league lead to 44. He scored four of the Astros' 15 runs. He had three hits yesterday, two of them infield hits. He leads the league with 31.

"He's ridiculous-fast," said fellow speedster Shane Victorino. "Maybe the fastest in the majors."

Bourn illustrated that best in the seventh inning yesterday.

He beat out an infield hit, stole second on J.C. Romero's pickoff try, then scored from second on Anderson Hernandez' infield single. Ryan Howard's throw from first to home was poor, but Bourn executed a perfect, headfirst, hand-first slide. Catcher Brian Schneider never tagged him.

It was the sort of play that typified the series.

With an eye toward roster expansion in September and with few dependable lefty relievers in the organization - and with fifth starter Kyle Kendrick scuffling lately - the Phillies on Tuesday signed veteran Nate Robertson to a minor league deal. Robertson, 32, spent most of his nine seasons with the Tigers and went 6-8 with a 5.47 ERA with the Marlins before he was released last month. He then signed a minor league deal with the Cardinals, going 2-1 with a 9.45 ERA in six outings, three of them starts, for their Triple A club, before opting out of that deal. He started last night for the Triple A IronPigs against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

In a pregame ceremony yesterday, the Phillies showered Roy Halladay, his family and catcher Carlos Ruiz with gifts in honor of Halladay's perfect game May 29 at Florida. Jim Bunning, who pitched the club's only other perfect game, in 1964, was on hand . . . Rookie league Gulf Coast Phillies manager Roly deArmas, a former catching coordinator and the Phillies' major league bullpen coach for part of 2008, has been named an assistant coach on the Team USA's Pan American Qualifying Team. He was Team USA's bullpen coach in the World Cup from 2007-09 . . . Hot prospect Matt Rizzotti, a 24-year-old lefthanded first baseman, was named to the Eastern League All-Star team, thanks to his .361 average with 16 homers and 62 RBI in 77 games at Double A Reading. He began the season at Class A Clearwater and now is at Triple A Lehigh Valley . . . Usual No. 3 hitter Chase Utley batted second for just the fifth time this season, remarkable because usual No. 2 hitter Placido Polanco and his understudy, Shane Victorino, were in the lineup . . . The Astros now are 16-7 at the Bank and 30-16 overall against the Phillies since 2004 . . . The Phils hadn't been swept in four home games since September 2002 against the Mets at Veterans Stadium . . . The Astros scored a four-game sweep of the Phillies last September in Houston. *