The beat goes on for the Phillies.

And so does the beating they have been laying on opposition pitching.

Last night they punctuated a sweep of the Diamondbacks by tattooing a parade of Arizona pitchers.

Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz all homered as the Phils rolled to a 12-3 win. They’re still waiting for Howard’s moon shot to come down.

And once again the Phils got a superb effort from their starting pitcher. Joe Blanton went eight innings, scattering 10 hits and surrendering three runs, which were aided by a couple of defensive miscues.

Now it’s on to New York for the weekend. Remember the Mets?

They should hold a “Binocular Night” giveaway in Queens. The Mets and their fans will need them to see the Phils.

The Mets are now 14 and a half games back in the NL East standings.

Tonight Cole Hamels goes to the mound.

Who would have thought back in April that Hamels might be the fourth best pitcher on the team?

The ace of the staff and last year’s playoff and World Series MVP has struggled during a season in which the only thing about his performance has been his inconsistency.

Hamels can start to change that tonight in New York. Why not, every thing else seems to be breaking the Phils’ way.