Following the success of Oriole Park at Camden Yards, there has been an obvious explosion in new ballparks around baseball.

The Phillies are playing at the most picturesque of those parks this weekend.

Pittsburgh's PNC Park is a peach. The home of the Pirates is right in the heart of the middle of the city, showing just how much a center city-based location can do for the setting of a stadium.

The entire city skyline is on full view from a seat behind homeplate (or, really from anywhere in the park). But from my view here in the pressbox, you can see the entire field, the whole skyline and the giant, canary-yellow (or Pirates yellow?) bridge in between the two, which shuts down before and after games for walking traffic to and from the park and city center.

I've been to quite a few of the newer parks (I haven't been to Detroit or Texas), and this one is tops. Although San Francisco's is pretty nice, too.

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OK, enough gushing over a stadium. How bout them Phillies? Winners of four of their last five, Charlie Manuel's crew has avoided a slow start and may even have a winning April before it's all over.

Although it may be a challenge with the odd lineup tonight:

1. So Taguchi, RF
2. Jayson Werth, CF
3. Chase Utley, 1B
4. Pat Burrell, LF
5. Chris Coste, C
6. Pedro Feliz, 3B
7. Eric Bruntlett, SS
8. Brad Harman, 2B
9. Adam Eaton, P

Then again, as long as Burrell and Utley are in there, they'll probably win. Utley leads all of baseball with 10 home runs and ranks second with a .385 batting average.

And what about Burrell? Well the Phillies left fielder, with 25 RBI, is the only player in baseball with more RBIs than Utley’s 21.

You have to wonder when these two are going to slow down… Then again, with Ryan Howard’s troubles, the timing couldn’t be better.

Howard may rest again tomorrow, although Charlie Manuel said two hours ago he’d wait until tomorrow, and he likes Howard against Pirates right Matt Morris.

Still, the slumping slugger, who struck out twice more yesterday, looks like he needs a mental break for a game or two.

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The Archive Files

Sorry I haven't gotten into the drill of posting from an airport -- I'm still getting accustomed to the travel. Drive down from Milwaukee to Chicago, America's best city, and stayed there before flying to Pittsburgh this morning.

From Denver to Milwaukee to Chicago to Pittsburgh, I'm just trying to remember which time zone I'm in...

Anyway, on to the latest additions to the Archive Files:

In the notebook, Phillies slumping slugger gets a day off - but still Ks twice; Utley beats the shift and two other Phillies erase bad memories.

In the gamer, Tom Gordon and Pat Burrell continued their 2008 revival to lead the Phils to victory in Milwaukee.