Starting September 1, the Phillies can expand their 25-man roster with up to 15 more players. They added four following Sunday's 5-3 win over the Chicago Cubs.

Top catching prospect Lou Marson, who played for Team USA in the Olympics earlier this month, top outfield prospect Greg Golson and pitchers J.A. Happ and Adam Eaton will all join the Phillies Monday morning in Washington, when the Phillies begin a three-game series with the Nationals.

The Phillies dodged an ace Sunday -- the Cubs scratched starter Carlos Zambrano today.

Zambrano apparently has a dead arm - so the Phillies may actually lost out on this move. Zamabrano is 1-1 with an 8.72 ERA in his last four starts.

Sean Marshall (3-3, 3.52) will make his fourth start of the season in place of the Big Z. Marshall is 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in 8 2/3 career innings against the Phils.

Apparently Kris Benson will not be one of the players the Phillies add Monday when the roster expands from 25 to up to 40.

A Phillies official just informed the press box that the right-hander was released. Benson was signed to the minor league contract during spring training.

The 33-year-old right-hander, who missed all of the 2007 season while recovering from right elbow and rotator cuff surgery, had several injury setbacks earlier this spring. But he's been healthy and pitching in the last two months with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Benson went 1-6 with a 5.78 ERA in 13 minor-league starts.

No Phillies front office official was available to talk until after Saturday's game, but the guess here is Benson has been a starter throughout his career and both the pitcher and the organization didn't think the bullpen was a good fit.

With Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton, the Phillies five-man rotation has been set since the second half began.

The Phillies sent out a press release this morning confirming news that has been circulating for about 36 hours - they acquired left-handed hitting Matt Stairs from Toronto for a player to be named later.

The 40-year-old Stairs was hitting .250 (80-320) with 11 home runs and 44 RBI in 105 games with Toronto this season.

Without Geoff Jenkins (placed on the 15-day DL last weekend), the Phillies didn't have a left-handed hitter on their bench when Friday's game began. Stairs should fill that void - he was 5-for-15 (.333) with three RBI as a pinch hitter.

Stairs made 14 starts in the field for Toronto , eight in left field and six in right field.

Yes, Matt Stairs.

He's not the latter-day Jeremy Giambi or Tyler Houston or Russell Branyan.

But it sort of feels that way, huh?

Let's face it, though: he's an upgrade to a bench that is sorely lacking a big left-handed bat off the bench, especially on the days Greg Dobbs starts at third.

(Seriously, when Dobbs starts, who is the left-handed bat off the bench? Cole Hamels?)

Okay, here's the skinny on this Stairs thing. Foxsports.com's Ken Rosenthal broke this story about an hour after the Phils-Cubs game ended.

The Phils have made no bones about their need for another bat. They missed on Mark Kotsay and reportedly (ESPN.com) were interested in former Astro/Twin Mike Lamb.

Stairs fits the same bill as those guys... and could bring some pop off the bench. Phils assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said earlier this week that the Phils were looking for that kind of help... especially after Geoff Jenkins was placed on the DL last weekend.

The 40-year-old Stairs was hitting .250 with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs in 105 games with Toronto this season. He's mainly been a DH for the Jays, but he's played some in both corner infield spots.

According to Rosenthal, the Phils got Stairs for an unnamed prospect. Phils fans, I wouldn't fret: I don't think your team had to part with a Jason Donald or J.A. Happ to get Stairs.

The journeyman Stairs - he was with three teams in 2006, and eight different teams since 2000 - may still have some power. In addition to his 11 bombs last year, Stairs slugged 21 home runs in 125 games with the Blue Jays last season.

The Phils will most likely send Fabio Castro back to the minors to make room for Stairs.

No, it's Illinois.

I'll steal that line (and change the state) from the flick "Field of Dreams."

It works anytime you step into Wrigley Field.

This is THE place to be if you're a serious baseball fan, no matter what Barack Obama says. Sure you can have a good time (isn't that part of being a sports fan?).

But you can also enjoy baseball as it's meant to be watched. No overbearing advertisements/eyesores on the field or fence, ballpark music (read: the old-fashioned organ, not Top 40 hits blaring down you ears as you try to discuss the game with your dad/buddy/girlfriend) and the rooftop bleachers, the "L" humming in the background with fans pouring off the red line, the ivy, Murphy's Bleachers, the Cubby Bear, the bullpens right along the foul lines....

The best part is you feel like you've just jumped out of a time machine. With the exception of the very small, horizontal digital scoreboard below the bigger, old-fashioned scoreboard, watching a game at Wrigley is the same way now as it was in 1945, the last time the Cubs made a World Series.

So am I writing this to rub it in, that I'm here and you're most likely still in the Philadelphia area? Nah.

The point is this: if you've never been to Wrigley, book your flight now. Scour stubhub.com for tickets.

If you're a baseball fan and there is only one place to cross off your checklist before you die (on your bucket list), this is the place to go.

And if you're girlfriend/wife is sick of hot dogs, there's a pretty nice Italian restaurant (Tuscany) just beyond left field.

Way back in April, I wrote about Jimmy Rollins' interest in Barack Obama for a Sunday column, which you can find here.

Well it turns out the reigning NL MVP and the presidential hopeful have more in common that politics.

I just arrived to Chicago today (yeah, I'm a day early) and I didn't get too far into my Chicago Sun-Times. On the inside of the back page, Rick Telander, one of the best sports columnists around, wrote about recent comments Illinois-native Obama made about Cubs fans.

Like Rollins, Obama made the comments before a national audience. Rollins called Phils fans "front runners" on The Best Damn Sports Show Period.

On ESPN, Obama, a White Sox fan, said the following about Cubs fans:

"The Cubs... they're nice. You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer... there are beautiful people out there, people aren't watching the game.

"That's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball... South Side."

A presidential candidate take a shot at the fan base of one of the biggest sports franchises in America.... yikes.

Just as with Rollins, I don't necessarily get the timing here. Obama probably would have been better served to bite his lip and offer up the typical, politically-correct crap his peers are famous for using to squirm out of tough queries.

So, in a way, I guess I respect Obama for being truthful.

But there's a rather big difference between truthful and smart. As much as we like to act like we're a smart society that is above letting throw-away comments affect us, a large contingent of us red-blooded Americans don't like when you attack our team and our fanhood.

So, yes, I think Mr. Obama could lose some votes. Seriously.

Imagine if Obama said Eagles fans were front runners. See what I mean?

Anyway, since Philadelphia is as parochial as any big city in America (it's why national sports radio shows don't work), I thought I'd share this bit of news from the Windy City.

Apparently Jimmy Rollins isn't the only famous face who's set off a baseball fan base.

There's quite a bit going on at the park today (instant replay goes into effect Thursday, the Phils were rumored to have interest in Mark Kotsay and, oh by the way, the first-place Mets are in town).

So I have to get to writing all of that for your Daily Times paper. But while surfing the wide world web, I came across this pretty good one-on-one with J-Roll on ESPN.com.

The closer we get to Tuesday, the more the Mets are on the collective minds of seamheads in Philadelphia.

Phils skipper Charlie Manuel faced a barrage of Mets questions - their maligned bullpen, the psychological advantage (or lack thereof), the difficulties of facing Pedro and Santana in a two-game series.

But everyone can answer all of the questions in the world until they're blue in the face and it won't really matter. It's all about what goes on between the white lines.

So far, the Mets hold the advantage there. They've won 9 of 14 games between the two NL East foes.

But there are five games left. And the two teams are virtually in a dead heat (entering Monday night's games, New York is a 1/2 game ahead).

The Phillies won eight straight over the Mets last year, which helped pave way to the New Yorkers historic collapse.

If they win three or four of the remaining games, it could go a long way in helping the Phillies secure their second straight NL East crown.

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In his first 19 games with the Dodgers, Red Sox castoff Manny Ramirez hit a Ted Williams-like .406 with six home runs and 21 RBIs.

But that was before he came to Citizens Bank Park Friday. Manny hasn't been Manny in Philly.

In the first three games of the Dodgers-Phils series, Ramirez is just 2-for-10 (.200).

When asked about the suddenly slumping Dodgers slugger, Manuel knocked on the wooden bench inside the home team's dugout.

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Phillies fans get buried in the national media, sometimes a heck of a lot more than they deserve. They have been back in the spotlight recently, when Jimmy Rollins called the local fan base "frontrunners."

But how do you begin to explain how they've accepted Mitch Williams back into town?

Here is your Daily Times Sunday baseball column, which focuses on the Wild Thing's Philly revival.

Phillies outfielder Geoff Jenkins was placed on the 15-day disabled list prior to Saturday's game against the Dodgers.

Jenkins (right hip flexor strain) suffered the injury while running to first base on an infield single Friday night. He was replaced with Jayson Werth when the innings ended.

The Phillies purchased the contract of Lehigh Valley first baseman Andy Tracy to take Jenkins' place on the 25-man roster.

Jenkins, who was hitting .246 with nine home runs and 29 RBI in 108 games while splitting time with Werth in right field, could miss up to three weeks with the injury. An MRI Saturday morning confirmed the severity of the injury.

Jenkins signed a two-year, $13 million deal as a free agent with the Phillies in December. A veteran of 11 major league seasons, Jenkins has never played in the playoffs, and thus, hopes to return next month to help the Phillies make a return trip to the postseason.

"I want to get there pretty badly and be a part of it," Jenkins said.

Anyone else find it curious/ominous that the Phillies decide to celebrates "70s Night" on a Friday night, late in the season, against the Dodgers?

Okay, it's not Black Friday. But what about Blue Friday?

As I'm listening to some groovy music up here in the press box on 70s Retro night: the grounds crew guys are wearing throw back gear... ditto the ballgirls (I like their look).... but the players?

Unless they're switching uniforms before the game, they're wearing their current duds.

Why?

Break out the powder blues.

Hey, I understand their are far bigger things going on with this team than coordinating with everyone else on 70s night, but I sure bet the marketing department wouldn't mind selling more powder blue gear, which would happen if the team wore it.

And it's all about the Benjamins anyway, right?

Remember the home run (or non-home run) that Shane Victorino hit on the last homestand? The ball the either hit the foul pole - or landed just to the left and foul of the pole?

It was ruled a home run, according to the naked eye of the officiating crew. Upon further review after the game (and too late to reverse the call), the ump admitted the call on the field was wrong - the ball was actually foul.

Outraged? Dismayed? Confused?

Well there's no more need to fret over missed calls... at least on close home run calls.

Major League Baseball and the umpires association have come to an agreement today that will put instant replay into the sport for the first time in the history of baseball.

According to the Associated Press, equipment is already being installed at ballparks, and officials hoped to start using replay in August.

Instant replay will be limited to boundary calls: determining whether fly balls were fair or foul, or whether they went over fences.

That's the latest from the ballpark.

Only other interesting news here is Pedro Feliz is back in the lineup for the first time since July 24 and that Kyle Kendrick (who starts tomorrow) looks like a pitcher ready to prove he's not in a slump.

The weather here is fantastic, by the way. We've really lucked out in August....

I've said it before and I'll say it again - Brett Myers is the key to the Phillies returning to the postseason. Myers pitches tonight against the Nats at Citizens Bank Park.

In baseball, good pitching trumps all. The Phils have had a true ace in each of the last two seasons in Cole Hamels.

But just as they had no one to complement Curt Schilling 10 years ago, the current team has tried to run out a five-man rotation that includes on No.1 and four No.4s.

An aside - Jamie Moyer has pitched like a very strong No.3 and possibly a No.2 this year.

But Myers has seemingly had the potential to be that sure-fire No.2 the Phillies have sought. Occasionally, he'd show flashes. But consistency has kept him from reaching what his manager predicted him to be in spring training - a 1B to Hamels' 1A in the rotation.

We all know how bad Myers was in the first half, when he was jettisoned to the minors to get himself straight. We also know his tendency for immaturity, which was present just two starts ago when he showed up Charlie Manuel (a big no-no) after he was pulled from a game.

But all of that can be forgotten is Myers pitchers well. Since returning from the minors a month ago, Myers has done just that.

Five starts, nary an ugly outing. He hasn't allowed more than three runs in any of those starts.

That's Myers' best run since closing out the 2006 season with eight straight starts with three earned runs or less.

Myers is 2-1 in those five starts since returning to the Phillies with a 2.48 ERA. He's held opponents to a miniscule .183 batting average.

If Myers keeps that up - and again, it's been consistency that has dogged his career - the Phillies will overtake the Mets and return to the playoffs for the second straight season.

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Ryan Howard logged on for a chat with fans on ESPN.com on Monday. Here are some highlights:

On his thoughts of the NL East race, whether the Phils can top the Mets again:
"I'm actually pretty confident about it. We're in a lot better position this year than where we were last year around this time."

On the recent struggles of the team's offense:
"It's just baseball. There's things that happen in the game that you can't explain, but we're only a game and a half out right now. We'll hopefully come out of it sooner rather than later."

His favorite player in the big leagues who doesn't play for the Phillies right now:
"It's been fun watching Manny Ramirez doing what he's doing this year."

On whether Phils fans get a bad rep:
"I think they get a bad rap. Are they passionate? Yes. Do they have a different way of showing it? Sometimes, but they're not nearly as bad as everyone makes them out to be."

The Phillies haven't scored in 467 innings.

Just kidding.

It's 23. Which is the most since they reeled off 24 innings without a run in September of 2000.

I'm guessing they'll score again.

But who knows.

I'm actually on vacation for the next nine days, so if this blog is dormant, I apologize.

Maybe I'll boycott blogging until the Phils score another run.

Before the Phillies declare him out for the season, injured reliever Tom Gordon will visit with Dr. Lew Yocum Monday.

Yocum performed Tommy John surgery on Gordon in 1999.

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Also, J.A. Happ was "extremely disappointed" to learn he was being sent back to Lehigh Valley. To make room for new left-handed reliever Scott Eyre, Happ was optioned to the Phils' Triple-A affiliate.

Happ, who has been in the bullpen for the last two weeks, will return to his role as a starter. He'll likely be back up with the big league team when rosters expand on September 1.

The Phillies have filled their need for another lefty out of the bullpen.

They just acquired left-handed reliever Scott Eyre from the Chicago Cubs. Eyre, 36, was designated for assignment by Chicago earlier this week when the team activated Kerry Wood off the DL.

In exchange for Eyre, the Phillies sent the Cubs right-handed minor leaguer Brian Schlitter.

Eyre is 2-0 with a 7.15 ERA this season, but has spent the majority of the season doing time on two different stints on the DL - the first for left elbow inflammation, the second with a groin injury.

But Eyre has been a reliable lefty in the previous three seasons. From 2005 to 2007, he's 5-4 with a 3.31 ERA.

From last August until June, he set a Cubs team record with 33 consecutive scoreless innings.

Schlitter was 4-3 with six saves and a 2.22 ERA in 34 games for Single-A Clearwater this season.

If the Phillies are going to win the NL East this year, they have to defeat the Mets and the Marlins. So far, they're just 9-15 against their two NL East foes.

They can take a step in a direction toward correcting that number today when they go for their first series win against either the Mets or Marlins since June 1 this afternoon.

Cole Hamels is taking the mound. As a Phillies fan, you normally like your chances when the ace takes the mound.

But Hamels is 0-1 with a 7.45 ERA in his last two starts. Opponents own a .333 batting average off the lefty during that two-game span.

Hamels has also been prone to giving up the long ball. He's given up 14 home runs in his last 10 starts.

On a warm August afternoon in Citizens Bank Park, Hamels could be in trouble if that trend continues.

It also should be noted that Hamels' 3.83 ERA during day games isn't quite the same as his 3.15 mark at night.

But, heck, as a Phils' fan, you just have to be happy Hamels is healthy. If he pitches into the seventh inning today, he'll surpass 167 1/3 innings.

That's exactly the number of innings Cole logged before last year's month-long DL stint in mid-August.

But Hamels has made it a point to stay off the DL this year.

Now we'll see if he can end a two-game slump and pitch the Phils to a series win...

The Phillies have made no bones on their need for another left-hander in the bullpen.

They couldn't acquire one before last Thursday's trading deadline.

But upon activating Kerry Wood from the DL today, the Cubs just designated veteran lefty Scott Eyre for assignment.

Eyre has battled a groin injury this season, but it probably worth considering. He's 5-4 with a 3.31 ERA in the three seasons prior to this year.

From last August until June, he set a Cubs team record with 33 consecutive scoreless innings.

Phils assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.: "We might have interest in him."

Here's a quick look at the debuts of rehabbing right-hander Tom Gordon and rising prospect Carlos Carrasco in their respective minor league appearances Sunday...

At Clearwater in his first appearance since being placed on the disabled list July 6, Gordon faced four batters.

In 2/3 of an inning, Gordon struck out one, walked one, and served up a two-run home from to Dunedin's Brian Dopirak. Gordon took the loss in a 6-2 Threshers loss.


In his first start since being promoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Carrasco showed he belonged. The 21-year-old right-hander, the top prospect in the Phillies system, pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and two runs (but zero earned runs) while striking out four and walking two.

Carrasco threw 102 pitches, 67 for strikes.

The Phillies promoted top prospect Carlos Carrasco to Triple-A Lehigh Valley prior to Saturday's major league game in St. Louis.

The 21-year-old right-hander was 7-7 with a 4.32 ERA in 20 games (19 starts) at Double-A Reading this season. Carrasco, the rated the organization's top prospect in each of the last two years by Baseball America, has struck out 109 while walking 45 in 114 2/3 innings this year.

The trading deadline came and went without a sound from the Phillies.

They made an effort, but at the end of the day Thursday, the 25-man Phillies roster went untouched.

But questions remain...

On Friday, manager Charlie Manuel continued to say the organization sees J.A. Happ as a starter. But he's in the bullpen right now.

Then there's the word G.M. Pat Gillick put out there, that the team was considering making an "adjustment" in the days leading up to the deadline that would have moved Happ out of the bullpen.

Well, you can only begin to imagine the possibilities - was Brett Myers on the trading block? - and without concrete evidence or substantial proof, it's all a guessing game.

But what we know is the Phillies seem to have six starters at the moment. Of course, that could all change if Happ finally gets some work out of the pen this weekend...

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Not much else to say in St. Louis, other than the view in this park is great (gotta love the downtown ballparks) but the tradeoff with the spectacular view is the fact that you have to sit outside in Missouri in August.

It's worse than Miami-hot.

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I noticed this the other day, and figured I'd pass along. I just found it interesting.

Check out how close the numbers are for the Phillies two, top of the order cogs this year:

Jimmy Rollins .272, 8 HR, 40 RBIs, 26 steals.

Shane Victorino .289, 9 HR, 38 RBIs, 26 steals.