Freddy Galvis News

Freddy Galvis and Erik Kratz each homered off closer Aroldis Chapman in the bottom of the ninth innings Sunday, rallying the Philadelphia Phillies past the Cincinnati Reds for a stunning 3-2 victory.

The first sign of trouble emerged when Carlos Ruiz hobbled back to first base after an attempted hit-and-run play.

The Phillies can win a series and make it a successful week against the two Ohio teams if they're victorious Sunday.

"We don't know if we're going to be buying or selling or both," he said before Friday's game against the Reds at Citizens Bank Park.

While they slip, slide and fall in their modest pursuit of reaching .500, the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals have failed to pull away.

The Indians came to Citizens Bank Park a confident group, and it's hard to argue the point.

IT WAS AN opportunity, not a necessity. That's what Charlie Manuel said of his decision to keep Chase Utley out of the lineup last night, despite the fact that the Phillies were coming off an off day and would enjoy another one tomorrow.

The Indians embarrassed the Phillies in a two-game sweep at Progressive Field, outscoring the visitors by a wide 20-2 margin.

So, how did I celebrate Mother's Day? I closed the bedroom door, let the spouse take care of the kids, and watched baseball.

After pitching in three of the previous four games, Mike Adams didn't warm up on Saturday, when fellow reliever Jonathan Papelbon pitched a five-out save.

Today's game featured another stellar Kyle Kendrick performance, a great catch by Dom Brown, and baseball's most white knuckle play, the rundown that results in no outs.

This was a very strange trip out west, but the Phillies not only salvaged it Sunday but will have something to build on coming back home.

The first-year Phillie was demoted in the batting order after struggling mightily atop it, but after going 7 for his last 16 , Charlie Manuel has him leading off today against Arizona in the Phillies' final game of their seven-game road trip.

Whether it's at this year's trade deadline or after the season, one of the most difficult decisions in franchise history is going to have to be made in the not-too-distant future.

The Phillies missed out on some big ticket items in the off-season. BJ Upton, Michae Bourn, Josh Hamilton and others wound up on other teams, while fans were dying for a big addition in Philadelphia.

The Phils' long-time double play combo could both be gone by August. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports There's been a lot of talk concerning who the Phillies might be trading away should they become sellers in a couple months, and a lot of hand-wringing over the barren state of the farm system once the established stars of yesteryear ... (more)

An old, expensive, mediocre team is depressing enough. But that same team with a near-total dearth of difference-making young talent at hand or on the way is even worse.

Acquired in December 2010 as part of the Zack Greinke trade, Betancourt was almost universally reviled and his free-swinging ways did little to change any first impressions.

Both hitting and pitching fell from 11th, before the weekend, to 12th, but their record actually improved from 11th to 10th, although we certainly would have expected them to capitalize on this last series more than they did.

THE STRETCH RUN began around 5:30 p.m. yesterday. Fresh off a 14-2 thrashing at the hands of the worst team in the National League, the Phillies dressed in silence and headed to the airport for the start of a 4-week window that could very well dictate how much meaningful baseball they play for the rest of the season.