Philadelphia Phillies

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley goes 0-for-4 for but says it was good to face live pitching again.

The Phillies had been targeting high school shortstop J.P. Crawford in the amateur draft, and he was there for them at No. 16.

Phillies righthander Michael Stutes thought he had the third strike. So did manager Charlie Manuel and just about everybody else who remained at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday night.

Elder statesmen of the Internet and garage sale enthusiasts might remember the Rubik's Cube. As a nascent poet I only got good at them once I learned that you could pry off the corner and reassemble them into the tidy colors. Until that point, however, it was an angry, frustratingly unenjoyable toy, as each twist and turn of the beguiling Hungarian puzzle only served to make me feel as though I was entering an endless wilderness, each move a more frantic, futile effort to emerge into sunlight, the very walking version of a swimmer caught in a suffocating, seaweedy riptide. So it was tonight. Take your pick of twists and turns. Did you like the home run by Michael Young, fresh off last night's triple-double night, and the whim that he might in fact be a secret weapon to deploy against the Nationals? Well, good, that was a great start to the puzzle, and it gave the Phillies a 2-0 lead. But then the Phillies' offense did nothing. I mean nothing. For 29 outs. Credit Gio Gonzalez, a wrong-way turn from years ago, for that. But turn another way, and Kyle Kendrick was just as good, maybe better, until old friend Jayson Werth singled home Ryan Zimmerman in the seventh to make the score 2-1. So: time for panic twisting. Bastardo in the 8th against Tracy! Good! Galvis for Frandsen in the 9th! Okay! Leave Howard in! What? Papelbon in the 9th! Good! Go for the sweep! Uh-oh! Defensive miscue! By Galvis! Twist again! Papelbon blows another save with two outs! Bad! Werth! Worse! Twist! Adams in the 10th! Bad! But wait! It's okay tonight! Good! But this means Mike Martinez pinch hits! Good God! Way bad! Stutes in! He can pitch multiple innings! And the curls! Very good! But a Zimmerman 1-out double was really bad! So walk LaRoche! Bad! To pitch to Werth! Who walked (Bad!) We don't need a fly ball here Chollie (h/t Joecatz)! Bad! Bases loaded for Desmond! Ump wouldn't call high strikes! (Bad!) Grand slam ensues! (That's bad.) Please discuss the metaphorical steps with which the Phillies can reassemble this jumbled mess by following the instructions in this tutorial: 3x3 Rubik's Cube Disassembly Tutorial (v2) (via MeMyselfAndPi) Source: FanGraphs

The Nationals beat the Phillies 6-2, in 11-innings at Citizens Bank Park on Wednesday, June 19, 2013.

On this week's edition of Phillies Nation TV, Pat and Corey run down all the key storylines going on at the big league level, with details on Ben Revere's offensive contributions, Cole Hamels' struggles, Cliff Lee's trade value and plenty more. Additionally, the program features an interview I did with Double-A Reading reliever Kyle Simon, who was acquired from the Orioles last year in the Jim Thome trade. A fun parking lot trivia contest is also featured. Check out the full episode in the media player below and look for new episodes each Tuesday at 6PM on The Comcast Network, as well as replays all throughout the week on TCN and Comcast SportsNet. Your browser does not support iframes.PhoulBallz.com, The Shore Sports Network

Stan "Stash" Lopata, 87, the popular Phillies catcher whose distinctive batting crouch was imitated by young Philadelphians in the 1950s, died Saturday of heart disease at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Not much rattles Phillies third baseman Michael Young, who in the last two weeks has started to come out of a slump.

Washington Nationals (34-36) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (35-37) Gio Gonzalez (3-3, 3.40) vs. Kyle Kendrick (6-4, 3.76)TIME: 7:05, Citizens Bank ParkTV: CSNWEATHER: 72, clearMEDIA: Facebook or TwitterChase Utley is playing at Reading tonight. More good news, the Phillies can sweep the Nats with a win tonight.It’s up to Kyle Kendrick to bounce back from a terrible start in Colorado over the weekend. We’ll see if he’s trending down or if it was the Rocky Mountain air Read more Chase Utley news

Washington Nationals (34-36) vs. Philadelphia Phillies (35-37) Gio Gonzalez (3-3, 3.40) vs. Kyle Kendrick (6-4, 3.76) TIME: 7:05, Citizens Bank Park TV: CSN WEATHER: 72, clear MEDIA: Facebook or Twitter Chase Utley is playing at Reading tonight. More good news, the Phillies can sweep the Nats with a win tonight. It’s up to Kyle Kendrick to bounce back from a terrible start in Colorado over the weekend. We’ll see if he’s trending down or if it was the Rocky Mountain air. With one mroe RBI, Michael Young will hit 1,000 for his career – a nice milestone. If/when he gets there, he’ll be the 242nd player in MLB history. Lineup: Revere CF, Young 3B, Rollins SS, Howard 1B, Brown LF, D. Young RF, Frandsen 2B, Ruiz C, Kendrick P Gameday Beer: Elysian The Wise ESB Last night we went with Loser from Elysian, which has a bit of a bittery taste for a pale ale. Tonight’s brew is an extra-special bitter. The Wise ESB Pours reddish-copper with a thin, creamy beige head. Subtle smells of caramel, honey, citrus and grassy floral hops entice while the taste delivers a pleasantly bold hop flavor against a very strong malt backbone. Well-balanced and delicious. Grill some chicken and pop some brussel sprouts in the pan, and enjoy tonight’s game. -PG GO PHILLIES!