Mayberry, Kendrick Recalled

John Mayberry Jr. and Kyle Kendrick have been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. They are expected to arrive in Houston today.

In 5.1 innings with the Phillies this season, Kendrick is 0-1 with a 5.06 ERA. Mayberry is batting .189 with 4 HR and 8 RBI.

Chase Utley is day-to-day with a bruised foot, and Shane Victorino left last night's game with swelling in his right knee.

Former Phillie Randy Wolf won his 100th career game last night.

Another former Phillie, Curt Schilling, discussed the possibilities of becoming involved with politics. You can read more on 38 Pitches.

Phillies Snap Losing Streak

As seen on Phillies Nation.

There must be something about those gray jerseys because they are the only uniforms the Phillies are winning in. The Phillies offense exploded out ten runs in their victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Jamie Moyer received an early cushion with a six run first inning. Like the World Series, Chase Utley started the scoring. He smoked a two run double, which was followed by a RBI double by Ryan Howard.

The big blow came off the bat of John Mayberry Jr., a three run shot to left field making it 6-0 against the young phenom, David Price.

That was more than enough for Moyer, who pitched six innings allowing just one earned run on five hits and three walks. He struck out five.

Of course, he was backed by a terrific defense, highlighted by an over-the-shoulder catch by Jimmy Rollins. The high fly looked like an easy play for Mayberry, however, it hit the catwalk and ricocheted in the opposite direction. Rollins was there to make the Willie Mays style grab.

Utley later homered, finishing the night with four RBI. Utley's homer was the Phillies 100th as a team in 68 games. With the home run, the Phillies became the fastest team in franchise history to hit 100 home runs.

The Phillies took advantage of the Rays' three errors. They capitalized when they needed and were 5-for-10 with runners in scoring position. They only left four runners on base, a much smaller number than previous games.

Tyler Walker and Sergio Escalona combined for three shutout innings to seal the Phillies 10-1 win, snapping a six game losing streak.

Ibanez Placed on 15 Day DL

Raul Ibanez has been placed on the 15 day disabled list with a strained left groin. John Mayberry Jr. has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Ibanez, who was by far the Phillies MVP of the season, is hitting .312. He was second in the league with 22 home runs and 59 runs batted in.

Ibanez was batting just .194 in his last 31 at bats.

"Oh, [his injury] affected his play," Ruben Amaro said. "When he got
back on the field yesterday and played, it got to the point where the discomfort
was enough for us to shut him down."

Ibanez also missed Sunday's game due to a sore Achilles, an injury caused by his shoes. The Phillies say his Achilles is no longer an issue, but he will have an MRI for his groin injury this afternoon.

Mayberry was 2-9 with a HR in his last stint with the Phillies. He batted .257 with 8 HR and 42 RBI with the IronPigs.

In other injury news, the Toronto Blue Jays placed ace Roy Halladay on the 15 day disabled list.

Call of the Day: Harry Kalas didn't make historical calls just for the Phillies. He also made some great calls for teams playing against the Phillies, including the Reds in 1999.

"Look out! Here's a National League record. 9th home run of the
night for the Cincinnati Reds."

Mayberry's Impact

In need of an extra right handed bat for for interleague play, John Mayberry Jr. was called up from Triple-A.

Mayberry's eight home runs and 25 runs batted in led the Lehigh Valley IronPigs coming into Sunday. Called up to the majors, Mayberry impacted the Philadelphia Phillies lineup right away by showing his power to the nation.

His first major league home run, a three run shot, gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead on Saturday. He also doubled.

In his second game, he was 0-for-5 with a strikeout.

Charlie Manuel said Mayberry will stick around for awhile, but the Phillies do not need a designated hitter until June 23 when they play the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. After their series in Tampa, they head to Toronto to take on the Blue Jays.

Mayberry won't recieve much playing time with a starting outfield that consists of Jasyon Werth, Shane Victorino and the red hot Raul Ibanez.

Despite their need for a right handed bat off the bench, the Phillies would benefit if Mayberry is sent back down to Triple-A. Being able to play on a daily basis, he'll get extra at-bats so he won't be rusty if he gets playing time in the majors at the end of June.

He does not have enough experience, and strikes out too much to serve as a temporary pinch hitter. Just 25 years old, his future is an everyday player, not a utility man.

While Mayberry is a much needed right handed power bat, the Phillies should look elsewhere for the sake of benefiting the team in the future.

For IRONPIGPEN's point of view on this subject, please visit his blog: IRONPIGPEN: The Pork Stops Here!

Lidge Blows The Save In Loss

Everything looked good for the Philadelphia Phillies heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, leading the New York Yankees, 4-2.

You couldn't of asked for a better start from J.A Happ, who made his first start of the season. He allowed just two runs on four hits in six innings of work. He did not allow a walk and struck out four batters of the powerful Yankee lineup.

Raul Ibanez hit his major league leading 17th home run to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead. Tied at one, rookie John Mayberry Jr. hit a three run home run in his Major League debut.

Mayberry was the first Phillies player to hit a home run for his first major league hit since Chase Utley hit a grand slam in his major league debut in 2003.

Mayberry's father, (who was in attendance but mistaken for another fan on FOX's broadcast) hit his last home run of 255 at the old Yankee Stadium.

The bridge led to Lidge with a 4-2 lead in the ninth. Lidge continued his struggles walking the leadoff batter. The mead of the lineup was due up and it hurt him. Alex Rodriguez homered to tie the game at four. Blown save for Lidge.

Robinson Cano singled up the middle and stole second base. Melky Cabrera singled into the gap, scoring Cano. Yankees win 5-4. Loss for Lidge.

After being perfect in save opportunities in 2008, Lidge has blown 3 in 11 opportunities this season. His ERA has soared over 9. It makes you wonder what's next for Lidge. Is his knee still bothering him? Are the players in the dugout going to need to get out their Curt Schilling towels and put them on their heads? He has struggled before with the Astros and needed a change of scenary to get back to his old self. All we can hope is its a phase and he can go back to being "Lights Out."

Golson Traded to Rangers

The Philadelphia Phillies traded outfielder and prospect Greg Golson to the Texas Rangers for outfielder John Mayberry Jr.

Ruben Amaro Jr. called it a "speed for power" swap. Mayberry could fill Burrell's shoes whether its 2009 or the near future.

Mayberry was ranked 17th in the Rangers farm system.

In AA, Golson hit .282 with 13 HR. Mayberry hit .264 with 20 HR between AA and AAA.

Golson reminded me of Michael Bourn. He is a good prospect, has amazing speed, and great defense. However, he strikes out a lot, and walks very little. He has some work to do offensively, and I would say that he is not Major League ready at this point.

To me it looks like were pretty much getting the same player, but apparently Mayberry has more power.