Antonio Bastardo

A CROSSROADS is no place to get sentimental, and the Phillies have the mother of all of them looming on the horizon. Forget about whether they can claw their way back into contention. What happens on the field over the next couple of months will have little impact on the dire situation that will greet them come November, when they will no longer have three of their most productive hitters in the order under contract. Second base, third base and catcher: Good luck filling them.

PHOENIX - Jimmy Rollins never shed his batting gloves. With the tying run 90 feet away, he tapped one to first base that sealed a 3-2 Phillies loss. Rollins retreated to the clubhouse with the rest of his downtrodden teammates and went straight to one of the five laptops in the middle of the room. For 16 minutes, Rollins watched. Dressed in full uniform, he moved the mouse with his right glove. He tapped on the keyboard with his left glove. He stood up, pretended to swing, and pulled off his No. 11 jersey.

The Phillies insisted before the game that revenge wasn't the motive, only the chance to get closer to .500. Afterward, Kevin Frandsen admitted that consecutive routs in Cleveland two weeks ago served as a motivating force. After being outscored by 20-2 by the Indians in two games, the Phillies earned revenge on Tuesday night with a 6-2 win at Citizens Bank Park. "They kicked our butt [in Cleveland] and I hope the guys would realize that and I feel like we did," said Frandsen, who got the Phillies going with a solo home run in the first inning.

PHOENIX - 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. Yesterday, Adams wasn't available again. But this time it wasn't related to his workload. Adams is day-to-day with back spasms. The veteran set-up man said he first felt them while shagging in the outfield during batting practice before yesterday's game. "I felt it right at the end of BP . . . the last 5 minutes of BP it grabbed me," Adams said.

The next time Domonic Brown hits a home run, he will achieve a career high in that department. In his limited playing time in 2011 and 2012, the Phillies outfielder hit five home runs each year. He got to that number a lot quicker this season, driving the ball out of the park in the first two games of the weekend series with the Miami Marlins to reach five in 97 at-bats. If he continues on his current pace, he will flirt with hitting 30 home runs this season. "I don't think that's out of the realm," manager Charlie Manuel said before Saturday night's game against the Marlins.

Danys Baez does not watch much baseball these days. He is paid $2.75 million to stay away from the game that once compelled him to spend 10 days in hiding to defect from his home country. "It's tough for me," Baez said Friday from his Miami home. But then he heard about Antonio Bastardo, and Baez was interested in baseball again. For the first five months of the season, Bastardo emerged as one of the game's most dominant relievers. It was something Baez, who mentored the 25-year-old Phillies lefty, took pride in watching.

Before they had a chance to exchange salary-arbitration numbers Friday, the Phillies and reliever Antonio Bastardo came to an agreement on a one-year deal worth $1.4 million. The deal includes award bonuses and represents an $895,000 raise for the 27-year-old lefthander, who figures to play a major role in manager Charlie Manuel's bullpen in 2013. Bastardo was among the best lefthanded relievers in baseball two seasons ago, when he went 6-1 with a 2.64 ERA. He also converted eight of nine save opportunities.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The list of differences between a 102-win team and an 81-win team began with the health of Ryan Howard and Roy Halladay. But you can argue that the difference between the Antonio Bastardo who took the mound in 2011 vs. the one who took the mound in 2012 played almost as big a role in the Phillies' fall from grace last season. And while the health of their aging veterans certainly will prove to be a major theme during the 2013 season, the performance of their 27-year-old reliever also seems likely to play a critical role in their attempt to return to the top of the National League East.

The Phillies will have their closer back when the first-place Mets come to Philadelphia. Satisfied with his rehab from off-season elbow and knee surgeries, the Phillies will activate Brad Lidge from the disabled list before Friday's series opener against New York, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced Thursday. To make space for Lidge, lefthander Antonio Bastardo will be optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley. Lidge pitched in eight rehab games between Lehigh Valley, double-A Reading and single-A Clearwater.

CHANGES ARRIVED for the struggling Phillies offense more than 2 weeks ago, when Carlos Ruiz' suspension ended and Delmon Young was activated off the disabled list in the span of 48 hours. The Phillies' rotation has also undergone a makeover, albeit one they rather would have avoided. John Lannan and Roy Halladay were both placed on the DL with Jonathan Pettibone and Tyler Cloyd taking their respective spots in the starting five. But the one area that the Phillies haven't addressed is one that's been a problem spot for a good chunk of the first 6 weeks.

Cliff Lee pitched and hit well enough to earn a win. He had to settle for being picked up by his teammates. Eighth-inning RBIs by Domonic Brown and Carlos Ruiz broke the tie and led the Phillies to a 5-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Friday at Citizens Bank Park. "A comeback win like this means a lot and shows the character of this team," Brown said. With the score tied at 3-3, Michael Young drew a one-out walk in the Phillies eighth. Ryan Howard, of all players, then reached base on a check-swinging bunt that reliever Sean Marshall couldn't handle.

JUSTIN DE FRATUS is a guy who knows he might be one pitch away from the minors, and Mark Reynolds is a guy who is tied for the American League lead with 11 home runs, and when the two men faced each other last night, one represented the go-ahead run and one represented his team's chance at preventing it. But De Fratus knew what needed to be done, and he did it by throwing the exact pitch he knew Reynolds would be looking for: a 92-mph fastball in...

The Phillies insisted before the game that revenge wasn't the motive, only the chance to get closer to .500. Afterward, Kevin Frandsen admitted that consecutive routs in Cleveland two weeks ago served as a motivating force. After being outscored by 20-2 by the Indians in two games, the Phillies earned revenge on Tuesday night with a 6-2 win at Citizens Bank Park. "They kicked our butt [in Cleveland] and I hope the guys would realize that and I feel like we did," said Frandsen, who got the Phillies going with a solo home run in the first inning.

CHANGES ARRIVED for the struggling Phillies offense more than 2 weeks ago, when Carlos Ruiz' suspension ended and Delmon Young was activated off the disabled list in the span of 48 hours. The Phillies' rotation has also undergone a makeover, albeit one they rather would have avoided. John Lannan and Roy Halladay were both placed on the DL with Jonathan Pettibone and Tyler Cloyd taking their respective spots in the starting five. But the one area that the Phillies haven't addressed is one that's been a problem spot for a good chunk of the first 6 weeks.

PHOENIX - 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. Yesterday, Adams wasn't available again. But this time it wasn't related to his workload. Adams is day-to-day with back spasms. The veteran set-up man said he first felt them while shagging in the outfield during batting practice before yesterday's game. "I felt it right at the end of BP . . . the last 5 minutes of BP it grabbed me," Adams said.

PHOENIX - Jimmy Rollins never shed his batting gloves. With the tying run 90 feet away, he tapped one to first base that sealed a 3-2 Phillies loss. Rollins retreated to the clubhouse with the rest of his downtrodden teammates and went straight to one of the five laptops in the middle of the room. For 16 minutes, Rollins watched. Dressed in full uniform, he moved the mouse with his right glove. He tapped on the keyboard with his left glove. He stood up, pretended to swing, and pulled off his No. 11 jersey.

A CROSSROADS is no place to get sentimental, and the Phillies have the mother of all of them looming on the horizon. Forget about whether they can claw their way back into contention. What happens on the field over the next couple of months will have little impact on the dire situation that will greet them come November, when they will no longer have three of their most productive hitters in the order under contract. Second base, third base and catcher: Good luck filling them.

SAN FRANCISCO - After a spirited ninth inning that saw the Phillies tie the game, Ben Revere tried to keep the momentum going in the 10th. He beat out an infield single and then attempted to steal second with Domonic Brown up and Jimmy Rollins on deck. But Revere was called out by Alfonso Marquez. And in the bottom of the inning, San Francisco reserve outfielder Andres Torres punched a two-out, RBI single to rightfield off Antonio Bastardo as the Phillies fell yesterday, 4-3. On the replay of Revere's stolen base attempt, it looked like he got his left hand on the bag in time.

SAN FRANCISCO - A dozen Giants dashed from the dugout toward first base and danced past Antonio Bastardo, who lugged a loss with him as he walked to the Phillies clubhouse and a flight to Phoenix. The home team wanted to pound Andres Torres. He flared a single to right in the 10th inning for a 4-3 win Wednesday at AT&T Park. The road team departed with confidence. The Phillies' last-minute comeback and chance for their first sweep in San Francisco since 1984 was spoiled. But they played crisp baseball against a talented squad for three days, and most drew comfort from that.

The next time Domonic Brown hits a home run, he will achieve a career high in that department. In his limited playing time in 2011 and 2012, the Phillies outfielder hit five home runs each year. He got to that number a lot quicker this season, driving the ball out of the park in the first two games of the weekend series with the Miami Marlins to reach five in 97 at-bats. If he continues on his current pace, he will flirt with hitting 30 home runs this season. "I don't think that's out of the realm," manager Charlie Manuel said before Saturday night's game against the Marlins.