Bullpen

IT TURNED OUT to be a good bullpen night: Antonio Bastardo got two strikeouts in the eighth inning and Chad Qualls followed him and got the third out, surviving a line drive that was caught by Hunter Pence in rightfield. Then Jonathan Papelbon — warming up in a save situation — still pitched the ninth after Placido Polanco's home run turned it into a non-save situation. But it was one night. And, well, put it this way: if the Phillies expect to do any damage in October, they will need to acquire a power bat and fix their bullpen.

The Giants' bullpen shut down Phillies batters after manager Bruce Bochy removed starter Jonathan Sanchez, who had hit Chase Utley with a pitch in the third inning, leading to both benches clearing. Pitcher   IP    H   R   ER   BB   K     Jeremy Affeldt   2    0   0   0   0   2    Madison Bumgarner   2    3   0   0   1   1    Javier Lopez   1    0   0   0   0   1    Tim Lincecum   1/3   2   0   0   0   1    Brian Wilson   12/3   0   0   0   2   1   

The Phillies' bullpen has had its problems recently. It entered last night's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field looking a little wiped out, as if 143 games had been just about enough. In its previous 11 games, the bullpen had gone 3-5 with one save, four blown saves and a 5.94 ERA. The Phillies lost six of those 11 games, with five of the losses coming in the ninth inning or later. That made the bullpen's contribution last night in a sweep of the Braves more notable.

When John Rocker sprinted out of the bullpen to face the Phillies at Turner Field in Atlanta Tuesday and Thursday nights, he got standing ovations. They were the Atlanta Braves' reliever's first games back from the suspension imposed on him for his stupid, bigoted remarks in a Sports Illustrated interview. Just as he didn't deserve the suspension, he also didn't deserve standing ovations. Some of those cheering were just happy to see that arm back in the home team's lineup.

With closer Brad Lidge back from the 15-day disabled list, the Phillies' tired bullpen recovers an important member, although it will continue to miss Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey. "It's going to be really big for our bullpen," to have Lidge back, said manager Charlie Manuel. "I think we're going to be able to put our guys in the right position. " Pitching coach Rich Dubee said earlier that while Lidge's return will solidify the late-inning structure - Lidge assumes ninth-inning responsibilities, Ryan Madson returns to the eighth inning, and J.C. Romero can pitch the seventh inning or face tough lefthanders in the eighth - the middle-relief situation remains murky.

There are many reasons why the Phillies are in last place in the National League East, but none is bigger than the pitching staff, which had the worst earned run average in the league entering yesterday's game against the Detroit Tigers. It has been suggested in recent weeks that one way to improve the pitching would be to recall top prospect Brett Myers from triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and move Terry Adams to the bullpen. The move would not be so much a demotion for Adams as a way to improve the bullpen.

WHAT WE KNOW: Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee will have plenty more options than they did for most of last season, when young relievers Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes were forced into the fire after injuries struck Jose Contreras, Brad Lidge and, for a stretch, Ryan Madson. The ninth inning wasn't a problem last year, and it shouldn't be one this year with Jonathan Papelbon replacing Madson. The 31-year-old former Red Sox closer relies primarily on a wicked fastball, occasionally offset by a splitter.

Jerry DiPoto and the rest of the New York Mets bullpen have been waiting for weeks to show they could come through. Last night, they finally did. DiPoto (2-1) replaced starter Pete Harnisch, who left after three innings, and the bullpen combined to blank the visiting Cincinnati Reds over the last six innings in a 9-4 win. The Reds led, 4-0, when Harnisch left. DiPoto pitched three scoreless innings and Dave Mlicki closed out the Reds for his first career save. "Getting in there was the big thing," said DiPoto, whose last victory came on Opening Day against St. Louis.

Chan Ho Park doesn't agree with the assessment by Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee that he's better suited to be a reliever than a starter at this stage in his career. But the 35-year-old righthander, who lost his spot in the starting rotation to J.A. Happ a month ago, said he was willing to embrace his role as a middle reliever. Lately, he has been proving it. "I'm getting used to it and I'm learning," Park said before last night's game against Toronto at Citizens Bank Park.

Hideki Irabu, the Japanese-born pitcher who was signed earlier this season to a $12.8 million contract by the Yankees, was sent to the bullpen yesterday. Irabu, who was hit hard in his last three starts, has a 2-2 record and a 7.97 ERA. With Irabu's next start scheduled to fall on Thursday - a day off for the Yankees - manager Joe Torre said the pitcher would be skipped in the rotation. Torre did not say when he would make his next start. The Pirates announced that catcher Jason Kendall had agreed to a new contract that will pay him $7.2 million over four years, beginning next season.

IT TURNED OUT to be a good bullpen night: Antonio Bastardo got two strikeouts in the eighth inning and Chad Qualls followed him and got the third out, surviving a line drive that was caught by Hunter Pence in rightfield. Then Jonathan Papelbon — warming up in a save situation — still pitched the ninth after Placido Polanco's home run turned it into a non-save situation. But it was one night. And, well, put it this way: if the Phillies expect to do any damage in October, they will need to acquire a power bat and fix their bullpen.

Without fail, Juan Pierre is the first Phillies player in the dugout before a game. He walked up the tunnel at 3:23 p.m. Monday and saw a tarp covering the rain-soaked infield at Citizens Bank Park. But it was dry enough to do his 10 minutes of sprinting in right field. "It's just something I've always done," Pierre said. "No rhyme or reason. " He could say the same thing about going unsigned until Jan. 27. Once every team in baseball had passed on offering a guaranteed major-league contract, Pierre said he did not wonder about his ability.

The return of Cliff Lee from the disabled list was more than a sliver of light in these darkest of days for the Phillies. It was more than a silver lining, too. Watching this offensively inconsistent team that is short on sluggers, rail thin in the bullpen and challenged defensively, it's easy to forget that the Phillies' starting rotation is still the gold standard in the National League. You might not want to hear that after another monumental bullpen collapse allowed the New York Mets to complete a three-game sweep Wednesday night with a 10-6 victory at an increasingly hostile Citizens Bank Park.

THE EXODUS began while the ball was still in flight, thousands of fans rising from their seats to see where the home run would land, then turning toward the exits without a moment of hesitation. By the time Ike Davis rounded third, Citizens Bank Park looked like a scene from the "Walking Dead," horrified city-dwellers and suburbanites choking the stairways in search of the fastest route home. There did not appear to be any zombies on the premises, although given the state of the Phillies bullpen, we cannot be sure.

THE PITCHING change came one batter too late, not because the manager spent the night huffing paint, but because his best option was in Indianapolis with his socks pulled high in a Triple A bullpen. Nobody knows if Jake Diekman would have made a difference in the Phillies' latest late-game meltdown, but the 25-year-old lefty at least has the potential, which is more than you can say about the majority of Charlie Manuel's options right now. "That'll come up sooner or later," Manuel said Tuesday night after the Phillies blew a three-run lead with two out in the seventh inning in what ended as a 7-4 loss to the Mets.

With Cliff Lee scheduled to return from the disabled list Wednesday night against the Mets, the Phillies have Kyle Kendrick available in their bullpen. Exactly how they will use Kendrick remains to be seen, but his reinforcement is definitely needed. Pitching coach Rich Dubee acknowledged Tuesday that the Phillies need to get their bullpen in order and that's an understatement. After closer Jonathan Papelbon served up a three-run home run to Mets rookie Jordany Valdespin in Monday night's 5-2 loss, the Phillies' bullpen had a major-league worst 4.86 earned run average, which more than neutralized a starting rotation with a 2.98 ERA, the fourth best in baseball.

ATLANTA - Around 9:15 Tuesday night, Antonio Bastardo tugged on his cap and climbed on the mound that helped vault him into prominence. You remember that game, don't you? It was 13 months ago, April 8 at Turner Field, the Phillies trailing 6-3 in the top of the sixth, the game destined to end in a garden-variety, early-season loss. In terms of leverage and pressure, it was one of the more inconsequential appearances Bastardo would log last season. But when you consider the impact it had on the evolution of the Phillies' bullpen, it meant everything.

PHOENIX - Mike Stutes kept pitching through the soreness in his shoulder because he did not want to admit a problem. He finally said something near the end of spring training and rest was prescribed. He still made the team, but the pain returned. "Something felt a little funky," Stutes said. "It wasn't killing me. It's just off. " So the 25-year-old righthander became the sixth Phillies player to go on the disabled list. He was deactivated after Tuesday's 8-5 win over Arizona.

  The return of Jose Contreras from the disabled list, which the Phillies announced after their 8-2 win over the Mets at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, will not have an immediate impact on manager Charlie Manuel's handling of late and close situations. On Sunday, veteran righthander Chad Qualls turned in another solid outing, pitching a scoreless eighth inning to preserve what at the time was a 3-2 lead. All four of his outings this season have come in the eighth inning, the last two of them in tight games.

PITTSBURGH - Sam Perlozzo stood in the visiting dugout at PNC Park and marveled at the majestic view of this city. The Phillies first base coach turned around, saw Joe Savery and Freddy Galvis, and smiled. "Big-league baseball," Perlozzo said. "Can you beat this? Is there anything better than this?" The two Phillies, both on an opening-day roster for the first time in their careers, didn't say a word. Savery smirked. Galvis fidgeted with his glove. Soon, the rest of their teammates filtered from the clubhouse onto the field, where these Phillies endured one more perfunctory workout.