Freddy Galvis

The Phillies' season is only 18 days and 16 games old, which is a point most likely to be made by people who have some incentive to remind us it's early. People like Ruben Amaro Jr. "We've played 15 games," the general manager said before Thursday's 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park, when they left the potential tying and winning runs in scoring position to end the game. "It's 15 games," Amaro repeated. "Somebody said we still have 90 percent of the season left.

WITH JOHN LANNAN expected to miss between 6 and 8 weeks with a strained quadriceps muscle, the Phillies seem likely to give the first crack at filling the void to one of their trio of righthanders at Triple A Lehigh Valley. Tyler Cloyd, Jonathan Pettibone and Ethan Martin are all members of the 40-man roster and would be available to pitch on normal rest Monday, when Lannan's turn next arrives. Martin, acquired from the Dodgers in the Shane Victorino trade last summer, walked four and allowed four runs in his first start of the season but pitched five strong innings in his second, striking out eight and walking two while allowing just one run. Cloyd has the advantage of having pitched for the Phillies last season, but he has also walked seven batters and allowed eight runs in his last two starts.

THEY SHOWED signs of life, which was more than you could say after most of the previous six games. Against a Cy Young-caliber pitcher who has given them plenty of trouble in the past, the Phillies' offense managed nine hits and twice rallied to tie the game. But the only victories were the moral ones as a ninth-inning rally came up short and the Phillies fell to the Cardinals, 4-3, to drop their fourth straight game. "That's the best we've hit in a while," manager Charlie Manuel said.

CINCINNATI - In the first two games of the Reds series, Phillies starting pitchers allowed two earned runs in 14 innings. The Phils lost both games. Although the offense was nearly nonexistent on the six-game road trip, the rotation rebounded from a tough first week of the season. After Kyle Kendrick's seven shutout innings on Tuesday, Phillies starters had posted seven straight quality starts. They had a 1.66 ERA over those seven games. It was a remarkable turnaround from the season's first seven games, when they sported a 7.68 ERA. But then John Lannan took the mound following the completion of Tuesday's suspended game and put an emphatic end to the rotation's streak while the offense continued its embarrassingly long run of ineffectiveness.

CINCINNATI - In the first 2 weeks of the season, one of the problem spots on the Phillies' roster has been locating a capable and consistent arm to take the ball from the starting pitcher and hand it to a back-end reliever with the scoreboard unscathed. Phillippe Aumont wants to be that guy. In the rookie reliever's first four appearances of 2013, he has pitched in the eighth inning or later. Although three of those games were losses, including Saturday in Miami when he was charged with the loss, Aumont has had encouraging results.

CINCINNATI - The images of terror were shown on four TVs inside the visiting clubhouse at Great American Ballpark. A shirtless Jonathan Papelbon sat stunned. He stood up, pointed to a corner of one screen, and told Cliff Lee, "That's where I lived. " Papelbon played seven seasons for the Boston Red Sox. He called the corner of Boylston and Fairfield Streets home for a majority of that time. The second explosion Monday that rocked Boston happened yards away from his old building, which was above a steakhouse called Abe & Louie's.

MIAMI - A clubhouse attendant stuck out his right hand and Freddy Galvis shook it. He fist-bumped another with his right hand. Less than hour before, an 89-m.p.h. Jon Rauch fastball struck his right knuckle. "It's good," Galvis said. The Phillies were pleased with that because Galvis contributed about as productive a two days as possible. After much inactivity, he made his first starts on Saturday and Sunday against the Miami Marlins. He reached base five times in eight plate appearances.

MIAMI - Two batters after Laynce Nix launched a go-ahead home run that would send Roy Halladay and the Phillies to a 2-1 victory Sunday over the Marlins, the celebration was delayed for what looked like a serious injury. Freddy Galvis was hit with a pitch by 6-11 Miami reliever Jon Rauch. The ball came in high and hard on Galvis, hitting him in the right hand. After a brief delay, Galvis stayed in the game and felt good enough to shake hands when the final out was recorded in Halladay's 200th career win. "It's good," Galvis said of his hand.

The Phillies played their ninth game of the season Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park, and infielder Freddy Galvis has started none of them. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. admitted that it is a concern that needs to be addressed. "Sometime soon - probably," the general manager said. "We kind of take it day by day. " Galvis has made three pinch-hitting appearances and is hitless with a strikeout. He flied out in the eighth inning Wednesday. Manager Charlie Manuel still believes the young infielder will benefit most by being on the big-league roster.

ATLANTA - When Charlie Manuel was asked on Monday who his lefthanded bat off the bench would be on days when Laynce Nix was in the starting lineup, the manager was somewhat stumped before coming to the conclusion that it would be switch-hitter Freddy Galvis. Manuel didn't mention Ender Inciarte, perhaps because he knew the 22-year-old Rule 5 pick, with no experience beyond Class A, wasn't long for the team. Inciarte was designated for assignment on Tuesday. In place of Inciarte is Ezequiel Carrera, a 25-year-old, lefthanded-hitting outfielder.