Michael Bourn

8:05, Minute Maid Park, Houston. TV: Comcast SportsNet. Radio: WPHT (1210-AM); WUBA (1480-AM) Spanish. Phillies LHP Cliff Lee (5-1, 1.80) vs. Astros LHP Wandy Rodriguez (12-9, 2.93) Phillies update: Lee hit his first road bump as a Phillie last weekend, allowing six runs on 10 hits, including three home runs, in five innings against the Braves ... Up until his last start, Lee had allowed five runs in four starts, all of them wins ... Lee has never faced the Astros ... The Phillies have yet to face the Astros this season.

Position: Closer Height, weight: 6-5, 210 pounds Age: 33. Birthdate: Dec. 23, 1976 Hometown: Englewood, Colo. Years in major leagues: 9 How obtained: Acquired from Houston Astros with Eric Bruntlett for Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary and Mike Costanzo in November 2007. Statistically speaking: In 34 postseason appearances with Houston and the Phillies, Lidge is 2-4 with a 2.40 ERA and 17 saves in 19 opportunities. For his career, Lidge is 26-29 with 222 saves and a 3.51 ERA. More important, he has one of the two most memorable saves in the Phillies' 127 years of existence as only he and Tug McGraw threw the final pitch of a World Series title.

Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino did not win the World Series again this year, but they are repeat winners of the Gold Glove at their positions. Rollins won his third consecutive National League Gold Glove at shortstop yesterday, while Victorino claimed his second straight in the outfield. Rollins, who will turn 31 on Nov. 27, led all major-league shortstops with a .990 fielding percentage and made just six errors, fewest among full-time big-league shortstops. He had an 86-game errorless streak during the season.

Geovany Soto didn't get the automatic home run he deserved, but it didn't make a difference last night as the visiting Chicago Cubs beat Houston, 7-2. Soto was credited with an inside-the-park homer in the fourth inning despite replays showing that it should have been an automatic home run. The ball bounced just to the right of the yellow line on the wall in left-center. Astros centerfielder Michael Bourn scooped it up and threw it home, but Soto scored easily before the throw got there.

AS WE wrote in Thursday's Daily News, the Phillies face a fascinating conundrum with their situation in centerfield . They have money to spend, and they have an obvious place to spend it. But they do not have limitless money. And they have enough needs outside of centerfield that paying B.J. Upton $75 million over 5 years might not have been the wisest move. Especially since there are plenty of potentially cheaper options. But when you look at those potentially cheaper options, you can't ignore the following batting line from the 2012 season: .255 batting average, .321 on base percentage, .383 slugging percentage, 11 home runs, 39-for-45 on stolen bases.

Roger Clemens is in a minority of players disputing their names in the Mitchell Report. Two more players named in the report showed up to spring camps and said the accusations that pertained to them were accurate. They were Cincinnati pitcher Kent Mercker and Colorado pitcher Matt Herges . Both confirmed using HGH several years ago. "I chose to do the wrong thing," Herges told reporters in Rockies camp. "It's embarrassing to even talk about. " . . . Andy Pettitte , another Mitchell Report listee who has confirmed taking HGH, is due to report to Yankees camp tomorrow.

As part of the deal that sent righthanded pitcher Roy Oswalt and cash consideration to the Phillies on Thursday, the team surrendered J.A. Happ and two minor-league prospects. The Astros acquired outfielder Anthony Gose and shortstop Jonathan Villar, and then in turn dealt Gose to Toronto in exchange for first-base prospect Brent Wallace. Gose, 19, was a second-round draft pick of the Phillies in 2008. This season he hit .263 for single-A Clearwater, where he registered four home runs, 20 RBIs, and 36 stolen bases.

The Phillies clubhouse is a quiet and empty place after a loss, and last night proved no different. Not that much needed to be said anyway. They knew they had wasted an excellent opportunity. After struggling mightily this spring and toiling through his first two starts of the season, Kyle Kendrick allowed four hits, two runs and a walk in seven innings of a 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros at Citizens Bank Park. "I'm starting to feel like myself," Kendrick said. That proved to be the silver lining last night, because the Phillies need Kendrick to pitch the way he pitched for them in 2007, when he went 10-4 in 20 starts.

NASHVILLE - The B.J. Upton-to-the-Phillies buzz had a nice, long shelf life, especially when compared to how long the Justin Upton-to-the-Phillies speculation survived Tuesday at the winter meetings before being trampled by Shoeless Ruben Amaro Jr. "I don't comment on rumors, but that one is absolutely, unequivocally false," Amaro said from inside his sixth-floor suite at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. That winter-meetings falsehood spread rapidly through the Twittersphere just before 4 p.m. local time.

NASHVILLE - Ruben Amaro Jr. slipped into a sixth-floor suite at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel that doubles as the Phillies' headquarters this week and insisted there was no rush. Less than an hour earlier, Angel Pagan had agreed to a four-year, $40 million contract with San Francisco, and another Phillies outfield target was eliminated. "We move on," Amaro said. On the first day of baseball's winter meetings, the general manager said he still prefers to add a centerfielder via free agency and not trade.

B.J. Upton will be the centerfielder in Atlanta next season. Denard Span, after being traded from the Minnesota Twins Thursday, will play the position for the National League East champion Washington Nationals. Meanwhile, in Philadelphia . . . At times like these, it's important to remember that the offseason is a marathon, not a sprint. Being the first team to make a significant move does not guarantee a spot at the top of the standings any more than making the biggest offseason splash does.

AS WE wrote in Thursday's Daily News, the Phillies face a fascinating conundrum with their situation in centerfield . They have money to spend, and they have an obvious place to spend it. But they do not have limitless money. And they have enough needs outside of centerfield that paying B.J. Upton $75 million over 5 years might not have been the wisest move. Especially since there are plenty of potentially cheaper options. But when you look at those potentially cheaper options, you can't ignore the following batting line from the 2012 season: .255 batting average, .321 on base percentage, .383 slugging percentage, 11 home runs, 39-for-45 on stolen bases.

There are 11 centerfielders in the history of baseball who have accomplished what B.J. Upton did in 2012. Upton smashed 28 home runs and stole 31 bases. He was the oldest centerfielder to produce at least those totals, and he did it at the age of 27. Now he is 28 and the youngest outfielder available in free agency this winter while theoretically entering his prime. That is more than enough to entice the Phillies and others to bid. The Phillies' winter begins with acquiring a centerfielder, the move that will dictate the rest of general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s offseason improvement plan.

It was early in spring training, and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was answering questions about some of the young prospects he had traded away in recent years. He admitted that his goal at some point was to get a few of them back. "There have been times when we've tried to get guys back in our organization, yeah," Amaro said. "I think many of these guys stay in contact with people from the organization, and I've heard on more than one occasion that they really, really miss being with us. Somewhere down the line, when they become free agents, that may give us an opportunity.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The first at-bat of the bottom of the first inning in an otherwise forgettable Grapefruit League game between the Nationals and Braves yesterday actually had longstanding connections to the Phillies' past - and possible ripple effects on the franchise's future. Gio Gonzalez took the mound for the Nationals. Michael Bourn stepped in the batter's box for the Braves. Both are former Phillies farmhands who developed into All-Stars for other clubs, and both are central figures in the National League East race this season.

MIAMI - Hanley Ramirez continued his recent torrid hitting with three hits and three RBIs and Javier Vazquez pitched seven solid innings as the Florida Marlins defeated the Houston Astros, 6-3, Friday night. Florida broke a 2-2 tie and took the lead for good on Ramirez's run-scoring single in the third inning. He drove in Gaby Sanchez, who reached on a two-out double. Ramirez is hitting .448 with three home runs and 11 RBIs in July. The Marlins increased the lead to 5-2 in the fifth on Logan Morrison's bases-loaded walk and Mike Stanton's sacrifice fly. Vazquez (5-8)

Hanley Ramirez continued his recent torrid hitting with three hits and three RBI and Javier Vazquez pitched seven solid innings as the Florida Marlins defeated the visiting Houston Astros, 6-3, last night. Florida broke a 2-2 tie and took the lead for good on Ramirez's run-scoring single in the third inning. He drove in Gaby Sanchez, who reached on a two-out double. Ramirez is hitting .448 with three home runs and 11 RBI in July. The Marlins increased the lead to 5-2 in the fifth on Logan Morrison's bases-loaded walk and Mike Stanton's sacrifice fly. Vazquez (5-8)

HOUSTON - Hunter Pence's two-out, RBI single in the ninth inning lifted the Houston Astros to a 4-3 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Monday night. The Astros trailed, 3-1, entering the ninth inning before Michael Bourn tied it with his two-out, full-count double down the right-field line that scored two against Kenley Jansen (1-1), the hard-throwing rookie who is the latest pitcher the Dodgers have given a shot to close games. Bill Hall started the rally with a one-out single and Angel Sanchez walked with two outs.