Mike Zagurski

Three Lehigh Valley IronPigs - catcher Erik Kratz, righthander Michael Schwimer and lefty Mike Zagurski - will participate in the July 13 Triple A All-Star Game to be played at Spring Mobile Ballpark in Salt Lake City. Kratz is second among International League catchers with 10 homers and it's his third straight IL All-Star selection. In his first full season at Triple A, Schwimer is 4-0 with a 2.01 ERA. It is the first All-Star selection for Zagurski since being drafted by Phillies in 2005.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The dress rehearsal will begin with Cole Hamels facing the Yankees in Tampa on Saturday, Joe Blanton hosting the Yankees on Sunday, Roy Halladay traveling to the Blue Jays on Monday and Cliff Lee facing the Tigers on Tuesday at Bright House Field. The rest of the Phillies' pitching schedule has not been posted, although it seems likely that Roy Oswalt will pitch on Wednesday, either in Lakeland or in a "B" game closer to home. A lot can happen between now and Opening Day, but at this point the rotation looks a lot like most people expect it will once the regular season begins: Halladay followed by Lee followed by Oswalt followed by Hamels followed by Blanton.

Now, if only he can throw strikes. The Phillies have once again claimed J.C. Romero from the discount section of the Veteran Lefty Reliever aisle. A baseball source tonight confirmed a CSNPhilly.com report that Romero, a free agent, agreed to a 1-year deal. Terms were not available. The Phillies originally signed Romero, 34, to a minor league contract in 2007 after the Red Sox and the rest of the league determined that Romero walked too many batters. He arrived in Philadelphia with a renewed sense of aggressiveness and helped the Phillies to the playoffs in 2007 and, after re-signing with the team after that season, to a World Series title in 2008.

Phillies closer Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless inning during a rehab appearance for Class A Clearwater at Charlotte last night. Madson, who has been on the disabled list with a bruised right hand since June 28, faced four batters in the first inning of the Threshers' 10-2 loss. At the Triple A All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, the International League defeated the Pacific Coast League, 3-0. Catcher Erik Kratz and pitchers Mike Zagurski and Michael Schwimer, of Lehigh Valley, were on the International team.

At the winter meetings last week, multiple sources confirmed that the Phillies had reached agreement with lefthander Dennys Reyes on a 1-year contract plus an option that guaranteed the veteran reliever $1.25 million. The deal, as almost all contracts are these days, was contingent on Reyes passing a physical. He was reported to be in Philadelphia on Thursday for the examination. But assistant GM Scott Proefrock confirmed yesterday that he will not be pitching for the Phillies next season after all. It doesn't take a lot of thinking to conclude that the Phillies saw something during the physical that concerned them, but teams never admit that on the grounds that they don't want to prejudice another club against being interested in the player.

Robin's 'hood: When Jamie Moyer allowed his 505th career home run Tuesday, tying the major league record held by Robin Roberts, it reminded Larry Shenk, the Phillies vice president for alumni relations, of Roberts' Hall of Fame induction speech. In his Phillies Insider column, he quoted the righthander as saying: "The Hall of Fame people, I'd like to say, were very nice. I only had one request that they turned down: I asked if it would be appropriate if I would invite everyone that ever hit a home run off me to be here today, but Cooperstown wasn't big enough.

J.C. Romero became the Phillies' first order of business after the abrupt end to their 2010 season when the team announced Tuesday that it would not exercise its $4.5 million option on the lefthanded reliever for next season. He will receive a $250,000 buyout from the Phillies. Romero, 1-0 with three saves and a 3.68 ERA in 60 appearances this season, had an inkling after the Phillies' Game 6 loss to San Francisco on Saturday night that his time in Philadelphia had run out. "My time here, I had a blast," he said.

SAN DIEGO - Last season, the Phillies called up seven players once rosters expanded in September. Expect a similar amount of help this season. On Wednesday, major-league rosters expand from 25 players to 40. Plenty of candidates in the minors could help fill out the roster during a pennant race. They won't all arrive Wednesday. "I think there will be stages," said Scott Proefrock , the Phillies' assistant general manager. "We may have somebody come Sept. 1. We may have somebody come Sept.

The Phillies' clubhouse doors remained closed Thursday at 3:30 p.m., the time when the media are typically invited in to chat with the players. One night after saying, "We've got to get that edge," Charlie Manuel decided he needed to hold a team meeting. "The all-star break is coming and I wanted to talk to them before Sunday," the Phillies' manager said before Thursday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds. "I figured today was a good day to talk to them. " Manuel would not elaborate on what he told his players, but he offered a small glimpse.

CINCINNATI - What you see is what you get. Unless it isn't. That, essentially, is where things stand with 48 hours to go before the Aug. 31 deadline to strike trades via baseball's waiver process. Although the Phillies can use a lefthanded power bat for the bench and a lefthanded reliever for the bullpen, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said he "doubts" that he will be able to make a deal. Because the Phillies have the best record in the majors, they are last on the waiver priority list, which means any team that places a claim on a player essentially blocks them from being able to acquire that player.

Phillies closer Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless inning during a rehab appearance for Class A Clearwater at Charlotte last night. Madson, who has been on the disabled list with a bruised right hand since June 28, faced four batters in the first inning of the Threshers' 10-2 loss. At the Triple A All-Star Game in Salt Lake City, the International League defeated the Pacific Coast League, 3-0. Catcher Erik Kratz and pitchers Mike Zagurski and Michael Schwimer, of Lehigh Valley, were on the International team.

Three Lehigh Valley IronPigs - catcher Erik Kratz, righthander Michael Schwimer and lefty Mike Zagurski - will participate in the July 13 Triple A All-Star Game to be played at Spring Mobile Ballpark in Salt Lake City. Kratz is second among International League catchers with 10 homers and it's his third straight IL All-Star selection. In his first full season at Triple A, Schwimer is 4-0 with a 2.01 ERA. It is the first All-Star selection for Zagurski since being drafted by Phillies in 2005.

NEW YORK - Gio Gonzalez, Carlos Carrasco, Josh Outman. Most teams would salivate for the chance to put those names at the top of their rotation, especially if they could drop in, say, a Gavin Floyd or maybe even a Kyle Drabek, once the kid straightens things out in Triple A, to round it out. These are some of the young arms the Phillies traded away as they first became contenders, later champions and, in Carrasco's case, tried to repeat....

Rauuuuul redux: Among the subplots when the Phillies take the field at Safeco Field tonight: It will be the first time Raul Ibanez has played in Seattle since he left to sign with the Phillies after the 2008 season. "I'm looking forward to getting back out there," he said. "I like the ballpark and the people treated me well. " Treated him well? Sure. He was wildly popular. But liked the ballpark? You never hear hitters say anything nice about the spacious dimensions under the retractable roof.

WASHINGTON - When the Nationals' 10-2 demolishing of the Phillies was over Tuesday night, Cliff Lee sat at a kitchen table in the clubhouse with Roy Halladay and Kyle Kendrick. He might have contemplated how one of the worst offenses in the majors could hang six runs on him, or maybe how long he could avoid answering questions about his lackluster performance. When he finally emerged, he belched in the faces of a few reporters, and that just about summed up this evening. "It basically boiled down to [Danny]

THE ANNOUNCEMENT came late Thursday afternoon, an off day, like a thunderbolt out of a cloudless sky. Joe Blanton would not start against the Mets as scheduled. He was instead headed for the disabled list with an impingement in his right elbow. Righthander Vance Worley would ride in from Triple A Lehigh Valley to take his place. Now, while that might lack the dramatic tingle of a midnight call from the governor granting clemency to the condemned man seconds before the executioner's song, it was a jarring development for a team that has been bitten hard by the injury bug this season.

Raul Ibanez was back in leftfield last night and, since he was hitting .169, that's no longer a given. But he was in there partly because righthander Mike Pelfrey started for the Mets and partly because the Phillies aren't ready to pull the plug on a hitter who turns 39 in June. Asked how he can tell the difference between a player who is in a slump and a player who is too old, Charlie Manuel laughed. "I wrote Julio Franco off three times and he played another 15 years. So I don't know.

PHOENIX - Ruben Amaro Jr. would not go so far as to say that he had feared the worst, but the Phillies general manager was clearly pleased with the news that team doctor Michael Ciccotti delivered yesterday. An MRI revealed that closer Jose Contreras had suffered only a mild strain and could be back on the active roster within 3 to 4 weeks. "It's good news," Amaro said. "It's positive news. You don't want a guy to go on the DL, but it's better than the alternative. " Now, the Phillies are hopeful that their bullpen will be back at full strength by the All-Star break.

Now, perhaps more than ever, is Antonio Bastardo's time. Time to show he can be the top lefthanded relief option for a World Series contender. Time to show he can handle the day-to-day grind of life in a major league bullpen. Time to show his big-time ability can flourish into big-time production. The 25-year-old has never appeared in more than eight games in a month. He has pitched on less than 2 days of rest 12 times, on back-to-back days nine times. But when the Phillies placed J.C. Romero on the disabled list yesterday with a mild right calf strain he suffered Monday, they effectively named Bastardo their top option to face lefthanded hitters in pivotal situations.