Werth

After the Phillies lost, 7-5, to the Milwaukee Brewers last night, Charlie Manuel stood in a corner of the visitors' clubhouse at Miller Park, speaking softly to five of his players. "I know some say it's in the bag," the manager told them. "We ain't got a thing yet. " Paul Bako sat at his locker, looking up while sipping a beverage. Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey were next to him at a round wooden table. Tyler Walker, who allowed a walk-off home run to Ryan Braun in the ninth, was also there.

The following is a partial transcript from Wednesday's Ask Gonzo chat on Philly.com with columnist John Gonzalez: Comment from Karl: What are your thoughts on the Phillies stealing signs? Gonzo: The only issue I have is with Mick Billmeyer not disguising himself a little better. He may as well have held a news conference to announce what the team was doing. Comment from Schmidty: What would be your take on the "stealing of signs" if you just found out that the Yankees were guilty of it during the WS?

The Phillies have two more days of exclusive negotiating rights with their own free agents, and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. made it clear Monday that he would prefer to strike deals with shortstop Jimmy Rollins and closer Ryan Madson before they hit the open market. "We'd love to keep them off the market if we can do it," Amaro said. "We've had discussions with the agents of both players. " That, of course, does not mean the Phillies are close to signing either player, but it shows that the team very much wants to retain its shortstop and closer, at the right price.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson loves October baseball. The New York Yankees' special adviser has a true admiration for a team now competing in its fourth consecutive October, the Phillies. However, Jackson believes that the Phils made one major mistake this year: "The Phillies, to me, have done everything perfectly except let Cliff Lee go," Jackson, 64, said Thursday of the lefthander who was traded to Seattle in the off-season. "I don't think they realized how good he was. " A 1964 graduate of Cheltenham High, Jackson spoke in a one-on-one interview after the Yankees' workout at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

BASEBALL hasn't changed much in the last 100 years, but the way it's described in the sports pages sure has. Virtually every term we know today is a replacement of other (usually more florid) ones that were well-known to fans of the game a century ago. To give you a flavor of that change, here's an account of the actual May 24 Phillies-Yankees game in Yankee Stadium as it might have been written back then, using style and terminology common in the era. NEW YORK - A crowd of 46,986 rooters saw the champions from Philadelphia defeat the Hilltoppers 4-3 yesterday.

NEW YORK - Cliff Lee walked into the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium Thursday morning, stopped at the corner locker with his name and No. 36 above it, and craned his neck to see one of the four HDTVs hanging in the middle of the room. At that instant, ESPN replayed the ill-fated, headfirst slide in Cincinnati that sent Phillies second baseman Chase Utley to the disabled list. Ninety minutes later, after some breakfast and a bullpen throwing session, Lee admitted that he still keeps an eye on the Phillies.

NEW YORK - Jordan Zimmermann spoiled the New York Mets' home opener with his bat and arm, hitting a two-run single and pitching the Washington Nationals to a 6-2 victory Friday at chilly Citi Field. Ivan Rodriguez added a two-run single, snapping an 0-for-12 skid to start the season, and weary Washington got brilliant work from its bullpen to win its second road game in a row. The Nationals, who took advantage of nine walks by Mets pitching, arrived at their New York hotel about 4 a.m. Friday following an 11-inning victory Thursday at Florida.

WASHINGTON - Tom Gorzelanny allowed only three hits in eight sharp innings against a struggling San Francisco lineup, and Michael Morse and Jerry Hairston Jr. drove in runs for Washington, helping the Nationals beat the Giants, 2-0, Monday on Military Appreciation Night. Gorzelanny (1-2) hadn't lasted eight innings in a game since Aug. 12, 2007, when he threw a shutout for Pittsburgh, also against the Giants. On Monday, he gave up Aaron Rowand's double leading off the game and single in the third, plus Cody Ross' single in the eighth.

WASHINGTON - Omar Infante used a clever slide to score on Greg Dobbs' double in the 11th inning, giving the Florida Marlins a 6-5 win over the Washington Nationals on Friday night. On a night of spectacular plays, Infante made the most important one. With one out, he singled off Brian Broderick (0-1), then came all the way around on Dobbs' drive to right. The ball beat Infante to home plate and Nationals catcher Wilson Ramos was in position to make a tag, but Infante slid head-first and reached over and around Ramos to touch the back tip of the plate for the go-ahead run. The Marlins, who have won seven straight in Washington, could have gone ahead in the fifth but Roger Bernadina made a sensational catch to keep it tied.

Position: Rightfield Height/weight: 6-5/218 pounds Age: 31. Birthdate: May 20, 1979 Hometown: Springfield, Ill. Years in ML: 8 How obtained: Acquired as a free agent in December 2006. Statistically speaking: Werth is hitting .270 away from Citizens Bank Park this year, which isn't bad but certainly less than his stellar .320 average at home. In 37 postseason games, Werth is a .283 hitter with 11 home runs and 21 RBI. He's done most of that damage in the NLDS with the Dodgers and Phillies, hitting .291 with five home runs.