It seems like every time that I write about the Phillies in the second half, I talk about Ryan Howard.  And justifiably so.  The past two seasons he’s turned into the Hulk down the stretch and put up absurd statistics.  Thus far into the season he’s got me wonderful when or even if that’s going to happen again.

Ryan hasn’t be setting the league ablaze thus far in the second half and set a career high in consecutive at-bats without a home run.  That all changed two nights ago when he homered and broke the game open against the Cubbies.  Last night he bopped another, this time in the top of the night which ended up being the game winner over the Braves.  In his last three games, including last night, he’s 4-10 with two homers and a triple.  Very, very small sample size, I know, but these are the sort of games that can set a guy’s confidence in the right direction and jump start some strong play.

Maybe this is finally the time for Howard to go Hulk again and carry this team once more?

Looking ahead to 2010, I think the Mets have 3 major areas for concern: Left Field, Starting Pitching, and First Base.  Left field and starting pitching are glaring weaknesses, and will almost certainly have to be bolstered by an offseason acquisition.  But as for first base, I think the Mets have a lot to work with. 

• Bring back Carlos Delgado on a short term, incentive laden contract.
• Let Daniel Murphy keep the job, and see what he can do over 162 games.
• Hand the job to Ike Davis.
• Acquire a power hitting veteran to hold the spot for Davis.

“It’s part of the game. It’s one of those things that happens and I just want to make sure that guy gets what’s due,” Victorino said before the Phillies’ 6-1 win.

“I think he needs to be held accountable. But for the most part, I just see it as the guy thought it was fun. It is what it is. It didn’t cost me in any way and it didn’t hurt me in any way. It’s part of the ballgame,” he said.

“I just think that, not so much that I want to press charges or file anything against him. I just think he’s probably sitting at home thinking he got away with it. I hope that he gets the understanding that you can’t be doing things like that,” Victorino said.

“I don’t think he’d be walking too far if something like that happened in the streets. It’s just not something that you do. For the most part, in the big picture, this guy should be held accountable and something should be done,” he said.

Man I hate this guy,  and what a pussy.  Assault Charges?!  Could he be any more contradictory in his statements?  "It's part of the game",   "It's just not something you do", "I don't want to press charges" and then presses charges.  What an A**HOLE.

For the record, the fan should not have thrown the cup at him.  Had Pricktorino dropped the ball, it would and should have been ruled fan interference. But seriously.  Assault charges for getting hit with a plastic cup?  GET OFF YOUR HIGH HORSE VICKY YOU POMPOUS CRY BABY!  Jeez.  It's going take a lot to dethrone Vicky as the most hated Phillie.

According to numerous reports, the Mets plan on adding championship banners and historic photographs throughout Citi Field.  The 1969 and 1986 banners will be displayed on the left field wall, and photographs of memorable moments and retired players will be displayed throughout. 

These are the things we must see when they are considering decorating the new Citi Field with more mets-appropriate decorations A memorial to Luis Castillo, which will include life-sized pictures of him falling down the dugout steps and another of him dropping that yankees pop-up An image of Pelfrey falling off the mound. Also, an historic picture-by-picture account of his most famous balks A statue of liberty-sized statue of Angel Berroa which will literally dwarf the stadium and take up most of the entrance to the Robinson Rotunda. His statue's head will be cocked and appear to be looking down on the team at all times A talking exhibit like in a museum where you press a button on a lifesized replica of Omar Manaya and he recites the "investigation" speech over and over again A wax figure of a shirtless Tony Bernazard ripping his tattered shirt apart Hulk Hogan style The actual 3rd base bag that Ryan Church missed, bronzed and encased in bulletproof glass

During last night’s game, Shane Victorino was showered with a beer by a Cubs fan in centerfield while trying to make a catch on a flyball.  He and Jayson Werth were none-to-happy about it at the time and deservedly so.  The Cubs owner and front office are upset about the incident and have apologized to Shane personally.

Shane is pressing a simple battery charge against the guy who threw the cup, which sounds pretty harsh on the on-set.  Shane’s rational is that the guy is most likely at home enjoying the mess and made and simply deserves to pay for his actions.  Makes sense to me.  If you hammer the guy against the wall, it should deter others from throwing things in the future.  Shane was unharmed by the beer, but the next flying object could be a cell phone like we’ve seen in the past or a battery like we’ve already shown are a possibility in one of our not so great moments.

Rob Neyer chimed in with some words for the beer lobber and the Chicago police are on the lookout for the guy.

The offense gave Pedro and the bullpen some breathing room nice and early and that was all he needed.  Pedro wasn’t fantastic and the Pedro of Ol’ by any means, however he was solid and went 5 allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, K’ing 5.  That’s right around what everyone was expecting and the offense showed up to help him out.

At first it seemed as if the Phillies only had extra-base hits with them at the plate because the first 5 hits they had were of that variety.  Even Ryan Howard legged out a triple.  Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez added three-run home runs to fuel an eight-run fourth and the game was soon out of hand.

The Phillies have won 2 straight with this one and reverse some of the damage done by the recent Marlins series.  Game 3 and the potential sweep happens today.  As does a post about Victorino and his in-game beer showering from a fan in center.

Ok, that doesn’t have the same ring to it as “Chase Utley you are the man”, however it certainly applies right now.  Cliff Lee went 8 innings strong allowing 6 hits and one run, striking out 8 yesterday to complete the sweep over the Cubs.  This is the first time in 25 years that the Phillies swept the Cubs at Wrigley.

Also good, Ryan Howard ended his homerless drought with a bomb to get the offense rolling in the fourth.  It was an oppo shot, which is always a good sign because Rhyno has incredible oppo power and is at his best when hitting evenly to all fields.  Pedro Feliz added a home run of his own.

A sweep of the Cubs is a strong step in keeping the division lead and working towards expanding it.