IT'S HANKY TIME

This is where I get off. After last night's bitter defeat, I'm taking a sanity break for the rest of the homestand. If we're still close by the time the Phils head to Miami, I'll check back in.

The Phils dropped their fourth straight overall and 11th straight to last year's wild card winner and this year's wild card favorite, the Houston Astros, 2-1. Craig Biggio and Ryan Howard traded solo homers off starters Jon Lieber and Roy Oswalt until the bottom of the eighth, when Jimmy Rollins led off with what looked like a sure triple. J-Roll inexplicably missed first base, though, and had to retreat back to the bag for a single. Kenny Lofton sacrificed him to second, and after Chase Utley, who looks cooked, struck out, Bobby Abreu was intentionally walked and Pat Burrell also drew a base on balls. Howard couldn't capitalize, however, bouncing out to second to end the inning.

For whatever reason, Charlie Manuel decided to go with Billy Wagner to start the ninth. Wags never looks comfortable in a game he isn't closing, and Ryan Madson and Aaron Fultz, among others, were available. Wags walked Lance Berkman with one out, and Phil Garner sent in Eric Bruntlett, a dumpy-looking utility infielder with maybe slightly above-average speed to pinch run. Nevertheless, if anybody knows Wagner's limitations holding runners on, it's the Astros, and they took complete advantage. Bruntlett easily swiped second and third as Todd Pratt double-clutched both times trying to make the throw. What a disaster. It's really amazing to watch what a team can do when they actually care about winning and receive the proper coaching. Jason Lane rapped a line single to left to score Bruntlett, and it was pretty much game over.

In the bottom of the ninth, Todd Pratt hit a one-out single off closer Brad Lidge's foot. Manuel properly this time inserted Endy Chavez as the pinch runner. Lidge, like most closers, has about as much trouble holding runners as Wagner. So what does Chavez do? Naturally, he stands by the bag until there are two outs and one strike on J-Roll, and then he finally runs, making it without a throw. Where was that when Tomas Perez was batting? Perez hit a deep fly that didn't look as close to a homer as Harry Kalas thought it was, and was easily caught in front of the warning track by Lane. Immediately after Chavez's belated stolen base, J-Roll swung over a Lidge slider to end the game and send the Phils season even deeper into oblivion.

The loss last night has convinced me that this team is genetically incapable of winning. Jimmy Rollins' stumble over first was the tipping point. What happened, did Wade put the first deposit on his $40 million in cash in front of the bag? A mental error like that at such a crucial juncture is just completely inexcusable. Winners don't miss bases, period. They manage to steal second and third, that's what winners do. And if you put in Chavez, a guy you supposedly acquired for his speed, to pinch run, why is he standing two feet from the bag until it's almost too late?

We're now in third in the wild card race, 1.5 games out and heading downward with a bullet. I'm afraid the Astros are about to do tonight what Johnny Caspar tells all his boys to do, and put that bullet right in the Phillies' brains.