Veteran Clubhouse Presence will not be seen during its regularly scheduled time, so we may bring you the late afternoon version of links.
What are the causes - and odds - of the Phillies' slump? SI's Tim Marchman picks up on Crashburn Alley's piece yesterday. While you may find the conclusion disturbing, one that even the boys in Vegas are taking to heart., Marchman finds a Resident Expert to Put It All in Perspective. Too Much Perspective. Dig it:
Phillies-Padres preview. Tonight's game might be in the rare sub-2-hour variety. Latos is tough. Tonight's lineup looks way less Ozark'd vs. SD, per Zo: Victorino CF, Polanco 3B, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Ibanez LF, Castro SS, Ruiz C, Halladay P. Also, per Matt Gelb, unbeloved umpire and classic Irish writer Jim Joyce is part of the crew this weekend.
Utley quietly waiting out slump. Remember when he'd come to the plate and be all, I'm gonna cut yer heart out? Well, he still is, just the wrong hearts these days.
Rollins not ready to return. Two more weeks!? Siiii!iiiiii!iiiiiii!iiiiiiiiiigh.
Figueroa clears waivers, accepts AAA assignment. Figgy Figgy Figgy, can't you see? Sometimes your work just hypnotize me.
Burrell joins Giants; Bowker sent down. Hey Pittsburgh! Sing along with me: "Pat the Bat will get you hiiigh tonight/ and take you to your special island!"
Federal Baseball: Washington Nationals Lose 3 of 4 to Houston Astros - This One Hurt. They also busted a Matt Capps off.
Fish Wrap: Marlins 3, Brewers 2. Josh Johnson rebounds from the hard-luck perfect game loss to Halladay.
Suns' offense burns Shreve, BlueClaws. Yet in defeat, Jonathan Singleton still walks one home.
Power surge: R-Phils hit four HRs, outslug FisherCats. Dudes, you just got Bozied!
Slam highlights Cards' 11-run inning. Meanwhile, in Clearwater, Xavier Scruggs (what a great name) killed it. Trevor May, not so much.