Blue Jays Series

Game 1: Phillies 9, Blue Jays 0
Length of game: 2:46; W - Halladay (9-6) - 7 IP, 0 ER; L - Litsch (0-2) - 4 IP, 6 ER; Gload (3 for 4) knocks in 4 runs for Phillies; Contreras and Herndon finish game with 1 scoreless inning each; Rollins goes 0 for 1 with 4 walks; Halladay goes 7 strong in first start against former team

Game 2: Blue Jays 5, Phillies 1
Length of game: 2:44; W - Marcum (7-3) - 6 IP, 1 ER; L - Hamels (6-6) - 4 IP, 5 ER; Howard hits solo home run (15) for only Phillies run; Figueroa (2 innings), Baez (1 inning), and Zagurski (1 inning in 2nd appearance of season) combine to shutout Blue Jays in innings 5-8

Game 3: Phillies 11, Blue Jays 2
Length of game: 3:04; W - Moyer (9-6) - 7 IP, 2 ER; L - Cecil (7-5) - 4 2/3 IP, 5 ER; 4 Blue Jays errors leads to 6 unearned runs scored by Phillies; Herndon and Baez finish game for Phillies with 1 scoreless inning each; Moyer allows MLB record 506th home run of career; Victorino goes 3 for 5; Rollins goes 3 for 6, raising average to .311

Final Analysis: Another strong series for the Phillies (40-33) has them looking much better in the playoff race. Sure, it's only June, but it's never too early to begin looking at it. They are 2.5 games behind the Braves in the N.L. East, and are 2 games behind the 2nd place Mets for the wild card. After a 6-3 homestand, the Phillies hit the road and head to Cincinnati for a 3 game series against the N.L. Central leading Reds (42-34). The return of Mike Zagurski (2 1/3 IP, 0 ER in 2 appearances) adds another lefty to the bullpen and adds to the Phillies' pitching depth. Chase Utley has finally started to hit, Ryan Howard is still on a tear, and the return of Jimmy Rollins as the leadoff hitter has the Phillies offense looking very strong. The return of Carlos Ruiz (placed on the 15-day DL on June 19) will also help the offense. Overall, things are looking very good for the Phillies after this series.