Lefty swinging CF Lenny Dykstra was a sparkplug at the top of the lineup for the Philadelphia Phillies. His best year with the Phillies came in 1993 when he won a Silver Slugger Award and finished 2nd in the voting for the N.L. MVP Award. Dykstra played in 161 games for the Phillies in 1993 and he was 194 of 637 (.305 avg, .902 OPS) with 143 runs scored (led the majors), 19 homers, 66 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. He also walked 129 times while only whiffing 64 times as he showed outstanding plate discipline in 1993. Dykstra made it to 3 N.L. All-Star teams and he won 1 Silver Slugger Award in his 8 years with the Phillies. Dykstra played in 734 games in his 8 years with the Phillies and he was 829 of 2,873 (.289 avg, .810 OPS) with 515 runs scored, 51 homers, 251 RBIs and 169 stolen bases.

25-year old lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo came into this season as the Phillies’ #12 prospect according to Baseball America and he’s showing why so far this year. Bastardo has pitched in 10 games (0 starts) for the Phillies so far this year and he is 1-0 with 1 save, a 0.87 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP. He only has given up 4 hits in his first 10 1/3 innings this year while whiffing 16 batters as he has been electric so far this year. The Phillies hope that Bastardo keeps up the good work as he could team with J.C. Romero (when he comes off the D.L.) to give them a nice pair of lefties in the pen.

The Phillies have placed 30-year old righty starting pitcher Joe Blanton on the 15-day disabled list due to a impingement of his right elbow. Blanton pitched in 4 games (all starts) for the Phillies so far this year and he is 0-1 with a 5.92 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. The Phillies have called up 23-year old righty starting pitcher Vance Worley to replace Blanton in the starting rotation. Worley pitched in 4 games (all starts) in AAA-ball earlier this year and he was 2-2 with a 2.78 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. He whiffed 25 batters while only walking six of them in 22 2/3 innings in the minors which shows how nasty he can be. Worley got his first taste of the majors last year when he pitched in 5 games (2 starts) in which he was 1-1 with a 1.38 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP. Worley came into this season as the Phillies’ #11 ranked prospect, so they are expecting him to do a solid job while Blanton is out of action.

33-year old righty starting pitcher Roy Oswalt has left the Philadelphia Phillies indefinitely due to concern for his family and home in Mississippi as the area was smacked down due to tornadoes and severe storms. Oswalt has started 5 games so far this year for the Phillies and he is 3-1 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. The Phillies are holding out hope that Oswalt will be ready to make his next start after a couple of days off to check on things at home. Prayers are going out to the people of Mississippi and the family of Roy Oswalt.

Starting 2B Chase Utley and starting RF Domonic Brown have not played a game for the Phillies so far this year. Ben Francisco has stepped up in RF for the Phillies so far this year. He has played in 21 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 20 for 76 (.263 avg, .764 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 3 homers, 12 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Francisco might have worked himself into a timeshare in RF when Brown returns to action, if he keeps playing well. Wilson Valdez has been playing good defense, but the Phillies miss Utley’s bat. Valdez has played in 18 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 15 for 57 (.263 avg, .627 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 5 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Phillies need Francisco & Valdez to keep up the good work until Brown & Utley are ready to return to action.