Phillies win fourth straight; good pitching recurring theme

The Phillies are hot again. A trip to Chicago was just what the doctor ordered; triggering a four game winning streak after last night's dramatic victory over Atlanta.

The Good:
The Phils won the first game against the Cubs with little offense, and the bats woke up in Pedro's debut, leading him to an easy victory in his 2009 debut. Pedro was unspectacular, but very good in his outing. Cliff Lee was excellent again in his third start as a Phil. Ryan Howard woke up on Thursday, crushing the game winning, three-run homer. Last night, he proved to be the hero again with his go-ahead home run in the ninth. Joe Blanton was solid all night, again, and the Phillies' rotation has solidified into a group of solid pitchers with consistent quality starts.

The Bad:
Brad Lidge. He picked up the save last night but in terrifying fashion. He blew Tuesday's game in Chicago, walking the lead-off hitter and allowing him to come around to score. Lidge needs to be the shutdown closer he was last season if the Phillies wish to push deep in the postseason.

Jamie Moyer. While I like the guy, as does all of Philadelphia, it was a move that had to be made. Sure he had ten wins; backed by a ton of run support. He was winning games while allowing five runs, which is not the type of pitching this organization can accept. His ERA was the highest in the National League among starters with qualifying innings pitched. The only other option was not giving Pedro an opportunity to start, but then why sign him? It wouldn't be fair to him, allowing him to rehab and make minor league appearances and not give him a chance. Pedro pitched very well in his first outing and if he keeps it up, the move to send Moyer to the bullpen was the right one. The bad part is the way he handled it. Initial reports had Moyer accepting his new assignment willingly, but that was not the case. Moyer publicly blasted the organization for "deceiving him," and he claims they assured him this type of thing would happen. No Major League player should have that sense of entitlement. If you don't produce, and have stats that rank among the worst in the league, then your job shouldn't be safe. It was a move that had to be made and will likely turn into the right one. Moyer is usually a true professional, and I hope he acts as one in the bullpen while serving in his new role.

Michael Vick: Just to touch on this briefly, the Eagles signing Vick turned Thursday into a terrible day in Philadelphia sports, despite the Phillies capping off their first sweep at Wrigley Field since 1984. Vick is a terrible quarterback, and a scumbag of a human being. He should be booed out of Philadelphia and fans should boycott the team. This is the wrong type of move for Philadelphia. Vick should be happy to flip burgers for minimum wage.