Phils drop first series since June 17-19

The Phillies' consecutive series win streak is over, as they dropped two of three to the Giants. Tim Lincecum finally took the mound last night, and if he was still feeling any ill effects, you couldn't tell.

Lincecum lasted six innings, allowing no runs on three hits, four walks and six strikeouts while picking up his ninth win in a 4-1 victory.

Carlos Beltran's debut with San Fran was uneventful; he was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

The Phillies will open a series with the Pirates tonight, with Roy Halladay on the mound. Pittsburgh always plays the Phils tough, but the Bucs are playing great ball this year, making them that much more dangerous.

There are plenty of updates and rumors swirling about. The Phillies are continuing to get healthy, and reinforcements could be coming soon. Placido Polanco went 0-for-2 with a walk in six innings of a rehab start. He reported no pain and is expected to play a full nine innings tonight. If all goes well, he could return this weekend.

After throwing four innings for Triple-A on Wednesday, Roy Oswalt is expected to make his second rehab start on Monday. He could rejoin the rotation by the end of next week. If Oswalt is healthy, that rotation will be more potent than we'd even anticipated entering the season. Vance Worley joining the "Big Four" is a lethal combination for any opponent.

The Phils may also be added reinforcements from their Triple-A squad, the Houston Astros. Well, at least it seems that way. The team does acquire a Astro seemingly every year.

Talks about Hunter Pence have intensified, and it's rumored that the Phillies have until today to close the deal before Houston looks elsewhere. It's being widely reported that the Phils may not have to give up Domonic Brown and/or Worley as once thought. The big names being mentioned are high class A first baseman Jonathan Singleton and high class A righthander Jarred Cosart.

While they are big prospects, they're just that, prospects. Pence is a proven commodity that could help this team in the post-season when they face a team with a rotation like San Francisco's. Giving up Worley in the deal would be a mistake, but keeping all your Major League talent and adding Pence seems like a no-brainer. Get it done Ruben!