All Star Break Notes

Charlie Manuel announced his starting lineup for the National League all star team this morning. Here's a glance at the lineup...

Hanley Ramirez SS
Chase Utley 2B
Albert Pujols 1B
Ryan Braun RF
Raul Ibanez LF
David Wright 3B
Shane Victorino CF
Yadier Molina C
Tim Lincecum P

Don't be surprised to see Manuel remove Ryan Braun from the game around the 3rd of 4th inning, to substitute Jayson Werth into the game in order to play the three starting Phillies outfielders in the game, at once, for an inning or two.

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In the MLB Futures Game on Sunday in St. Louis, Reading Phillies pitchers Yohan Flande and Kyle Drabek each threw a scoreless inning...Flande for the World Team, Drabek for the USA Team. Click here for some video highlights of both pitchers in the All Star Futures Game. Click here for PhoulBallz.com's exclusive interview with Kyle Drabek.

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The Phillies completed a 9-1 homestand on Sunday with a sweep of the Pirates. Over the 10 games stretch, the Phillies outscored their opponents 66-27. Pedro Feliz's grand slam on Sunday was the Phillies' 7th of 2009. In 2007 and 2008 combined the Phillies only hit 6 total.

The Phillies enter the All Star Break with a record 10 games over .500. Last year, the team was just 8 games over .500. They also enjoy a full 4 game lead over the 2nd place team, the Marlins. The Phillies' first place lead over the nearest team last year, at the All Star Break, was only a half game.

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There is still plenty of chatter about the Phillies and Pedro Martinez. Reports have Martinez flying to Philadelphia during the All Star Break to meet with team doctors for a physical examination. Once the exam is passed, the Phillies are expected to sign Pedro. Click here for Todd Zolecki's latest article on the situation.

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Rappers in Phillies Caps

Weekend greetings to you phine pholks out there. Today's post features pictures of rappers wearing Phillies caps. Why rappers in Phillies caps, you ask? Because... Any other questions? We will start things off properly by going with a highly recognizable hip hop star. 50 Cent stays constantly relavant by consistantly creating radio friendly material to help sell (G) units, while he "keeps it real" by still rapping about the thug life he lived before becoming the 2nd highest earning black entertainer in America. 50 is seen here in a recent interview rocking a throw-back Phillies cap. Next up we'll use a throw-back screen cap from what may be the very first major appearance by a rapper wearing Phillies gear. Chuck D, of legendary rap group Public Enemy, wore a Phillies cap in the music video for rap anthem Fight The Power in 1989. The song was the lead single from the soundtrack for Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing . Next up we'll go with some home grown tal...

Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

Drabek Preparing For Next Step

The transition has been easy for Kyle Drabek. In December, he was part of a package of young prospects that was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for ace pitcher Roy Halladay. Now, as though nothing has changed, he's right back where he was last season...the star prospect on the pitching staff of a team in the Double A Eastern League. Drabek has often stated that he wanted to stay in the Philadelphia organization, who drafted him in the first round of the 2006 amateur draft. The 22-year-old thought after the midseason trade rumors, that surrounded him possibly going to Toronto last year, passed with no action that all the turmoil was over and that he could simply relax and focus on getting to the big leagues with the Phillies. That wasn't the case, as the deal eventually came to fruition over the off-season. In the Blue Jays system this season, Drabek doesn't have to worry about being dealt. He only has to concern himself with opposing batters and working on his secondary pit...

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