Game Chat: Victorino Finally Gets Some Rest as Kendrick Looks to Build On CGSO

The Phillies are back at it tonight in South Philadelphia after an off day on Thursday. They'll play three against the hot Miami Marlins before welcoming in the L.A. Dodgers for four early next week.

The story of the night from down at the ballpark is that Shane Victorino will get his first rest of the season after receiving a cortisone shot in his right hand. John Mayberry Jr. will man Vic's territory in center while Hector Luna gets the start in left.

Inside the NL East Standings: As Tight As It Gets?

You have to wonder how much longer things can stay the way they are now in the NL East, with all five clubs currently playing above .500, none more than three games out of first place. You have to go all the way back to 2005 to find the last time every team in the division was .500 or better after May, when rather amazingly they actually finished that way.

If something like that were to happen here again, it probably bodes well for the Phillies. The Braves won the pennant that season with 90 wins. The only time it's taken a lower total since then was in '07, when the Fightins edged out the Mets on the final day of the season with 89.

How exactly does that benefit the Phils? They're currently on pace to finish with 84, which in all likelihood wouldn't even be enough to qualify for a Wild Card berth, let alone come out on top of their division. Washington is currently on course to win 94.

Here's a Rock and Roll Song About Big Ed Delahanty

Any Philadelphia fan who has watched their share of Phillies games has surely heard the name Ed Delahanty mentioned when it comes to some of the all-time great batting numbers in the team's history.

In 2005 for example, Jimmy Rollins surpassed Big Ed's previous franchise-best hitting streak of 31 games.

And then there's that whole getting kicked off a train for allegedly being drunk and unruly and subsequently falling/jumping off Niagara falls to his death ordeal.

Ryan Howard Talks About His Rehab, Is Hitting and Running

Ryan Howard posted a new podcast to his RyanHoward6.com website this afternoon and offered a glimpse into how his rehab is going. He's hitting in simulated games and has been doing some running, but not sprinting just yet.

Photo: Roy Oswalt Is a Texas Ranger

There never really seemed to be any legit rumblings of Roy Oswalt returning to the Phillies this season, so this is more of a checking up on a former Phillie post than anything, but I always had a soft spot for the former Astro, so I thought it worth pointing out that he is now officially going to pitch for the Texas Rangers this season.

In the end, Oswalt wanted to return to Texas to a team with a pretty damn good lineup.