A Winning April!!

Well, it finally happened. The Phillies picked up a winning month of April. All that talk of the team starting slow out of the gate and finishing April at or below .500 was a fluke, at least for 2008. The team picked up its first winning April since 2003 with a 15-12 record for the month of April.

The team had to suffer through injuries to key players and an incredible slump from first baseman Ryan Howard.

2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins has been on the disabled list for the past couple of weeks and won't return until at least Thursday of this coming week. Outfielder Shane Victorino spent a couple of weeks on the shelf, along with closer Brad Lidge, and Chris Snelling--Victorino's replacement.

The team played with a positive outlook on the situation and fought hard each night. They have been getting incredible production from left fielder Pat Burrell and second baseman Chase Utley. Both are early season candidates for NL MVP for the 2008 season. Those two lineup stalwarts have guided the Phillies to a 17-14 record in 2008. Burrell capped a 10th inning victory on Friday night with a 2-run walkoff homerun.

With the winning April, a good start to May, and the team's All-Star shortstop due back in the coming days, the Phillies are poised to make the early months of the summer exciting ones.

-Jim