"Ryan Howard sat in a chair in the clubhouse and stared blankly into his locker for several minutes after Saturday's 11-2 loss to the New York Mets. He barely moved except to fold his hands in front of his face. Clearly disappointed, he kept staring a hole through the back of his locker before rising to take a shower and wash off the residue of a difficult day at work.

You don't think these guys care when they play a terrible ball game?

You didn't see Howard after this one.

"I'm just upset," he said, softly. "It was a bad game."

Howard cost starting pitcher Cole Hamels a run in the first inning when he let a pop-up drop untouched in the infield. That botched pop-up, ruled a hit, was the first of a season-high seven earned runs that Hamels allowed in an ugly loss.

"This is one we'll forget and move on from," manager Charlie Manuel said.

That's all the Phillies can do. They will be right back at Citi Field on Sunday afternoon trying to win the rubber game of the series. The Phils have won six straight series. They will entrust that streak to Kyle Kendrick's right hand Sunday afternoon.

The Phils took the opener behind John Mayberry Jr.'s five RBIs on Friday night. If there was ever a reason to believe the Phillies were going to lock down the series on Saturday afternoon, it was right there in the person of Hamels, who took the second-best ERA in the league to mound. Hamels had won his previous two starts, allowing just three runs in 16 innings in the process.

Hamels' day started off well – he threw nine straight strikes – but went downhill in a hurry, starting with the muffed two-out pop up that led to a run.

Daniel Murphy hit the pop up with a man on second. First baseman Howard and second baseman Chase Utley converged on the ball on the infield grass. Howard called for it all the way and Utley peeled off. At the last split-second, however, Howard glanced over at Utley and the ball dropped in."