Rollinsfrustrated
Kevin McAlpin covers the Phillies for 97.5 The Fanatic.  Follow him on Twitter (@KevinMcAlpin)
 

Going in to the All-Star Break, it seemed as though the Phillies might have finally turned the corner.  However, after dropping three out of four at Chicago this weekend, the Phils fell 8-4 last night in the first of four with the Cardinals.  Starter Kyle Kendrick was chased after just five innings, responsible for seven runs on seven hits, three of which left the yard.  Today, Kendrick was demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and replaced on the 25-man roster with righty Andrew Carpenter.

Tonight, the Phillies look to Jamie Moyer (9-9, 4.88) to help turn things around.  Thursday, the Cubs clubbed Moyer for six runs on five hits over five innings, including two long home runs.  For Moyer, it was his second shortest outing of the season.  In 11 career starts against the Red Birds, Moyer boasts a 5-1 record with a 2.34 ERA.  The Cards haven't faced Moyer since July 10, 2008 where he tossed seven scoreless innings in a Phils win.  All-Star Chris Carpenter (10-3, 3.16) takes the mound looking for his fifth straight win, and will try and extend the Cards win streak to seven straight.  Carpenter hasn't faced the Phillies since 2006 and is 4-2 with a 5.73 ERA in eight career starts against Philly.  Thursday, Carpenter gave up just one run and scattered just four hits over eight innings against the Dodgers, en route to the win.

Over the past few seasons, the Phillies have been known as a second-half team.  Last July, they won 10 straight, 14 out of 15 and finished the month 20-7.  Two seasons ago, the Phillies were 15-10 throughout the month of July.  However, this year's been a much different story, as they're 2 games under . 500 at just 7-9.  Things will need to turn around in a hurry as they now trail the Braves by six games in the division, and are three back of the Reds in the Wild Card standings.