Today, weather permitting, the Phillies will finish up their second home series trying to win the final game to avoid a sweep.

Last night, Jamie Moyer was bad early and left in a bit too late at the end, but it really doesn’t matter when the streaky Phillies lineup can’t solve a pitcher with 15 career starts.

To make matters worse, the Phillies continued their current maddening habit of striking out roughly 90% of the time, give or take a couple percentage points.

Citizens Bank Park has hardly been a pressure cooker this year. If anything, it’s been a lovefest revolving around last year’s World Series championship.

There is simply no good answer for why the Phillies can’t win a series in 2009 at home against any team not named the Nationals.

The sold out crowds attending home games deserve better. I don’t doubt that the Phillies are trying to win their home games; in fact, perhaps they are trying too hard.

But, on the road the Phillies seem to play with a purpose, with a little chip on their shoulder, perhaps even feeding off the growing legion of traveling fans who are invading opposing ballparks.

At home, they seem to lack an intensity that they will need if they hope to repeat as National League East champs this year, let alone World Series victors.

While the Phillies have proven themselves to be strong finishers, but it cannot be lost on them that they did not win those pennants without a little help from our friends in Flushing. Had the 2007 and 2008 versions of the Mets had played even adequately during September of those years, the Phillies would most likely have been out of the playoffs completely in 2007, and perhaps no better than the wild card in 2008.

What I find most frustrating is the lack of accountability. The Phillies are sick of answering quesitons about why they are struggling at home. Answer? Start showing up at the home park with some fire in your eyes and win a series or 2 against decent teams. Instead the Phillies seem to expect us to just wait with the patience of a saint for them to start piecing together home winning streaks. No time better than today boys. Yesterday would have been nice, too. And last weekend while we’re at it.

After the game last night, Chase Utley tipped his cap to the Jays’ starting pitcher, Scott Richmond for his ability to locate pitches that kept the Phillies from making contact (reminds me of Flyers teams always running into that “hot goalie”). A winning team finds ways to solve someone who hasn’t recently been mistaken for Nolan Ryan.

It’s time for the Phils to stop waiting for their home woes to magically end and start doing something about it on the field.