Just days after an impressive 5-2 win over the Penguins, the Flyers find themselves on a three game losing streak. And, it’s not that they lost but how they did and whom they have lost to.

After falling to the Rangers, 3-2, in a hootout on Sunday, the Flyers have dropped three straight. They are flailing as they head into the playoffs.

The Flyers have lost to Atlanta, the Devils and the Rangers. The Thrashers and Devils will be playing golf in a couple of weeks, while the Rangers are clinging to the eight spot in the East.

On Sunday, the Rangers beat the Orange and Black 3-2 in a shootout. It was the team’s sixth loss in eight games.

Clearly, the Flyers are not playing well and not playing for 60 minutes. The coach and players have said as much way too often recently. It’s almost to the point where I’m waiting for Andy Reid to sit in for Peter Laviolette at a news conference and say he needs to put his players in a better position to make plays.

The Flyers have three games left to get the ship back on the right track. By this time next week, we could be previewing the first an final playoff series if things don’t turn around.

With the no-news news release and interviews by Phillies physicians, GM Ruben Amaro and the player himself Chase Utley, it’s safe to say that the team will be without its franchise all-star second baseman for awhile. With that “news” comes the obligatory list of names the Phillies “should” or “are” pursuing.

Among the names bandied about are David Eckstein and Michael Young. In the words of your favorite mob boss, “fuggetaboutit!” To put it simply, Wilson Valdez is the best option at this point.

With Chase Utley out of action for, well, who knows how long, Wilson Valdez is the best option to play second base right now.

Let’s get Eckstein out of the conversation right away. Sure, he’s a free agent. There’s a reason for that. He’s past his all-star prime. At 36 years old, he hit .260 and .267 the last two years, respectively. He failed to hit more than two long balls, although that was never his game. Still, the Phillies will miss Utley’s threat to produce runs as much as his fielding. Eckstein just isn’t that guy.

Valdez hit .258 last year with just four home runs. His defense is above average. Yes, he’s far from a superior player to Eckstein. But, he’s already here and, likely, a cheaper option. The numbers are very close so there’s no point in bringing in a “name” like Eckstein.

Young is a different case altogether. He can still ball and is a threat at the plate. He hit .284 two of the last three years and .322 in 2009. He also can still knock the ball out of the yard as evidenced by his 43 homers over the last two years.

Young would fill the whole offensively left by Utley. However, his position and salary will keep him out of Philly no matter how many times the Phillies send scouts to see him.

Young hasn’t played second base since 2003 when he was 26. You could argue that he could play third and Placido Polanco could move to his former Gold Glove position of second base. That may make sense. But, then you peek over to his salary and the conversation has to stop.

The guy is due $48 million over the next three years. With Polanco and the rest of the Phillies line-up aging, how does Amaro justify paying a guy $16 million a year when he is 34, 35 an 36. Even if you can trade Balnton’s salary and then allocate Raul Ibanez’s money to Young the next two years,where does he fit in over the long term?

When Utley comes back, Polanco goes back to third. Could Young still play shortstop in place of Rollins, who the Phillies could let walk as a free agent? Could Young fill the hole in the locker room that Rollins’ void would create? Maybe. However, Young hasn’t played SS in two years. There’s a reason he moved to third base. He’s getting older and can’t move as quickly as needed.

The bottom line is Valdez is the best option right now. If we get toward the trading deadline and Utley is still out, more options may be available. More teams might dangle their starting second basemen. Right now, however, that’s just not an option.

After a couple weeks of downplaying the fact that Chase Utley hasn’t done much besides take BP and play Halo 2 while in Clearwater, news has surfaced that the Phillies All-Star second baseman had a cortisone shot in his knee to help him get past tendonitis.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro told CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury:

“He hasn’t been progressing as much as we would have liked. Hopefully this gets him over the hump. We’ll probably know by the end of the weekend whether it’s helped him. Hopefully it does so he can get on the field and play in some games.”

Amaro went on to say the situation is a concern in that it may be more than they’ve let on.

Chase Utley won't be leaping like this for a few more days. He had a cortisone shot in his knee on Saturday.

After not really worrying about it, Philly now has reason to raise its level of angst. If Utley needs a cortisone shot before even really pushing his body in spring training, how can we be sure he’ll be available all season. How can we count on him in October?

Pitching will win games, but you need to score runs, too. Look at last postseason against the Giants.

Maybe those Joe Blanton for Michael Young rumors weren’t baseless after all. Honestly, the Phillies have invested so much in putting together a pitching staff for the ages, they better get insurance for the position players so it’s not a lost season.

If you bring in Young, you could move Placido Polanco to second base where he’s pulled in his fair share of gold glove awards.

Look, we don’t need to panic by any means. Still, the warning level has raised elevated to high.

If anyone can sympathize with their emotions right now, it’s us. We saw what he could do in the playoffs and were stunned when he was shipped out of town after a half-season love affair developed.

Then, we came across this video on YouTube today and, well, if this is the passion that Lee is leaving behind in Texas, who can blame him?

Yeah, we would have left, too, Cliff.

TwitterNation and the web are exploding with grumblings that there is a mystery team involved in the Cliff Lee Sweepstakes. And, that mystery team could very well be your Philadelphia Phillies.

Cliff Lee back in a Phillies uniform next year? Sources say it's a long shot but not impossible.

CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury, a scribe whom I trust to double and triple check his sources, cites a source who names the Phillies as one of three finalists for the ace.

Salisbury’s report comes on the heels of a tweet from ESPN’s Jayson Stark who also believes the Phillies are the mystery team Lee’s agents continue to allude to. Stark has made it clear that he is not reporting the Phillies are the team. However, through deductive reasoning, he has inferred that the Phillies are the team who would meet Lee’s criteria.

The overlying theme is that Lee would have to accept fewer years to sign with the Phillies than the Rangers or Yankees. In essence, if Lee came here, he’d do it for the chance to win a ring or two instead of a few million extra dollars. Wouldn’t that be refreshing?

Our gut instinct? Lee will end up in Texas with a team coming off a World Series appearance, a stud outfielder in Josh Hamilton, and a new ownership dedicated to winning. The Yankees, with their armored truck full of cash, just doesn’t fit Lee or his family’s persona. For once, money will not be the deciding factor.

Nobody can argue that acquiring Roy Halladay at the expense of Cliff Lee was a solid move by Phillies GM Ruben Amaro. Halladay was willing to forgo free agency and re-up with the Phillies last winter; Lee seemed intent on letting the open market set his salary.

Doc turned in a Cy Young Award winning season with 20-plus wins, a perfect game, a no-hitter in the playoffs and a gut-wrenching win over the Giants while pitching with a groin strain on Thursday.

Cliff Lee is headed to the World Series for a second straight year.

Still, Amaro’s personal nightmare just came true. Lee is headed to the World Series. On one hand, it doesn’t matter since Lee hasn’t taken out the Phillies in the postseason. On the other, it certainly matters.

First, if the Phillies fail to overcome the 3-2 deficit they currently face, Fightins fans and players will be watching Lee pitch on the grand stage for a second consecutive year from their recliners.

Second, if the Phils do make it back to a third straight World Series, they will have to face Lee, who owns a 7-0 playoff record. Halladay-Lee could be a reality.

What will kill Amaro more is the fact that he controlled where Lee went. He shipped him to Seattle, who then traded the stud lefty to Texas.

Of course, the Phillies need to take care of business so we can even have the fun-filled Halladay-Lee discussion.

Hey, Clifford, hope to boo you around 8:07 p.m. next Wednesday.

Lee, the former Phils ace dealt to Seattle for garbage this winter, was just moved from Seattle to Texas, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

“I have learned deal done with #Rangers, Smoak and 3 others for Lee and reliever Mark Lowe,” he tweeted.

Cliff Lee has reportedly been traded to the Texas Rangers. Phillies fans can breathe a bit easier.

This follows a crazy 24 hours in which Lee was all but in Yankee pinstripes. Apparently, the Yankees wanted to be aggressive and made a power play. It backfired when they couldn’t complete the deal and other teams stepped up their offers.

Had Lee joined the Reds, the Phillies likely would have had to deal with him in the NL playoffs if they were lucky enough to make the postseason. Had he joined the Yankees, the Evil Empire could have made room in the trophy case today like the Miami Heat are doing.

This is the best case scenario for Phillies fans. he stays in the AL, and we likely won’t have to face him this year.