PHILLIES: A Team of Ex-Phillies

If you readers have some free time on your hands, take a gander at this.

Nothing like some stats to show how crazy this season has been so far. Instead of seeing the regular names like Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, or Chase Utley on top of the charts, players such as Jose Bautista, Martin Prado, and Billy Butler are among the league leaders in some of the major offensive categories.

Crazy, right?

After taking a deeper look into these stats, since I had some rare time on my hands and all, it became a bit frustrating. As the current Phillies appear to be just breaking out of a seemingly endless slump, it seems that now more than ever, the names near the top of some of the lists are players who have been spotted in the home dugout in Philadelphia at some point in their career.

This poses an interesting question..

That is, if you put together a team of the best players who have been a part but are no longer affiliated with the Philadelphia organization in any way other than the history books, who would be on it, and how good would they be in comparison to the current (note that I said current) Phillies squad?

Take a look.

(All stats accurate as of June 19th, 2009)

STARTERS

C: Rod Barajas (.253 BA, 11 HR, 30 RBI’s for the New York Mets): After hitting .230 with 4 HR’s in split-time duty with the Phillies in 2007 (he was the opening day starter), Barajas was left of the 25-man roster at the beginning of the 2008 season in favor of Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz and was granted his release from the organization. After two season as a starter in Toronto, Barajas is now with the rival Mets, and is second on the team in HR’s with 11, one behind team leader David Wright.

 

Thome was "The Man" in Philadelphia during his two seasons with the Phillies

1B: Jim Thome (.250 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI’s for the Minnesota Twins): Thome, who hit 40+ HR’s in both his full seasons in Philadelphia, isn’t on this list because of his stats THIS year. In his time with the Phillies, the future hall-of-famer helped rejuvenate baseball in the City of Brotherly Love, in which fans of the sport like myself should be forever grateful for that. With 570 HR’s ( the last one being against the Phillies), 5 all-star appearances, and one Silver Slugger award, Thome is a virtual lock for the HOF, and will go in to Cooperstown as one of the most genuine personalities in the history of the game. While he has spent almost half of his career at DH, if it weren’t for the utter existance of one Ryan Howard, Thome would have most likely played a couple more year at first base for the Phillies, using the band-box that they call Citizens Bank Park and the short porch in RF as his personal target practice. I’m not complaining (Howard has done pretty well if I can remember correctly), but it’s still okay to wonder what could have been.

2B: Miguel Cairo (.263 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI’s for the Cincinnati Reds): Cairo is in this spot because everyone who has played a middle infield position with the Phillies over the last decade is either still with the team, in the minor leagues, is out of baseball all-together, or has the name Nick Punto (Minnesota Twins). Honestly, it’s a toss up between the two, but I will not put in my starting lineup because I still remember him spurning me for an autograph way back when. Karma.  Not a second-basemen by nature, Cairo has made a 14-year big league career out a utility man, second base being one of the position that he has played. I already made my anti-Punto case, so it was either Cairo or Eric Bruntlett here, and Cairo gets the nod because he is actually playing in the bigs and is hitting over the Mendoza line, two qualities that he has over Bruntlett.

SS: Jason Donald (.253 BA, 1 HR, 8 RBI’s for the Cleveland Indians): Again, not much depth with the middle infield, but Donald is an interesting case. If he was not part of the deal to acquire Cliff Lee last season, he most likely would have made his big league debut with the Phillies this season instead of with the Indians, in which two disabled list stints for Jimmy Rollins would have most likely brought up Donald to the forefront of the organizational depth chart. Donald, who was considered a top-5 prospect for three seasons with the Phillies and this year with the Indians, has performed reasonably well for a struggling team in relief of Asdrubal Cabrera, who was lost for the season in late May after a gruesome arm injury, and is looking like he could be in the big leagues for a long time.

3B: Scott Rolen (.296 BA, 14 HR, 45 RBI’s for the Cincinnati Reds): As the surprise of the year, the Reds, of all teams,  have been in and out of first place the entire season. While Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and the starting pitching may get most of the credit for it, the MVP of this team and maybe the entire NL at this point of the season is Rolen. With that said, he’s a no-brainer for this spot, as he was one of the only reasons that the struggling Phillies franchise stayed afloat from 1996 to when he was traded in 2002, as he averaged 27 HR and 98 RBI’s in six full seasons with the club, winning a ROY award, 3 Gold Gloves, and making one all-star game in the time span.

 

Love him or hate him, Bobby Abreu was an all-star for the Phillies

RF: Bobby Abreu (.272 BA, 7 HR, 34 RBI’s for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim): Bobby Abreu is the the typical enigmatic Philadelphia athlete. On one end, Abreu was one of the most consistent offensive threats for the Phillies in recent memory,  hitting 20+ HR for six straight seasons with Philadelphia, making two all-star games and winning a HR Derby to add to it. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Phillies fans always had a reason to boo Abreu when he was out on the field, as his superior arm strength was overshadowed by the fact that he rarely used his maximum effort to go after balls in the outfield. At this point, Abreu being 36 years old and all, you have to take into account that his skills are going to have to drop off at some point. However, with three straight 100+ RBI seasons with the Yankees and the Angels, he is still and above-average corner outfielder in the bigs.  Note that I refuse to associate J.D Drew with the Phillies (his back-hand slap to the face of the organization when he refused to sign with the club after he was drafted by Philadelphia in the first round in 1997 still makes him public enemy #1 in my book), so it’s not like there is much competition.

CF: Marlon Byrd (.320 BA, 9 HR, 34 RBI’s for the Chicago Cubs): Based on his career, some may view Byrd a surprise pick here, being that he has basically been a platoon player since his arrival to the big league scene in 2002. However, at 32 years of age, he may be in his prime. In his first full season as a starter with Texas in 2009, Byrd hit .283, and set a career high in HR’s and RBI’s. So far this season, after signing a 3-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, Byrd has been even better, as his .320 BA is the best on his team, and ranks third in the NL. And to think, Byrd was at times viewed in Philadelphia as just a defensive replacement.

LF:  Aaron Rowand (.220 BA, 6 HR, 23 RBI’s for the San Francisco Giants): Rowand may be having a down year for the Giants. Ok, a really down year. The fact of the matter is, Rowand makes this team because he beloved by the Phillies fans in his two seasons in Philadelphia, making an all-star game in 2007, and providing the signature defensive highlight in the eight-season history at Citizens Bank Park.

BENCH: OF Pat Burrell (.246 BA, 4 HR, 18 RBI’s with the Tampa Bay Rays/San Francisco Giants), 3B/2B Pedro Feliz (.220 BA, 2 HR, 22 RBI’s with the Houston Astros), 1B/3B Wes Helms (.272 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI’s with the Florida Marlins), OF Michael Bourn (.253 BA, 0 HR, 11 RBI’s, 21 SB with the Houston Astros), SS/2B Nick Punto (.255 BA, 1 HR, 18 RBI’s with the Minnesota Twins), C Ronny Paulino (.314 BA, 3 HR, 27 RBI’s for the Florida Marlins)

STARTING PITCHER

SP: Cliff Lee (5-3, 2.55 ERA for the Seattle Mariners): For a player who only spent three months with the organization, Cliff Lee made about as big of an impact  in Philadelphia as humanly possible. He was the teams ace for the stretch run in the 2009 regular season, and was even better when it truly mattered in the playoffs and the World Series. That alone makes him the sure-fire starter. The fact that he is the proud owner of a Cy Young award, and is arguably a top 8-10 pitcher in baseball at this point of season (2.55 ERA ranks fourth in the AL) is just a bonus.

REST OF ROTATION: Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01 ERA for the Chicago Cubs), Freddy Garcia (7-3, 4.94 ERA for the Chicago White Sox), Gio Gonzalez (6-5, 4.21 ERA for the Oakland Athletics),  Randy Wolf (5-6, 5.08 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers)

BULLPEN: Ryan Franklin (3-0, 2.40 ERA, 13 SV for the St. Louis Cardinals), Brett Myers (4-5, 3.34 ERA for the Houston Astros), Chan Ho Park (1-1, 5.30 ERA for the New York Yankees), Arthur Rhodes (2-1, 0.30 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds), Tyler Walker (1-0, 3.67 ERA for the Washington Nationals)

 

The Billy Wagner era in Philadelphia provided some great memories.

CLOSER: Billy Wagner (5-0, 1.27 ERA, 13 SV with the Atlanta Braves): Even though Wagner may have had an up and down tenure with the Phillies, both on the field and in the clubhouse, he will always be remembered for hitting 100 mph on the radar gun in the first night game at the new Citizens Bank Ballpark in 2004. I was personally one of the fans in the crowd who gave him a standing ovation during that game that seemed like an eternity. With that said, after having great years before Philadelphia with the Houston Astros, and bad years after Philadelphia with the New York Mets, “Billy the Kid”  has seemed to revive his career for at least one more season with the Braves, in which a bid to the 2010 All-Star game might be on the horizon for the 40-year old veteran closer.

THOSE WHO MISSED THE CUT: Matt Stairs, Russell Branyan, Gavin Floyd, Rodrigo Lopez, Kyle Lohse, Robinson Tejeda, Vicente Padilla, Jason Jaramillo, Jack Taschner, Lou Marson, Gustavo Chacin

So, that’s the team. Can they compete with the current Phils?

PHILLIES: Phillies-Rockies NLDS Preview

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Colorado Rockies are facing off in the Divisional Round of the National League playoffs.

Sound familiar?

Well, that’s because it is. Flashback to 2007, and the Phillies postseason dreams were swept away, literally, by those pesky Rockies in three games. The Rockies, at that time the beneficiaries of one of the hottest September streaks in recent memory, dominated the Phillies in every single aspect of baseball. After torching the Phillies, they rolled right to the World Series, where they finally fell to the better team, which in that specific case was the Boston Red Sox.

Now, two years later, the Rockies are virtually in the same exact position. After playing the best baseball record-wise since the all-star break, the Rockies beat out San Francisco for the wildcard spot in the playoffs, just as they did in 07′ (against the Padres). 

On the other side of this potential exciting NLDS series, the Phillies are a much different team than they were the last time they faced the Rockies in the post-season.

They have the jewelry on their ring finger to prove it.

In 2007, the thrill of one of the biggest comebacks ever to win a division and the energy surrounding the organizations’ first playoff birth in 14 years may have been a bit of a distraction for a young team that was entering the playoffs for the first time.

Now, the group of seasoned veterans that fill the Phillies roster will take the field in October for the third straight year to try to repeat the playoff success they had, with virtually the same group of players, in 2008.

It’s a huge difference.

Here’s the preview (Schedule breakdown, analysis, prediction).

Game 1: 2:37 P.M Wednesday in Philadelphia (Cliff Lee vs. Ubaldo Jimenez)

Game 2: 2:37 P.M Thursday in Philadelphia (Cole Hamels vs. Aaron Cook)

Game 3: 9:37 P.M Saturday in Colorado (Starters TBD)

Game 4 (If Necessary): Sunday in Colorado (Time and Starters TBD)

Game 5 (If Necessary): Tuesday in Philadelphia (Time and Starters TBD)

 

Why the Phillies/Rockies Will Win?

Plain and simple, the Phillies are the more talented, experienced team. Any team that has five all-stars (Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Raul Ibanez, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard) and a potential MVP candidate (Howard) should have an advantage against another team from a talent perspective. That’s without bringing up the pitching, which the Phillies having a former World Series MVP (Cole Hamels) and a two different Cy Young award winners (Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez) give them a clear edge over the Rockies, who just have one starting pitcher (Jason Marquis) with more than one year of playoff experience.

From a team vs. team matchup perspective, the Phillies should also have a advantage. The Rockies, who have a plethora of hitters who take their stance from the left side of the plate (Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton especially), will most likely have to face three dominate left-handed pitchers (Lee, Hamels, and Happ) to get through the Phillies. Success, especially offensively, could be a tough task for Colorado, considering the Rockies (especially Helton and Hawpe) have struggled against left-handed pitching. For a top-heavy lineup that has been carried by Hawpe, Helton, and Troy Tulowitzki for the better part of the season, the Rockies can’t afford to have lob-sided matchup for at least the first two games of the series.  That’s a clear contrast from the Phillies, who have arguably have the most depth out of any lineup in the NL (four players with 30+ HR’s, seven with 14+), and have a solid balance of left-handed and right-handed hitters with their starting position players (4 righties, 2 lefties, 2 switch-hitters).

Now, minus the bias, while the Phillies have the talent and the matchup advantage, you still have to look at Colorado as they stand right now. There is a reason this team has gone 74-31 under interim manager Jim Tracy this year. It’s not like they are just a bunch of journeymen players who have reached the prime of their respective careers at the same time. That’s just not the case. They have the combination of a young core of talented young players (Tulowitzki, Jimenez, Dexter Fowler, Houston Street) along with a solid group of productive veterans (Hawpe, Helton, Marquis, Aaron Cook), a nucleus somewhat similar to the 2008 Phillies that won the World Series.

When it comes to October baseball, the team who should win sometimes fails to come out victorious.

That’s the playoffs. 

However, in this NLDS battle, I believe that the more talented, experienced team who usually SHOULD win will end up coming out victorious when all is said and done.

Prediction: Phillies in 4

EXTRA BASES

: Projected Game 2 Rockies starter Jorge De La Rosa (16-9 in 2009) was held off the playoff roster due to injury. Aaron Cook will now pitch game 2, while Jason Hammel (Game 3) and Jason Marquis (Game 4) will round out the starting rotation for Colorado.

: The Phillies have yet to release the identity of their intended closer and game 3/4 starters going into the playoffs. Both J.A Happ and Joe Blanton will be in the bullpen for games 1 and 2, keeping manager Charlie Manuel’s options open.

: The NLDS Phillies playoff roster was released, and not without a few surprises. Antonio Bastardo, Kyle Kendrick, and Miguel Cairo were all on the roster. That left Clay Condrey, Tyler Walker, and Eric Bruntlett as the odd men out.

PHILLIES: Simply Summing It Up..

To sum it all up, the Phillies are not a World Series caliber team right now.

Yes, they do have a virtual lock on their third straight NL East title, with a team who statistically has the most prolific offense in the NL, but it’s very clear. The Phillies were surpassed by the St. Louis Cardinals in the popular vote for NL supremacy some time ago, and while the reasons aren’t necessarily controllable, it’s hard to deny those reasons as the obvious.

If you follow this blog, you know the reasons. Brad Lidge, injuries, inconsistency with both the starting and relief pitching, and the inability hitting with runners in scoring position have been they concepts frequently touched upon in past posts.

With that said, it’s undeniable that the Phillies, great in some areas but shaky in others (see above) when it comes to playing the game of baseball, have to get just drastically better in those areas of concern.

Unfortunately, if they Phillies can’t improve these eye-popping flaws that they possess virtually every time they step on the field in the next 10-14 days, the combination they currently have is the worst possible recipe to repeat as champs. 

Look at last year.

It wasn’t gaudy offensive statistics (4.5 runs a game in the 2008 playoffs) that led the Phillies to the promise land. To be honest, It was a combination of a healthy and confident bullpen (Lidge), dominant and consistent starting pitching (Cole Hamels), and timely hitting (Matt Stairs, Geoff Jenkins) that eventually led to the defeat of the Milkwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, and lastly the Tampa Bay Rays. How many of those attributes do the Phillies possess right now?

That’s right, zero.

With that said, it’s not likely, but timely hitting can be outdone by the offensive barrages (a.k.a blowouts) that the Phillies are indeed capable of this season. Also, while the starting pitching doesn’t have “dominating” season stats, they have been a top-3 pitching staff since the all-star break in the NL when it comes to wins and E.R.A.

So..that leaves the relief pitching as the “x-factor” of this playoff recipe to success.

First and foremost, the Phillies need to get their members of their pitching staff healthy.

Fast. 

Going into the playoffs without reliable arms who have been their before like Chan Ho Park (Hamstring) and J.C Romero (Forearm) in the bullpen would be bad, while going into October without potentially dominant arms like J.A Happ (Oblique), Brett Myers (Shoulder), and Pedro Martinez (Neck) would be worse.

 

The potential kryptonite to the Phillies' playoff chances is the performance of those in the bullpen

All are possible due to current injuries to each of the five players (who are or could be main contributors to the Phillies post-season bullpen) mentioned above.

Most importantly, while I am spending time talking about those who are unable to pitch, it’s become clear that those who are healthy enough to actually get on the mound and try to earn their paycheck are the playerswho I should direct my sometimes reserved, but in this case justified criticism towards.

Quite frankly, those who reside in the ‘pen for the majority of the game are just not getting the job done. Even worse, It’s not just the now-demoted closer Brad Lidge, who now has an unprecedented MLB-high 11 blown saves, that is doing the damage. Ryan Madson has almost as many blown saves (6) as he does actual saves (8). Both Jamie Moyer (blew the lead) and Tyler Walker (blew the game) played a crucial role in the Phillies collapse on Saturday against the Milwakuee Brewers.

Now that everyone is in on the party, who is going to play the role of the cop that shuts it down (note the phrase “shuts it down”)?

Lidge? Too many chances.

Madson? Too inconsistent.

Myers? Too unstable.

Walker? Too boring (and believe me, boring is bad if you are a closer).

Yes, this may seem very drastic. In some cases, it is. While I am sadly turning into a realist/pessimist at my old age, my optimistic section of my split-personality will say that If the Phillies starting pitching can go deep into games or the the Phillies offense can spare the bullpen pressure with runs, which each are capable are doing, than this whole discussion will be a non-issue. 

I hope it is.

But to those who agree with this optimistic stance, I show you this.

That is what a good bullpen can do for a team, which is the same good bullpen that the Phillies just don’t have right now.

Now at this point, I guess Phillies fans should cling to the possibility that Brad Lidge and the rest of the Phillies bullpen will get their mojo back so this potential trip down memory lane can actually occur. 

Without that possibility, the Phillies are not a team that deserves to represent the NL in the Fall Classic.

It’s as simple as that.

PHILLIES: Injuries Impact Roster Decisions

First off, sorry for the week-long hiatus. 

While my excuses may be valid (21st birthday, flu, bronchitis), I will make a consistent effort to post more on a regular basis.

Now on to the good stuff.

The Phillies magic number is still at SIX. That means that with six more combinations of a Phillies win OR a Braves loss, the Phillies will capture their third straight NL East regular season crown. 

Wow.

With that said, it would take a New York Mets like collapse (2007) for the Phillies to blow the division at this point. So for right now, I am going to assume that the Phillies can play .500 baseball for the next two weeks and win the division with room to spare.

Honestly, the Phillies have to worry about getting their arms healthy as much as they do about clinching at this point. Here is a list of names of the walking wounded for the Phillies pitching staff right now.

J.A Happ (Oblique Strain), Pedro Martinez (Stiff Neck), Brett Myers (Shoulder-Hip), J.C Romero (Forearm), Chan Ho Park (Hamstring), Scott Eyre (Elbow).

See what I mean..

While, fortunately, these injuries haven’t been to a Utley, Howard, Hamels, or Lee, they still for pose obstacles when formulating the playoff roster.

For example, the Phillies do not have a healthy left-handed relief pitcher right now with playoff experience (Jamie Moyer and J.A Happ are considered starting pitchers).  If J.C Romero and Scott Eyre have difficult getting healthy before October, the Phillies might be forced to put Happ in the bullpen for the second consecutive post-season to give a left-handed relief pitching presence.

This is where it gets a little tricky.

What happens to J.A Happ if Pedro Martinez’s neck issues become a consistent problem? For what is being reported, the Martinez injury isn’t that serious, so hopefully it isn’t an issue. But if (and note I say if) Pedro’s middle-aged body fails on him, Happ would have to be used as the 4th starter in the playoffs, only leaving Jamie Moyer and Sergio Escalona as the two left-handed arms in the bullpen if Romero and Eyre are unable to go.

Not much depth there. 

Also, with the injuries to Chan Ho Park and Brett Myers, who is going to take the role of the main right-handed middle reliever when October rolls around?  Do the Phillies take a chance with the combination of Chad Durbin, Tyler Walker and/or Kyle Kendrick, and leave both Park and Myers off the playoff roster?

Confusing, right?

To simplify this tough playoff roster equation, I took a look into my crystal ball, and here is what I think is going to happen.

1. Myers will be healthy enough for the playoffs while Chan Ho Park won’t.  Myers, Tyler Walker and Chad Durbin will take over Park’s role as the long reliever , and they will join Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge as the righties in the bullpen. Clay Condrey or Kyle Kendrick may be added to the playoff roster for insurance with the injury concerns.

2.  Eyre and Romero both get healthy in time for the playoffs. Phillies go into the playoff with four lefties in the bullpen. Eyre and Romero for short relief, Moyer and Happ for long relief.

3. Since I said that Happ will be in the bullpen for long-relief, that means that I believe that Pedro Martinez will be healthy enough to be put on the playoff roster. With the way Martinez has pitched in his stint with the Phillies, you cannot leave him off the playoff rotation.  He gives Philadelphia a confidence and a veteran presence that no one else on the Phillies pitching staff. Not only that, Martinez over Happ gives the Phillies an even balance in the starting rotation (two righties and two lefties). 

4. The order of the starting rotation will depend on if the Phillies have home-field for the first round of the playoffs. If they do, Cole Hamels will start game 1, followed by Joe Blanton, Cliff Lee and Martinez. If they don’t, Lee will start game 1, followed by Blanton, Hamels, and Martinez. This will be done to allow Cole Hamels to pitch at home, as his E.R.A this season is almost 2 points less at home than it is on the road.

5. Lidge is the closer going into the playoffs. Plain and simple.

Hope that cleared everything up. 

If that didn’t, what goes down in the next two weeks will undoubtably do that whether we like it or not.

PHILLIES: “Lights Out” is no More

Still no internet in the Sigma Alpha Mu house here in Bloomington, Indiana. Therefore, I am relegated to short posts while surrounded by people who have way to much free time on their hands at the library.

To start off this post, I will say that I am forever grateful for what Brad Lidge contributed to the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. His 41 saves in 41 save chances marked the best season for a closer in Phillies history, and his final pitch to Eric Hinske to clinch the 2008 World Series will go down as one of the most memorable moments in Philadelphia sports history.

With that said, it’s time for a change. 

I’ve stuck by Lidge pretty much all year. When he went to the D.L in the middle of June after blowing six saves in the first 2 1/2 months of the season, the excuses were flying out of my mouth. Fatigue, bad luck, injury, bad calls, I basically said everything that could constitute me as a “senseless homer”, as my father would say.

Now, I just can’t do it anymore.

After Tuesday’s debacle which ended in another Brad Lidge meltdown (9th blown save in 6-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on a walk-off homerun), it’s time to realize the obvious.

While Lidge’s velocity and pure stuff may be similar to last year, the closer mentality that once got him the nickname “lights out” is just not there. When Lidge is on the mound, his lack of confidence is felt throughout the stadium he is playing in, and even through the television screen where fans like myself are nervously watching, waiting for another Lidge save to go down the drain.

With that said, loyalty is overrated when it comes to winning a world series, and it’s time for a change to be made.

Here are a couple other closer options that the Phillies should try out as the regular season winds down.

1. Tyler Walker: Former Giants closer has pitched well for the Phillies this season. Began the season as the closer for Triple-A Lehigh Valley before his promotion to Philadelphia.

2. Brett Myers: When Myers struggled in his role as a starter in 2007, the Phillies moved him to the bullpen, where in time he began to close. In his role as a closer, Myers thrived, saving over 20 games, and providing a level of consistency that helped the Phillies edge out the Mets in the 2007 NL East divisional race. While Myers it coming off of a potential season-ending hip injury, don’t be surprised if he gets a shot.

3. Ryan Madson: Madson has already gotten his shot this season, blowing two straight saves during his stint as a closer when Brad Lidge was on the disabled list. However, it’s undeniable that Madson has the best “closer” ability in the bullpen, as his upper 90′s fastball and filthy change-up gives him a leg-up on everybody else in the Phillies bullpen besides Lidge.

The Phillies could also try to go out and acquire someone (a-la Billy Wagner), although at this point of the season (7 games up in the NL East with five weeks to go in the regular season), it’s likely that the Phillies will look to stay in the organization for a possible replacement.

Where’s Ugueth Urbina when we need him?

PHILLIES: J.C Romero and Chad Durbin to the D.L

On Thursday, the Phillies sent not one, but two relief pitchers to the 15-day D.L with various injuries. Both Chad Durbin and J.C Romero will be out of action for the next two weeks, something that can’t be good news for the Phillies bullpen.

While Durbin has been inconsistent for the better part of the 2009 season and Romero hasn’t been as good as years past after missing the first 50 games of season due to his suspension for allegedly taking performance-enhancing drugs, both are still a big part of the Phillies success over the past 2 1/2 seasons. Down the stretch, if the injuries linger on, it will most certainly be a problem, but it doesn’t seem like that’s the case here. Both injuries are considered minor, and Durbin and Romero are expected to return after their short D.L stints.

Tyler Walker and Andrew Carpenter have been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill the bullpen roles voided by Romero and Durbin.  Walker was an easy call for the organization because he was very affective when he was up with the club during Clay Condrey’s stint on the D.L in early July, so he will hopefully pick up where he left off. For me, though, the decision to bring up Carpenter is a bit confusing.  With Romero being a lefty, I would have expected the Phillies to recall left-handed reliever Sergio Escalona (something they have already done five times this season) instead of a right-handed starter in Carpenter to fill that role.

That obviously didn’t happen.

Due to the Romero injury, Scott Eyre is now the sole left-handed relief pitcher in the bullpen. 

Other Notes: Antonio Bastardo has been on the D.L for almost a month with mild shoulder strain. If he is progressing, don’t be surprised if the Phillies activate him as a reliever, not at starter. It will give the Phillies another valuable long reliever, and an extra left-handed arm.  In fact, some scouts find him better suited as a reliever rather than a starter.