The Phillies bullpen pitched six shutout innings in yesterday's 5-1 victory over St. Louis at Busch Stadium.
Six shutout innings.
That has not happened often.
The Phillies have used 15 relief pitchers this season, which is as many as they used last season. That is not a good thing. That shows how many injuries this team has suffered and how ineffective the bullpen has been as a whole. Here's a look at the names that Charlie Manuel has had to use this season:
Antonio Alfonseca. Has pitched well (3-1, 3.73 ERA, five saves) in the closer's role while Gordon and Myers have been out with injuries.
Joe Bisenius. Opened the season with the Phillies and threw two scoreless innings in two appearances, but is hurt in triple-A Ottawa.
Fabio Castro. Had a 12.27 ERA in five appearances. In 3 2/3 innings, allowed four hits, five walks and five runs. Has pitched better lately in the minors.
Clay Condrey. Already has been designated for assignment and outrighted this season. Called back up Sunday after Lieber landed on the disabled list.
Geoff Geary. One of just two relief pitchers to have been on the 25-man roster the entire season. He is 1-2 with a 4.54 ERA in 34 appearances, but has struggled for the past month.
Tom Gordon. Has not pitched since May 1 because of a shoulder injury. The Phillies hope he could be back sometime before the all-star break.
Yoel Hernandez. Has a 5.02 ERA in 13 appearances.
Jon Lieber. Opened the season in the bullpen before he returned to the rotation, but is likely lost for the season with a ruptured tendon in his right foot.
Ryan Madson. Is 1-2 with a 3.75 ERA in 25 appearances. He spent time on the disabled list in early May because of a strained oblique.
Jose Mesa. The franchise's all-time saves leader came back earlier this month after the Tigers released him. He has a 4.05 ERA in six appearances.
Brett Myers. He hasn't pitched since May 23 in Florida because of a strained right shoulder. He could be back before the all-star break, but who really knows at this point?
Francisco Rosario. Is on the DL with a shoulder problem. He is 0-3 with a 6.64 ERA in 18 appearances.
Brian Sanches. Earned his first big-league victory yesterday. Has a 1.80 ERA in three appearances. Had a 5.91 ERA in 18 appearances last season.
Matt Smith. Supposed to be the team's lefthander, but struggled so badly that the Phillies optioned him to triple-A Ottawa. He has been shut down because of elbow problems and the Phillies don't expect him back healthy soon.
Mike Zagurski. So desperate for a lefthander, the Phillies promoted him after spending a short time in double-A Reading. He is 1-0 with a 6.23 ERA in 11 appearances.
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Michael Bourn had a big day yesterday. Could he getting a little more playing time?
It might not be a bad idea while Pat Burrell continues to struggle.
Comments (6)
Good for Bourne. If he is going to be a possible/probable starter next year (depending on Rowand's status), I'd like to see him out there a lot more. Let the kid play and see if he can be a everyday player, we need to onow that this year.
Burrell is a train wreck right now and regardless what he is being paid, needs to sit. I know the argument he has to play to break out of his funk, but him playing is like having another pitcher in the lineup. Has anyone ever gone back to the minors for a batting rehab assignment?
The Phils like to save money, maybe we can get Helms a companion fare and they can room together.
Posted by jimmy mack | June 25, 2007 9:02 AM
Posted on June 25, 2007 09:02
the most impressive bit of news from yesterday's win was that Victorino, instead of sitting on the bench the entire game, went into the batting cages a few times and hit balls. it paid off in a big way when he came in to pinch hit.
he makes like .00001% of Burrell's contract and works 100000% harder than that bum!
If Burrell would take it upon himself to hit the cages, maybe he wouldn't be hitting .205 and striking out all the time.
Posted by dave | June 25, 2007 11:19 AM
Posted on June 25, 2007 11:19
Nice win, great job by the BP. As to Pat the Bat, it's possible, but I don't think it's about lack of work-ethic. Or maybe it is. Either way, it's time for a change. I'm sure he can contribute somewhere.
Somebody who knows more about this then me please enlighten me - why couldn't the Phils, like with Abreu, just say we're gonna eat 7 mil a year (yeah, I know it's money), and just try and trade him. He goes somewhere else, you maybe get something of value in return, you play Bourn or Dobbs or Werth in left - basically you've got a leftfielder salary of 7 mil plus Bourn or Dobbs' salary. It's not perfect, but does it make any sense at all? It's still a lot less than 13-14 mil. They're not going to pay Rowand, after all.
On another note: nice not to hear Hamels musing about playing in the All-star game after his last 2 outings. Is it just me, or is it a little... bizarre for him to be so open about it? Great to have goals and enthusiasm, but if you're not careful, people might start thinking you're all about personal stuff over the team. I'm sure he's not, but it was kind of making me uneasy. Brad Penny (who's having a more dominant year than Hamels) started the game last year and was definitely not the same in the seceond half. No two guys are the same, still: careful what you wish for.
Posted by John in LA | June 25, 2007 12:07 PM
Posted on June 25, 2007 12:07
could've called it "The Pen Is Mightier" today
Posted by Anonymous | June 25, 2007 1:02 PM
Posted on June 25, 2007 13:02
I'm with John in LA, I don't want to see Burrell anymore in any role. Watching him at the plate is depressing.
Posted by Anonymous | June 25, 2007 1:57 PM
Posted on June 25, 2007 13:57
You're scaring the hell out of me by saying "who really knows" when Brett Myers will be back. It'd be nice to have a serviceable and reliable arm in the bullpen. Perhaps I was fooling myself into believing that Myers would be back to bolster the back end of the 'pen? Is there something that's not being written in the papers about Myers' return? Also, why does it not seem like Madson's outings match his good numbers? I'm scared to death that he's going to hang a change-up every time he's in there.
Posted by Jon | June 25, 2007 2:30 PM
Posted on June 25, 2007 14:30