Paging Ryan Franklin ...

So, Brett Myers starts today in LA, which means the Phillies actually have a chance to win. Myers is about the only sure-thing they have in their rotation right now.

Well, that's not entirely true. Cory Lidle is a safe bet to allow 3-5 runs over six innings, and if the Phillies score some runs for him, they'll likely win. If they don't, like last Wednesday vs. Washington, well, let's just say Lidle probably won't pitch many 1-0 shutouts.

Gavin Floyd certainly didn't. The Phillies were patient with Floyd, giving him 11 starts to prove he can pitch in the majors. Clearly, he had to go. You can't keep handing the ball to a guy with a 7.29 ERA, highest in the NL. Not unless you're the Marlins and have no prayer of making the playoffs. It became evident, over his last four starts, that Floyd lacked the self-confidence to retire major-league batters. Maybe he'll find it in Scranton. Maybe he won't. But he couldn't stay here.

Ryan Madson has struggled as a starter, running out of gas in the third inning on Friday night. And Eude Brito didn't give the Phillies much of a chance Saturday. Rather, he gave up four runs in the first inning, too steep of a deficit to overcome against Dodgers starter Brad Penny.

That brings us to Ryan Franklin.

Franklin, who signed a one-year contract for $2.6 million in the off-season, is the Phillies' best in-house option (until Randy Wolf returns with his rebuilt elbow, likely in July) to bolster the starting rotation. And since Franklin seemingly has lost his grip on the seventh-inning relief role, it probably behooves the Phillies to give him a chance.

Yes, Franklin lost 16 games in 2004 and 15 last year. Yes, he's given up 95 homers over the past three seasons for Seattle. Yes, his career ERA as a starter is 4.45. But he also won 11 games for the Mariners in 2003 before getting the worst run support in the majors in 2004 (3.14 runs/game) and the second-worst in the AL last season (3.4 runs/game).

And, could he really be worse than Floyd or Brito or Madson?

***

If you haven't yet, please check out Sunday's News Journal or www.delawareonline.com. Phillies GM Pat Gillick had some pretty candid things to say about how the team has performed thus far.

Here's a taste: "We haven't pitched very well. We haven't really hit with runners in scoring position. And our defense hasn't been particularly good."

But what alarmed me during my interview with Gillick was his insistence that Wolf, coming back from Tommy John surgery, will make a big impact this year. My experience with Tommy John survivors is that, while they're often back pitching 12 months after their surgery, they don't pitch like their pre-surgery selves until the 20-24-month mark. I just think it's dangerous to rely too much on Wolf this season.

What does everyone else think?