* As of last night, the Phillies still hadn't named a starter for the second half of Saturday's day-night doubleheader. But as the News Journal reported within this notebook Wednesday, count on it being Scott Mathieson. Heard from a good source in Scranton yesterday that Mathieson is scheduled to pitch Saturday for the Red Barons. He's probably the Class AAA pitcher the Phils trust most, and as you know, they need to win games.* Ryan Howard goes for homer No. 49 again tonight against Nats starter Pedro Astacio. Howard didn't go deep last night, snapping a streak of four straight games with a home run. But he did crush a two-run double on a 3-0 pitch over Nats center fielder Ryan Church's head (hard to believe Church was playing so shallow). Howard has 40 RBIs in August, a pretty incredible run and one that may just win him the NL MVP award if the Phillies make the playoffs.
* Didn't have space to fully explain this in today's paper: Playoff rosters need to be set by tomorrow (Sept. 1), which is why the Phils called up catcher Carlos Ruiz last night. They want Ruiz on the playoff roster, in case anything should happen to oft-injured Mike Lieberthal. Lefty reliever Matt Smith was sent down to Class A Clearwater to make room for Ruiz. Why Clearwater? Well, the Threshers aren't going to make the Florida State League playoffs, so Smith can be recalled once their season ends. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is going to the International League playoffs, and if he'd been sent there, Smith would've had to stay on the roster until the postseason is over.* Tom Gordon pitches for Class A Clearwater today. I'll post an update as soon as his outing is complete.
* Rain in the forecast today, but for now, the sun is out in DC. Let's hope it stays that way.
More later.
5 comments:
Now with three catchers on the roster are we led to believe that Lieby's injuries are a bit more severe than we're being told? Knowing the stability of Rhodes, it sure would be nice to get Gordon back. Fultz looked pretty shaky the other night in DC, and Manuel overused Madsen last year and we can only hope won't do the same coming down the stretch this year. Legit playoff contenders shouldn't have to face a closer by committee issue.
My understanding is that Lieby's injuries are nothing too severe. Bottom line is the Phillies need to decide if Ruiz is capable of being their catcher of the future. The only way they can make that determination is by seeing him play at the major-league level.
No question they need Gordon back. Completely agree with you there.
See thats what i've been saying about Gavin. Gotta bring this kid up and see if he can cut it on the ML level. Might be too late now, because the Phils are actually IN a pennant race, but how are we going to find out what kind of stuff he has on a "keeper" level? Or has he already had his shot?
As an aside, how odd is it to be using the words 'Phillies' and "pennant" in the same sentence?
Scott, what kind of credibility does Gillick have after he announce the Phillies have no chance to make the playoffs this year or next? What do the owners/players think of this guy now. Obviously he has no grasp of the team and it's potential.
Paul, Andy: Great questions. Here's my take.
On Floyd: He's a complete enigma, and I'm not sure the Phils know what they're going to do with him. They still think he'll be a good major-league pitcher, and they're not ready to give up on a former first-round pick to whom they gave a $4.2 million signing bonus. The biggest thing is his mental toughness. Too often, he looked defeated before he took the mound. They're sending him to the Arizona Fall League, an unusual step for a pitcher with Floyd's experience. But I think they're hoping he'll have success there, clear his head and come to spring training with a new attitude. That said, if the right deal comes along, they may trade him, too.
On Gillick: When he said it would be a "stretch" for the Phils to contend in 2007, I believe he was trying to lower expectations and take pressure off his players, specifically his young pitchers. The Phillies were making a commitment to get younger, and often, young pitching needs time to develop. But the Phils weren't exactly starting from scratch either. They had Howard and Utley to build the lineup around, and Myers and Hamels are a good base for a starting rotation. Gillick is savvy enough to know that, by taking pressure off his players, they might play better. I think it was a shrewd, and very calculated, move.
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