CINCINNATI -- As Tom Gordon (left) walked off the field here tonight after his meltdown in the ninth and 10th innings led to another amazingly demoralizing loss for the Phillies, I thought about something Charlie Manuel said before the game. Discussing his decision this week to move No. 1 starter Brett Myers to the bullpen and return Jon Lieber to the rotation, Manuel asked and answered this question:"What made Columbus famous?"
"He took a chance."
The idea was that Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee are taking a chance that Myers can help stabilize the Phillies' bullpen, a powderkeg through the first 15 games. But installing Myers as the setup man may not be enough. Gordon has been alarmingly bad so far, blowing two saves in five chances and not yet pitching a clean, 1-2-3 inning in six appearances. I talked to him at length yesterday in Washington and again here tonight about his early-season problems. He said having a week off during spring training to have his fragile right shoulder examined by team physician Michael Ciccotti left him with little time to refine his breaking pitches. As a result, his curveball doesn't have its usual bite. He's throwing more fastballs than usual and doesn't trust his offspeed stuff.
In other words, he's behind schedule for being ready for the season.
Gordon is 39 years old, and there are a lot of miles riding on his right arm. Given his issues, Manuel may want to make like Christopher Columbus and "take a chance" by putting Myers in the closer's role. Who knows? He may even be good at it.
Your thoughts?
6 comments:
Scott: I really appreciate and enjoy your blog. For me, it is the most up to date and accurate Phillies info. on the www. Thank you for your work and I hope you keep it up!
thats exactly what i say to friends and others about gordon. he was out for most of spring training. i dont' think he threw a single breaking ball in ST. and then to come back and not be able to get into a rhythem of pitching because being barely used. i think he'll straighten it out and be pretty decent. until then, you gotta put myers back there. he's running through batters.
I agree Myers should be closing,especially if Gordon is still"working" on his curveball(his out pitch). The move of Myers to the pen could be what turns this season around, if they would just start hitting sometime soon.
Your opening day "Ace" is in the bullpen 12 games into the season so he can pitch one inning a day. I don't know who is the biggest dope - Gillick or Gillick. He may have been a good baseball person inthe (distant) past, but he should go away now.
I think they should put Flash on the DL and send him to Florida for extended Spring Training. Let him refine his stuff down there, not here where he is killing us right now.
It's just ashame that this was Lieber's first start, because if this is a few starts down the road, he would've been able to go further into the game then he did. Then we're not talking about this because we would've had somebody else pitch the 10th.
Really, can anything else go wrong this year? I feel like we're in game 140, not game 15. I think I'm starting to get some gray hair and I'm only 21!
Making Myers the closer right now is the only thing that makes sense if he's going to be in the pen.
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