You can read plenty in the 50-cent edition about Cole Hamels' latest flirtation with perfection. Charlie Manuel said, and I happen to agree, that it's only a matter of time before Hamels tosses a perfect game or a no-hitter. Hamels, never lacking for confidence, said he thinks he can throw at least one per year. It's good to have lofty goals.Unfortunately, we weren't able to squeeze much into the paper about Brett Myers' surprising ninth-inning appearance. With the Phillies leading 6-2, nobody expected to see Myers, including the folks who operate the Bank's sound system. Myers' usual entry music, "Children of the Grave" by White Zombie, wasn't queued up when he walked in from the bullpen. But, in the latest sign that there's only one reliever Manuel trusts, he opted for Myers against the top of the Brewers' dangerous lineup instead of Geoff Geary or struggling Antonio Alfonseca.
Personally, I don't have a problem with Manuel using Myers in a non-save situation, even though he has now pitched in three straight games and five of the last seven. Don't forget: Myers was a starter. He has logged 193, 176, 215 and 198 innings over the past four seasons. Throwing 51 pitches in a three-day span isn't quite so taxing when you're accustomed to throwing 100 in one afternoon. Besides, back in the day, closers would routinely get two- and three-inning saves. Just ask Bruce Sutter and Goose Gossage.
What do you think? Are the Phillies overusing Myers?
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Remember the team meeting Manuel called on April 21 in Cincinnati when the Phillies were 4-11? Looks like it worked. Since then, they've gone 16-9 and gotten to .500 for the first time all season. Only the Brewers, at 16-8, have a better winning percentage during that span.
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A few thoughts on Hamels from pitching coach Rich Dubee that didn't make their way into the paper:
"This guy's got a chance to be a great one. You look at his presence and what he expects from himself. It's a motivation to him to be perfect. He'll get in his own way at times because he's trying to be so good. But that's easy to control. He's got great trust in his fastball. He's got great trust in his changeup. And he's gaining more trust in his curveball. The ceiling is awfully high for this guy with just two pitches. When he gets command of his curveball, the ceiling will get even higher."
With that, I'll pose a modified version of the question from the last post: Is there a young pitcher, in his first or second major-league season, that you'd rather have than Hamels?
7 comments:
Not a chance. He was my first drafted pitcher in fantasy baseball and I stand by that just as much as I stand by his presence on the Phils.
Can't wait until he wins the Cy Young.
re: "Are the Phillies overusing Myers?"
I have that concern.. My gut says that Charlie wanted to grab that third win to ensure a series win and that there's no way we'll see Myers this PM. It was the safe move - making sure you win the game today with a 4 run lead and 1 inning left, and removes all pressure from today's game.
But yes - it does worry me a bit.
I just want to know who our closer will be when Myers arm falls off. Gomer is micro-managing, because he is trying to save his job. He's always been a terrible manager, but now he's dangerous as well.
I had posed this question last Friday about Myers. I definitely think Charlie is overusing Myers. Last Friday was an example of that and so was last night. The problem is that he has no confidence in the rest of the feeble relievers in the pen. But, I don't blame Charlie for this at all. He is in a situation where he has no options. He can throw out Geary or Condrey or Kent Tekulve and if the they lose the game, it's Charlie's head on the chopping block. But, when he puts Myers in to ensure victory then he's darned there too. As I've said before, Charlie doesn't sign players and hand out contracts. He can only make the best decisions with the players available to him and that's what he's done.
Scott, I have a question for you. Why don't the Phillies give a Bourn the opportunity to play a game here and there? They could give Victorino or Burrell a day off and see if Bourn can cut it. I, for one, would really like to see what the guy can do. I would think that he might get to play in a day game after a night game (like today for example) but that hasn't been the case. Is it that Charlie thinks he's too valuable as a defensive replacement late in the game??
Marcus, GMan, Matt and others: Why are you so certain that Myers' arm is going to fall off? A month ago, Myers was still a very durable starter. All his life, he has been accustomed to throwing 100 pitches, resting for a day, throwing a side session or two and throwing 100 pitches again. He's used to logging innings as a starter, so why shouldn't he be able to do that as a closer?
Once upon a time, closers would routinely throw two and three innings to get saves, then come back the next day and do it all over again. With the advent of setup men and other bullpen "specialists," this generation of closers has been bred to go only one inning. But Myers is a starter by nature, not a closer. If there's ever going to be another multi-inning closer, it's someone like Myers, don't you think?
Matt is right, though, about Manuel having absolutely zero trust in his other relievers. For the most part, Geary has done an excellent job. Condrey has pitched well in the short spurts that he's been with the team. But Alfonseca is struggling, and Castro, Hernandez and Rosario simply don't have enough experience to be trusted with a lead in close games. Madson was pitching very well before he got hurt, so maybe his return (probably on Tuesday in Florida) will help provide some help for Myers.
Scott-
You make a great point: if anyone could be an 80's style closer, Myers is the guy. But it's a long season - if Myers gets worn out (forget injured) come September, I'll blame it on situations like yesterday - bringing him in to a 4 run game for his 3rd day in a row.
I watched the ninth inning in disbelife, there is no excuse for Dobbs and Barajas. A high school player wouldn't make those mistakes. When are the Phillies going to spend the money for quality ML players. Neither of these guys belong in the Majors.
When you give a team 5 outs in the ninth inning you should lose. When the Phillies got Charlie, I said Charlie who??? Who ever told this guy he could manage?
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