ST. LOUIS -- Cleaning out my notebook after a 3-3 trip with the Phillies ...* Michael Bourn can do more than just run. Starting today in place of the slumping Pat Burrell, Bourn went 3-for-5 with a triple and two RBIs in a 5-1 win, a performance that Charlie Manuel says may earn him a start Tuesday night at the Bank against the Reds. Regardless, the Phils need to find out if Bourn has what it takes to be an everyday player. Aaron Rowand will be a free agent after the season, and if Bourn can handle playing every day, there won't be as much urgency to re-sign Rowand. Actually, if Bourn is an everyday player, the Phillies may feel more comfortable about trading Rowand for pitching help. "I really try not to think about any of that," Bourn said of getting more playing time. "It's just one day. I try not to get too high or too low."
* I'm not sure the Phillies can trade Rowand. He's their only remotely threatening right-handed hitter. I think he has a good case for making the All-Star Game.
* Several of the Phillies were saddened by the news of Rod Beck's death. Adam Eaton was a teammate of Beck's with the Padres in 2003 and 2004. Jon Lieber and Antonio Alfonseca also knew Beck well. Beck was 38 years old. The cause of death is unknown at this time.
* Shane Victorino has grown accustomed to starting. So, he didn't know what to do with himself today when he got a rare day out of the lineup. Victorino threw water at his teammates. He spit sunflower seeds. And he didn't stop talking. "He's always into something," Manuel said. "Believe me, he's all over the place." Victorino also took a few swings in the batting cage, and it paid off in the eighth inning. He came up as a pinch-hitter and ripped a bases-loaded, three-run double off Cards lefty Randy Flores that turned a 1-1 tie into a 4-1 Phillies lead. "I'm always having fun and keeping myself somewhat amused on the bench," Victorino said. "I'm high-energy. I don't know. That's just the way I am."
* When Cole Hamels found out he wasn't coming out after the 96-minute rain delay, he jokingly asked pitching coach Rich Dubee if he could start Tuesday. That won't happen. The Phils want him ready for one of the games in Friday's doubleheader against the Mets.
* Brett Myers won't be going back to the rotation any time soon. Neither will Ryan Madson.
2 comments:
I see your point about Rowand making a case for the All-Star game. The only way he would probably make it is as a reserve because there is no way he will be voted in by the fans. You are going to have a healthy dose of Bonds and Beltran. If they really had an All-Star OF with how players are doing this year, then it two no-doubters would be Holliday and Beltran. It would be nice to have two Phillies in the mid-summer classic, but only Chase Utley will be starting.
I refuse to believe that Pat Burrell will ever come out of it. Dude just looks disinterested, as evidence by the number of called third strikes against this clown. Giving Bourn more starts and plate appearances is an experimental risk I'd have to take. He's obviously not a masher, but the man can get on base and make some things happen, and that would give the Phils three guys (J-Roll, Shane Victorino and Bourn) who would occupy a defense's attention on the basepaths, making life easier for Chase and Ryan. It's time to move on from Burrell. A new era should be Bourn. Michael Bourn in '07 and beyond *two thumbs up*
Post a Comment