CHICAGO -- No doubt you've already read about this on delawareonline.com, but the Phillies just acquired right-hander Kyle Lohse from the Reds for 23-year-old double-A lefty Matt Maloney. Not as impressive as the Braves closing in on a six-player deal for Mark Teixeira, but for a team that's desperate for pitching, it's something. Lohse, 28, was 6-12 with a 4.58 ERA in 21 starts for the Reds, and he has allowed 182 base runners in 131-2/3 innings. Not sure yet when Lohse will pitch (he was scheduled to go tomorrow for the Reds) or which pitcher he'll replace, although J.D. Durbin is a pretty good bet.
I have to get started tapping away for the 50-cent edition, but here are a few words from the man who made the deal to satiate you for now:
"He's an experienced pitcher, and he adds to our inventory," GM Pat Gillick said. "He's been up and down. He's had some good outings. He's had some that aren't so good. Hopefully, he can give us 10 to 12 decent starts in the last 56 games."
Gillick said there "might be a possibility" of the Phillies adding a reliever before 4 p.m. tomorrow. There's also always a chance they could make a deal in August, after the non-waiver deadline. Let's not forget that they got Jamie Moyer and Jeff Conine last season after July 31.
A word about Maloney: He was 9-7 with a 3.94 ERA in 21 starts for Reading. The Phillies like him, but they don't love him. If Lohse helps them win a few extra games down the stretch, Maloney will be appropriate collateral damage.
Thoughts? Opinions? Let's hear from you.
6 comments:
A lot of people seem relatively upset with this trade, given that Maloney was the 9th best ranked prospect in the Phillies organization. I'm just glad that Gillick wasn't conned into giving up Bourn (who just came into the game for the injured Victorino - uh oh). But something needed to be done with the starting rotation. I'd still like to see Durbin get another start or two just to see what he's really made of, but I doubt he'll be given the chance. Either way, like you said, if Lohse helps us win a few games down the stretch, it'll be worth it even though he'll be a free agent in a few months and has Scott Boras for an agent.
What most concerns me still is what will be done with the 25-man roster. Since Madson's spot has already been taken by Geary, someone will need to be sent down or released. If I'm correct (and correct me if I'm wrong), both Durbin and Condrey don't have options and would have to be either DFA or clear waivers to stay in the system. We all know the lack of production we've had from both Barajas and Helms, so hopefully one of them will be released so Coste can stay in the majors where he belongs. I'll be very disappointed and surprised if Coste packs his bags and heads back down to the minor leagues.
Should be an interesting few days with roster moves and the possible trade for a reliever that Gillick hinted about.
Scott,
Could you just drop by the ESPN booth and explain the Rollins/Lilly history? My goodness, you're telling me not a soul in the entire ESPN kingdom is aware of Rollins dissing Teddy in May???
Who's more now -- ESPN or a circus clown!
Anon,
For my money, I'd take the circus clown -- that Who's Now? thing is completely pointless, stupid, irrelevant, and pointless? Did I just repeat myself?
Anyways, hopefully Bourn and Victorino are OK. Bourn's injury didn't look good.
Also, I pray the reliever Gillick mentioned was Damaso Marte - he's SICK against left-handers. Completely filthy.
And if you wondered why Lilly threw behind Rollins, here's something for you to chew on:
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/phillies/20070514_Jim_Salisbury___Failure_to_launch__The_Cubs_pitcher_had__quot_nothing_special__quot__Jimmy_Rollins_said_.html
his splits show that he pitches well against the NL. and he has good splits in great american ballpark. if he can duplicate his success in citizens bank park then we may have hit on something.
overall you can't complain too much. maloney most likely would have never made it to the phillies big league club. and if so he woulda probably been a 5th starter at best. he's a lefty with very low velocity and no real good secondary pitches to back him up. ripe for the picking at the big league level. at least lohse has proven himself somewhat as a big league pitcher.
Heard on Mike $ The Mad Dog in NY:
"Who's more Now -- Shaq O'Neal or a Polar Bear!"
heh. I don't even watch ESPN anymore. Can't do it.
I thought the Ruiz/Hamels pitch call dupe was one of the coolest things ive ever seen two young guys pull off in a game. I can't recall the batter (Pagan, maybe?) but they made a fool of a peeker by not letting it get out of control.
Post a Comment