DENVER -- That, ladies and gentlemen, is not a happy Charlie Manuel.This picture was taken a few moments after Yorvit Torrealba's two-out single gave the Rockies an improbable 7-6 win last night. Improbable, I say, because the Phillies were leading 6-1 in the sixth inning. And the expression you see here on Manuel's face hadn't changed much when I saw him in his office about 10 minutes later. The Phils' bullpen, a motley crew of retreads and rookies and no friend to the deadline-pushing sportswriter, blew this one in a big, huge way. It started with Mike Zagurski in the seventh and continued with Jose Mesa in the eighth, Antonio Alfonseca in the ninth and J.D. Durbin in the 11th. Alfonseca was one strike from securing a 6-5 win when he served up a game-tying homer to Brad Hawpe that landed in the shrubbery beyond the center-field fence.
It was the Phils' most deflating loss since Tom Gordon turned a 1-0 lead into a 2-1, 10-inning loss April 20 in Cincinnati. Surely, you remember that one. It dropped the Phillies' record to 4-11 and sparked a nearly two-hour team meeting the following day.But, what stood out to me about this loss was who didn't pitch. Ryan Madson, the Phils' best setup option, was left sitting in the bullpen. Madson threw 30 pitches Wednesday in Houston, but the team had Thursday off. I asked Manuel is Madson was somehow unavailable last night. Looking perturbed, Manuel said Madson "said he felt like he needed another day off." Hmm. That's odd. Madson looked well-rested earlier in the day when I saw him throwing a frisbee and running around the outfield with Durbin and Brett Myers. Madson wasn't at his locker after the game.
3 comments:
How does something like what happened last night fall on Charlie's shoulders? It seems like every time this team has a meltdown in the late innings it becomes Charlie's fault that this bullpen couldn't get a Double A team out.
I don't know why people are so high on Madson. In his last 4 appearances, he's been tagged for 4 earned runs. It's not like going to the guy in the 8th inning is a no brainer or anything. Obviously, Mesa wasn't the answer and frankly he shouldn't be on the roster, but to say Madson will suddenly start pitching the way everyone has expected him to pitch for 2 years is a stretch at best. The bottom line is the bullpen still stinks from top to bottom and that's not Charlie's fault. Pat Gillick put this rag tag pen together and should be held accountable for it.
Matt, would you rather have Madson up in that situation who has had a few seasons of major league bullpen experience, or would you rather see JD Durbin - a guy who is currently on his fourth team of the 2007 season?
It was ridiculous to sign Mesa in the first place, but we all know that. But the fact that Durbin was left in the game to pitch more than one inning was ludicrous. The kid has an ERA of 14! The only reason he hasn't been sent down is because for some reason, this organization is afraid to lose him on waivers.
Mitch Williams said it once on Post Game Live - "If there's a guy on your team that you can't trust with a four run lead, he shouldn't be on your team." That was in response to Brett Myers being used in Florida instead of Francisco Rosario (another waste of a roster spot), but I feel that it fits in this situation too. There are a handful of guys in this bullpen who can't be trusted with a four run lead, three run lead, two run lead, or any lead. This became even more apparent last night.
Anonymous,
I'm not saying that I would not have preferred Madson. I am just trying to make the point that this bullpen is so feeble that Charlie is darned no matter what he decides. To me, it's not the kind of a thing where you can say "Go with Mad dog in the 8th and Fonzie in the 9th and that's a wrap." That's not the case no matter who you want to plug into those roles. There is no reliever on the roster right now that is capable of consistently getting the job done. Charlie is going to be the scapegoat for everyone's blame when in my eyes (and this is only my opinion) the players and front office should be accountable for the mediocre product that gets put on the field every night.
As far as the Mitch Williams comment, I actually remember him saying that in the post game live segment. What Mitch is saying is fine in principle but when you have a bullpen full of guys the manager has no confidence in/is not comfortable with, what can you do?
I agree with you on Durbin. There is a reason the guy has been on 4 different teams since March - He stinks.
Post a Comment