May 19 -- PARK TO PEN, HAPP TO START SATURDAY

BY SCOTT LAUBER

CINCINNATI -- So, I was wrong. Dead wrong.

After Sunday's game in DC, I didn't detect any real difference in Charlie Manuel's words about Chan Ho Park's tenuous spot in the starting rotation than I did two weeks ago when Park was struggling. Basically, Manuel said he'd talk things over with Rich Dubee and determine if the time was right to replace him with lefty J.A. Happ. He never said Park's spot was in real jeopardy, but he didn't give him a vote of confidence either. And although Park got rocked Sunday by the Nationals, the fact that he pitched well previously in back-to-back starts against the Mets and Dodgers led me to believe he'd get at least one more start against the Yankees on Saturday in New York.

But I was wrong.

About 90 minutes ago, Manuel and Dubee met with Park and told him he was being moved to the bullpen. So, after winning the fifth-starter spot in spring training, Park held the job for exactly seven starts. He went 1-1 with a 7.08 ERA, and perhaps most damning, he allowed 61 base runners (41 hits, 17 walks, three hit by pitches) in only 34-1/3 innings.

Not good.

Happ, meanwhile, coped with the disappointment of losing the No. 5 starter job by posting a 2.49 ERA in 12 relief appearances. He didn't sulk or whine. He just got batters out, same as he did last July after being sent back to Class AAA. Happ was supposed to start the second game of Saturday night's doubleheader in DC, but he was needed in the 11th and 12th innings Friday night. He didn't have time to be disappointed about missing out on a starter. Instead, he just held the Nationals scoreless for two innings and picked up a win in relief.

"I don't want to say too much about it out of respect for my teammates and stuff," Happ said of taking Park's spot. "But I'm going to try to take advantage of it. Other than that, it's a job, and I'm going to try to do well."

Park, quite clearly, wasn't happy about the decision. He revived his career as a multi-inning reliever in the Dodgers' bullpen last season, and this year, he'll try to salvage his season in the same role with the Phillies.

"I'm disappointed I lost the job as a starter which is what I wanted," Park said. "I don't make the decisions. I lost the job, but I've got a new job. So, I have to figure out how to prepare to be good with the new job as a bullpen [pitcher]. It's not easy. That's why I don't like to be in the bullpen. But it's a situation where the team expects more from me in the bullpen. Whatever I have to do, I have to do my best. It's disappointing, but I have to figure I'm still playing with the good guys."

So, why now? Was Sunday's game, when Park allowed five runs and lasted only 1-1/3 innings in DC, the tipping point?

"We've been weighing this all along, when to do it, if we had to do, why we needed to do it, why we didn't need to do it," said Dubee, who cited Ryan Franklin and Chad Durbin as examples to Park of starters who have been more effective as relievers. "Sunday's game put it over the top that this was the time we needed to do it."

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READER POLL: Did the Phillies do the right thing by taking Park out of the rotation now? Why or why not?

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Manuel said Matt Stairs won't be the Phillies' designated hitter against left-handed pitchers, and with the Yankees scheduled to start Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia on Saturday and Sunday, it would appear Stairs won't be in the lineup. (Stairs is 0-for-9 lifetime against Pettitte, so odds are, Manuel will stick to his word.)

It's possible, then, that the Phillies could call up a right-handed hitter to play this weekend. Otherwise, they'll have to use either Eric Bruntlett or Chris Coste as the DH, and Coste is also the backup catcher. Of course, there's plenty of time to make decisions on this. It's only Tuesday, and the Yankees series doesn't start until Friday night.

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Don't underestimate the signing of catcher Paul Bako to a minor-league contract yesterday. Assistant GM Scott Proefrock just reiterated that Bako was added to provide more catching depth (he likely will report to Class AA Reading after he plays himself into shape in extended spring training). But Proefrock also pointed out that Bako once was Greg Maddux's personal catcher with the Braves in 2001 and stayed with the team despite batting only .212. "That's his forte," Proefrock said. "His offensive numbers aren't why he's stayed in the big leagues."

Subtle translation: Chris Coste better hit if he wants to keep his job.

Much more on all of this in tomorrow's News Journal.