There’s an old quote that says, “You can never have enough pitching.” Well, actually, you can, and that is what the Philadelphia Phillies are faced with now. They have potentially six starting pitchers and only five spots in the rotation.
The problem surfaced when the Phillies signed free agent Pedro Martinez in July as an insurance policy in case they had to trade away Rookie of the Year candidate J.A. Happ as part of a deal to land Roy Halladay. That deal never took place; Happ stayed, and the Phillies acquired Indians ace Cliff Lee instead.
When Lee joined the club last week, Rodrigo Lopez, who was filling in as the club’s fifth starter, had to move to the bullpen. Martinez, however, is still working out the bugs in the minor leagues, but when he is ready to come up and join the Phillies, many have speculated as to where he will go and what will happen to the rotation. The choice is not easy, but it might not be as complicated as some are making it out to be.
The top end of the rotation has no questions as to who will fill the spots: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Joe Blanton. The only question here is whether or not Hamels can look like the ace he was back in October when he lead the Phillies to a World Championship. Cole has struggled this year at times, and excluding his last start against the Giants where he gave up six earned runs in just five innings, he appeared to be stringing together a few good starts against Florida, San Diego, and Arizona, and he looked like the Hamels of old.
The back end of the rotation, however, is where all the controversy has been brewing for the past few weeks. Three pitchers – J.A. Happ, Jamie Moyer, Pedro Martinez – and only two spots.
Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. filled one of those spots on Wednesday after J.A. Happ tossed a complete game shutout over the Colorado Rockies. Happ upped his record to 8-2 on the year and dropped his ERA to 2.74. Prior to that start, he lost his previous two outings, was faced with swirling trade talk, and had to deal with rumors that he might get moved to the bullpen.
The sheer fact Happ was able to show composure amidst such chaos and toss a gem is one of the reasons he needs to pitch every fifth day. Also, it would be unwise to even consider tinkering with Happ at this point. He is a young hurler who is pitching fantastically for the Phillies right now, and moving him back to the bullpen would not only weaken the rotation, but it would also mess with his confidence. I seem to recall young pitchers named Gavin Floyd and Ryan Madson who went back and forth, and that didn’t work out so well for the Phils now did it?
Next up is the ageless Jamie Moyer. Charlie Manuel mentioned earlier in the week that he wanted Jamie to stay in the rotation, and I almost agree with Charlie to a point. Jamie does lead the team in wins, but he also bolsters a 5.55 ERA, which is worst amongst starters. The reason he has the most wins is primarily because he typically faces one of the opposing team’s worst pitchers, and the Phillies give him a ton of run support. Yes, he does string together a few good outings every so often, but there are too many times like the one on Tuesday where he gave up six earned runs in five innings and walked four batters.
With that said, I still don’t think shipping Jamie off to the bullpen is such a good idea. First of all, Moyer hasn’t pitched in relief since the mid 1990’s. Second, Jamie would be coming into situations where he would have to get out of jams, which a lot of relievers rely on their fastball to do, and let’s face it, an 86 mph fastball isn’t mowing down anyone. Third, being in the bullpen means you have to be ready to pitch almost every day, and I think at age 47, Jamie has earned his four days off in between starts.
Lastly, there is Pedro Martinez, the man for whom all this controversy is over. When Pedro joins the team, he should do so as a member of the bullpen. I honestly don’t think Pedro has what it takes to be an effective starter any more. If he did, he would have had a job for the first four months of the season. He can probably get the job done for one, two, or maybe even three innings, but once lineups begin to face him a second time around, I feel they would start to tee off on him.
Plus, I don’t think Pedro’s arm can last into the seventh inning as a starter. So if you replace Moyer with Pedro, you would be replacing a guy in the rotation who can’t pitch seven innings for a guy who can’t even pitch six innings. That doesn’t exactly help out an already overworked bullpen. As a result, Pedro could pitch either in long relief or maybe take turns making guest appearances with Brett Myers in the ninth inning if Brad Lidge begins to struggle again.
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Showing posts with label jamie moyer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jamie moyer. Show all posts
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Goodbye Moyer, How Quickly We Forget...
Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the Phillies’ starting pitching rotation. Everyone wants to know who will remain in the rotation and who will go to the bullpen once future hall-of-famer Pedro Martinez is ready for the big leagues. According to local radio stations and Internet message boards, popular opinion seems to be that Jamie Moyer should be the one that is bumped from the rotation. Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the Phillies’ starting pitching rotation. Everyone wants to know who will remain in the rotation and who will go to the bullpen once future hall-of-famer Pedro Martinez is ready for the big leagues. According to local radio stations and Internet message boards, popular opinion seems to be that Jamie Moyer should be the one that is bumped from the rotation.
Sure, Moyer’s start Tuesday night start against Colorado was a rough one, but before that, in the entire month of July, he had a 3.30 earned run average and a four and one record. Most teams would give the world for their fifth starter to put up those kinds of numbers.
Granted, Jamie Moyer struggled throughout the first half of the season, but other than a small hiccup earlier this week, seems to have righted the ship in the second half. Not even supposed “Ace” Cole Hamels has put together a stretch like Moyer did in July this entire season. Looking at the numbers and the logic, it simply makes more sense to put a guy like recently signed Pedro Martinez into the bullpen than it does a guy who is putting up some pretty stellar second half numbers like Moyer.
Think about it. Pedro hasn’t even thrown a Major League pitch this year and by all accounts, probably couldn’t go any more than five innings in a game while Moyer, in his last ten starts, has gone at least six innings in more than half of them. Pedro hasn’t even thrown more than eighty-two pitches this season, a feat that he’s only accomplished once. Not to mention the fact that Martinez even volunteered to pitch out of the bullpen if needed.
On a club that has been as fair as possible to everyone from Chan Ho Park, who no one actually thought would last as a starter, to Brad Lidge, who if not for a perfect 2008 season would be relegated to a mop up role and possibly booed out of Philadelphia, it seems completely ridiculous to simply bump Moyer because he had a shaky first half, especially since he’s been so solid of late.
To make a rash decision based on one poor performance, three nights ago, would be completely unfair to a guy who has done nothing but give everything he has to the Phillies and their fans, including winning sixteen games in 2008 to help lead the team to only it’s second world championship in franchise history. How quickly we forget.
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Sure, Moyer’s start Tuesday night start against Colorado was a rough one, but before that, in the entire month of July, he had a 3.30 earned run average and a four and one record. Most teams would give the world for their fifth starter to put up those kinds of numbers.
Granted, Jamie Moyer struggled throughout the first half of the season, but other than a small hiccup earlier this week, seems to have righted the ship in the second half. Not even supposed “Ace” Cole Hamels has put together a stretch like Moyer did in July this entire season. Looking at the numbers and the logic, it simply makes more sense to put a guy like recently signed Pedro Martinez into the bullpen than it does a guy who is putting up some pretty stellar second half numbers like Moyer.
Think about it. Pedro hasn’t even thrown a Major League pitch this year and by all accounts, probably couldn’t go any more than five innings in a game while Moyer, in his last ten starts, has gone at least six innings in more than half of them. Pedro hasn’t even thrown more than eighty-two pitches this season, a feat that he’s only accomplished once. Not to mention the fact that Martinez even volunteered to pitch out of the bullpen if needed.
On a club that has been as fair as possible to everyone from Chan Ho Park, who no one actually thought would last as a starter, to Brad Lidge, who if not for a perfect 2008 season would be relegated to a mop up role and possibly booed out of Philadelphia, it seems completely ridiculous to simply bump Moyer because he had a shaky first half, especially since he’s been so solid of late.
To make a rash decision based on one poor performance, three nights ago, would be completely unfair to a guy who has done nothing but give everything he has to the Phillies and their fans, including winning sixteen games in 2008 to help lead the team to only it’s second world championship in franchise history. How quickly we forget.
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Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Old Man on the Mound
By Chris Pollay
Living in Phoenix now, I rarely get an opportunity to watch the Phillies at the ballpark. However, last night I was treated to a fantastic performance, especially since I had never seen Jamie Moyer pitch live and in-person before. The Southpaw may be turning 47 later this year, but last night he pitched with the heart and determination of a man in his prime.
It didn't start that way, though. Early on, he was battered and bruised by Arizona and the home crowd enjoyed some good natured kidding about the veteran's vintage age. Some of my favorite lines included: "Hey Jamie, you don't need to pitch. Just collect your social security."
Or, "Moyer, why am I yelling at you? There's no way you can hear me at your age."
In the first three innings, Moyer indeed looked rattled by the Diamondback hitters. His control was shaky as he gave up walks and base hits like candy at Halloween.
In fact, the D-Backs had two baserunners on in the first, three in the second and two in the third.
But the old man was stubborn and crafty. At one point, I was convinced he was on the ropes. He faced the worst situation a pitcher can face: bases loaded with no outs. Yet, he got out of it without giving up a single run. Strikeout. Double play. Wow.
At that point, the home crowd turned its attention to complaining about the D-Backs players for not stepping up and the insults about retirement and walking canes slowly faded away. Moyer regained control and ended up pitching quite a gem: no runs in 6 2/3 innings. He left the game with a 6 to 0 lead well on his way to his tenth victory of the season.
The tone of the crowd had changed a lot by then. One Phillies fans turned to his neighbors in Diamondback red and said, "Can you believe he came into the game tonight with a 9-7 record and he's 46? Isn't that amazing?"
Of course, the home fans had to agree. The old man is pitching in his 23rd season in the major leagues. He's a journeyman who has played for seven different teams. He has pitched in a whopping 657 games! He has notched 256 wins and over 2,300 strikeouts.
And, he has accomplished all of that by pitching a fastball that clocks in around 80 mph. How? Simple. He is a finesse pitcher and he never stops working hard and studying the game.
I'll be the first to admit I haven't been crazy about the fact that Moyer's ERA has been north of 5.0 this year, but I will always acknowledge that the man is one Hell of a workhorse.
I saw that firsthand last night. He firmly stood his ground when his control failed him and he trudged his way through the hard innings pretty much on willpower alone. On a night when he could have easily given in and sat early (thus, taxing the bullpen), he opted to face his struggles head on, eat up some innings, and come away with a gutty performance that I won't forget anytime soon.
Well done, old man. Well done, indeed.
In the bottom of the 7th inning last night, the Phillies met
on the mound to discuss Moyer's upcoming 47th birthday
in November (if my lip-reading is accurate). I believe Charlie
Manuel said: "We are considering throwing you a surprise
party, but nobody wants to give you a heart attack, Jamie."
Read more!
Living in Phoenix now, I rarely get an opportunity to watch the Phillies at the ballpark. However, last night I was treated to a fantastic performance, especially since I had never seen Jamie Moyer pitch live and in-person before. The Southpaw may be turning 47 later this year, but last night he pitched with the heart and determination of a man in his prime.
It didn't start that way, though. Early on, he was battered and bruised by Arizona and the home crowd enjoyed some good natured kidding about the veteran's vintage age. Some of my favorite lines included: "Hey Jamie, you don't need to pitch. Just collect your social security."
Or, "Moyer, why am I yelling at you? There's no way you can hear me at your age."
In the first three innings, Moyer indeed looked rattled by the Diamondback hitters. His control was shaky as he gave up walks and base hits like candy at Halloween.
In fact, the D-Backs had two baserunners on in the first, three in the second and two in the third.
But the old man was stubborn and crafty. At one point, I was convinced he was on the ropes. He faced the worst situation a pitcher can face: bases loaded with no outs. Yet, he got out of it without giving up a single run. Strikeout. Double play. Wow.
At that point, the home crowd turned its attention to complaining about the D-Backs players for not stepping up and the insults about retirement and walking canes slowly faded away. Moyer regained control and ended up pitching quite a gem: no runs in 6 2/3 innings. He left the game with a 6 to 0 lead well on his way to his tenth victory of the season.
The tone of the crowd had changed a lot by then. One Phillies fans turned to his neighbors in Diamondback red and said, "Can you believe he came into the game tonight with a 9-7 record and he's 46? Isn't that amazing?"
Of course, the home fans had to agree. The old man is pitching in his 23rd season in the major leagues. He's a journeyman who has played for seven different teams. He has pitched in a whopping 657 games! He has notched 256 wins and over 2,300 strikeouts.
And, he has accomplished all of that by pitching a fastball that clocks in around 80 mph. How? Simple. He is a finesse pitcher and he never stops working hard and studying the game.
I'll be the first to admit I haven't been crazy about the fact that Moyer's ERA has been north of 5.0 this year, but I will always acknowledge that the man is one Hell of a workhorse.
I saw that firsthand last night. He firmly stood his ground when his control failed him and he trudged his way through the hard innings pretty much on willpower alone. On a night when he could have easily given in and sat early (thus, taxing the bullpen), he opted to face his struggles head on, eat up some innings, and come away with a gutty performance that I won't forget anytime soon.
Well done, old man. Well done, indeed.
In the bottom of the 7th inning last night, the Phillies met
on the mound to discuss Moyer's upcoming 47th birthday
in November (if my lip-reading is accurate). I believe Charlie
Manuel said: "We are considering throwing you a surprise
party, but nobody wants to give you a heart attack, Jamie."
Read more!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Read 'Em and Sweep
By Chris Pollay
At the start of the weekend, four teams found themselves bottlenecked together atop the National League East. The Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins were tied for first with the New York Mets only one game back and the Atlanta Braves a mere two-and-a-half back.
When the smoke cleared at the end of Sunday afternoon, it was the Phillies who remained at the top with a one game lead over the Marlins and a four-game lead over the Braves and Mets.
Here are some of my observations following another wild showdown against the Phils and the Mets in the competitive NL East:
• The Mets held a 4-3 record against Philadelphia for the season going into the weekend (they also won four of the first five games in 2009). After Philly swiftly swept the series, however, the Liberty Bell Bombers now lead the rivalry this season by a 6-4 margin including five straight wins.
• The Phillies started the weekend leading the National League in numerous offensive categories, including: first in runs scored (394); first in home runs (107); first in slugging percentage (.444); first in OPS (.778); and first in total bases (1,173), yet they were barely treading over .500 with a 39-37 record. They can blame the inconsistency mostly on bad pitching as the ballclub was also ranked 15th in the National League in giving up earned runs, and 16th in hits and home runs allowed. In fact, the team had given up at least five runs in 14 of their last 18 games before they hosted the Mets on Friday. During the three-game series, however, Philly only gave up three runs overall to New York and emerged with a much more respectable 42-37 record.
• Philadelphia dominated a one-sided series in which they never trailed (or needed to bat in the 9th, for that matter). They outscored the Mets 13 to 3, outhit them 23 to 18 and didn't make an error. The Mets committed two. New York batted a collective .196 (18 of 92) and the Phils were .261 (23 of 88) as a team.
• The trio of starting pitchers for the Phils (Rodrigo Lopez, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton) boasted an ERA of 1.35 in 20 innings. Even more notable, the club's bullpen had a cumulative ERA of 0.00. Not a single run was scored by the Mets in the 8th or 9th innings.
• Philadelphia exploded out of the gate strong and scored in the first inning of EVERY game setting the tone in the series. They were clearly hungrier and more focussed.
• Philly had accrued a distressful 13-22 home record before the series started. Now, it’s still less-than-stellar at 16-22, but the home sweep is definitely a promising sign.
• Jimmy Rollins proved once again to be a pesky thorn in the Mets' collective back sides. After struggling all season long, his bat seems to be heating up at just the right time. This weekend, he connected on five of eleven (.455) from the leadoff spot with three walks and a home run. He also scored twice and tallied five RBIs. By all accounts, he was the MVP of the weekend series.
• Chase Utley and Shane Victorino also came up clutch for the Phils. Utley batted .333 (3 for 9) with one homer, three RBIs and two runs. The Flying Hawaiian was hotter than Spam Musubi batting .429 (6 for 14) and scoring three runs with one RBI. The top of Philadelphia's lineup was absolutely devastating in the series.
• The Phillies showed much more patience in the batter's box, which is a large reason why they swept. They did strike out 15 times, but they also drew 14 walks. Meanwhile, the Mets only walked six times and whiffed 20 times.
For now, it appears the Phils are stabilizing and the Mets continue to be embroiled in turmoil (not to mention injuries). It will be interesting to see where the two teams sit in the standings when they play their next series in late August. The Mets will host four straight games.
The two teams face off against each other eight more times in the regular season.
Read more!
At the start of the weekend, four teams found themselves bottlenecked together atop the National League East. The Philadelphia Phillies and Florida Marlins were tied for first with the New York Mets only one game back and the Atlanta Braves a mere two-and-a-half back.
When the smoke cleared at the end of Sunday afternoon, it was the Phillies who remained at the top with a one game lead over the Marlins and a four-game lead over the Braves and Mets.
Here are some of my observations following another wild showdown against the Phils and the Mets in the competitive NL East:
• The Mets held a 4-3 record against Philadelphia for the season going into the weekend (they also won four of the first five games in 2009). After Philly swiftly swept the series, however, the Liberty Bell Bombers now lead the rivalry this season by a 6-4 margin including five straight wins.
• The Phillies started the weekend leading the National League in numerous offensive categories, including: first in runs scored (394); first in home runs (107); first in slugging percentage (.444); first in OPS (.778); and first in total bases (1,173), yet they were barely treading over .500 with a 39-37 record. They can blame the inconsistency mostly on bad pitching as the ballclub was also ranked 15th in the National League in giving up earned runs, and 16th in hits and home runs allowed. In fact, the team had given up at least five runs in 14 of their last 18 games before they hosted the Mets on Friday. During the three-game series, however, Philly only gave up three runs overall to New York and emerged with a much more respectable 42-37 record.
• Philadelphia dominated a one-sided series in which they never trailed (or needed to bat in the 9th, for that matter). They outscored the Mets 13 to 3, outhit them 23 to 18 and didn't make an error. The Mets committed two. New York batted a collective .196 (18 of 92) and the Phils were .261 (23 of 88) as a team.
• The trio of starting pitchers for the Phils (Rodrigo Lopez, Jamie Moyer and Joe Blanton) boasted an ERA of 1.35 in 20 innings. Even more notable, the club's bullpen had a cumulative ERA of 0.00. Not a single run was scored by the Mets in the 8th or 9th innings.
• Philadelphia exploded out of the gate strong and scored in the first inning of EVERY game setting the tone in the series. They were clearly hungrier and more focussed.
• Philly had accrued a distressful 13-22 home record before the series started. Now, it’s still less-than-stellar at 16-22, but the home sweep is definitely a promising sign.
• Jimmy Rollins proved once again to be a pesky thorn in the Mets' collective back sides. After struggling all season long, his bat seems to be heating up at just the right time. This weekend, he connected on five of eleven (.455) from the leadoff spot with three walks and a home run. He also scored twice and tallied five RBIs. By all accounts, he was the MVP of the weekend series.
• Chase Utley and Shane Victorino also came up clutch for the Phils. Utley batted .333 (3 for 9) with one homer, three RBIs and two runs. The Flying Hawaiian was hotter than Spam Musubi batting .429 (6 for 14) and scoring three runs with one RBI. The top of Philadelphia's lineup was absolutely devastating in the series.
• The Phillies showed much more patience in the batter's box, which is a large reason why they swept. They did strike out 15 times, but they also drew 14 walks. Meanwhile, the Mets only walked six times and whiffed 20 times.
For now, it appears the Phils are stabilizing and the Mets continue to be embroiled in turmoil (not to mention injuries). It will be interesting to see where the two teams sit in the standings when they play their next series in late August. The Mets will host four straight games.
The two teams face off against each other eight more times in the regular season.
Read more!
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