Decisions, Decisions: Antonio Bastardo
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Decisions, Decisions: Antonio Bastardo
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Right now, the Phillies are in evaluation mode. Ruben Amaro Jr. admitted the obvious yesterday, that he and the rest of the decision-makers in the front office and on the coaching staff will not be able to make any final roster or rotation decisions until the conclusion of the American League Championship Series. Throughout the weekend, we'll break down some of the unresolved situations they will be pondering. There are several significant decisions: Who will start Game 2 -- Cole Hamels or Pedro Martinez? Might Cliff Lee pitch on three days rest? Keep 12 pitchers or 11? Eric Bruntlett or Miguel Cairo or both?
First, though, here's an under-the-radar decision that could affect the final roster spot: Should Antonio Bastardo remain on the team?
The logic in keeping the rookie lefthander around for the first couple rounds was obvious: With Scott Eyre pitching with a loose body in his elbow, the Phillies only veteran southpaw in the bullpen was somewhat of a question mark. The Phillies faced a left-handed-heavy Rockies team, and a Dodgers squad that featured dangerous left-handed sluggers like Andre Ethier, James Loney and two lefties on the bench in Juan Pierre and Jim Thome.
But in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Bastardo faced just two batters. He struck out one -- Jason Giambi in Colorado -- and allowed a hit to the other. Eyre, meanwhile, has shown no ill effects from his injury.
If the Phillies truly believe Brett Myers is in a position to help the team -- Amaro said yesterday Myers' stuff has looked much crisper than it did in the NLDS, when he allowed two walks and hit a batter in his only appearance -- they will find a way to put him on the roster. Amaro said yesterday the inclusion of Myers could boil down to whether the Phillies keep 11 or 12 pitchers -- If they go with 12, as they did in the NLDS, Myers would be the logical 12th man.
But what if they want to keep both Miguel Cairo, whose NLCS experience was limited to a pair of pinch-hit at-bats, and Eric Bruntlett, who showed his value as a pinch runner?
Is it worth keeping Bastardo around?
On paper, the Yankees don't have the type of vulnerable left-handed slugger to match-up situationally with Bastardo. Hideki Matsui has hit better against lefties than righties in each of the last two seasons, and this year has 13 home runs in 131 at-bats against lefties. Mark Texeira has shown more power from the left side of the plate, but is equally dangerous from the righ side, as evidenced by his at-bat against Darren Oliver in Game 4 of the ALCS (Just ask John Lackey).
Johnny Damon hits righties better than lefties. And while Robinson Cano hit .326 with 15 home runs in 417 ABs vs. righties this season, he hit .306 with 10 home runs in 220 ABs vs. lefties.
But the biggest question: Does Charlie Manuel have enough faith in Bastardo to send him into a big moment in the World Series against the best-hitting team in baseball? And if he doesn't, would the Phillies be better suited keeping an experienced arm on the roster -- whether it be Myers, Clay Condrey or Tyler Walker -- even if that arm is a right-handed one?
Granted, this is assuming the Yankees win tonight or, if weather affects the start, tomorrow.
But even if the Angels are the opponent, if the Phillies' plan is to keep J.A. Happ available in the bullpen, which Manuel said it was, at least for the first few games, what chance would a third lefthander, one who has faced just two batters this postseason, have of getting into a game?
It's something to think about. . .
What, exactly, does Myers bring to the table? He can't close, can't pitch middle relief & can't start. He is an alternate to Madson in the 8th or pitching the 9th in a non-save situation, a role Durbin could & has filled admirably. Chollie takes a lot of heat for his use of Happ out of the pen, bringing Myers on guarantees Happ stays in the pen as the only left-hander besides Eyre. I vote Bastardo. Just for the record. Start Pedro game 2 - no bigger, better or more familar stage for him to leave it all on the mound. DH Raul in Yankee w. Ben in left (duh).— Ed3- Pinch hitting situations will be fewer when the DH is part of the games that the ALCS champion hosts. My opinion: drop Bastardo, add Myers and Condrey, drop Cairo. 12 pitchers, and if you really needed an emergency pinch runner, use Lee or Hamels. It also may be wise to have 12 pitchers in case we encounter (hopefully only one) blowout game in the WS and don't want to burn the entire bullpen. Myers may be the 'take one for the team' innings-eater if necessary.— davadora
- Myers could get another 13-pitch AB against CC. Unless the Yankees choke on their own vomit.— joe$
- Eyre hasn't shown any ill effects? He's faced 13 batters and 6 of them reached base, including lefties Carlos Gonzalez (twice), Todd Helton, and Thome. That's a .461 avg. He was actually pulled in favor of Madson against Helton, and Madson has poor splits against lefties. Bastardo isn't the answer either but let's not pretend Eyre has been doing his job.— anodyne
- I agree Ed3. Pedro gets the ball in game two with Hamels starting at home in familiar territory and the crowd behind him. If you're going into Yankee Stadium, you'll need to bring your A-game, something Pedro hasn't back down from.— jactaid
- awww yea!! It's almost wednesday!!!— MFPhils
- I agree davadora. Less late inning PH or double switch opportunities, due to the DH, means less need for the extra position player. The question is Cairo or Beardlett. I'd stick w/Cairo b/c of his bat. Most of the late game defensive replacements will go to Francisco instead of Beardlett anyway, so I think there's more advantages to going with Cairo's experience. With the extra pitcher, I'd probably lean toward Myers over Condrey, but it's no slam dunk. They've all had their issues.— kevsar
- Myers is their 12th best pitcher? WOW, somebody better remind them back in May, in one of his last starts, in Yankee Stadium against Burnett, Myers threw 7 or 8 shut out innings, I'd have more CONFIDENCE in Myers than Bastardo, ho is this NOT A NO BRAINER???— dfrancis1958
I agree, pitch Pedro in game 2 and Hamels in game 3. If Myers arm feels and looks good, then I'd have to go w/ him over the rook Bastardo in the WS. With the roller coaster the bullpen has been, I don't think anything is a no brainer.— Mayhem- Myers is a Yankee killer. He is 2-0 and has struck out 16 Yanks in 14 innings. And he is pitching for a contract somewhere next year.— Dull
- There is no need to keep Bastardo. Myers should replace him. Because of the DH you also don't need an extra pitcher; there won’t be many double switches either. Francisco will be the LF against Sabathia and Pettite, and Ibañez the DH. And that means they'll need to carry an extra RH bat and that should be Cairo. If they decide to keep 12 pitchers, then Bruntlett should sit this one out. Charlie should be careful and don’t pull the trigger too early and pinch hit for Francisco like he did against Colorado. This team needs his presence both in offense and defense as long and as much as they can, imo. Stairs, Dobbs, Cairo or Brunlett are not pretty good outfield options late in games.— EL Zorro
- No way should Bastardo be on the roster. He throws a straight fastball that will get HAMMERED by the Yankees. He was figured out quickly in the majors and unless he develops some more pitches will remain a minor league pitcher for his career.— Malcolm65
- Bastardo has a big upside. I would keep him to throw against lefties. The only ones I have any confidence in are Park and Madson. Durbin looked good and he was a quality pitcherin 08 until the kast 6 weeks of the season. Chads control is a big issue. Amaro will have to rebuild the bullpen for 2010. Im hoping Bastardo and Scott Mathieson can be effective.— Don w
- If their Golden Luck holds out they could start Gonzo and come away with a win. Make no mistake boys and girls: We are enjoying the same kind of other-worldly luck we enjoyed last post-season.......we just have to hope it is meant to last as long. GO FIGHTINS!!!— TBear
- Look, if you want to put Brett Myers on the roster then do it. But don't try to justify if with some hints that he looks "good". They have all the right handed relief pitchers they need and they can always use a left-hander with "stuff". Bastardo is the right guy for the World Series roster, not Brett Myers.— dondon
