Cliff Lee to make Phillies debut tomorrow; Who goes?
Cliff Lee will make his Phillies debut tomorrow against the Giants.
Cliff Lee to make Phillies debut tomorrow; Who goes?
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Cliff Lee will make his Phillies debut tomorrow against the Giants.
More from the newly-acquired lefty shortly.
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The first two roster moves to come as a result of the Cliff Lee/Ben Francisco trade are not a surprise. Steven Register, who allowed one run on three hits in two innings of his only appearance, was sent back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. John Mayberry Jr., who is 10-for-53 with four home runs, eight RBI and 22 strikeouts in 35 games, was also sent down. Mayberry has had four at-bats since the All-Star Break.
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The more interesting transactions should come with Chad Durbin, Clay Condrey and J.C. Romero return from the disabled list. Durbin and Condrey are eligible to return Aug. 7. J.C. Romero is eligible to return Aug. 4.
Here is a look at the non-regular players currently on the Phillies roster:
Pitchers: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre, Chan Ho Park, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick, Rodrigo Lopez, Tyler Walker
Bench players: Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs, Paul Bako, Ben Francisco, Eric Bruntlett
Kendrick and Walker are the two obvious demotions once the first two relievers return. Beyond that, there is no clear answer to who the third will be. And assuming Pedro Martinez is ready within the next week to 10 days, there will have to be another roster spot cleared.
Here are your options. Remember, two of the following players will have to be off of the roster once Martinez arrives:
Rodrigo Lopez, RHP: Lopez makes his fifth start of the season tonight. He has been steady in his first four. It is obvious that he won't have a spot in the rotation. But he has pitched before as a reliever. In 26 career relief appearances, he has posted a 2.95 ERA and held batters to a .209 average. But the Phillies don't have much invested of him. They could designate him for assignment, hoping that he would clear waivers and accept a demotion to the minor leagues. If another team claimed him, or if he became a free agent, they would owe him nothing.
Eric Bruntlett, INF: It doesn't seem likely that the Phillies would go with four players on the bench for the rest of their season. While Bruntlett is hitting just .125 this season, he is the only option off the bench should Jimmy Rollins or Chase Utley need a blow.
Clay Condrey, RHP: When healthy, Condrey has pitched well this season. And he is relatively cheap. If the Phillies designated him for assignment, there is a good chance he'd be picked up by another team. The Phillies need all the bullpen depth they can get.
Chad Durbin, RHP: Durbin is on a one-year deal, so he could also be designated for assignment. Seeing as though he is making $2 million, he isn't a likely candidate to be claimed. He would then have to accept a demotion and maintain his salary, or become a free agent and forfeit it. He's been solid for the Phils the last two years, and again, they need all the arms they can get.
Jamie Moyer, LHP: The most interesting piece to the puzzle. If the Phillies want to keep J.A. Happ in the rotation, where it appears he belongs, then Moyer seems to be without a role, unless the club goes to a six-man rotation. Moyer is not an ideal bullpen piece. But while it may not always look pretty, he is 6-1 with a 3.51 ERA in his last seven starts.
hardball....this proves that you know nothing about BBall. You need a veteran presence that won't melt when the going gets tough. Granted, he's not hitting well this year but is a reliable fielder and if we need him, he'll come through.
Jamie Moyer has a higher OBP than Bruntlett. Miguel Cairo, no great shakes there, I know, is a far better option. It's almost morbidly fascinating to witness Bruntlett's season. I don't have access to the Elias records, but I can't imagine a position player with over 100ABs (he's on track for about 115) that ever produced a batting average and OBP as low as Bruntlett. Does he have some dirt on Charlie or something?— hankOceann- I know I've got way too much time on my hands, but Eric Bruntlett is totally fascinating in its total futility. I used the "sortable" stats on ESPN through 2003 or so and there's no one that's put a year like Bruntlett's 2009. Just looking at 15-20 pitchers that have higher avgs and OPS than Whiff Beard. I would love to if Eric B is having a history making year. I'm thinking he might be the worst ever as a position player. It's truly astounding. Yet he's in there most nights looking like a Korean pitcher facing Tim Lincecum. And do you guys realize that Tom, Sarge and Wheels (and even the post-game people) cite Bruntlett and his.123 average. On top of that, he strikes out at a pace that would make Ryan blanche. At what point does this stop? Capable, "I'll play anywhere" guys like Joe McEwing are always floating around. And no one can be as bad as this Bruntlett. My only conspiracy theory is that Brunt and Amaro both went t0 Stamford. That or maybe Eric B has some incrimminating video on Charlie....some video of him off the Nutrisystem program.— hankOceann
- a waiver deal seems likely to improve in the Bruntlett area, if they can get a couple guys through waivers and do it, they'll be in good shape. The real question is not Moyer or Pedro, since Moyer will not be effective from the Pen, but what to do if Myers becomes ready. Then we're looking at a whole other set of decisions.— Ckott
- Cairo is in AAA hitting.290-.310 and can play infield except lB and is at least a threat to hit the ball on occasion. Amaro neeeds to work a trade . AND SWAP THESE EXCESS PITCHERS— tulsaphil
- Perhaps Bruntlett has something from Amaro's days at Stanford. We all do things in college that we'd like to forget. There must be an unemployed infielder in Japan who would like to play in the USA--sign him. I hear Charlie speaks Japanese.— Delaware Jim
- Trading Lopez? He is a free agent after the season. Unless some team really has a hole in their rotation that they don't want to fill with a minor leaguer, Lopez has zero trade value.— jtj06
- If you ask me, the best bet for the Phillies rotation is: 1. Lee, 2. Blanton, 3. Hamels, 4. Martinez, 5. Moyer. A bullpen of lefties Happ, Eyre, and Romero and righties Park, Condrey, Madson, and Lidge looks pretty strong. In the playoffs Martinez or Moyer start 4th depending on the opposition. Happ goes to the pen because he already has pitched great out of the pen this year. Makes more sense than trying Pedro or Moyer who haven't relieved in years.— jtj06
