With Herndon on the DL, is it time for Diekman?
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With Herndon on the DL, is it time for Diekman?
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
As you may have read on this site, the Phillies have placed righthander David Herndon on the 15-day disabled list with elbow inflammation. He is scheduled to undergo an MRI in the near future. In the meantime, the Phillies have several options down on the farm, and the 40-man roster flexibility to do whatever they feel is in the best interest of the club.
The most intriguing option is lefty Jake Diekman, who drew raves from the coaching staff for his performance during spring training. Diekman is on the 40-man roster, although that might not be a major factor since the Phillies have one open spot there. What they will likely consider are the 17 strikeouts and three walks that Diekman has tallied in 11 innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season. The hard-throwing lefty has allowed one run on 13 hits this season. He last pitched on Sunday, when he struck out three and walked two in 1 1/3 innings. Before that, he pitched on April 26.
Adding another lefty to the mix would make sense heading into a three-game series against the Braves, who feature lefty sluggers Brian McCann and Jason Heyward as well as leadoff hitter Michael Bourn. The Phillies could opt to go the veteran route, as lefty Raul Valdez has 15 strikeouts and no walks along with a 3.14 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. He would have to be added to the 40-man roster.
If the Phillies want a righty, veteran Brian Sanches (12 strikeouts, 2 walks, 3.21 ERA in 14 innings) would make sense. Prospect Justin De Fratus is on the disabled list with an elbow injury, while Phillippe Aumont has struggled with his command, walking nine against 13 strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings at Triple-A.
Now might be as good a time as any to throw Diekman into the mix. Not only do the Phillies have an immediate need, they are hardly settled in front of closer Jonathan Papelbon, who recorded his eighth save on Monday night. Antonio Bastardo issued a one-out walk in the eighth, and Chad Qualls allowed an RBI single and two-run home run as the Cubs rallied to tie the game at 4-4 before the Phillies won it in the eighth on Placido Polanco's two-run double.
Diekman has the potential to make the sort of impact that Mike Stutes and Bastardo made last season. If the Phillies think they might end up needing another option at the back of the bullpen down the road, this might be a good time to throw Diekman into the fire and see how he responds.
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I love a guy making fun of "knowledgeable" Phillies fans not knowing Savery was back up and has been for a while. If you are going to throw stones JBin make sure you know what you are talking about.— Captain- Mark and s - I couldn't agree more with your assessments. Why they are not using Savery is a question that deserves an answer - there almost HAS to be something wrong with him. As for Diekman, can anyone tell me why he was sent down in the first place? If anybody in AAA has major league talent, it's him. Qualls' poor outing is an indication of two things: 1 - he's human. 2 - they need another alternative - Diekman is that alternative.— dwp66
- If I had to guess as to why Diekman was sent down, I'd guess because of the way they try to juggle all the guys to manage keeping them in the system. Savery was on the 40 man roster last year. Once a guy is on the 40 man roster, his option clock starts and you basically have 3 years to see if he can make it in the bigs (a 4th year in some cases). Diekman only hit the 40 man roster this year. So he's essentially got an extra year than Savery. Savery is also a little older and they've invested a bit more in him. Once a guy is on the 40 man roster If two guys like that are close, you'll often see the one they can hang onto a bit longer sent down. People often neglect this juggling aspect of building rosters just as they live in fantasy lands where there are no contract issues. Both play very heavily into who gets the call when. If a team doesn't play that game they can end up losing good players or paying a lot of money for players who aren't contributing.
I believe Herndon is in his last option year. So he could be kept in AAA if someone comes up and blows them away. But they'll be faced with a decision on Herndon next year no matter what. He's also eligible for arbitration next year. So the urgency of seeing what he has is way above Diekman. They can take their time with Diekman.
Remember too that evaluating is as much for the ability to trade a guy as it is for him to contribute.
— s - Herndon is on the DL for ERA inflammation. Unfortunately for him there is no cure.— coloradoeagle
- I am a big Jordan Whatcott guy. He has pitched 16 innings of relief this year without giving up a run. Only 7 hits and struck out 17. Mid 90's fastball, sharp breaking slider at the knees. Picked up his first save of the year for Trevor May last night. Who will get the call? My money is old washed up Brian Sanches. He fits the Phillies profile.— Dull
- Phils should release Thome and bring up Posadnik. They could use his bat right now.— thomdee
- Just a guess, but I think Thome will go to the minors, decide he still can't contribute, and being the gentleman he is, will retire thus saving Charlie, the organization, and himself the embarrassment of being released.— phineas
