IS GETTING ITS DRAFT BOARD READY
One the heels of a shutout loss, the Phillies have begun a major shakeup, summoning catcher Paul Hoover from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Okay, it's not a major shake-up. It's a September callup of a 33-year-old veteran who batted .253 with 1 home run in 73 games this season. Just a routine move to add a third catcher for a month. But hey, it's news.
Join Andy Martino for a live Phillies chat Tuesday at 11 a.m.
The following courtesy of Jim Salisbury, beating the bushes out in Reading:
Brett Myers got out of his most recent rehab outing healthy and dry, but he was not particularly sharp while pitching two innings for the Reading Phillies against the Bowie Baysox tonight.
Myers, recovering from June 4 hip surgery, allowed two hits, including an inside-the-park home run, and struck out two. He threw 30 pitches, 16 strikes and 14 balls
Myers, who will pitch in relief when he is activated by the Phillies later this week, started the game. He was expected to throw 45-50 pitches but left the game when heavy rain halted play in the bottom of the second with Bowie leading, 1-0.
This was Myers’ second rehab outing with Reading. On Wednesday, he pitched two scoreless innings of relief and struck out five. Myers had been scheduled to work in relief again last night, but was assigned the start because of the threat of bad weather.
With the skies darkening, Myers appeared to rush his pitches in the second inning. He fell behind all four batters that he faced in the frame. Bowie’s Eric Crozier led off the second by hitting a long fly ball to right on a 2-0 fastball. The ball hit high off the wall and caromed for an inside-the-park home run.
Despite appearing to work quickly in the second inning, Myers said he attempted to pace himself because he was starting and he was aware that he needed to reach his prescribed pitch count. The pacing, he said, hurt his command. He said he would not pace himself when he works as a reliever. He is expected to pitch twice more, possibly Tuesday and Wednesday for triple A Lehigh Valley, before being activated.
``Tonight was a totally different scenario because I started the game,’’ Myers said. ``It’s different than coming out of the bullpen. I didn’t want to try to overthrow or overpower. I was just trying to get out of here healthy.’
Myers’ fastball ranged from 90-93 mph. One of his two strikeouts came on a sharp, full-count curveball.
``I think I’m pretty close,’’ Myers said.
A news flash for all of you out there interested in seeing big league talent at Double-A ticket prices: Brett Myers will start game one of a doubleheader in Reading tonight at 6:30. He could throw as many as 50 pitches, a key test of his durability as the Phils decide when to bring him back. It stands to reason that Myers could return sometime next week if all goes well.
Our Jim Salisbury is out there tonight, and we'll keep you updated.
A federal appeals court in California yesterday reached a decision about baseball that had implications regarding the privacy rights of every American—another example of sports and society intertwining. Phillies union rep Jimmy Rollins weighed in on the situation today.
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Charlie on J.A. Happ: "I think that Happ should definitely be Rookie of the Year." Agreed.
We all know that Charlie Manuel has been publicly supportive of Brad Lidge. But what does Ruben Amaro Jr. think, on a day when all of Philly seems to be buzzing with Lidge-related anxiety? After all, he’s the general manager, "the decider," to quote a former president.
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Tomorrow, Antonio Bastardo (shoulder strain) will pitch a Gulf Coast League rehab game, Clay Condrey (oblique) will throw in a simulated game, and J.C. Romero (forearm strain) will throw a bullpen session, according to Amaro. The GM said that he still hopes to have all three back this season.
“Angry,” Brad Lidge said when asked to describe his reaction last night. “It makes you angry.”
Some fairly meaningful rehab news just came in regarding three pitchers who have progressed far more slowly than originally anticipated. Clay Condrey (oblique), who the Phils were afraid at one point could be lost for the season, will throw a bullpen session tomorrow, as will J.C. Romero (left forearm strain). Antonio Bastardo (left shoulder strain) will finally appear in a rehab game tomorrow, pitching for the GCL Phillies. All of these guys have experienced unexpected setbacks, so the Phils have to be relieved to get them on a mound again.
Also, the Phillies earlier today placed Greg Dobbs (right calf strain) on the 15-day DL, an recalled INF Miguel Cairo to replace him. Cairo has been the subject of many reader email this season, as in WHY DON'T THEY CALL UP CAIRO TO REPLACE BRUNTLETT!!!!???!!, but the organization always preferred Bruntlett's ability to fill in at shortstop. Now Cairo will get another shot to impress and perhaps hang around for September.
The Dobbs injury is one of those little things that's actually kind of a pain for the Phils. Just when their bench finally looked impressive, with Dobbs and Matt Stairs from the left side and Ben Francisco from the right, the Phillies lose Dobbs. With Stairs slumping a bit, it is a bad time for the team to lose depth on the bench. Not a crisis, but not a good thing, either.
Well, Brett Myers made it to the ballpark today without running into any doors, and made his first rehab appearance since June 5 hip surgery. Myers pitched one inning, allowed two singles and struck out the side for Class-A Clearwater.
Assistant GM Scott Proefrock told me last week, before the swollen eye drama, that the Phils do not expect Myers to need the full 30 days allowed for a rehab assignment, and we can assume that he's now back on that clock. As with any first rehab outing, we'll know more when he wakes up tomorrow and has a feel for how he bounced back.
You may have noticed less blogging the past few days; I've been working hard on some stuff for Sunday and not covering too many games this week. That will continue for a few days, but I'll keep ya posted if anything big happens, here and on Twitter.
