Drabek throws no-no; Madson is close
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Drabek throws no-no; Madson is close
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
( David Swanson / Staff Photographer )
Following up on a few newsy notes on this Fifth of July...
Hey, Kyle Drabek threw a no-hitter. Remember him? Of course you do.
Drabek was the best prospect the Phillies gave up in the Roy Halladay trade. So far, it appears that trade has worked out pretty well for both sides.
Drabek threw 98 pitches in the no-no for double-A New Hampshire and reports had him at 95-97 m.p.h. in the ninth inning. It was his first win since May 31.
He faced 28 batters, walking two, but erased one on a double play. As John Habib wrote in The Union-Leader (N.H.), every out was on a routine play. There were no spectacular defensive plays needed.
"You keep looking at the scoreboard and keep seeing the zeros," Drabek told reporters. "I was as composed in the seventh and eighth innings as I was when I first started the game, but I got a little nervous in the ninth. The crowd was great with their support, but I was freaking out there a little bit."
The Inquirer checked in on Drabek during spring training.
MADSON GOING BACK-TO-BACK
Wanted to clarify something from today's notebook: I erroneously wrote Ryan Madson would pitch on back-to-back days for triple-A Lehigh Valley beginning Sunday. That, obviously, should have been Monday (today).
Madson will pitch Monday and Tuesday for the IronPigs. If all goes well, as the rest of his rehab has so far, then Madson could be back with the Phillies on Wednesday or Thursday.
WHAT'S UP HAPP?
Lefthander J.A. Happ allowed four runs on six hits in 5 1/3 innings Sunday for triple-A Lehigh Valley in his final rehab start.
The question now is, what's next?
Happ has options left and the Phillies have publicly discussed sending Happ down for more time to sharpen his stuff. Happ's line wasn't pretty Sunday, but reports have him looking better than his last outing for the IronPigs five days ago. But he still tired as the game went on. Happ was never able to complete six innings in his six rehab starts.
Fifth starter Kyle Kendrick is fresh off a complete-game victory. Joe Blanton, as troubling as Sunday's outing was, appears to have turned a corner in the last three weeks.
So the Phillies have the current luxury of buying some time with Happ, especially with the All-Star break approaching. The guess here is Happ goes to the minors for a few more weeks.
Either way, the Phillies have to make a move Wednesday when Happ's official rehab clock expires.
Comments (69)
Actually, Warbiscuit, Halladay and Lee have been remarkably similar since the start of 2008, with Halladay a smidge better. Here are the numbers: Halladay is 47-28 with a 2.68 ERA and a 1.087 WHIP, with 533 strikeouts and 92 walks. Lee is 44-19, with a 2.79 ERA, a 1.135 WHIP and 440 strikeouts against 83 walks. As for Brett Myers, since 2008, he is 19-22 with a 4.31 ERA, 1.372 WHIP. Plus a whole of antics and baggage. Moyer, by contrast is 37-24 with 4.24 ERA and a 1.279 WHIP. He's been a little bit better than Myers and has been solid this year. Certainly a good No. 3 for just about any staff. And Hamels, by the way, is better than both: 30-28 with a 3.73 ERA and a 1.206 WHIP. Drabek may be a good pitcher in the major leagues one day, but he wouldn't be helping this team now. And Myers certainly would not be the current No. 2 starter here. You can argue the Phils should have held on to Lee on more year and rolled the dice on a World Series this season. But pitching has not been the cause of the Phils' problems. Cliff Lee would do nothing to solve this team's injuries and offensive woes unless he's also a medical doctor, can play second base and hit in the No. 3 hole on his non-pitching days.— Muckrakers- Wait, how is this trade a "push" when it clearly states that this was Drabek's first win SINCE MAY?— beegal99
- even if we didnt make the trade drabek wouldn't be pitching for us for another year or two, if not longer— tylerr
The team does not need to make any moves. The return of key players is a boost just like a new acquisition. Madsen, Happ and Durbin will help bolster the bullpen and rotation. Ruiz, Polanco and Utley all help the offense and defense improve. The team is only 4 games behind. If they continue to trade prospects for short term rewards it will become a wasteland in the system, and they will not have a good chance of success over the long term. Brown will be up by September and eventually replace either Werth of Ibanez. Kendrick or Happ will take Moyer's place in the rotation. What they really need is a return to form from Lidge or a more reliable option. I am hopeful that Matthieson is that guy, but he didn't get much of a chance to show it. If they trade anyone it should be Werth, since he will be a free agent, and they need to get a closer for him, not a starter.- @booman55: If anyone is ignorant about the Phils, it's you. Since the previous poster acted as though all of those titles were Ruben's. I simply pointed out which ones were and which weren't. Almost nobody agrees with you on the Lee thing. I wasn't the one making the other arguments. Ruben has done an OK job since becoming the GM, not great, not bad, just OK. I'm well aware that he went to Stanford, and worked under Ed Wade before working under Gillick and was given tremendous responsibility by both GMs. If I were Dave Montgomery, I would have considered him the most obvious choice to replace Gillick. But the standards are high here now. It's not going to be enough to just win a division, this team has been WS champs as recently as '08 and got back there last year. He must make a key move before the trade deadline this year. I think he can do it. But I'm tired of the arrogant attitude of some people on this board that says if you don't agree with everything they do, you must be an idiot. I follow the games. I see the same weaknesses that you do. It's his job to fix them. Yes, they've had success, real fans want them to have more. I've been watching this team since the early 70's. They won't always have 3 sure fire HOFs on the team. They could go decades between championships once this nucleus is gone. They owe it to themselves to win as many championships as they can before, say, 2014. Next time you're at CBP, check out the red flags. There are only 2. The team has been around since 1883. These opportunities won't last forever, take it from a guy that's seen everyone from Jesus Hernaiz to Joe Cowley running around in a Phillies uniform. Hold the GM to a high standard. Real fans expect something from this team, because it's capable of of doing big things.— drbob1
- @drbob1...once again you show your ignorance. To discredit Ruben because he was merely the assistant GM is asinine. Anyone who knows how Pat Gillick operates clearly knows he delegates tremendous responsibility to his assistants. You act like Ruben was sharpening pencils under Gillick.— booman55
- Warbiscuit, you're a moron. Adrian Beltre has never produced in a non walk year. He's a paycheck player, and everyone knows it. He has the talent to be a 45HR guy every year. He's done it once. I'll pass on wasted talent guys thank you. I think it's sweet that you think Cliff Lee is better than Halladay. I guess every other baseball person in the world is wrong, huh? 92 Cutter and 93 splitter aren't out pitches to you, huh? Not sure how a guy has a winning record and low era vs the AL East without an "out pitch." Idiot. Drabek is a small frame power pitcher. That SCREAMS future injury risk. Ibanez carried the team in the first half last year. Pujols will get over 30mil a year, and if you think Howard is only a tick under him, that is more than what they signed him for. So they likely saved money by throwing it at him early.
- can you imagine Doc-Lee-Hammels...for the next three years?...Phillies are contender...I don't think any NL team is as good as the best AL team...think about this series with the Braves...if we came back at them with Cliff Lee and then Hammels...letting Lee go is as bad as Sandberg or Schilling— PHILLYMARK
- @paulsotx: As I wrote to vafan, just because you root for a team and are a diehard fan doesn't mean you have to agree with everything they do. And read the other posts, almost everyone agrees the Lee trade was stupid. BTW, since you brought up the hardware, Amaro has 1 division title and an NL pennant. All the other stuff is credited to Pat Gillick.— drbob1
- vafan is right, the young fans in Philly who post this constant whining about Amaro don't deserve a team this good. They won three division titles, two NL pennants and a World Series, yet these spoiled babies cry because they are 4 games out on the 6th of July? This team does not need spoiled quitters (FRONTRUNNERS!!!!) behind them, they need a fanbase that realizes you take the good with the bad, and still support the Phillies.
- Ruben's just fine, starting pitching is hardly the problem. Offense/injuries is. As long as they get healthy down the stretch we'll be fine.— robinlupe
- yo, booman - thanks for the Amaro perspective but it's much easier to second guess him from the anonymity of the keyboard and pretend to know all the right moves after they're already made. Just ask warbiscuit.— vafan
- Is someone actually saying that they would rather have Drabeck than Halladay? Can you please join my fantasy league?— bamaphillyfan
- Some of you people need to ask yourselves do you think you really know better than Ruben Amaro? Are you privy to all the information that he has? Did you go to Stanford and did you spend your whole life around ML baseball? That being said, he's not perfect, but he's more informed than all of you.— booman55
- I'd honestly say the Lee trade to Seattle was the second-worst decision that RAJ has made. I still think signing Ibanez for 3 years is worse. No one else was offering Ibanez a third year, and the Phils were offering more than anyone else too. Get rid of Ibanez's $11.5M per year for this year and next, and we have the money not only to keep Lee this year (even if he does leave during the offseason) and maybe even resign Werth. Don't forget, Jamie Moyer's $6.5M salary comes off the books after this season, as does the last of Jim Thome's contract. The Phils have this season and next. After next season, a lot of players are free agents.— buttermilk67
- To be fair, you cant expect the prospects the be "outstanding" their first year. You have to give them time to develop. It's also easy for people to point out they are not working out and had to move down a level, but realize they moved up a level shortly after coming to philly.— phigglesfan75
- all you people saying that lee would've been gone after next year need to read up on the situation a little more, because cliff lee in interviews said that he wanted to finish his career out in Philadelphia and didn't need a lot of money to do it either.. Also to those of you who say that trading lee was part of getting halladay, you are wrong. They were 2 complete different trades— JimmyFranks
- The Halladay trade was worth it. Drabek has been inconsistent, which means he's not ready yet and may not ever develop in to a star. He's taken a step backwards unless this is when he turns his season around. A no hitter isn't a sign of "true talent". Dallas Braden threw a perfect game in the big leagues and he's an awful talent. The Phillies mistake was trading Lee for garbage. Cheap ownership has hurt this franchise. Lee is a steal at $9 million a year and they STILL insisted on moving him.— comin4ya23
- The Halladay trade was worth it. Drabek has been inconsistent, which means he's not ready yet and may not ever develop in to a star. He's taken a step backwards unless this is when he turns his season around. A no hitter isn't a sign of "true talent". Dallas Braden threw a perfect game in the big leagues and he's an awful talent. The Phillies mistake was trading Lee for garbage. Cheap ownership has hurt this franchise. Lee is a steal at $9 million a year and they STILL insisted on moving him.— comin4ya23
- yo, warbiscuit and others that blast the Howard extension - for the record, Ryan will make $20 million/yr beginning next season and will not make $25 million until 2014. That's a great deal for the Phillies but let's not let facts get in the way of a good argument.— vafan
- yo, cuz - huh? I tried to understand what you were saying, I really did.— vafan
- yo, warbiscuit - "i'd have kept lee and jettisoned blanton, (to where?) never signed ibanez, (who plays left last year, carries the team in the first half?) polanco, or moyer to long term deals, (then you don't get either player, now who was your option last year for Moyer and this year for Polanco) and kept myers (well documented clubhouse issues kept this from happening)- and signed a closer and shored up the bullpen (wow). and if they could have done the halladay deal then all the better but if not they'd still have 3 more high profile prospect for their future or to trade with." Do you understand the concept of payroll and the fact that every team in the league needs the things you mentioned? This is pure hindsight on your part.— vafan
- Well GreenWing, HE DID COME UP BIG TONIGHT. Now, go back into your hole and try to figure out why you hate your teams so much.— EPC FAN
- @booman55: Yep, watch all the games, like yesterday's when Blanton 'pitched into the 7th inning'. Sorry, but no "W" for pitching into the 7th, your bullpen has to not suck and you have to not run out of gas because you're out of shape, like Big Joe. Hey, don't go by me, see what the baseball experts like Jason Stark say the Phils chances of winning this division might be with this particular rotation. BTW, you don't have the right to ask people if they're watching the games if you are posting things like Happ couldn't be part of the rotation this year because he's hurt. Dubee wants to get him a couple of more starts in AAA, then he's back, probably right after the ASB. And Lee WOULD have been here for at least this year, you know, a year in which they are contenders. So if he signed elsewhere, he signed elsewhere. But he wanted to be here. He's said that publicly , many times. So they could have had that rotation this year if they wanted to. Ruben didn't want to. Halladay is fine, statistically, he's better than Lee, and pitched one hell of a game vs. Atlanta tonight. But warbiscuit did a good job of explaining why this team isn't as good as it could be.Most fans didn't want to trade Lee and the prospects they got back are a joke. Just to show you that I'm keeping track though, one of those prospects , JC Ramirez, finally pitched a good game tonight, giving up just 2 runs and striking out 7 in 7 innings in a win for Reading. But he's no Cliff Lee. I'm a Phils fan and hope at least one of the prospects work out, I really do, but I'm not holding my breath.— drbob1
- @DrBob...do you even watch the games? The Phillies starting rotation has pitched into the 7th more than any other team in the league. Yes, I like our rotation this year over any Lee and Drabek combo you could dream up.— booman55
- @warbiscuit - Halladay is signed for $20 million (the operative word being signed), not 23 million. What's Cliff Lee team doing right now with him pitching lights out. He would not have helped the Phillies this year because he's not a hitter. I'd rather have Halladay signed, then watch Lee hold you up for 25 million.— booman55
- Well, Well, Well. If Drabek can pitch a 9 inning no,no against the worst team in AA last night shouldn't we expect the great Juan Carlos Ramirez and his 5.40 ERA acquired for Lee to do the same for Reading tonight against this same awful New Britain team?— Dull
Comment removed.- @warbiscuit: Couldn't have said it better , I agree 100%, for all of the reasons you gave about it hurting us both now and the future. But you might note that not all of the media gave him a free pass; Amaro no longer speaks to Missinelli at 97.5 because he criticized the Lee deal.— drbob1
- @booman55: Happ will probably be back next week after the break. He's not out for the season. And obviously, I was assuming that you'd sign Lee,and you could have done that if you declined Blanton's option ( assuming the owners dictate no more salary). Then it would be Lee, Hamels, Moyer, Happ and Drabek. And Drabek would be like bringing up a Bob Walk or Marty Bystrom late in the year, like the Phils did years ago with a WS contender. Whatever he gives you, he gives you; if he doesn't have it that night you go to the pen. Look at what you have now.. Halladay, Blanton, Moyer, Hamels , Kendrick. I'll be consistent and say that Happ will probably replace KK next week. Do you really like that rotation going forward?— drbob1
- yo, doc - I agree that passionate fans are the best fans. It's the others here that are labeled "passionate" but really just can't be pleased unless the Phils go 162-0 that get to me. Personally, I agreed with 95% of every move Ruben made at the time he made it. Blanton was always known as an innings eater and has played well for us overall. Now that he's having some problems after a stint on the dl lots of "passionate" fans want to dump him. I also think Ruben tried to include Blanton and others in some deals but couldn't find the right combination. Some of the "passionate" fans aren't looking at the bigger picture when they say we should've kept Lee and traded Blanton (or Hamels). Obviously Lee is better but that isn't the only factor you consider. Length of contracts, signability, money (obviously), etc and more that I can list all go into the discussion. Looking back, it's obvious Rube got hosed by Seattle. "Passionate" fans blaming all of the Phils problems right now on the Lee trade, Howard signing and basically every move Amaro has made is what gets to me. Before the season started EVERYONE here loved 95% of the moves Amaro made and now he is as hated as Andy Reid is by "passionate" Eagles fans. That's a whole different discussion I'll save for training camp. My point is that any criticism of the moves Ruben made is fine but some of the fodder here is definitely over the top. I'm sure you and I are closer in our opinions than you think.— vafan
- In what world would Drabek, Lee, Hamels, Happ and Moyer or Blanton in the same rotation? For starters Happ is hurt, so it wouldn't happen this year. And next year Cliff Lee wouldn't be here. Phillies fans are so shortsighted, we'll have Roy Halladay for the foreseeable future, yet people are pining for Cliff Lee, when pitching has been the least of our problems. He would not have helped one bit this year.— booman55
- Drabek is not one of the "best prospects" in baseball. He's a good pitcher who has not been able to get out of AA yet. It's very nice that he got the no-hitter. It was against the 24-59 New Britain Rock Cats, one of the worst teams in pro ball. I saw that team in Reading a couple of weeks ago. They stink. They are horrible. It's unfair to use that game just because someone needs a debate point. The problem with the Lee trade is that they were depending on Happ as LH #2 - and that was reasonable, and he's been injured all season. There's no way they throw a 3 LH rotation out there. The Happ injury must be very bad.— Bob1
- Why are people panicing with this team, its not like they havent done this dive before the all star break. Yes this team started the season with injuries and havent gotten it all together yet. The worry should be about Utley the pitching staff when or if they get healthy with be fine as they get more innings. What is up with people not liking Ryan Howard? Have you looked at his numbers since he was called up? He is near .300 this year what is the complaint? My hope is they dont panic and gut this farm system at the trade dead line, there are some nice talent down in the system. We did get pitchers back in the Lee trade they just arent as close as Drabek. Relax people and enjoy the ride.— skills
- @awl ... I could not have said it better.— PhightinPhil
- @warbiscuit: I'm totally comfortable with halladay as long as the Phils get off to something like a 6-1 lead. If he gets ahead like that, he sits on him for 8 innings and it's over. But if it's 3-2 Phils in the 8th , I'm not comfortable at all. Doc reminds me of Nolan Ryan, best ERA, best K/BB ratio, best stuff, etc., but if you can hang around until late in the game..well, everyone remembers that NLCS game vs. Houston in 1980.— drbob1
- @vafan: Look, I can agree that sometimes people jump on and off the bandwagon, but just because you're passionate about the team doesn't make you a fair weather fan. That trade was poorly executed, period. If ownership said he had to reduce salary, he could have declined the option on Blanton and kept Lee, and never made the Halladay trade, that was the point of my original post (it didn't suggest to drop Blanton, but if the ownership insisted on clearing salary I sure as hell wouldn't have done it with Lee). Ruben has a done a decent job, but it's not close to the job Gillick did while he was here ,and good Phils fans have the right to call Amaro out when he does something that hurts the team. I know what Ruben said ( he's not going to say the owners don't want to pay anymore money), but that trade did NOT replenish the farm system. What do you think Seattle's GM would say if Ruben came along today and said; "I'll give you Tyson Gillies, Phillippe Aumont and JC Ramirez right now for Cliff Lee?" How long do you think it would take before the guy stopped laughing? It was a bad trade, and even diehard Phils fans like myself aren't obligated to go along with every stupid move they make, just because they root for the team. In fact, a good fan will criticize the team when it messes up, but still root for them. It's not a 'love it or leave it' kind of thing, like with Cubs fans. For the record, I don't think the Phils are done at all, if anything, the Mets and Braves have missed out on their chance to put the Phils away for good, and now everyone but Utley will be back in the next few weeks. I think the Phils have a damn good chance to win the division and maybe a whole lot more, but Ruben has got to make a move to help the 2010 Phils, and not be as concerned with the 2015 Phils. That team( 2015) won't have future HOFs at first, second, short, this team does.— drbob1
- First off, complaining about the team you love when they make a bad trade, is not being negative or jumping off the bandwagon. It's expressing frustration for a bad move. I don't like the Lee trade one bit, but I still follow the team. Secondly, if anyone thinks the Lee trade was about prospects, I have a few bridges in Brooklyn to sell you. If it was about replenishing the prospects, why trade them on the same day? Why not shop Lee around to get better prospects?! The trade happened because Amaro didn't want the fans to get used to having both Lee and Halladay on the team because he didn't want to pay Lee, so he got rid of him on the day when fans were on a high about Halladay. Secondly, we SHOULDN'T forget about the Lee trade because it is hurting the team now. Not to mention that another shoe WILL drop on that trade where Lee may go to another NL East Team or the Yankees, the fact that the Phils one year ago today had a farm system that was rated as one of the deepest, and now the farm system is depleted in 2 trades where we only have 2 players from those trades on the team: Halladay and Francisco. If we had more prospects we have the potential to get help this year, but now we have nothing. I would have preferred to keep Lee AND the prospects we traded for Halladay than just Halladay, and I like Halladay. This trade is the trade that won't stop hurting the team. And these comments are not from a fan who just started watching the Phils, nor being negative. It's reality and it's frustrating.— awl
- This no hitter should've been thrown for Reading. Hated the Lee-Halladay "give up the farm" trades in Dec. (when they happened) & hate them even more now. Woulda been nice to have this guy to bring up for 2011. Ruben got a little carried away & couldn't leave well enough alone. He won on the Lee trade but wasn't content. He then went out & got fleeced by Seattle & possibly Toronto.— kennedy2
- yo, warbiscuit - thanks for proving my point about market value in 2 years by adding Fielder and Gonzalez to the mix with Pujols. I'm pretty sure Howard's new contract doesn't kick in for a couple more years and even the $25 million per year is a couple years into that contract. Who knows what these other fine first basemen are going to get 2 years from now but $20-25 million for Howard is looking pretty good right now. Did I mention there isn't a no trade clause attached to Ryan's contract? And what's with putting words in the mouths of every single gm and reporter in the country? I respect what you have to say and you don't have to pretend to have back up. Lastly, Beltre is a great player. I stand by the Polanco signing as very good for this team. Many reasons are obvious such as 3 years vs 1 year, less money, the ability to play multiple positions, hitting for average, moving runners, well documented clubhouse presence, etc. You can't have the best player (not saying Beltre is the best) at every position even if you're the Yankees.— vafan
- It is mind boggling to see so many fans (short for fanatics) criticizing Roy Halladay ... Trust me, there is no one who was more upset than me when the Phillies traded Cliff Lee ... NO ONE ... I still fantasize what it would have been like to see the two of them at the top of the rotation ... But I can't imagine why anyone would belittle Halladay just to show their support for Lee? ... Halladay is the least of their problems.— PhightinPhil
- Let's wait a few years before we start comparing prospects traded vs. prospects received...and then, at that time, we can factor in Dominic Brown (who the Phillies have not and hopefully will not trade). A, AA, AAA...it doesn't make a difference. The only thing that matters is MLB.— Phront_Runner
- Throwing a no hitter is NOT a sign of true talent. The Oakland A's pitcher that threw the perfect game this year sucked before the perfect game and still sucks now.— philliekev04
- yo, Cuz - no point to make so you throw an insult? "Dip" and "simple minded" aren't exactly head turners but I'm sure you can make a point, if you have one, without insulting others. "With the ineptness, underachieving players/manager/owners and lack of championships that this town has, it'ts amazing people even care to comment." Wow, the true definition of negadelphia.— vafan
- We should have kept Lee and signed him long term. Pitching wins championships. You would have Halladay, Lee and Hamels. Let Werth go and no Moyer and you could afford it. Bring up Dom Brown and we win the WS. I would rather have stud pitching than stud hitting any day. We still would have had a good lineup but no the "brain trust" decided to replenish the farm system and now we are up the creek without a paddle. This season is over. Did i mention how i love to watch a 38 yr old left fielder stink it up for the past year. Bench Raul now.— Four4Four
- warbiscuit are you serious. Lee has had 2 good seasons. 3 years ago he was sent to the minors because he was terrible. He also is a bit injury prone. Meanwhile Halladay was winning 17 or 18 games every year for a horrible BlueJay team.— phillies09
- Thanks for your perspective vafan. I've been a Phillies fan from birth. It is so easy to moan and groan when things aren't going well. It's part of the game. If you don't like what the team is going through right now get off the bus. But once you get off, don't come back. You won't be missed. Cliff Lee was traded 6 months ago. Regardless of how you feel about the trade, get over it. The struggles the team is going through now pale in comparison to any game in 1974. When a starter would begin to lose it that year, the bullpen had the immortal Mac Scarce waiting to save the day. Standard equipment for Mac was a 5 gallon gas can in one hand and a blowtorch in the other. In seconds any chance for a win was incinerated. When you live through that, you can handle any bad stretch. And if you're a true fan you stick with the team, no matter what. For those out there who want to fire Charlie and Ruben, you've made your point. Now shut up and leave the true fans alone. We still have a season and a team to follow.— phlipher
- Stand firm, warbiscuit. The facts speak for themselves.— dasher
- Comment removed.
- Warbiscuit is truly a moron. You say you'd rather have Lee, Hamels, Happ, Drabek, Blanton or Moyer. Drabek is in AA; Lee would be gone after this year, and Halladay would have already signed with another team. You'd be left with Hamels, Happ, Blanton, and maybe Drabek for next season. Thank God you are not the Phillies GM. And you actually compare Lee and Halladay by looking at their stats against one start against the Reds and one a couple against the Yankees? There's a lot more to pitching than looking at one start. You act like Lee is a Hall of Famer - not even close. But Halladay will be. Get a grip on reality and stop crying over Cliff Lee.— Dumpy1133
- Hindsight is 20/20 but some things are obvious. I think RAJ panicked in trading Lee for no real prospects. I never thought it was about payroll, my hunch is he felt if he did not trade Lee the same day the drumbeat would have been overwhelming to keep him with Halladay, so he took first trade available. But it is an oxymoron to say we traded Drabek cause we are in a "build now" mode when we trade Lee to restock farm system. Could have avoided all that by just keeping Lee and having Drabek in reserve. As for Howard, I think he is attempting to be something more than a binary hitter -either a HR or K and I will take that tradeoff.— davi
- Great for Drabeck....I wish him the best and I wish we did not have to let him go, but he pitched a NO NO in AA, his first win since "May 31". Last time I checked, Halladay pitched a no hitter, I mean, perfect game this year. Drabek is still just a prospect.
- Trade has worked out for both sides? We trade Cliff Lee AND the prospects to Toronto for Halladay and 3 bags of rocks. You call that working for both sides? Oh wait, you're one of those people that say trading Cliff Lee had nothing to do with the Halladay thing. Yeah right.— twpman1
- Trade Happ and Kendrick and A minor League prospect for Cliff Lee and thrown in Dobbs and Castro to seal the deal!!!!!!!— bossrjc
- just something to think about....— Cryptker
- yo, warbiscuit - I wish this board had a search feature so I could pull up all the posts in the beginning of the season of fans drooling over our lineup. How can you argue that Lee and Drabek would be better that Halladay and Blanton? Lee was gone after this season and Drabek wasn't coming up this season. They locked up Howard before Pujols set the market for first basemen and he's almost hitting 300 with power. Lastly, you're going to criticize the Polanco signing? Sheesh. There's nothing else I can say.— vafan
So what? Drabek threw a no-no. Halladay threw a no-no. We're even. Oh, the Phils threw Cliff Lee in too? Doc H needs to come up BIG tonight vs. the ATL.- yo, davi - it's been well documented that Ruben traded Lee to replenish the farm. It's also been well documented that the prospects we received are not doing well. I agree it was a bad trade but accept it for what Ruben explained it as. For those that really think it was about the money, we're sitting in the top 5 payroll category. I'm optimistic the Phils will turn it around and be right there at the end. 5 games out halfway through and so many are jumping off. I anticipate a reporter getting a juicy quote from one of the players any day now about the fans.— vafan
- Warbiscuit... for someone who claims to know a lot about the Phillies, you should know that his name is Halladay... not Halliday or Haliday.— Dykstra4Pres
- Has the team looked at Happ's forearm by MRI lately, or is this one of those injuries that a baseball team wishes will go away until the pitcher has thrown so many rehab starts that he finally tears something so definitively that the wishing is over? It seems to me he's a start or two away from finally acknowledging that he needs surgery.— frankenslade
- yo, Matt - how about all the "Phils are done", "can't wait for Lehigh" and "I'm done watching" posts? That's not passion. BTW - I already moved but thanks for the advice.— vafan
- agree vafan with your overall sentiment except if we were built to win now why trade Lee— davi
- Being passionate about the team, and being frustrated about the team right now is not being a "Negadelphian.' If you don't like Philly fans, move. Wish Drabek was still a Phillie!— matthew76
- Good for Kyle. Phils knew they were giving up a legit prospect when they traded for one of the top 5 pitchers in the game. I also saw "last win since May 31". A rotation including Drabek would be a couple years away which is one of the reasons why they traded him. We are built to win now. Hopefully, the Phils start winning now. Side note - it's easy to root for a team when they're winning. Now that we're not winning as much, alot of you seem to be turning on the team. There's an old saying that I'm going to butcher about adversity bringing out true colors. Negadelphians - Are these your true colors? GO PHILS!— vafan
- Comment removed.
- Excuse me, Drabek is in Double-A even the Blue Jays know he isn't ready yet.....— mrdip
- idiots— Onlineps2beast
- Great reminder of how f-ed up RAJ was in those double trades last winter.— davi
- Could you imagine how good this rotation would be if they just kept Lee, and didn't make the Halladay trade? They would have Lee, Hamels, Happ, Drabek, and Moyer or Blanton as the fifth guy. I guess we'll never know.— drbob1
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About this blog
The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
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