Manuel: Ruiz and Romero ready for Reds
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Manuel: Ruiz and Romero ready for Reds
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Charlie Manuel did not announce his postseason roster for the division series with Cincinnati at his news conference Tuesday afternoon, but he did say that both catcher Carlos Ruiz and lefthanded reliever J.C. Romero will be ready for Game 1 against the Reds.
Ruiz was hit in the left elbow by a pitch from Atlanta's Tim Hudson and eventually left the game Sunday at Turner Field and Romero left with back pain caused by irritation in his sciatic nerve.
Ruiz was the Phillies' only .300 hitter this season, finishing the year with a .302 average and Romero is expected to be one of two left-handed relievers in Manuel's bullpen. The Phillies are also likely to keep lefthander Antonio Bastardo on the roster.
Since Manuel would not name his 25-man roster for the Reds, we'll give you an idea of what it is likely to be.
Position players: Domonic Brown, Ben Francisco, Ross Gload, Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Brian Schneider, Mike Sweeney, Chase Utley, Wilson Valdez, Shane Victorino and Jayson Werth.
Pitchers: Antonio Bastardo, Joe Blanton, Jose Contreras, Chad Durbin, Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Roy Oswalt and J.C. Romero.
What? No Baez? He was instrumental in the playoff push!!!!! At the very least, he's the team's MVP!— nosupportgroup- I've been a supporter of Baez, pushing for him to get more consistent pitching time to get straightened out. He can throw in the low to mid 90's. I hereby publicly revoke my support for Baez, I was wrong. He should be cut; we should eat his salary for next year as he takes up valuable roster space for a lefty.
- If Romero gets the call in the Reds series, the Phils are in deep trouble. Worley should be on the playoff roster vs. Romero.— pogiepop
- With Chooch OK we're halfway there on the good news train, now we need the good news that Rollins will bat 6th and Victorino will lead off. C'mon Cholly, MAKE IT SO— n62
- Baez is the Braves MVP .— Joe R.
- Romero is not one to be counted on any more than Durbin. Worley would have been a better choice than either. Have to agree, Rollins is better in 6th position with Victorino leading off.— JimB
- This team will go as far as their starters can take them . If the Phils need to go to the bullpen, they are cooked .
— Joe R. - what no Dobbs????— Bob65S
- Baez should be the all important 'retaliation' pitcher. He should have one job, go in there and hit someone with his 95 mph fastball, and then take the 5 game suspension since we don't need him anyways!— phasor
- Cmon guys...Worley? Stop. Pitched a couple decent games as a starter when season was over. Now you want to put him as a 6th/seventh inning reliever which he didnt do all yr in the Playoffs? Get a clue. Also there is no need to have Kendrick on the DS roster. You really need to two starters pitching out of the bullpen? Nine relievers? Blanton in the pen in case of injury or god forbid a bad outing knocking someone out early is enough. I know Dobbs is weak this year, but I'd throw him on there instead of Kendrick....with Rollins potentially going down at any moment...if that..then what if PP or Chase get hurt? At least Dobbs can masquerade as a third baseman. Not likely but you never know. About as likely as Kendrick seeing any action.— phillykid96
- I guess it would be purely for xtra inns— phillykid96
- Still no respect. ESPN's Baseball Tonight computer predictions: The Yankees win in 4 over the Twins, the Giants win in 4 over the Braves, the Rays apparently go straight to the WS (sweep the Rangers?), and the Phils need 5 to beat the Reds. Yep, the Phillies have the toughest path to Round 2, or at least that's the prediction! My computer predicts a Phils sweep. (OK, it's not my computer, it's just me.)— txstonemountain
- Glad no Dobbs but think Worley would have been good to have inBP>
- I am constantly amazed at the lack of respect for Durbin. I want him re-signed for multiple years. Having him for the 7th inning is a terrific option. I'll go out on a limb here: Durbin is one of the better non-closing relievers in the game (of course, I USED to support Baez!).
- I agree that Durbin is completely underrated. We need to lock this guy up for a few years. We have 3 trusted relievers in late game..Lidge, Madson, and Durbin..nobody else has been consistent
I would not be surprised if Kendrick is left off for Herndon. Herndon has been shelled at times, but he can get you double plays. If you need a double play in a 5th or 6th inning situation, I would take him over KK anyday— tallguyj024
