Phillies sign pitcher Kevin Correia

CINCINNATI - Needing a starting pitcher who could better preserve the bullpen and not wanting to push the development of their prospects, the Phillies went outside the organization to fill their rotation.

Kevin Correia joined them Monday at Great American Ball Park after signing a major-league contract for the remainder of the season. A 34-year-old righthander with 12 years of big-league experience, Correia will start Friday in the series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

"Hopefully he steps in kind of like the way that [Jerome] Williams did last year, kind of gave us a boost," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said Monday before the series opener against the Cincinnati Reds. "[He is] a veteran guy who knows how to pitch, knows the league, knows the hitters."

Correia started six games for the San Francisco Giants' triple-A affiliate in Sacramento before exercising an opt-out clause in his contract on May 29 to seek a big-league gig. He posted a 3.58 ERA over 372/3 innings with Sacramento.

The Phillies needed to bolster their rotation depth, especially considering that they could trade ace Cole Hamels and No. 2 starter Aaron Harang before the July 31 trade deadline. They had discussions with Correia's agent over the winter, when they added veteran righthanders Aaron Harang and Chad Billingsley on one-year deals.

"He was sort of in that same mix as some of the other guys - Harang, Billingsley, [Kevin] Slowey - we signed," Phillies assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said. "So he was on our radar even as far back as of the offseason."

Correia takes the spot of Severino Gonzalez, who was optioned back to triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday.

Correia broke into the majors in 2003 with the Giants and also has pitched for the Padres, Pirates, Twins and Dodgers.

The Phillies continue to take a conservative approach with their top pitching prospects, righthanders Aaron Nola and Zach Eflin, at double-A Reading.

"I think the main thing is to protect some of the younger guys and let them develop at their pace instead of having to push them beyond when they're ready to get here," Proefrock said.

Monday's game was the 200th in which Carlos Ruiz caught Cole Hamels. They are the first battery to reach that benchmark since Roy Oswalt and Brad Ausmus with the Houston Astros in 2008. . . . The Phillies signed righthanded reliever J.C. Gutierrez, 31, to a minor-league contract. Gutierrez made 61 major-league appearances for the Giants last season but recently opted out of a minor-league deal with them. He is set to join triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday.

- Jake Kaplan