Phil Sheridan: Jamie Moyer's eternal quest

CLEARWATER, Fla. - There is something of the epic gesture in what Jamie Moyer did here yesterday, in what the 47-year-old pitcher has been doing here for a month.

It would be so much easier if Moyer took note of the birth date on his driver's license, did the math, and retired. Easier for the Phillies, who could then plug Kyle Kendrick into their starting rotation, and easier for Moyer himself. He has labored long and hard to recover from a painful abdominal injury, a blood infection and knee surgery - all in an effort to prolong a career that already defies probability.

But anyone could do the easier thing. The beauty is in trying to do the more difficult, maybe even irrational thing. Moyer is used to that. His whole major-league career has been in defiance of what was easy or rational. So why would he stop now?

Moyer's quest to add one more season to his long entry in the Baseball Encyclopedia has provided about the only drama in this Phillies' camp. Except for a couple of bullpen spots, the rest of the roster was virtually set before New Year's Day. Kendrick, throwing with more confidence and an expanded repertoire of pitches, has made a strong case for himself in his last few outings.

So Moyer took the mound against the Baltimore Orioles with quite a bit at stake. He had not been especially impressive in a couple of B games. This would mean facing the Orioles' regulars (admittedly, not exactly the Yankees' lineup) at a sold-out Bright House Field.

The results: five innings, five hits, one earned run. Zero walks, six strikeouts.

"This was his first real game," pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "I thought he was Jamie. It's game on when he pitches. Jamie pitches the same whether it's a B game or the first game of the World Series."

Just to get some perspective on the scope of what Moyer is doing, consider that he struck out Matt Wieters, the Orioles catcher, in the second inning. Wieters was born May 21, 1986. So, he was a little under 4 weeks old when Moyer made his major-league debut for the Cubs on June 16 of that year.

Moyer is not just old enough to be these guys' fathers. He's old enough to be a grandfather.

The situation is a sticky one for the Phillies. Dubee has rightly said that Kendrick has to win this competition decisively. It is Moyer's job to lose.

There are practical reasons for that. Moyer isn't comfortable in the bullpen. He can't be a situational lefthander who pitches two or three days in a row. Kendrick is younger and more adaptable. From a strictly business point of view, Moyer is due to make $7.75 million this season and it makes sense for him to earn that as a starter.

But the real reasons have something to do with the game's code of honor. Moyer has won 258 big-league games. He has pitched for more than a quarter-century. He simply deserves the benefit of the doubt here.

"Jamie Moyer doesn't change," Dubee said. "He has the wisdom, he has the know-how. Whether he was pitching out of the bullpen last year or pitching every five days, his preparation and his determination doesn't change."

This approach doesn't necessarily sit well with Phillies fans who have come to expect the kind of success the team has enjoyed for the last three years. Moyer didn't have a great year in 2009 - whether the nagging injury to the knee he pushes off played a role, who can say - and it's stunning how quickly a vocal minority turned on him.

But you shouldn't have had to watch Kevin Millwood pitching for the Orioles yesterday to remember how recently the Phillies were desperately trying to put together a competent pitching staff. It is not coincidental that the team's run of three consecutive playoff appearances began with Moyer's first full season here. He has played a vital role in the franchise's greatest era.

That doesn't mean Moyer should be given anything. He has to earn this spot in the rotation just as he's earned a spot every year of his career.

"I'm just trying to be consistent," Moyer said. "I threw some decent pitches. I tried to get ahead in the count and keep the ball out of the air. When the ball gets in the air, bad things can happen."

He said he is simply preparing for the season as he always does. He said he can't control what Dubee and Charlie Manuel decide, so he doesn't worry about it. What he didn't say, at least not in words, is that he's getting a kick out of making it awfully difficult for them to do anything but keep him in the rotation.

If he had any use for the easy thing, Moyer's career would have been over a long time ago.