Paul Hagen: Wagner is worth the Phillies' consideration
FACT: The Phillies appear confident that getting Brett Myers and J.C. Romero back from the disabled list will be enough to arm their bullpen for the stretch run.
Opinion: That's a pretty big leap of faith. Especially since it looks as though a veteran lefthander with closer's experience is about to become available. In this you-can-never-have-too-much-pitching world, it says here they should at least consider Billy Wagner.
Billy Wagner: showcasing?
The Mets are expected to activate him this weekend, less than a year after he underwent Tommy John elbow surgery, and then showcase him. His contract is up at the end of the year (with a $1 million buyout for 2010).
Reasons the Phillies should at least check out how he's throwing: Wagner was dominant in his rehab starts; there's no guarantee that Romero will be healthy again this year; Wagner would be another option to close if Brad Lidge continues to struggle; teams they could face in the postseason - the Dodgers come to mind - might be interested. So this would be a preemptory move. And, of course, YCNHTMP.
Granted, it could cost around $2.75 million to assume the rest of Wagner's contract and the Phillies have already upped the payroll by adding Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez. But have we mentioned you can never have too much pitching?
Fact: Manager Charlie Manuel continues to express confidence that Lidge, who has seven blown saves in 28 opportunities and a 7.29 earned run average, will get on a roll.
Opinion: Well, hell, what do you expect him to say?
Fact: There has been a fan backlash against veteran lefthander Jamie Moyer for complaining after being sent to the bullpen that the Phillies "misled" him during contract negotiations last winter.
Opinion: A couple things, here. Sure, Moyer should have realized that everything is subject to change based on his performance.
But ... We don't know what was said privately during the offseason. We do know that the Phillies had been saying publicly for weeks that they didn't think he was suited to pitch out of the bullpen. That could have allowed Moyer to conclude that all the speculation that he was coming out of the rotation was bogus. Which would help explain why he appeared so caught off guard when it actually happened.
The hot corner
* Why would the Cardinals be interested in John Smoltz, cut loose by the Red Sox after he went 2-5 with an 8.33 earned run average in eight starts? Because he held righthanded hitters to a .232 batting average in those games, that's why. It's the same reason they're looking at Justin Speier (.239 vs. righthanders) since he was let go by the Angels.
* Former Phillie Vicente Padilla says he can't understand why the Rangers released him. Team sources said it was because they got tired of Padilla being late or absent for team meetings and functions and for his propensity to buzz opposing hitters, getting his teammates thrown at in retaliation.
Around the bases
* Here's some news you can use: According to the Team Marketing Report, the highest price for a small draft beer in a major league stadium is $8.75 at San Francisco's AT&T Park. The lowest? Arizona's Chase Field, where the suds will set you back 4 bucks.
* When Junichi Tazawa, Hideki Okajima and Takashi Saito all pitched in relief for the Red Sox last Friday night, it was the first time in history three Japanese-born teammates had pitched in the same game.
* And a literary note: Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen says his favorite book is "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss.
On deck
