Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2008, 11:34 AM | 45 comments |
 

Happ Optioned, Cervenak Up
options
 

The Phillies optioned lefthander J.A. Happ to triple-A Lehigh Valley and have purchased the contract of infielder Mike Cervenak.

The Phillies don't need a fifth starter until the July 22-24 series against the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. Rather than have Happ sit and not pitch for 15 days, they have sent him to the IronPigs to continue to pitch. There remains a chance he could return and pitch against the Mets in a couple weeks, but not if the Phillies think Brett Myers is ready to return to the rotation. Myers is pitching tomorrow for double-A Reading and will make one more minor-league start after the all-star break. He could after that.
Posted by Todd Zolecki @ 11:34 AM  Permalink | 45 comments
45
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:51 AM, 07/10/2008
    I wonder if Cholly had a say in this? I don't see how the mgr would rather have Eaton pitch than Happ. This is really a pathetic decision by P.G. and the brain trust...
    — Truth
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:09 PM, 07/10/2008
    It's all about the benjamins... Eaton is making them, so he will pitch, unless they can invent another arm injury. I always find that philosophy interesting though...don't release a player because you owe him money, and don't want to pay someone not play for your team, so instead keep him, and pay him the same money to HURT your team.
    — acerulli
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:12 PM, 07/10/2008
    Agreed. Send Eaton to Japan. Anywhere. Happ has pitched bravely. Eaton is a wuss. Time to cut bait with this lout and allow some other pitcher to take his position. And another infielder like Mike? Why????
    — KGKoons
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:25 PM, 07/10/2008
    Look! I acknowledge its way too early to get excited about Happ. After all he only pitched two games. Question. This year has Meyers or Eaton pitched two consectutive games like Happ? Just wondering.
    — Bubba346
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:28 PM, 07/10/2008
    Happ has shown us that he has good command of his pitches. If he can develop an effective changeup (see Hamels and Kendrick) to go along with his other pitches, he'll be the real deal. Good for him and the Phils! It'll be interesting to watch his development. I wouldn't be surpised if he supplants Myers or Eaton in the rotation in the near future, especially if Gordon is out for longer than 15 days. The down side of all this is whether or not Pat Gillick is thinking that he doesn't need to acquire another starter now. Say it ain't so Pat.
    — RAS
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:34 PM, 07/10/2008
    Truth is an idiot. They sent Happ down so he can pitch again in 5 days. He'll be back up after the break.
    — Matt
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:35 PM, 07/10/2008
    What do we have to do to jettison So Taguchi and bring up Jaramillo, if just for a while?
    — jrquixote
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:37 PM, 07/10/2008
    Eaton certainly hasn't been terrible over the course of the year --- not like his last start. People are still pi$$ed off from last year's implosion --- THAT might be the reason Eaton is eventually sent packing, not his current productivity (which is average). Happ has shown himself (so far) to be in the Kyle Kendrick mold --- & that's not a bad thing. Happ did himself a solid in his short trip. If he goes down & does what he's told, he'll be back. I don't want the Phils to mortgage their future for a shot this year. A Sabathia deal would have been a terrible one for the Phils.
    — yobill626
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:43 PM, 07/10/2008
    Myers, should be back after break. Happ, filled in and did a great job. He has a future in this organization
    — pat h
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:48 PM, 07/10/2008
    Matt-you are an idiot and have the reading comprehension skills of my 4 yr old niece. Why should he pitch there in 5 days and not here in Eatons place when he starts again?
    — Truth
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:04 PM, 07/10/2008
    Because, Truth, in 5 days the Phils are on the All Star break. They want to keep Happ on his regular schedule so he can be ready to go July 22nd, as stated in the article. Looks like your niece has better reading comprehension skills than YOU.
    — scotty82
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:06 PM, 07/10/2008
    Matt and Truth, there are no games in either league (MLB or AAA) in five days due to the All Star break. S who's the idiot? Serioulsy guys, the name calling gets old. Please treat each other with respect. Thanks.
    — RAS
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:14 PM, 07/10/2008
    Eaton starts Saturday. According to my math, if Happ started again Saturday he would be pitching on 3 days rest. 5 days is the all star break pal.
    — Matt


45 comments | View All Comments | View All By Latest
View comments: 1  |  2  |  3  |  4
About Matt Gelb and Bob Brookover












Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.

This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.

Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
To submit a question for Matt Gelb's Phillies mailbag, click here.

Join on Facebook    Follow on Twitter

Advertise Here
BASEBALL NEWS FROM PHILLY.COM
Phils' bench could be busy
Phils swinging for fences with TV deal
Spring training questions
Phillies dealing with a Howard outage
A look at the Phils' farm
The Phillies Zone: More on Phils' TV rights
Latest Phillies Videos