Phillies Notebook: Phillies tweak rotation to help Hamels

The move will have two effects: First, Hamels will get four starts before the All-Star Break instead of three, including the first-half finale against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on July 12. Second, he will avoid what would have been an 8-day layoff between starts had the rotation remained in its current order.

"I think I learned something from last year," Hamels said, "and that's obviously something that they've taken into consideration, being able to throw on that last day[(before the All-Star break]."

Hamels wasn't exactly awful in his second-half debut last season, allowing two runs in eight innings of a 3-2 loss to the Marlins on July 20. But because it fell 6 days after his previous start - the Phillies elected to postpone his start until the third game of the second half to give him some extra rest – he said he felt rusty throughout.

Had the Phillies not altered their rotation – manager Charlie Manuel did not confirm the move last night, but said it was being discussed – Hamels would have faced a similar layoff. He would have pitched July 8 in Cincinnati, then would have been sidelined until the season resumed on July 17 in Florida. Now, he will have the ability to pitch on normal rest when the second half begins, if the Phillies decide to use him that day.

Although Hamels threw a career high 227 1/3 innings last season and was hampered by elbow trouble late in spring training, he doesn't think extra rest helps him.

"For some odd reason, I think I'm the opposite," he said. "It stiffens me up. I think days off, my body kind of goes into shutdown mode. Instead of relax mode, it's shutdown mode. So I think that will be kind of good just to keep it going."

And from the Phillies' perspective, an extra start from their ace can't hurt.

Trade market

 

The Phillies have made no secret of their desire to bolster their pitching staff, and have spent much of the first three months of this season evaluating potential options that would upgrade either a starting rotation that is without Brett Myers for the rest of the season or an injury-riddled bullpen that lately has been showing signs of fatigue.

Problem is, there aren't many available arms at this point in time, thanks in large part to the dearth of teams who have little shot at contending. At the start of yesterday's games, only seven teams in the National League, and 12 teams in the entire sport, had losing records. Only eight teams in the majors were more than five games out of a playoff spot.

"I think things will heat up late, because everybody is still kind of in it," Amaro said. "There are no real teams bailing, or stepping out of this thing. There's going to be a pretty vicious fight for probably two of the division in our league, and certainly for the wild card. There are so many teams that are still involved. I don't expect that to change a whole lot over the next month, but it will start to crystallize a little bit more as we start to get into the middle of July."

Rockies righthander Jason Marquis and Red Sox righthander Brad Penny are two pitchers the Phillies viewed as potential fits but might no longer be available.

"The availability really isn't there," Amaro said. "The number of buyers and the number of sellers is not even close to equaling each other."

Lidge returns

 

Brad Lidge acknowledged yesterday that there are no guarantees about his right knee. But both the closer and his organization feel he is as healthy as he will get, which is why the Phillies will elevate him from the disabled list to the active roster today. Lidge, who has not pitched in a major league game since June 6 in Los Angeles, threw two scoreless innings of relief in rehab assignments in Reading and Tampa on Saturday and Tuesday.

Lidge will be available to pitch tonight in the series finale against the Rays.

Phillers

 

Lefthander Scott Eyre threw 26 pitches off the mound yesterday and reported no pain in his strained left calf. Amaro said he could be back soon after he is eligible to return Saturday . . . Barring an unexpected change of plans, leftfielder Raul Ibanez (groin, eligible to return July 3) will accompany the Phillies to Toronto and continue his rehab program on the road. *