Credit where credit is due

As I have noted in the recent past, I am concerned about Tom Gordon appearing in the 8th or 9th innings of games. While I still feel this concern is justified, that does not mean I shouldn't give him credit when he pitches well (most notably his last three appearances). To wit:

3/31
0.1 IP, 5 ER, 4 H, 1 BB, 0 K, 20 pitches (135.00 ERA)

4/3
1.0 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K, 34 pitches (33.75)

4/5
0.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 5 pitches (27.00)

4/7
1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 9 pitches (16.88)

4/8
1.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K, 11 pitches (12.27) - Save

If Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, Chad Durbin, and the April Gordon can all stay healthy, it seems obvious that this bullpen will be lethal. Plus, as I've said before, the way this offense scores runs late, they will win a lot of ball games in the 7th/8th/9th innings.

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Phillies @ Reds: Live blogging

2:14 p.m.: Adam Eaton is proving that even I could get by as a Major-League pitcher. His pitches look horrible; notwithstanding, he has only given up two runs in four innings. Mark my words: he will implode in the next two innings.

I also think the Phils have been the beneficiaries of at least three blown calls so far, including Brandon Phillips being caught stealing in the fourth frame.

Special thanks to Sarge for his lecture on the history of the Underground Tunnel, where the trains of the Underground Railroad ran.

2:31 p.m.: Chase Utley is amazing. He is now hitting .438.

Congratulations to the IronPigs, who just blew their first lead.

2:35 p.m.: Pat the Bat!

2:38 p.m.: "I like that Dick Pole"... heheheh...

2:45 p.m.: I should make bold predictions about Phillies' failures more often... Congratulations to Adam Eaton for amazingly pitching a quality start. Didn't his pitches look like they were just hanging over the plate to anyone else?

Also, Griffey seems determined to get HR #594 this weekend.

Now it's time for me to make my bold managerial decision... I'd say you bring Eaton back for the seventh, but have somebody ready to come in at the first sign of danger.

Looks like Eaton is staying, as he is now up to bat.

2:54 p.m.: Didn't the answer to the Dodge Stump the Fans trivia question feature prominently in a radio spot last season? I think it may have been a Turkey Hill Graham Slam ice cream ad or a Herr's chips ad. I definitely knew the answer because of some radio commercial.

I cannot believe Eaton has pitched seven innings.

Speaking of advertisements, I love that MW Tux commercial.

3:00 p.m.: Ryno!!!

Please, Charlie: No Tom Gordon.

3:02 p.m.: Ugh. A one-run lead is not sufficient to take Pat Burrell out of the game. And I'm not feeling too good about Eaton coming back out for the eighth.

3:06 p.m.: Good God. Now warming in the bullpen: Number 45!

3:13 p.m.: ...

3:17 p.m.: Whew.

3:40 p.m.: You just can't beat a guy wearing high red socks.

Can't really blame Chad Durbin for the loss. He couldn't buy a strike.

Not sure what Rollins was thinking...

I was really hoping the Phils would get above .500, but this isn't a terrible loss. I think it was a definite confidence builder for Eaton and Gordon. Let's hope Myers has a better start tomorrow than he had Monday.

Not bullish on this bullpen (or the starters)

As I sit here fuming at the Harrisburg CW affiliate for not televising tonight's game, it gives me the perfect opportunity to share my thoughts on the Phillies bullpen, as promised here more than five weeks ago.

Come with me now on a trip back to November 2007 - a simple time when the Patriots were still undefeated, Rudy Giuliani was still the frontrunner for the Republican Presidential nomination, and I was still trying to get in shape for basketball season.

Not long after the Phillies completed the trade for closer Brad Lidge (commentary on what we gave away to follow another time), I explained my concerns to Mike. Hopefully, he will confirm that what follows is a close approximation of what I said back then:

I am a little annoyed about this trade. Unless the Phillies plan to re-sign Kyle Lohse and keep Brett Myers as their closer - which appears unlikely - I just don't like it. But consider what that staff would look like:

Starters: Cole Hamels, Lohse, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick, and Adam Eaton - of course, a priority would need to be made to juggle the rotation to maximize Eaton's starts against the Mets, plus as the #5 starter, they can and should skip his start whenever they can if it keeps the others on their normal pitching days (unless they need the rest).

The bullpen would see Myers (9th), Lidge (8th), J.C. Romero (7th), and Tom Gordon and Ryan Madson sharing duty when needed in the 6th. That would give the Phillies one of the best bullpens in the majors. If the starters can get through five or - praise the lord - six innings, Romero/Lidge/Myers would be a frightening prospect for opponents. Clay Condrey and J.D. Durbin can be those inning eaters in games where the Phils are either winning big or losing big. Either one of them could also be used as spot starters as necessary.

I realize the thinking is that picking up Lidge is like adding a quality starter (Myers), but I'm not buying what they're selling. Myers liked being the closer. Myers excelled as the closer. It suited him and his temperament. Why move him back to the rotation? He barely has the attention span to get through a two inning save - don't get me started on two inning saves - and he has shown time and time again that he cannot maintain his concentration for five, six, or seven innings without losing his temper on the mound and having it impact his pitching. With this in mind, trading for a closer when the team already has an above average one is a bad move - unless, like I said, they keep Lohse.

Only time will tell, but right now, I'm calling it a bad move.

More than five months later, I will concede that so far, I do like the upgrade from J.D. Durbin to Chad Durbin. In fact, depending on how Lidge performs, I could be convinced to feel good about Lidge (9th), Romero (8th), Durbin (7th), and Gordon/Madson sharing the 6th (in case you missed it, my feelings on Gordon are documented in the comment section here).

But I still think keeping Lohse would have been a good idea. His contract demands - or his agent's, depending on who you believe - in both dollars and years were in a free fall before he finally signed a one-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals in mid-March for $4.25 million. He also pitched well in his first start against, ironically, the Colorado Rockies, throwing five shutout innings (with three hits, three walks, and three strikeouts), before being lifted for a pinch-hitter.

Given the addition of Chad Durbin to the bullpen, the Phillies could have still moved Myers back to the rotation. Imagine how formidable it would have looked then: Myers/Hamels/Lohse/Moyer/Kendrick. Regardless of what happens with this pitching staff as the season progresses, management's failure (or refusal) to find a way to make it work with Lohse could turn out to be the missed opportunity that defines whether or not this team makes the playoffs.

Your thoughts?

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