Results tagged ‘ Antonio Bastardo ’
A Weary Pen
The Phillies needed Cole Hamels to pitch deep last night at Citizens Bank Park.
Sure, they did not play Monday, but the bullpen had thrown 27 1/3 innings in the previous five games — thanks to three extra-inning games and a rain delay Saturday that knocked Antonio Bastardo out after the first inning. That is a sick amount of innings. And while some relief pitchers say they would rather pitch than sit and stiffen up, in the long term the bullpen needs a break.
But the Blue Jays made Hamels work. He threw 110 pitches in six innings, which meant the bullpen had to protect the 3-2 lead.
It couldn’t. It walked eight batters in four innings (one was intentional) in an 8-3 loss in 10 innings.
Chad Durbin walked one batter in the seventh. J.C. Romero walked the bases loaded in a scoreless eighth. Ryan Madson blew his first save since he replaced injured closer Brad Lidge. He walked two in the ninth, including walking in the tying run. Clay Condrey walked two in the 10th when the Jays scored five runs to take the lead.
The bullpen has not thrown fewer than 3 1/3 innings in a game since June 9 in New York when they threw 2 2/3 innings.
They have not thrown fewer than 2 2/3 innings since June 5 in San Diego.
That is a remarkable 43 2/3 innings in the previous nine games, or nearly five innings per game.
Tired pen?
“It’s hard to say,” Charlie Manuel said. “You walk a lot of guys that is a sign they might be a little tired. But that’s baseball. That’s no excuse. If we’re tried then we’ll get rest and come back and get ‘em. That’s all. That’s all I’ve got to say about that.”
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Fans can purchase the book Remembering Harry Kalas: Wonderful Stories from Friends Celebrating a Great Life exclusively through 571 Wawa locations throughout the Delaware Valley for $9.00 (retail is $24.95). Rich Wolfe is the lead author, but contributing authors include former Camden Courier-Post Phillies beat writer Mike Radano, former Courier-Post columnist Kevin Roberts and former Allentown Morning Call columnist Gordie Jones.
The book includes nearly 100 first-person stories about Kalas, including stories from Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Pat Burrell and Larry Bowa.
I know Radano and Roberts well, and I know they were talking to a bunch of people, so there should be some good stories in there.
Wawa donated $10,000 to Phillies Charities.
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A Bunch of Tired Arms
I think the Phillies are owed about a 2 hour, 30 minute game Sunday.
They also wouldn’t mind J.A. Happ pitching about, oh, nine innings in the series finale against the Red Sox. Antonio Bastardo lasted just one inning tonight (make that last night) in an 11-6 loss because of a 1 hour, 35 minute rain delay. That meant another long day for the Phillies bullpen.
The bullpen already threw 16 innings Wednesday through Friday as the Phillies played three consecutive extra innings games for the first time since June 4-6, 2000. They threw another eight innings tonight.
That is 24 innings for the bullpen in the last four games.
That is a ridiculous amount of work. So much so that I would expect the Phillies to make another roster move before tomorrow’s game.
The bullpen has pitched well this season, but they certainly need a break. (They at least have a day off Monday.) They entered last night ranked fifth in the National League with a 3.48 ERA. But they also ranked fifth in the league with 201 2/3 innings pitched.
The Phillies played just 58 games to get those 201 2/3 innings. The teams ranked ahead of them had played more games: the Marlins (219 2/3 innings in 63 games), Dodgers (211 1/3 innings in 61 innings), Astros (208 2/3 innings in 59 games) and Padres (204 2/3 innings in 59 games).
Three Phillies relievers also ranked in the top 10 in the league in innings pitched:
- Right-hander Clay Condrey, who is 4-1 with a 2.14 ERA, ranked sixth at 32 2/3 innings. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning last night, despite the fact Charlie Manuel said he wanted to stay away from him because he recently has had an issue with his back. Condrey told me after the game “it’s just a tick” and nothing to be alarmed about. (Manuel also said right-hander Chan Ho Park is tender, which explains why he did not pitch.)
- Right-hander Chad Durbin ranked seventh at 32 innings. He threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, taking over for Bastardo in the second. Durbin lowered his ERA from 4.22 to 3.86. He deserved a medal last night. He got a sore arm instead.
- Right-hander Ryan Madson, who is the closer while Brad Lidge is on the disabled list, ranks tied for eighth at 31 1/3 innings. He did not pitch. They’re hoping they need him tomorrow.
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Change of Plans?
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Brad Lidge‘s knee injury could force the Phillies to rethink their philosophy as the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline approaches.
“If in fact we lose Brad for a more significant amount of time then I think we have a pretty good alternative right now in Ryan (Madson),” Amaro said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him.
“We’ve been trying to upgrade our staff. You can never have enough pitching going down the stretch and you always like to try to add pitching. The fact that we’re going to be missing Brad for a copule weeks and maybe longer that may change our strategy. It may put more focus on a bullpen piece. It may not. A lot of it will depend on what Dr. (Michael) Ciccotti has to say. If I had my druthers, I’d rather hit both areas. But in this day and age, it’s tough to make one trade, let alone two.”
Left-hander Antonio Bastardo has pitched well in two starts with the Phillies, but I’m not sure the Phillies are sold on him as the answer. I think if they have the opportunity to land somebody like Erik Bedard they would jump at the opportunity at the right price.
“He doesn’t have the same track record as some guys out there who might be available,” Amaro said of Bastardo. “But at least for now he’s pitched well enough and shown enough of poise to be pretty happy with him.”
I like Bastardo because it’s just a cool name to say, but I’m not sure that’s a great way to run a ballclub.
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Phillies Following Penny?
A scout for one Major League team said the Phillies have been following Red Sox right-hander Brad Penny, which confirms an ESPN report that the Phillies called the Sox to ask about Penny.
The Phillies reportedly were told it would take Jason Donald to get him.
Penny is 5-1 in 10 starts this season with the Red Sox. But he also has a 5.63 ERA and opponents have .310 against him. Donald would seem to be a steep price for a pitcher who has been getting hit pretty hard. Donald certainly has value after this season as a super-utility player (currently the role Eric Bruntlett holds) or as a third baseman (if the Phillies decide not to pick up the $5 million option on Pedro Feliz). They might be better served keeping Donald and seeing if they can find something better elsewhere, unless Phillies scouts see something the numbers don’t say about him.
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Been getting e-mails about the Phillies’ interest in Tom Glavine and Vicente Padilla. Neither seems to be an option for the Phillies. The Phillies already have a Glavine in Jamie Moyer, and Moyer is healthier than Glavine. And Padilla? Don’t forget the Phillies basically traded him to the Rangers for nothing after the 2005 season. There was a reason for that. They don’t want him back.
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Charlie Manuel made it official: lefty Antonio Bastardo will start Sunday. No surprise there.
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I took a look at why baseball is having so many hip injuries and surgeries. Some interesting theories.
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The Lakers are in the NBA Finals, but it’s hard to tell in LA. Maybe I’m in the wrong neighborhood — I’m staying in Pasadena — but so far I have seen one Lakers jersey and two Lakers car flags since I arrived Tuesday night. That’s it. People here might love the LA, but they don’t show it like Phillies fans showed it last fall.
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Bastardo Shines
Yep, that settles it. Antonio Bastardo is better than Jake Peavy.
Bastardo impressed everybody in his Major League debut last night in a 10-5 victory over the Padres at Petco Park. He allowed four hits, one run and one walk and struck out five in six innings to pick up his first big-league win. His fastball settled in the 93-94 mph range, and he attacked the strike zone.
“I thought he had a good fastball,” Charlie Manuel said. “He was on a rush and you couldn’t slow him down if you had to. He did one thing real good and that was to be aggressive and he wasn’t afraid to throw the ball.
“He has a good changeup and a breaking ball, but he was gripping the ball and trying to throw it, so there wasn’t much action. But he did a super job, but he did it with one pitch.”
Of course, Bastardo will have to be able to throw his other two pitches if he expects to remain in the big leagues, but that is for another day. Right now the Phillies are feeling good because Bastardo showed he had the guts and the stuff to pitch in the big leagues. They could use somebody like that, especially if Ruben Amaro Jr. can’t pull off a trade for one of the top pitchers in baseball (i.e. Peavy or Roy Oswalt).
Say Bastardo sticks in the rotation, but he carries a 4.50 ERA come late July. Would you rather have him in the rotation or somebody like Jason Marquis or Jarrod Washburn, knowing you would have to give up a prospect or two to get them? Marquis is 7-3 with a 3.93 ERA after 10 starts with the Rockies. Washburn is 3-2 with a 3.22 ERA after 10 starts with the Mariners.
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Raul Ibanez homered twice for his 200th and 201st homers of his career. He’s good.
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The Phillies optioned Sergio Escalona to make room for J.C. Romero, who is back after serving his 50-game suspension.
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Bastardo vs. Peavy
Tonight’s game at Petco Park has some intrigue to it.
Phillies rookie Antonio Bastardo, who is taking Brett Myers‘ place in the rotation, faces Padres ace Jake Peavy, who the Phillies would like to take Myers’ place in the rotation (Roy Halladay or Roy Oswalt wouldn’t be bad, either).
It is true Peavy is a long shot to come to Philadelphia, but that does not mean the Phillies aren’t interested. We’ve been over this before. The Phillies and Padres would have to agree on the talent to be exchanged for Peavy, which is not easy. The Phillies would have to decide if they can take on the remaining $63 million on Peavy’s contract — no small task considering the Phillies have nearly $100 committed to a handful of players next season. And, oh, Peavy would have to waive his no-trade clause to make it happen, and there are indications he would be unwilling to do that.
But who knows? Maybe Peavy can’t work a trade to one of his preferred teams (Cubs, Dodgers) and has to think to himself, “Either I stay with the Padres, where they’ll have to cut payroll elsewhere, or I go to Philadelphia for three years.”
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The Phillies optioned John Mayberry Jr. to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for Bastardo. The Phillies want Mayberry to play everyday. When the Phillies activate J.C. Romero after tonight’s game, I imagine left-hander Sergio Escalona will be headed back to the Minors.
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The Pen – the reality series featuring the Phillies bullpen – debuts Sun., June 14 @ 8 pm on MLB Network.
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Heading Out West
The Phillies left for California yesterday a season-high eight games over .500.
This 10-game road trip through San Diego, Los Angeles and New York … wait a second, didn’t the Phillies just finish one of those? Yeah, they did. I can’t remember the last time two 10-game road trips were so close together. That’s craaazy. … is going to be a great test for the Phillies.
Can Joe Blanton build upon last week’s start against Florida, when he threw seven shutout innings? Can Antonio Bastardo — the man who is taking Brett Myers‘ spot in the rotation — outpitch Jake Peavy on Tuesday — the man Phillies fans would love to see pitching in Myers’ spot? Can the Phillies manage at least a split in four games in LA, where the Dodgers are the best team in baseball? And can they play a little better against the Mets, who are 3-1 against them this season?
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A couple stats to get your Monday morning going:
- Baseball Prospectus gives the Phillies a 37 percent chance to make the postseason. BP likes the Mets better, however. They give the Mets a 71.1 percent chance.
- Jayson Werth leads the Majors, averaging 4.52 pitches per plate appearance. Boston’s Kevin Youkilis is second with 4.44. Chase Utley is tied for 35th with 4.06. Ryan Howard is tied for 45th with 4.03. Shane Victorino sees the 15th fewest pitches in the Majors with 3.41 pitches per plate appearance.
- Utley swings at only 7 percent of first pitches in his at-bats. That’s the third-lowest mark in baseball. Only Joe Mauer (3 percent) and J.J. Hardy (3.9 percent) swing at fewer first pitches. Werth is the 12th lowest at 12.1 percent. Raul Ibanez (24th at 15 percent), Jimmy Rollins (47th at 18.4 percent) and Victorino (tied for 57th at 19.9 percent) also are in the lowest 100. Ryan Howard is the 24th highest at 35.8 percent.
- Utley leads the Majors with 11 hit by pitches. He leads the Majors with 88 hit by pitches from 2004 through 2009. Former Phillies centerfielder Aaron Rowand is second with 85.
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Petco Park and Dodger Stadium are two of my favorite ballparks in baseball. Petco is just a notch below Citizens Bank Park. I’d put Dodger Stadium on par with the Bank, I think. I wasn’t impressed with Dodger Stadium the first time I walked in it, but it really grew on me. But maybe I like it because there’s a solid chance I’ll see fellow MLBlogger Alyssa Milano there. We go way back. And when I say we go way back, I mean I used to watch Who’s the Boss?
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Amaro: Losing Brett Would Be A Big Blow
Brett Myers said earlier today that it’s almost 100 percent certain he will need surgery on his right hip, which jeopardizes his season and weakens the rotation.
He hopes a second opinion gives him better news, but he does not sound optimistic.
I talked with Ruben Amaro Jr. about an hour ago outside Chase Utley‘s second annual Utley’s Animal All-Stars charity event – I hadn’t done a stakeout in a while (fun!) – which was held in Olde City. Here is what Amaro had to say about Myers:
Q: Does this increase your urgency to find starting pitching in a trade?
A: We’ve been looking for starting pitching from February on and that hasn’t changed. The urgency, a lot of it depends on what happens at the exam (second opinion with hip specialist Bryan Kelly). We’re going to probably bring somebody from our Minor League system, if in fact we need it. We’ll see how it progresses. The sky is not falling.
Q: Who are the options to take Myers’ spot in the rotation in the short term?
A: (Carlos) Carrasco, (Kyle) Kendrick, (Andrew) Carpenter, (Antonio) Bastardo.
Q: If you lose Myers, is a team with a starting pitcher to trade probably going to wait closer to the trade deadline to make a move, regardless of your situation?
A: That team that decides they want to be a seller? They’re going to try to get the best deal they can possibly get. And if they know Brett Myers is not with us, they’re going to try to get the best deal they possibly can. But I’m sure there are other teams out there who are looking for the same thing. So we have to assess. And if there is a deal to be made we’re going to have to assess whether it makes sense for us, not just short term, but long term as well.
Asked if he had anything else to add, if he wanted to tell Phillies fans to stay calm (all is well!), Amaro declined.
“The fact of the matter is, if we lose him it will be a big blow to us,” he said. “I don’t want to downplay that because if you lose Brett Myers it’s a big deal. But the fact of the matter is, we’ll have to make an adjustment. I don’t know how we’re going to do that, but it starts internally and we’ll see how that works out and we’ll go from there.”
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A big assist to Scott Eyre, who kindly gave me a bag of walnuts from the giveaway bag from the event. They kept me standing on my feet while I waited for Amaro.
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Todd Zolecki
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