Phillies general manager Pat Gillick told us on July 30 that this team would not contend this year. That was his reason for dealing Bobby Abreu, Cory Lidle, David Bell, Rheal Cormier, Sal Fasano and Ryan Franklin.
Apparently, Gillick thinks otherwise now because the club acquired left-hander Jamie Moyer late Saturday. Picking up a veteran pitcher for a stretch run is a far cry from throwing in the towel. Since the July trades, this team has been hot, and now everybody wants to believe that it's possible the Phillies can capture the wild card. It's going to be interesting to see if Gillick has other moves hidden up his sleeves.
"We're definitely playing better," said manager Charlie Manuel after Sunday's 12-10 victory over the Washington Nationals. "Once we get to .500 or better, I think we definitely have a chance in this (wild-card race)."
For whatever reason, the Phillies are playing with an extra spark these days, and a few breaks are going the right way. One reader called to say that Gillick had removed the cancers in the clubhouse.
I don't agree. Although Lidle created a firestorm with some critical comments after he was dealt to the New York Yankees, I didn't know him well enough to determine how his teammates felt about him. Lidle was always cordial — and available — to the media after every start. I can tell you that Bell, Abreu and Cormier were well-liked and respected by their peers and the media.
Franklin was unhappy about landing in the bullpen this season because he had expected to be a starter when he signed to pitch in Philadelphia. He never wavered when asked about this subject, but he always toed the company line about doing whatever he could to help his team win.
Fasano, in my opinion, may have fallen out of favor with management. He actually was well-liked — Ryan Madson was wearing a "Sal's Pals" T-shirt in the clubhouse after Sunday's game — but his outspokenness toward the end of his tenure might have cost him. The conventional wisdom about his release was that rookie Chris Coste had a hot bat and could provide insurance behind the plate and at the infield corners. (He takes grounders at both first and third base during infield practice.)
Fasano was upset when the Phillies placed him on the disabled list because he thought he needed only a few days of rest to recover from his inflamed knee. Unfortunately, the team would have been down to one catcher for those few days and extremely limited in bench moves, so Fasano — like it or not — had to go on the DL, and Coste was called up.
Nobody could have predicted that Coste would catch lightning in a bottle, and that situation put the team in a quandary when Fasano's 15 days were up. To buy time, the club insisted on a rehabilitation stint. The backup catcher put in a few minor-league games and didn't hit very well.
He did return to Philadelphia and declared himself fit and ready to rejoin the team. It was decided that the hot Coste was a better option. Fasano's loud mouth might have hurt him in this case.
Another issue that flows through my mind these days is the status of pitcher Randy Wolf. Sunday's outing fell apart after five innings, and Manuel attributed it to the fact that it was a hot day and that Wolf spent part of that day running the bases. He walked in the second inning, went from first to third on a Jimmy Rollins single and scored on a Shane Victorino groundout.
"I like what I see when he's out there," said Manuel. "It's going to take some time, but I think Randy is pretty close" to the way he was pitching before having Tommy John surgery.
"I feel strong," Wolf said after Sunday's outing. "Stuff-wise, I'm there. It's all about getting command. As long as I mix up my pitches when I'm out there, I think I'll be all right."
I agree. And since good pitching is hard to find, the Phillies should think less about the $9 million in salary that will be off the books when his contract ends this season and think more about re-signing Wolf. Since he's coming off an injury, it's unlikely that he'll get the inflated prices paid to last winter's free-agent pitchers.
The Phillies are the only organization that Wolf has ever played with. He might be open to taking a little less money to stay here. If the team offers a one-year deal at a reasonable price with incentives and an option that kicks in after so many quality starts, I think Wolf would take it.
What do you think?
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