Fourth spot still open in playoff rotation

By Bill McFarland

While driving home from work last Friday, I tuned into WPHT 1210 AM, the Phillies' flagship radio station, to find out how the game was coming along. That game started more than an hour late due to rain, and host Jim Jackson was filling the time by engaging callers with a question about who the Phillies' four starters should be for the playoffs, if the decision had to be made now.

Most callers had the same four or five guys in various orders. I should also point out that only four starters are needed for a five- or seven-game series, mainly to give the top guy at least two starts, or possibly three, should there be weather or travel delays.

I'm going to throw my two cents in here and declare that only the top three slots are settled. Cliff Lee, Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ — in that order — get the nod from this corner.

All have been pitching well lately, and Blanton gets the second spot for two reasons. The right-hander breaks up the two left-handers (Lee and Happ), plus he has more playoff experience. Granted, Happ has pitched very well in pressure situations this season, but why not take some hype away from him and have him go third? With less pressure, he can concentrate more on his pitching.

The fourth slot, in my opinion, is very much still cloudy, and I think it will be a few weeks before those clouds clear. The two current candidates are Cole Hamels and Pedro Martinez.

Martinez has two wins in his three starts thus far, but he has yet to show this club that he can take it into the seventh inning. This is what manager Charlie Manual needs to determine. The rap on Pedro during his minor-league rehab starts was that he ran out of gas after the fourth inning, and this pattern seems to be continuing at the big-league level.

Remember that Martinez has not pitched for a long time, and it will take at least a half-dozen starts just to stretch him out. My guess is that he'll be in the rotation through the middle of September, after which the team will have to decide where to use him. He'll be on the playoff roster one way or another — as a starter or in the bullpen, possibly even as a closer. More on that in a moment.

Hamels has had his struggles this season, and Manual seems to think that he'll straighten himself out in time. But the Phillies don't have the luxury of time right now, and Charlie relies a little too much on blind faith.

As the Jamie Moyer situation reminded many of us, baseball is a business, and it all comes down to "What have you done lately?" Interestingly enough, should neither Hamels nor Martinez be the fourth starter in the playoffs, Moyer could very easily be the alternative. Baseball is one crazy game, isn't it?




There are some other issues that I want to address briefly. Fans have been focusing too much on the struggles of Hamels and closer Brad Lidge. During a career — no matter how good it is — players have off years. I think the problem with both Hamels and Lidge is that simple. The timing might be bad, but no player chooses when to go into a slump. It just happens whenever it happens.

That said, I still believe that the Phillies need a closer, and if general manager Ruben Amaro doesn't acquire one by Aug. 31, the club is left with only in-house options because a player must have been on the active 25-man roster before Aug. 31 to be eligible for the playoffs. That pretty much leaves the choices to Martinez, Hamels or Brett Myers.

(As a reminder, I'll point out that Philadelphia acquired veteran reliever Sparky Lyle from the New York Yankees in September 1980. Lyle helped the team get to the playoffs, but he was not eligible for the postseason.)

I don't believe that Lidge should be the Phillies' closer for the playoffs, even though Manual is taking the same approach with Lidge as he is with Hamels — hoping that the reliever finds himself and becomes dominant during the stretch run. Don't hold your breath.

Lidge's 41st save in the Eastern Division-clinching game last season came on a spectacular play that will be replayed on highlight reels for years to come. Sunday's save was similar. Lidge had already yielded one run and had two base runners on with no outs when Eric Bruntlett turned the unassisted triple play to end the game and preserve a 9-7 win over the New York Mets.

There's always a little bit of luck involved in any kind of success, but it's also foolish to count on luck. As I said before, keep your eyes peeled for a closer, Ruben. Aug. 31 is Monday.




One thing overlooked in the Cliff Lee trade was the acquisition of outfielder Ben Francisco. The move vastly improved the Phillies' outfield depth because Francisco can play all three positions.

Manuel should have him starting at least three or four games a week to give the three regulars a breather. If Francisco starts in either of the corners, the manager has either a right-handed bat (Jason Werth) or a left-handed bat (Raul Ibanez) available should the situation arise. If Francisco spells center fielder Shane Victorino, Charlie has a switch hitter at his disposal to pinch hit.

Furthermore, the more Francisco plays, the sharper his bat will be whenever Charlie needs him as a pinch hitter. Francisco is a win-win situation the more he plays.




That's my opinion. What do you think? Click on the "Comments?" link below and let me know.

Bill McFarland has covered the Phillies for several publications since 1991. He can be reached at 215-354-3037 or mcfarlandwilliam@hotmail.com

Next post: Sept. 9.

© 2009 www.Bill-McFarland.com

This column was posted on Aug. 26, 2009. It may not be reproduced anywhere else without permission.

Comments?

Visit the Phillies Web site.



Return to home