As was the case in most of the 1980s, this is proving to be a dynasty-free decade in baseball. There wasn’t a lot of talk about the Philadelphia Phillies or Tampa Bay Rays being capable of a run after they went to the World Series in October, and the three-tiered playoff system makes for long odds against any except the most dominant teams.
Two months in, though, don’t count out the Phillies.
They are going to be really dangerous if they ever sort out their starting pitching.
Charlie Manuel’s defending champs had managed to lead the National League East eight days in a row before slipping a half-game behind the Mets entering the weekend. They did this despite a starting rotation with a 5.91 ERA, last in the majors, and a 9-14 home record, better than only Houston, Colorado and Washington among their NL brethren.
“Maybe they should get on us a little,” Manuel said of Philadelphia’s notoriously tough fans.
There’s no question the Phillies have a lineup that can win. They picked up the home-run-hitting, run-scoring pace a little with Raul Ibanez replacing Pat Burrell in left field and began the weekend second in the NL with 5.53 runs per game. That pace would produce 896 runs over a full season, a gain of nearly 50 runs from a year ago, when the Cubs led the league with 855.
But the pitching has been as shaky as the lineup built around Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard has been solid. Brett Myers and Cole Hamels are the only members of the Opening Day rotation with ERAs below 5.00, and it appears Myers could be lost for the season if he undergoes surgery on his hip.
Manuel made a belated but smart move by dropping Chan Ho Park from the rotation in favor of Northwestern product J.A. Happ, who in his first start held the Yankees to two runs in six innings. Joe Blanton, a 2008 stretch-run acquisition, had his best start of the season Tuesday against Florida. Jamie Moyer, however, hasn’t come close to justifying the wishful thinking that earned him a two-year, $13 million contract in the off-season.
With Pat Gillick in charge, the Phillies added starting pitching during the season three years in a row. Before Blanton, they got Kyle Lohse in 2007 and Moyer in ’06. It’s up to first-year general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. to pull the trigger on a deal this time around.
According to major league sources, the Phillies are exploring every available starting pitcher. The list includes Jake Peavy, Brandon Webb, Roy Halladay, Doug Davis, Erik Bedard, Cliff Lee, Aaron Harang, Brad Penny, Chris Young and Jason Marquis. Even Houston’s Roy Oswalt is receiving consideration.
You’d have to pay a ton to get most of those pitchers — and the Phillies might need a couple of them, not just one.
They also need to straighten out closer Brad Lidge. He has been a mess since his perfect 2008, blowing saves in back-to-back games against the Yankees last weekend and converting only nine of his first 13 save chances. He entered the weekend with an 8.85 ERA, the result of a .330 opponents’ batting average.
One thing Lidge doesn’t have to worry about is Manuel losing faith in him.
“I want Lidge to feel that we have all the confidence in the world in him, because we do,” Manuel said. “He deserves a chance to work it out.”
The next big thing: Baltimore fans are praying that the baseball gods smile on Matt Wieters. Not to put any pressure on the 23-year-old switch-hitting catcher, but it would be nice if he could fill Cal Ripken Jr.’s dusty cleats.
Eleven consecutive losing seasons under Peter Angelos’ ownership has caused many to forget what a great baseball town Baltimore used to be. The Orioles drew barely 10,000 fans to Camden Yards for a Tuesday game against Toronto and were just over 12,000 on Thursday with Detroit in town. But Wieters’ arrival Friday night woke up the disillusioned fan base.
Wieters played only 169 minor-league games after being selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2007 draft. In those games Wieters batted .343 with 32 homers, 121 RBIs and almost as many walks (102) as strikeouts (106). He also showed an aptitude for catching like Jason Varitek, a fellow Georgia Tech alum.
Ripken needed 443 minor-league games to be declared ready in August 1981. But he was only 20, having signed at 17 out of high school.
Streaking: San Diego’s 10-game winning streak was a testament to the nature of baseball as much as the great work of the Padres’ bullpen (one earned run in 33 innings, with 35 strikeouts against 17 hits during the streak).
Less than two months into the 2009 season, 18 of the 30 teams have had winning or losing streaks of at least six games. Kansas City and Florida had followed winning streaks with an immediate losing streak of similar duration.
The Dodgers’ standing as the best team in baseball is largely the result of eight- and seven-game winning streaks. Likewise, the traditional Red Sox-Yankees fight atop the American League East comes from an 11-game streak by the Red Sox and a nine-game streak by the Yankees.
Sneak attack: Every manager who has had Juan Pierre has raved about his work ethic, and the Dodgers’ Joe Torre is no exception. He credits Pierre with keeping a great attitude after his playing time was swallowed by Andruw Jones and then Manny Ramirez, and Torre marvels at how Pierre worked with Matt Kemp even as Kemp was claiming the center field position.
These days Pierre is about production, not just professionalism. He entered the weekend hitting .425 since Ramirez was suspended. He was 20 plate appearances shy of qualifying for the batting race but at .407 joined Minnesota’s Joe Mauer as one of only two big-leaguers with 100-plus at-bats hitting higher than Tampa Bay’s Jason Bartlett (.373).
Pierre’s .407 average isn’t just the result of bunts and leg hits either. He has been driving the ball, with his 13 extra-base hits entering the weekend matching his total in 375 at-bats last season. He has been walking twice as often as in recent years, including two intentional walks. Repeat: two intentional walks.
Pierre would have been traded in spring training if he didn’t have $28.5 million left on his contract. There could be a market for him later this season, but even with Torre playing a regular outfield of Ramirez, Kemp and Andre Ethier, Pierre could be a valuable guy for a playoff team. Think Dave Roberts, Boston, 2004.
The last word: “Now I’ve got to work my way up, right? I’m an employee. I follow orders.” — David Ortiz on being dropped to sixth in the Red Sox order.
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Whispers
Keep an eye on the relationship between Roy Oswalt and the Astros. He has been disappointed that the club hasn’t made an attempt to land Jake Peavy and recently has seemed at odds with manager Cecil Cooper. Oswalt has a full no-trade clause but might not mind a chance to go to a contender. … Injuries may have finished off Tampa Bay’s chance to contend again. The Rays placed shortstop Jason Bartlett, second baseman Akinori Iwamura, lefty Scott Kazmir and relievers Troy Percival and Brian Shouse on the DL in a span of less than a week, with Iwamura lost for the season with torn ligaments in his left knee and ankle that require surgery. He can be a free agent after the season. Percival seems headed for retirement because of shoulder problems.
Gary Sheffield continues to provide a big lift for the Mets. Ditto the video replay rule. The Mets have gone 5-0 in getting the call on video replays this season, including two reversals of opponents’ homers. … Peavy insists he could reconsider a White Sox trade later in the season. The Sox say they’re open to the possibility, but it seems as much of a long shot as it did two weeks ago. … Add the Yankees and Braves to the possible Mark DeRosa destinations. … Credit new pitching coach Rick Knapp, catcher Gerald Laird and an improved infield defense, as much as newcomers Edwin Jackson and Rick Porcello, for turning around Detroit’s pitching staff, which is battling Kansas City for the AL’s lowest ERA. Knapp had been Minnesota’s minor league pitching coordinator for 12 years and spent 20 years coaching minor-league pitchers. Jim Leyland had a good line after his Tigers lost to the Royals’ Zack Greinke. “Kid’s got a lot of equipment,” he said. …
Twins catcher Joe Mauer had never hit more than five homers in a month before May, when he was at 11 through Saturday. … Marlins GM Larry Beinfest doesn’t mess around, a thought Opening Day starter Ricky Nolasco must be pondering as he pitches for Triple-A New Orleans. He went eight innings in his first start there and isn’t expected to stay long, returning to see if he can do something about his 9.07 ERA.
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