Phils split with Cubs

(originally posted 8/3/07)

Finally, some good news on the injury front for the Phillies. No, Utley and Victorino and Madson and Bourn and Lieber and Garcia and Rosario are all still recuperating. Lieber and Garcia will likely never be seen in these parts again. (Actually, that's probably IS good news.)

"Catcher" Rod Barajas was placed on the 15-Day DL. Now, his injury may not even be all that real (the Phillies DESPERATELY needed another reliever this weekend), but Barajas' .528 OPS in July was all too real. Hopefully, Barajas has been placed on the DL, retroactive to the end of the season. This move should give Chris Coste the opportunity to be the regular catcher for awhile, and even if he can't sustain his current OPS (.908), he seems probable to improve upon Carlos Ruiz (.698 OPS, .509 in July).

Replacing Rod Barajas on the roster is reliever Clay Condrey, promoted from AAA Ottawa for the 48th time this season. Condrey has been much improved since his 14.29 ERA May. Since June 2nd, he is 2-0 with only two earned runs allowed in 12.2 innings. He should at least help eat up some relief innings. This gives the Phillies thirteen pitchers on their twenty-five man active roster. On some teams, having only three possible moves off the bench (assuming the backup C will only enter the game in the event of an injury) would be problematic. But Manager Charlie Manuel isn't exactly heralded for his efficacious roster utilization, so minimizing the number of moves he can make may actually be beneficial. Besides, who doesn't want to see SP's Cole Hamels, Adam Eaton, Kyle Kendrick, and Jamie Moyer used as pinch-hitters on a regular basis? Plus, maybe Pat Burrell won't be removed after his 7th inning at-bat every game, only to have his spot in the batting order come up again in the 9th inning. (Actually, the Phillies could have a 17 man pitching staff, and that would probably still happen.)

The Phillies managed to split their four game series against the Cubs at Wrigley, which was quite an accomplishment considering their injury problems, and the Cubs' 33-17 record in their last 50 games going into the series. Sure, there was some extreme ugliness: the loss in the bottom of the 9th Wednesday was too obscene to be chronicled here, and the one inning debut of new acquisiton Kyle Lohse was a bit on the profane side as well. But some lesser-known Phillies, such as Jayson Werth and J. D. (The Real Deal) Durbin, made major contributions in Thursday's 10-6 win. Yet another Manuel Mystery occurred Thursday, when Closer Brett Myers (fresh off the DL) was used for the second day in a row, brought in to close out a 10-6 win. It seems like another bullpenner should have been chosen to finish off the win, but Manuel probably figured Myers had plenty of rest (only 2 IP in July).

The Phillies face the struggling Milwaukee Brewers tonight, with Kyle Kendrick (5-1, 4.04 ERA) facing Yovani Gallardo (3-1, 2.72 ERA) in a battle of talented rookies. The Mets beat the Cubs today (thanks for nothing, Ryan Dempster!), so the Phillies need a win tonight to remain four games behind the division-leading Mets. But a win tonight, combined with LA and SD losses, would pull the Phils into a tie for the Wild Card lead. Brett Myers will have had 29 hours rest by the 9th inning tonight, so he should be available to close out the game.