Player Recaps: Bullpen

This article was featured on Phillies Nation under 2009 Player Reviews.

Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson were the main arms in the bullpen, but there were other important arms, such as Scott Eyre, Chan Ho Park, and Brett Myers. Tyler Walker, Sergio Escalona, Antoino Bastardo, Jack Taschner, and Kyle Kendrick also spent time in the big league bullpen.

Collectively, the Phillies bullpen had a 3.91 ERA, which ranked 14th in the majors, and ninth in the National League.

With J.C Romero suspended and injured, Scott Eyre was a key factor in the bullpen, serving as a left-handed specialist. Eyre only pitched 30 innings, but he posted a 1.50 ERA and 1.27 WHIP. It’s unknown if Eyre will return in 2010. Eyre had injury problems, and had surgery in the off season. Eyre, a free agent, also tossed around the idea of retiring.

Chan Ho Park won the fifth starter’s spot in spring training. In seven starts, he posted a 7.29 ERA and lost his starting spot to J.A Happ. Park moved to the bullpen, and was extremely effective, posting a 2.52 ERA. His role as a reliever was undefined. Sometimes we would eat two or three innings; in other situations he acted as a set-up man in close games. Like Eyre, Park is a free agent, and a return is uncertain.

For the second year in a row, Brett Myers was the Opening Day starter. However, Myers missed most of the season due to a hip injury. Myers beat the odds and returned from surgery before the season ended. He struggled at the end of the regular season and in the postseason, but his determination was still there. The Phillies already notified Myers that he will not be a Phillie in 2010.

After a few bullpen injuries, Tyler Walker’s contract was purchased from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Walker pitched well in 35.1 innings with the Phillies. He had a 3.06 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He later earned trust from the skipper in close game situations.

Sergio Escalona had a busy travel schedule. The young lefty shuttled back and forth between the majors and minors. The 24-year old went 1-0 with a 4.61 ERA in 14 games.

Antonio Bastardo tore up the minor leagues before being called up to start. However, he struggled during his time in the majors. He had a 6.46 ERA, then was placed on the disabled list. In need of bullpen help, Bastardo made the NLDS and NLCS roster. Despite only pitching 0.1 innings in the postseason, the decision to add Bastardo to the postseason roster was bold, and showed that the Phillies think highly of him. The 23-year old has a hard fastball, a nasty slider and changeup, and the potential to be a good major league pitcher.

The Phillies needed a lefty, so they shopped Ronny Paulino to the San Francisco Giants for Jack Taschner. Taschner’s stay in Philadelphia wasn’t a pleasant one. He had a 4.91 ERA in 29 innings before getting the boot.

From the beginning of spring training, it was Kyle Kendrick’s goal to show that his sophomore slump was just a fluke. He didn’t win the final spot in the rotation, although he did make a few spot starts. Kendrick spent most of the season in Triple-A, only pitching 26.1 innings in the majors. He had a 3.42 ERA, but he was very inconsistent. Kendrick has another opportunity to redeem himself and win the fifth starter’s job in 2010.

The 2009 bullpen was recognized more for their reality show, “The Pen,” than anything else. The bullpen wasn’t the Phillies strong point like in 2008, however it was about average. They had guys like Park who could get the job done, but they also had guys like Taschner who couldn’t.

Part IV: NLDS Preview: Bullpen

This is Part IV of the NLDS Preview. Click here for Part III, or see the full article on Phillies Nation.

The bullpen is a weakness for both teams. Charlie Manuel is unsure who will close for the Phillies, but it will likely be between Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge. Lidge’s struggles are well documented, blowing the most saves in the majors. Madson struggled when he closed, but his high velocity and nasty changeup are closing material. Huston Street, the Rockies closer, isn’t automatically light’s out either. His numbers are impressive: 3.06 ERA, 35 saves, 0.91 WHIP and a .194 opponents average. However, he can be very inconsistent. When he gets hit, he gets rocked.

The Phillies bullpen has been plagued with injuries. J.C Romero and Jamie Moyer both had season ending surgery. Brett Myers has a 6.43 since returning from hip surgery. The Phillies made an interesting move by leaving Clay Condrey off the roster and adding Antonio Bastardo and Kyle Kendrick. Condrey may still be suffering from his back injury, but adding Bastardo is questionable. The Phillies added a rookie with limited and unsuccessful major league experience, but they are in desperate need of a left-handed reliever. With Scott Eyre the lefty specialist, Bastardo will get limited action, much like Happ last season. Pedro Martinez’s role has yet to be defined, but chances are he will pitch out of the bullpen.

The Colorado bullpen includes Joe Beimel, Rafeal Betancourt, Franklin Morales, Matt Daley, and Matt Belisle. Biemel, their primary left-handed specialist, went 1-6 with a 3.58 ERA this season. Since joining the Rockies, Betancourt has a 1.78 ERA and 29 strikeouts in 25.1 innings. Franklin Morales has yet to live up to his expectation, but he can be a solid pitcher. Belisle has struggled this season, and Daley is a rookie who has had some success.

In two hitter-friendly parks, pitching can prove to be a key factor. As the saying goes, pitching wins championships.

Minor Moves

The Phillies made some minor transactions today:

• Paul Hoover was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To make room for Hoover on the 40-man roster, catcher Joel Naughton was designated for assignment.

The 33-year-old catcher batted .253 with one home run with the IronPigs. The move adds another catcher to the September roster. He played in the majors last season with the Marlins. He batted .200 (8-for-40), and is a career .230 hitter. It's also notable that he does not have a Major League home run.

Naughton batted .240 with 7 HR and 34 RBI in Single-A Clearwater this season.

• The Phillies activated Antonio Bastardo from the 60-day disabled list. He was optioned to Double-A Reading. To make room for Bastardo, Steven Register was designated for assignment.

Bastardo was 2-3 with a 6.75 ERA in five starts with the Phillies. Register went 1-3 with a 3.20 ERA with the IronPigs. He pitched one game with the big club this season.

• Clay Condrey (left oblique strain) is scheduled to make a rehab assignment on Saturday.

Condrey, who has been on the DL since July 23, is 6-2 with a 3.41 ERA this season.

• Even though the postseason roster deadline is up, the Phillies may still have interest in Nomar Garciaparra, who cleared waivers a while ago.

The Phillies are in need of a right handed bat off the bench, and Nomar would provide that. He is currently with teh Oakland A's.

• Brett Myers will be activated tomorrow prior to the game against the Houston Astros.

Myers, who recovered from hip surgery, will likely start pitching in the 6th and 7th innings. Myers was 4-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 10 starts this year. In four rehab appearances, he pitched eight innings allowing one run. He struck out 14.

If this video doesn't get you pumped for the postseason, then I don't know what does. Bon Jovi, baseball, and oh yeah the reigning World Champs are featured several times.

Also, my mad photography skills were featured on the blog Who Does He Play For?

Organizational Moves

Antonio Bastardo has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder strain. Left-handed relief pitcher Sergio Escalona is recalled.

Starting pitcher Yohan Flande was promoted from Single-A Clearwater to Double-A Reading yesterday. He will make his first start with the Reading Phillies tonight.

In Clearwater, Flande was 7-1 with a 2.52 earned run average.

The move could indicate a promotion for two other players in the farm system. The Phillies need a starter, so a player will be called up from Triple-A or Double-A. There could also be a Double-A to Triple-A promotion.

However, after Flande was promoted, the Phillies acquired Brian Mazone from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Mazone, a former Phillies farm hand, is 0-1 with an 8.44 ERA in Triple-A this season.

The move could fill a hole in Lehigh Valley’s rotation after somebody is promoted to the majors. It can also prevent a Double-A player from being promoted to Triple-A.

In addition, J.A Happ will start on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves. A pitcher that has yet to be announced will pitch on Friday against the New York Mets. Originally, the call-up was slated for Thursday.

Phillies Looking Everywhere for Pitching

Antonio Bastardo will be unable to make his next start on Wednesday due to a strained shoulder.

Cole Hamels will start Wednesday against the Atlanta Braves. The Phillies are expected to call up Carlos Carrasco from Triple-A Lehigh Valley and he will make his Major League debut on Thursday.

The Phillies will likely be buyers at the July 31 trade deadline. In the past, they may have been looking for a right-handed bat, but now the priority is pitching, starters and relievers. There are a few pitchers the Phillies scouted.

They have looked at Brad Penny the most, but it is unsure whether the Red Sox make him available with Daisuke Matsuzaka on the disabled list. They scouted Chien-Ming Wang in case the Yankees decide to make him available. They have also looked at Jarod Washburn and Jason Marquis.

4-0 Lead Not Enough

As seen on Phillies Nation.

The Phillies scored four runs in the first inning, however rookie Antonio Bastardo could not hold the lead as the Rays came back from a four runs deficit.

Ryan Howard's two-run double put the Phillies on the board. Matt Stairs followed with a double of his own to drive in Howard. Pedro Feliz singled in Stairs and the Phillies found themselves with an early 4-0 lead.

Antonio Bastardo could not provide the "shut down inning" and gave up three runs in the bottom of the first, including Ben Zobrist's sixteenth home run of the year. Bastardo allowed three more runs in the second before exiting in the fourth with a left shoulder strain. There is no word on the extent of the injury.

Bastardo's line was ugly: 3.2 IP, 7 hits, six earned runs, 3 walks, four strike outs, two home runs. On the other hand, Andy Sonnanstine settled down after the first inning and the Phillies did not score for the rest of the game.

Trailing 6-4 with one out and runners at the corners, the Phillies had a chance to rally in the sixth inning. Eric Bruntlett hit a fly ball to center, deep enough to score the run. Stairs tug up, but Feliz lost track of the outs and was doubled off at first before Stairs crossed the plate.

The Phillies were unhappy with home plate umpire Gary Cederstrom's strike zone, which allowed the sixth inning to turn into a three-run inning for the Rays. Several Phillies batters were also complaining with the inconsistent strike zone before an argument broke between a few Phillies players, Charlie Manuel, and Cederstorm.

Either way, the Phillies need to tack on runs and the pitching could not limit the damage. The Phillies also continued to make mental mistakes. With the 10-4 loss, the Phillies dropped their second in a row and the series to Rays.

Rubber-match WS Rematch

For the full gameday, visit Phillies Nation.

The Philadelphia Phillies (37-32) will play the Tampa Bay Rays (38-35).

Antonio Bastardo (2-2, 5.21 ERA) will start against Andy Sonnanstine (5-7, 6.60 ERA) at Tropicana Field.

The Phillies will send Antonio Bastardo on the mound for the rubber-match against the Rays. Like the World Series, the Phillies took game one, and the Rays took game two. The only difference is that the series is still in Tampa, which may not be a bad thing with most of the Phillies success coming away from Citizens Bank Park.

In his outing against the Baltimore Orioles, Bastardo was roughed up in the second inning, but he settled down. He was effective throwing 73 of 108 pitches for strikes. The rookie pitched a career high seven innings in his effort against the Orioles.

In the World Series, Sonnanstine earned the loss in game four. In four innings, he allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits and three walks. Ryan Howard homered off him.

Sonnanstine's numbers may not be impressive, but he has pitched better in his last two starts. He was effective against the Mets in last start, however a three run home run hurt him. It also notable that he is 12-9 with a 5.01 ERA at Tropicana Field.

Charlie Manuel has benched Jimmy Rollins for tonight's and Friday's game. Manuel says Rollins will return to the leadoff spot when he returns, however he'll ride the pine for the next two days.

Call of the Day: Carlos Ruiz hit a walk off homer in 2007.

"Long drive! Could it be? It is OUTTA HERE! CAR-LOS RU-IZ! Ruiz, lobs his
helmet in the air and is mobbed by his teammates at home plate."

Phils Lose Fourth in a Row

As seen on Phillies Nation.

The Phillies jumped out to a 2-0 lead, however that didn't prevent them from falling to the lowly Baltimore Orioles, 7-2, for their fourth consecutive loss.

In the first inning, Jayson Werth's two out, two run double put the Phillies on the board, but the lead did not last long.

Rookie sensation Matt Wieters responded with a double of his own, tying the game at two in the second inning. Orioles pitcher Rich Hill chipped in, helping his own cause with a run batted in to give the O's the lead.

The second inning was the only inning Antonio Bastardo had trouble with. He rebounded nicely. In the seven innings, he allowed four earned runs on five hits. He hit a batter (which started the rough second inning), however he did not walk anybody and he struck out five.

In the ninth inning, the Orioles blew the game wide open against Jack Taschner, who allowed three earned runs.

The story was the struggling offense that went just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position and left ten men on base.

Bastardo Breakdown

You couldn't of asked for more out of Antonio Bastardo, who made his Major League debut on Tuesday.

The 23 year old pitched six solid innings allowing just one earned run, a solo home run to the league leader in home runs, Adrian Gonzlaez. Bastardo allowed only four hits and one walk. He hit a batter and struck out five earning the win. A fantastic line, none the less.

There was no doubt that Bastardo was nervous, yet excited about his first big league start. The 4-0 lead in the first inning may of relaxed him, but Charlie Manuel said after the game his emotions could of effected his grip of his offspeed pitches. His slider and changeup are said to be his best pitches, however Bastardo threw mostly fastballs throughout the entire game.

He located his pitches and he threw harder than the scouting reports indicated. He threw about 94 mph consistently.

He dominated the game with one pitch: his fastball. He did not show much of his offspeed and breaking pitches, but in the future he is going to need those pitches in order to be successful.

Yes, Bastardo pitched excellent, but he faced the San Diego Padres, a poor hitting ball club. When facing a solid hitting team, he can not rely solely on his fastball especially when he isn't at Petco Park, a pitchers park. Although not many of his fly ball outs were deep in the outfield, his groundout to flyout ratio was 3:10.

He pitched great and earned another start. However, this one start isn't going to make him a Hall of Famer. If he wants to be successful in the future, he is going to need to throw more offspeed pitches. He kept his job for now, but one start is not going to stop the Phillies from trading for a reliable, more experienced starting pitcher.

Call of the Day: In August of 2006, Jon Lieber pitched a complete game shut out against the New York Mets. With the video link, you can also here some great "struck 'em out!" calls.

"Bouncing ball to Nunez! This is going to be it! Five hit shut
out Jon Lieber! Lieber a gem! His fourth career shut out his first
since 2001 while pitching for the Chicargo [sic] Cubs."

Free At Last, Bastardo, and Other Notes

J.C Romero is back! After his 50 game suspension for violating the drug policy, Romero is back in the Phillies bullpen. After several minor league appearances, Romero will look to get right back into Major League action.

To make room for Romero, left hander Sergio Escolona was sent back down to the minors.

In about a month from today, Manny Ramirez, another violator of the policy, will return from his 50 game suspension.

Another left hander, Scott Eyre, says there is a 90% chance he could retire after the 2009 season.

“My wife is probably ready for me to be home. I’ve been playing for 13 years,
and it’s basically all she’s ever known. We’ll talk about it at the end of the
year, but as of now I would say, yeah, I’ll retire.”

Another southpaw, Antonio Bastardo, dominated last night taking advantage of an early 4-0 lead against Jake Peavy, who left the game after one inning with a respiratory illness. In the Phillies 10-5 win over the San Diego Padres, Bastardo allowed just 1 earned run over 6 innings. He allowed just four hits, struck out five and walked one.

Bastardo's velocity regularly reached 94, harder than was thought to throw. Known for his offspeed pitches, he dominated most of the game with one pitch: his fastball.

On his birthday, Raul Ibanez hit two home runs, the 200th and 201st home runs of his career.

Call of the Day: Jimmy Rollins made a great play to nail Kelly Johnson back in September of 2008.

"Chopped to Rollins.. The play at the plate.. OUT at home
plate! Out at home plate is Kelly Johnson. J-Roll got it into Ruiz in a
hurry, so the runner is now at first base with two outs here in the eighth
inning, on a huge out- here comes Charlie Manuel."

Bastardo To Start Tuesday

Antonio Bastardo will make his major league debut on Tuesday against the San Diego Padres. Bastardo will temporarily fill in for Brett Myers. A roster move will be made prior to Sunday's game.

In his minor league career, Bastardo is 18-9 with a 2.55 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 297 strikeouts in 264.2 innings.

The 23 year old has been his way through the system quickly since the Phillies signed him after being undrafted in the 2007 Amatuer Draft.

Phillies News

• J.C Romero returns on June 3.
• Jamie Moyer will go for win number 250 for the sixth time.
• Liked Ryan Howard's grand slam in the third deck on Saturday? Ryan Howard broke Mike Schmidt's franchise records for most grand slams. Howard has eight, and his eighth was a long one. It wasn't the first time he hit into that area. In a recent "Call of the Day" feature, and a note to reader Jordan, here is the link for Ryan Howard's 7 RBI night, including his third decker HR.

Pharm Phriday: 5/29

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (AAA): 19-27, 5th in INT North

Miguel Cairo, who was just designated for assignment has joined the IronPigs and is batting .357 with 1 HR and 5 RBI.

Jason Donald has been struggling, batting just .234,but has missed the last couple games due to a hamstring injury.

Antonio Bastardo pitched 7 scoreless innings in his last outing. In 13 innings, he is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. IRONPIGPEN predicts that he will be the next prospect to be called up. With Brett Myers injured, that prediction doesn't seem far off.

Reading Phillies (AA): 25-20, 3rd in EAS South

Michael Taylor continues to dominate. His .322 AVG, 8 HR, 33 RBI, and .960 OPS leads the team by far.

Neil Sellers is also having a decent year at third base. He is batting .313 with 5 HR, 19 RBI and a .863 OPS.

Vance Worely has been stellar in the 57.1 innings he has pitched. His ERA is just 2.83. Even more impression his WHIP: 0.91.

Clearwater Threshers (A+): 22-20, 2nd in FSL North

Dominic Brown: .338 AVG/ 6 HR/ 33 RBI/ .989 OPS

Yohan Flande: 5-1/ 3.38 ERA/ 40 SO/ 1.33 WHIP

Kyle Drabek: 3-1/ 2.91 ERA/ 52.2 IP/ 11.5 K per 9 / 1.18 WHIP

Lakewood Blue Claws (A): 27-19, 1st in SAL North

Travis D'Arnaud is batting just .185, but leads the team in RBI with 25. Phoul Ballz has an interview on the catching prospect.

Tyler Cloyd: 5-2/ 3.08 ERA/ 1.07 WHIP/ 8.86 SO/BB

Call of the Day: In July of 1993 Mickey Morandini hit a grand slam off San Francisco's Dave Righetti in the eighth inning of an 8-3 win.

"Righetti stretches... 1-2 pitch... swing and a well-hit ball to deep
right... this ball is a grand slam, a grand slam home run Mickey Morandini and
the Phillies have broken this game wide open!"