You want the good news or the bad news about the Phillies this morning?
OK, here goes. They won last night, to keep their three and a half game edge over the Marlins. Ben Francisco, the guy who was included in the trade that brought starter Cliff Lee to red pinstripes, hit a homer in the 12th to push the Phils to a 4-3 over the Cubs in Wrigley.
That pretty much sums up the good news.
Now for the other stuff. This team seems to be fraying at the seams. I suppose they could rally and put their troubles behind them, or the whole thing could simply unravel.
Tonight will be the key. Pedro Martinez takes the mound tonight to pitch in a major league game for the first time since last September.
Martinez is taking Jamie Moyer’s spot in the starting rotation, and the 46-year-old who just a few months ago was riding down Broad Street as a World Series hero is not happy about it. For his efforts – and his 16-7 mark last year – Moyer was awarded a new, two-year, $13 million deal.
But that’s not all Moyer says he got. He believes he got assurances from the Phils that exactly the kind of thing that happened this week would not take place.
Now he feels “misled.” He is going to the bullpen, and he does not want to be a distraction, but that is exactly what he became yesterday when he met with reporters and blew off a little steam, saying the whole thing had left him “disheartened.”
As much as we appreciate Moyer and what he did for the team last year, his numbers this year, including the highest ERA of any starter in the NL, simply don’t cut it. Moyer has been around long enough to know that.
So what happens tonight if Martinez implodes in his return to the big leagues? Don’t ask.
The funny thing is, that might not even be the most pressing pitching problem the Phils face. Last year’s lights-out closer, Brad Lidge, had another hiccup last night, coughing up a 3-2 lead in the ninth, including the sure-fire recipe for disaster of walking the lead-off man.
Then there are the Phils’ bats. Anyone seen them recently? When Francisco launched that pitch in the 12th into the basket just over the fence in the left-field corner, it was just their third hit of the night.
Tonight all eyes will be on Martinez. Ruben Amaro Jr. surely will not be the only one with his fingers crossed.
OK, here goes. They won last night, to keep their three and a half game edge over the Marlins. Ben Francisco, the guy who was included in the trade that brought starter Cliff Lee to red pinstripes, hit a homer in the 12th to push the Phils to a 4-3 over the Cubs in Wrigley.
That pretty much sums up the good news.
Now for the other stuff. This team seems to be fraying at the seams. I suppose they could rally and put their troubles behind them, or the whole thing could simply unravel.
Tonight will be the key. Pedro Martinez takes the mound tonight to pitch in a major league game for the first time since last September.
Martinez is taking Jamie Moyer’s spot in the starting rotation, and the 46-year-old who just a few months ago was riding down Broad Street as a World Series hero is not happy about it. For his efforts – and his 16-7 mark last year – Moyer was awarded a new, two-year, $13 million deal.
But that’s not all Moyer says he got. He believes he got assurances from the Phils that exactly the kind of thing that happened this week would not take place.
Now he feels “misled.” He is going to the bullpen, and he does not want to be a distraction, but that is exactly what he became yesterday when he met with reporters and blew off a little steam, saying the whole thing had left him “disheartened.”
As much as we appreciate Moyer and what he did for the team last year, his numbers this year, including the highest ERA of any starter in the NL, simply don’t cut it. Moyer has been around long enough to know that.
So what happens tonight if Martinez implodes in his return to the big leagues? Don’t ask.
The funny thing is, that might not even be the most pressing pitching problem the Phils face. Last year’s lights-out closer, Brad Lidge, had another hiccup last night, coughing up a 3-2 lead in the ninth, including the sure-fire recipe for disaster of walking the lead-off man.
Then there are the Phils’ bats. Anyone seen them recently? When Francisco launched that pitch in the 12th into the basket just over the fence in the left-field corner, it was just their third hit of the night.
Tonight all eyes will be on Martinez. Ruben Amaro Jr. surely will not be the only one with his fingers crossed.
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