The Pirates helped themselves to three runs, three hits, two walks and two wild pitches in Ricardo Rodriguez’s abysmal inning of relief, and went on to beat the Phillies 9-8 yesterday in Clearwater.
This was the third televised game of spring, so I observed from my couch. Rodriguez was awful. He had no command whatsoever. Several hitters had to bail out just to avoid getting drilled in the dome.
The Phillies must figure out what to do with the 27-year-old right-hander because he’s out of options. Clearly, he didn’t have command in relief yesterday, and he’s hasn't done enough to earn a job in the rotation. It’s beginning to look like his season could be spent with some other organization.
---- Though he allowed four hits, two runs and two walks, Ryan Madson got it together and put in a strong start, buckling knees with his curve and striking out six. There’s no doubt Madson (2.84 ERA) has earned a spot in the rotation, through Jim Salisbury reports that Tom Gordon's health could still factor into the decision, giving Rodriguez a glimmer of hope.
----- I was most impressed with right-handers Yoel Hernandez and Aquilino Lopez, who pitched the eighth and ninth. Hernandez (3.00 ERA) was in total command and sat the Bucs down in order. Then Lopez (3.86 ERA) mowed down the first two batters easily, gave up a double, but didn’t let it rattle him. He got ahead of the next batter and forced him to pop up weakly. A good word for Hernandez would be "poised". A good word for Lopez would be "filthy". I don’t know if there’s a better slider on the staff.
----- One guy that didn’t impress me was Shawn Garrett, who’s fighting for that last spot on the Phillies bench. Garrett went 0-5 with three strikeouts, seemingly on pitches that were right down broadway.
------ On the other hand, Chris Coste continued to show why he deserves that final spot. Coste came off the bench and nailed two homers. The feel good story of spring already has the feel of a sad ending. The roster is already stacked with right-handed bench players and they need a fifth outfielder. They say his best position is catcher, which makes one wonder how crazy it would be to let Coste stick as the backup catcher, and assign Sal Fasano to Scranton to work with Gavin Floyd and the other prospects. It’s a 1-in-100 chance, since the Phillies probably wouldn’t do it, and Fasano would need to clear waivers.
------ It’s good to see Bobby Abreu again, if only to be reminded of what a pro looks like at the plate. He had three hits yesterday, poking the ball to whatever spot on the field he wanted.
------ It's time for the Phils to say goodbye to Tomas Perez. Though he doubled yesterday, it was all nonsense, as former teammate Roberto Hernandez took to the hill and was basically throwing and not pitching. In his other at bats, Perez was swinging at balls a foot off the plate. Pie Man was a nice player for the Phillies and could do a lot of things, but it's time for the team to continue the offseason trend of moving forward. There are simply too many good young players that could help the team more.
------ And finally, the Inquirer reported today that David Bell has once again been sidelined with back spasms and could miss the season opener. I started prepping for an Alex Gonzalez and Abraham Nunez platoon months ago, and there’s no reason to stop now.
I've always said Madson has the ability to be a closer. I got into a back-and-forth with Todd Zolecki last year, as he maintained that Madson lacked the mental fortitude to be a closer, and furthermore that he didn't want to be. But I say he could do it. It's something I forgot to consider when I said there were no potential replacements for Gordon. However, if it means having Rodriguez in the rotation, then I think I really would prefer Geary to be the closer...!
Posted by: RickSchuBlues | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 01:30 PM
I love the idea of giving Coste a shot at the backup catcher spot and having Fasano act as the backup/personal catcher for Floyd in Scranton. Ideas like that make so much sense, you just know they have no shot of ever happening...
Posted by: xxx | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 01:34 PM
Yoel Hernandez, Aquilino Lopez, Eude Brito, and Robinson Tejeda all deserve spots over bums like Cormier, Rhodes and Gordon.
Posted by: fp | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 03:21 PM
Having a quality starter is more important than a quality closer, especially since we have more candidates who could fill in as closer than as starting pitcher...and then there's the fact that Madson came up as a SP and wants to return to that role.
I think that Rodriguez has no chance to make the team after that performance, and that what Salisbury said is speculation. Sports Weekly reported in its last issue that if Gordon is out, it's more likely that Madson will remain in the rotation and Tejeda could be closer (think about it--great fastball, got out of jams easily--wouldn't necessarily be great but a nice quick fix)
I also think Coste has more of a chance than you think. Even without Perez, Nunez and Victorino are switch hitters, so a RH hitter isn't necessary. And with Bell going down, and the fact that they're looking more for a bat than for defense, Coste has played OF before and can PH and then be inserted into our two weakest hitting positions (3B and C). And he can fill in for Howard too against Dontrelle! I'm really pulling for him, and with the spring he's having he deserves it this year if he's ever deserved it.
Posted by: Adam | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 04:45 PM
I think we should forget the debate of sending Fasano down - we'd probably lose him on waivers. That said, I think Coste should still be kept. A reason they're looking for a lefty hitting outfielder is to have some lefty power off the bench. If Coste is a viable option at catcher, then Fasano would be available as a pinch-hitter, and he does have pop. How much would Charlie love having a third catcher. Then, we can keep the best fifth outfielder available, regardless of power - at this point Roberson or somebody acquired. All of this is predicated, of course, on Bell not being able to play, which at this point is probably best for the team.
Posted by: Grant | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 05:13 PM
hey peeps honestly why all this talk about the last guy off the bench...jesus get a life. I hope you all know that almost every 25th man on each team leaving spreing training is a fringe player that eventually is replaceable and that being the case normally happens. Look at the last few years the 12th pitcher or position player normally only stays on for the month of April before injuries happen and all.
BTW is anyone worried that Gordon is 38 already injured and signed a 3 yr deal. What is the backup plan? Kinda reminds me of Mike Jackson a few years back when he was hurt before the season ever started.
Posted by: who cares | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 05:40 PM
Every man counts. Yes, there will be roster turnover, but when your team just missed the wild card by 1 win, every player's contribution counts. It's important to get the best possible production from the team.
As of now, Gordon isn't "injured". His elbow was tight, and he says that that's normal for him in spring training. He pitched well today, and as I said we have options.
Posted by: Adam | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 07:43 PM
With teams carrying so many (really, too many pitchers) as is common today, the 25th man is damned important. Keep Coste-power off the bench is critical.
Posted by: John Salmon | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 08:16 PM
Let Madson start - good starters are hard to find and are also more valuable in trade than closers/relievers. If Madson succeeds as a starter, and/or if Wolf can come back and be effective, the Phillies will be in a great position for Gillick to deal a starter for a quality catching or 3B prospect. (That's not even counting on Floyd contributing anything this season).
Coste - Why did the Phillies bother inviting him to camp? Was he told he had to bat 1.000 in order to make the team? In any case, the guy has earned a spot, and I can't think of a much better 'feel good' story than this one for the team to bring up from Florida. Bringing up Coste vs someone like Perez is good PR as well as good baseball, and the Phillies organization could help themselves in the eyes of the fans with a move like this (which is NOT a PR stunt..the guy has played better than the other candidates).
Posted by: George S | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 08:51 PM
Hey dude here are Coste's Homerun totals. I don't see him as a 32 year old slugger.
2000 AA - 2
2001 AAA - 4
2002 AAA - 8
2003 AAA - 9
2004 AAA - 2
2005 AAA - 20
he'll be lucky to hit one this year. But i'm sure that you'll get excited over that and have Wheels annoit him the feel good story of the year
Posted by: Adam is a Dunce | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 09:32 PM
Here are my odds for the last roster spot
1. Tomas Perez (45 %)
2. Chris Coste (5 %)
3. Someone currently not on roster (50 %)
To George S.'s point, the reason Coste, Bergeron, Dusty Watham, and others who have slim or no chance to make the team are invited to camp is that they need players for all of the games they play in spring training. Players do not need a full month to get ready for the season. At $15 a ticket with 6,000 fans a game, teams make money during spring training.
Posted by: Billy Mac | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 10:01 PM
Really, who out there had ever heard the name Chris Coste a month ago? Spring Training 'feel-good' stories are for 95-loss teams. He's having a hot streak at a good time but nothing in his long history suggests he has the ability to do much of anything. I'm not saying he couldn't possibly have a decent year off the bench if it came to that, but baseball is no place for sentiment. I don't think he's making this team. Good for him that he's opened some eyes. He can fill in for an injured player sometime. For now, there are better options out there.
Posted by: RickSchuBlues | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 10:10 PM
Additionally - I would counter both perspectives put forth here as to why certain players are invited to spring training. It's an opportunity for the organization to gauge all its players at once, often against major-league hitters or pitchers. It's usually not a mere competition in narrowing down the roster to 25. There's always a few battles where that's concerned, but there's far more people in camp with no chance of making the team going in. The best they can do is make an impression and be considered more seriously at a later point. Coste, Bergeron, Thurston, Hernandez, etc. would fit into that category. They're not there to fill space and not there to compete for major league jobs. They're there to show what they can do.
Posted by: RickSchuBlues | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 10:38 PM
I love it when somebody tells other people to "get a life" when they're doing the same thing - posting on the internet.
Posted by: Grant | Sunday, March 19, 2006 at 11:21 PM
No personal attacks, please.
A couple of points. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the final spot of '04 went to Madson, the player most responsible for salvaging that season. Last year, the final pitching spots went to Liriano (dud) and Fultz, who needed to win that left-hander spot in camp after he was claimed off waivers from the Twins. This camp in interesting because they have many quality non-roster invitees. Lopez is a non-roster invitee they have no real obligation toward. He could break camp with a spot as high as their 7th-inning man.
Offensively, it's been a while since the Phillies had a quality pinch hitter. I don't see any reason why Chris Coste shouldn't be considered. If anyone can produce a blueprint for PH, I'm all ears. Many of them are bubble players like Chris Coste. They are also looking outside the organization for possibilities. It was reported today that Dustan Mohr, who played with Colorado last season and hit 17 homers, is being scouted. Damon Hollins, an outfielder with TB, is also being monitored.
Posted by: J. Weitzel | Monday, March 20, 2006 at 06:36 AM
I completely agree about leaving madson in the rotation even if Gordon can't start the season. Closers are much easier to find than starting pitchers. Todd Jones, anyone??
Posted by: Matt | Monday, March 20, 2006 at 07:15 AM
I guess I couldn't complain about Hollins or Mohr, but I'm still bangin' that Chris Roberson drum. I defy anyone to tell me why he wouldn't make perfect sense...!
Posted by: RickSchuBlues | Monday, March 20, 2006 at 12:58 PM
From a Mets fan - don't under estimate the value of a lights-out closer. Last season I watched more than a few games lost in the 8 or 9th inning because of a crappy bull-pen. There was one game last season against the Natties where I watched Pedro pitch a 6 inning shut-out with 8 Mets runs on the board, only to then see the bull-pen and closer blow an 8 run lead. And that was one of quite a few games. Good starting pitching doesn't have much value if the closer and the pen blows leads...
Posted by: AstoriaMetsFan | Monday, March 20, 2006 at 02:28 PM
David Bell miss the season opener with back spasms. . . see other headlines in Philly Inquirer like "Sky is still blue" and "Sun rises in the east"
Posted by: MG | Monday, March 20, 2006 at 03:30 PM
I just noticed your take on Coste. He's solid, have you read his book "Hey, I'm just the catcher?"
Intersting read, if you can find it. It's out of print, though some searching can find you a used copy here or there.
Posted by: Rain Delay | Thursday, March 23, 2006 at 01:30 PM