Beer nuts: Very strange days for Pat the Bat

Embracing the designated hitter isn’t the only adjustment former Phillies creature of habit Pat Burrell has been forced to make.

When the Phillies travel to Tampa this week, they’ll be reunited with a former teammate whose career has careened wildly off course since riding down Broad Street nearly eight months ago. Sidelined for 29 games with a strained neck, and hitting just .240/.351/.296 with one homer in 146 plate appearances, the struggling slugger was thrust into two unfamiliar roles upon his return from the disabled list. On June 14 against Washington, manager Joe Maddon slotted him second in the Rays’ lineup, behind B.J. Upton and ahead of Evan Longoria, marking the first time in his career he’s started a game out of the No. 2 hole. Then on June 18 in Colorado, Maddon got him onto the field for the first time all season ... starting him in right, the first position he’s played other than left field or DH since 2000.

Beltran to DL? According to early reports, the Mets have lost another key player to the disabled list as Carlos Beltran becomes the latest to fall. So here's tonight's lineup, according to reports: Cora, Murphy, Wright, Tatis, Church, Santos, Reed, Castillo, Redding.

Comments

[mvptommyd]

Ouch, those numbers are brutal for "The Babe". Tough break for Pat, maybe this is the beginning of the end at the ripe age of 33. Add to those averages, only 1 HR, 18 RBI's, 28 K's, 21 BB in 125 At Bat's. Not to hot, and most Definitely not worth the money he was asking for in return.

[TK]

At least he's got a sweet gotee going now.

[tw]

Burrell did start off the eventual game-winning rally against the Mets yesterday, at least. Though he proceeded to strikeout with the bases loaded at the end of the inning.

---

Woah: the NY Daily News is reporting Beltran will be placed on the DL this week. What the heck is going on up there?

[mvptommyd]

Switching gears. Something I was thinking over today. Since overall Bastardo is a more suited to be a reliever than a starter. How would we feel about dropping Taschner and making Bastardo pitch in the bullpen as added lefty depth? This is of course is we can trade for a Marquis type until the trade deadline when we can trade for a #2.

Because at this point, I think we agree that we need at least 1 starter. IF Moyer gets bombed tomorrow then we NEED 2 guys.

[mike cunningham]

But would he be better than Bako on the Bench?

[MFiP]

@tw

It's almost comical at this point.

Soon it'll be Johan, David, and AAA.

[mvptommyd]

Mike: 2 yrs/ 16 million for a bench player????

[J. Weitzel]

Beltran to DL, Takahashi and Valdez down; FMart, Dessens & Misch to Mets, according to Cerrone twitter.

[Manny Ramirez]

Pat misses that juice that flowed so freely last season in Philadelphia

[mvptommyd]

Wow and everyone thought the Phillies had problems ::knock on wood::......

If the worse thing to happen to us is a Howard sinus infection, Lidge resting for two weeks, Ibanez sitting for 2 weeks (hopefully), Myers going down for 2-3 months and losing our annual 6 in a row almost a year to the day. STILL we lead the division by 2 games. Then we are in good shape.

[Lefty]

per ESPN News: Condrey to DL with oblique strain

[mike cunningham]

@mvp -- obviously not... sometimes the hypothetical baseball question can be answered without $$ context.

For arguments sake (knowing this won't happen):

Assume... Rays cut losses... release the Bat.... Pick up for Vet Minimum.

Is Burrell a better bench option than Paul Bako?

[clout]

mike c: Why would the Rays cut Burrell? They still have to pay him.

[rossdawg]

We'll take the none so fleet footed Pat after he gets waived for that all important righty fifth outfielder off the bench. It was all a master plan only super evil geniuses like Pat and Rube could cook up.

"Pat, sign a big contract elsewhere, take a dive and wait the waiver out, we'll bring you back into the fold"

"Yes, Reuben, and then I can get back to my shirtless bar hopping"

[clout]

Lidge is expected back Friday, who comes up to replace Condrey?

[The Truth Injection]

With Condrey going down it probably means my boy Majewski gets the call up. Hopefully anyway. And don't use numbers to try and say why it's a bad idea. I have an irrational joy in rooting for him. He could be pitching an 18.00 ERA and I'd be all for it.

The Phillies have been terrible at home, no doubt. However, it is being offset some by how well they are playing on the road. At home they are playing .372 ball. On the road it is .718

That means one of three things:

1.) Both numbers change as they are almost opposite ends of the spectrum and they will revert some.

2.) Neither number changes.

3.) One number changes drastically

My guess is that both numbers change with the home number ticking upward more than the road number ticks downward.

[doubleh]

Did everyone see that Fehr is stepping down as head of the players' union?

[mike cunningham]

@clout -- they won't. that's not the point. ignore the question if you don't get a semi-tongue in cheek hypothetical brought on to obvious questions raged whether or not Burrell is more of a bench player/NL platoon player, especially given his current slide. I only "explained the hypothetical" for @mvp. I should have added an emoticon.

but cutting players and still paying them... is obviously a common practice: see Jenkins, Geoff and Eaton, Adam.

forget it... moving along...

Beltran to the DL really hurts... well just my Fantasy team... that's all I can think of who that hurts.

[Superstar Billy Graham]

Fehr stepping down.....must mean another steroid bombshell is ready to be dropped.

[MG]

Phils without Howard and Ibanez is pretty mediocre but it is hard to see how that rag-tag lineup is going to score 4 runs consistently without Beltran, Reyes, and Delgado.

Wright won't like see many fastballs in the strike zone the rest of the month.

[curt]

Either players are in much worst shape than ever before, or are attempting feats never attempted by past ballplayers, or are through with "playing hurt." Since the whole Met team led the way, I'm guessing option 3. But it looks like everyone else is now getting in on a nice DL gig.

[MG]

At the beginning of this month, all I wanted to see at the end of this month was the Phils with a 2-3 game in the NL East. Thought that would be gravy with their spotty pitching and the June schedule.

Does being 2-3 games up in the NL East mean much though if this team is only 2-3 games above .500 too?

[doubleh]

Anyone else think the Phils should attempt a trade for a reliever until the market improves for a decent starting pitcher?

[MPN]

Cedrick Bowers? Majewski's been getting lit lately.

[MPN]

clout: Your buddy Anthony Love Hewitt has now struck out 6 times in 11 ABs.

[clout]

MPN: But think of his tools! Plus, he looks great in a uniform.

Maybe he and C.J. Henry can start a rock band, "The Bad Swingers."

[MG]

What about keeping Walker up on the roster? Not anybody else right now at Lehigh Valley that is really that deserving a callup.

[MPN]

clout: Their fantasy team would have to be the Chris Davis Disciples...

[EastFallowfield]

Yo, new thread

[aksmith]

Don't know what Cedric Bowers throws, but he's certainly got great numbers at AAA.

So, the logical conclusion is that the Phils will bring up Escalona.

[The Truth Injection]

For those that want a reprieve from Phillies stuff there is an excellent Bob Costas hosted special on umpires right now on MLB Network.

He has Bruce Froemming (probably one of the best umps ever even though he is a villian in Philadelphia)

Steve Palermo (another really good ump but primarily known for helping out a woman getting mugged in a restaurant parking lot in and taking a bullet to his spinal cord that ended his career in 1991.)

Don Denkinger (best known for making the wrong call at first base in the 9th inning of Game 6 of the 1985 World Series).

First segment was about instant replay use. Right now they are discussing the words and phrases that will immediately get someone tossed.

Repeats at 11 if you want to catch it from the start