6 Relievers Not Named Heath Bell Who Would Help the Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies must shore up their bullpen at the trade deadline.  The Phillies bullpen has been decimated by injuries this year, which has forced youngsters Mike Stutes and Antonio Bastardo into more prominent roles.  The two have performed beyond expectations, but how will the increased innings or the pressure of the postseason break them? 

With Brad Lidge’s status as an effective pitcher in doubt when he returns, the Phillies cannot afford to pass on bullpen help.

The Phillies are repeatedly being linked to Heath Bell.  Bell would be a good option, but a pricey one.  The Cardinals, who find themselves in an unexpected dogfight in the NL Central, seem desperate to match the Brewers acquisition of Francisco Rodriguez.  St. Louis could drive up the price of Bell.

Here are six potentially available pitchers, three right handed and three left handed, who could help the Phillies bullpen at a cheaper price.

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Philadelphia Phillies: As the Weather Heats Up, so Does Cliff Lee

Rapper DJ Khaled recently released a single sure to be a summer hit called “I’m on One.”  While the Philadelphia Phillies and their fans would certainly not approve of Cliff Lee being on one of whatever the rapper proclaims himself to be on, the pitcher is “on one,” and has been for the past month.

Over his last four starts, Lee has been the definition of “on.”  In his four starts, the lefty has allowed only one run in 33 innings.  This stretch of hot pitching came on the heels of a slow start that had some wondering if Lee had lost the form that made him a postseason hero for the Phillies and Rangers the last two years.

When Lee started his run of unhittable pitching, his record stood at 4-5, with an ERA of 3.94.  He was by far weakest link of R2C2.  Lee had suffered from an uncharacteristic lack of control, walking more batters than he had the entire previous season—although to be fair to Lee, no one expected him to replicate his historic performance of 2010. A season during which he walked only 18 batters.

As Lee struggled through an uncharacteristically-wild month of May, where he walked 15 batters and allowed hitters to bat .281 against him, many wondered when Lee would return to his dominant self.

The month of June seemed to flip a switch in Cliff Lee.  On June 6, Lee pitched seven shutout innings against the Dodgers and struck out 10.  He followed that win with three more, including two complete-game shutouts.  The low point of his impressive run would seem to be the single run he allowed to the Cubs.  His ERA during June has been a minuscule .27.

Not 1.27, .27.

Lee was especially dominant in his start against the Marlins on June 16, in which he allowed only two hits.  Coincidentally, Lee matched the entire Florida roster on the offensive side, with two hits of his own, and drove in the only run he would need.  This start was vintage Cliff Lee.  Lee is a simple man, and in this start, he made pitching as simple as it could be.  He pitched to contact with confidence, and simply overmatched the helpless Marlins.

Cliff Lee will be hard pressed to sustain this level of pitching excellence, but Phillies fans should not expect a huge drop off, or a return to the struggles of May for Lee.  In May, Lee was simply running into some bad luck when balls found holes in the defense.  He has not been shelled in any one start, rather, he suffered from an unusually high average on balls in play.  In baseball, stretches like that will occur based on bad luck alone. When a pitcher executes his pitches the way Lee has been the last month, no amount of luck can help the hitters who face him.

DJ Khaled hopes to ride his hit “I’m on One” to the top of the charts.  As long as Cliff Lee stays “on one” for the rest of the season, the Phillies will hope to raise the World Series trophy for the second time in four years.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Never Question Halladay in the 9th Inning

No true ace willfully gives up the ball with a game on the line.  As a fan, you admire this, but sometimes, you still have a hard time trusting them.  Maybe the closer should be called you think.

But when Roy says he’s got it under control, you just have to trust him, no matter how bad things might look.  Halladay has earned the right to be his own closer.

I learned this last night in the ninth inning as the Phillies played the Nationals.  Through the first eight innings, Halladay was on cruise control, allowing only two hits and shutting out Washington.  Although he had thrown nearly 100 pitches, things seemed to be in control.

That was about to change as Rick Ankiel led off with a double.  Jayson Werth followed with a single.  Just like that, Halladay was in his first jam of the night as the tying run came to the plate.  The bullpen came to life.  Surely, Charlie would be out on the mound to congratulate Roy on a game well pitched, and put the ball in the hand of closer Jose Contreras. 

But Manuel stayed in the dugout.

Halladay struck out the next hitter, Adam LaRoche, but the next two batters singled, driving in two runs and putting the tying run on second. 

Now, Manuel came running out of the dugout. 

The announcers assured those of us viewing at home that when Charlie runs out of the dugout he is not ready to make a pitching change.  The game seemed to be slipping away, a loss in a game like this could wreck the rest of the week and kill a team’s momentum, especially following a loss the night before. 

Surely Charlie must realize Halladay was done, I thought.  The 100-plus pitches having taken their toll, Halladay simply would not be able to finish what he had started, no matter how badly he wanted to.

Halladay, however, did not see things my way.  He assured his manager and teammates that he had things under control and would protect the Phillies lead, which was now perilously close to slipping away.

As Manuel walked back to the dugout, without taking his ace with him, I implored him to reconsider. He did not and Halladay stayed in the game.

What followed was some of the most focused, clutch pitching that I have ever seen in the ninth inning of a game.  The Nationals called for pinch hitter extraordinaire Matt Stairs to the plate, the same Matt Stairs who became a Phillies folk hero for his late game heroics.  I had a bad feeling about this matchup.  Stairs could end the game with one swing.  Given a fastball middle-in, Stairs would send the Nationals home winners.

Halladay simply fired three straight fastballs on the outside corner.  Stairs didn’t even move the bat from his shoulder.  I had never seen a hitter so overmatched at the plate.  Pudge Rodriguez followed.  The game now seemed safe.  Again, Halladay disposed of the hitter with three pitches.  The last a filthy curveball on the outside that buckled Rodriguez.

With this performance, Halladay has, in my opinion, earned the right to dictate whether or not he will stay in the game.  The way he bore down in crunch time was incredible.  To strike out the final two hitters on six pitches, with the tying run in scoring position, shows that Halladay is a true ace.

Charlie Manuel obviously knew better than to take the ball from Roy Halladay.  Next time I see Halladay in a jam in the ninth inning, I will know better as well.

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MLB: Are the Phillie’s Phantastic Phour Living Up to the Hype?

The Phantastic Phour, R2C2, The Four Horsemen, The Foureign Legion…I could go on. The Philladelphia Phillies starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels created massive amounts of speculation this winter—could they be the greatest rotation ever assembled?

So, after two turns each, have they lived up to the hype?

Through the first eight games of the year, the foursome has compiled a 6-2 record, pitched to a 3.80 ERA and have struck out more than a batter per inning. These are good numbers, but they are hardly numbers that would place the Phantastic Phour in the company of baseball’s historically great rotations. 

Roy Halladay has been his typical brilliant self thus far. On opening day he limited the Astros to a single run over six innings, striking out six while allowing only five hits. His second start, against the Mets, was also vintage Halladay domination. Over seven innings, Doc shut out the division rival, striking out seven while allowing six hits. Dubbed “Tunnelman” in a Sports Illustrated profile (for his remarkable focus), Halladay has exhibited just that in two overpowering starts.

Cliff Lee, the man who made Philadelphia proud this offseason by spurning the Yankees for the City of Brotherly Love, has not been so dominant this season. Lee pitched well in his first start, striking out 11 over seven innings, with a Carlos Lee home run as the only blemish on his record. 

His second start of the season, however, is cause for concern.

Lee was pulled in the fourth inning after giving up six runs on 10 hits to the Braves. Four of those hits went for extra bases as he was clearly missing his best stuff. This is an issue for Lee. He is usually hit hard when he doesn’t have his best stuff. His excellent control can be a detriment here, as his pitches are rarely off the plate.

Phillies fans shouldn’t worry too much though. Lee’s BABIP this season is .433. Balls will start finding gloves when Lee is pitching.

The third member of the staff, Roy Oswalt, has been the picture of consistency during his tenure with the Phillies. Since arriving last summer, Oswalt has gone 9-1 for the Phillies, including victories in his first two starts this season. Without much fanfare, Oswalt simply does what is expected of him. 

Oswalt was largely hidden for the beginning of his career in Houston, and his personality doesn’t generate tremendous excitement. But if the Phillies are to attain their lofty goals this season, they will need Oswalt to maintain his steady pace.

The last member of the Phantastic Phour, Cole Hamels, is also the most puzzling. At times he has the most dominant repertoire of the staff; at others, he fights to get batters out. Hamels has struggled at times to overcome the perception that he is too California Cool to consistently dominate Major League hitters.

Hamels’ stuff is undeniable, but at times he is prone to giving up the long ball, a major concern at cozy Citizens Bank Park. In his first start of the season, he was shelled by the Mets. He was not hit particularly hard, but gave up seven hits in only 2.2 innings. He does this, not getting hit particularly hard but posting crooked numbers nonetheless.

Working with Halladay, Oswalt and Lee may allow Hamels to bear down more effectively and get key outs. In his second start, his dominant side was on display against the Braves. He shut them out over seven innings, giving up only four hits while striking out eight. For the Phantastic Phour to cement themselves as one of the greatest rotations of all time, Hamels will need to dominate more often than not.

It’s a bit early for the coronation, but the Phour’s first eight starts show that they are on the right track. If the Phillies offense continues to produce, there is no reason to doubt that another parade down Broad Street is possible—with the Phantastic Phour in the lead firetruck.

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