Apparently, a certain future Hall of Famer may be better suited for the bullpen after all.
In his longest real-time outing on his way back to the majors, Pedro Martinez looked less than stellar. The former Red Sox, Expo, and Met struggled in five innings with the Iron Pigs last night against former Phillie prospect Carlos Carrasco and the Columbus Clippers.
Pedro’s line: 5 innings, 3 hits, 3 BB, 4 K, 4 ER, and 5 R.
In the first, Martinez let up a home run to CF Michael Brantley — the first batter he faced. He settled down for a few innings, but then got lit up for four more runs in the fifth on his way to a AAA loss.
Still, Pedro’s confident: “To me, it felt great; the results might not be what everyone wanted, including me,” said Martinez. “As far as health and conditions, I feel great, and I see it as a positive day, a very positive day.”
But Ruben Amaro’s words don’t seem too glowing: “He hasn’t had a lot of opportunities to pitch to hitters and compete,” added Amaro. “For him to be sharp for four innings is probably a good sign.” Probably isn’t the strongest of words out there.
Reporters asked Martinez about a potential move to the bullpen, and he gave an evasive but ultimately positive answer: “I’m not going to put any pressure on Ruben or Charlie [Manuel]. I’m an employee here, and you do what your boss tells you to do.”
Before, I thought the Martinez experiment was worth a shot. Although I’m not against him pitching with the Phillies, I think he may do more harm then good as a starter. His minor league outings aren’t the makings of a Cooperstown-bound guy. With the Cliff Lee acquisition, the Phillies are left with the dilemma of too many starters. Why should J.A. Happ concede his spot in the rotation to a 37 year old who can’t get past five in AAA?
With Clearwater in a rain-shortened game, though, Martinez only pitched 1 1/3. For that little spurt, he looked good. Other than the leadoff home run in the IronPigs game, Martinez initially possessed OK command. But the more the Clippers faced him, the more they adjusted to his junkball pitches. And those are AAA players — think how fast major leaguers will adjust.
My prediction: Although Martinez might get some starts with the Phillies, I think Charlie Manuel and Amaro will relegate him to a bullpen role. His postseason experience should aid the injured and ailing bullpen. Plus, if Brad Lidge continues to struggle, Martinez (or Brett Myers) may get a look at closing games.
Trade Irony
As I said earlier, Carrasco pitched verse the IronPigs. In fact, three players from the Lee deal played last night against their former teammates. Catcher Lou Marson went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and left three runners on base. Shortstop Jason Donald took an 0-fer, as well, (0-3 with three strikeouts), but did walk and score a run.
Carrasco faired the best. A mediocre performance, he did earn his first win with the Clippers. The righty pitched 5 1/3 innings and gave up four runs and eight hits on a walk and six strikeouts. Michael Taylor hit his third home run since his AAA premotion off Carrasco into dead centerfield.
Lee, if you didn’t see, pitched a masterful complete game against the San Francisco Giants and had two hits himself. So far, the trade looks pretty good for the Phillies.
Mayberry, Register Down; Brown, Savery Up
The headline essentially gives it all away, but several players shifted around the Phillies system over the past few days — many as a result of the Lee deal. Reading P Joe Savery — an All-Star stud this year at 12-4, 4.41 ERA– got bumped up to Lehigh Valley, taking Carrasco’s spot.
Making room for Lee and OF Ben Francisco, on the big club P Steve Register and OF John Mayberry, Jr. sadly returned to the minors. Register was only up for a cup of coffee, replacing injured Chad Durbin the week before, but Mayberry hasn’t seen the minors since June. After his initial success (a home run in his first game), Mayberry’s struggled, hitting only .189 with 22 K in 53 AB. A little seasoning should get the man back in big league shape. I don’t think he’ll ever be a consistent starter, but Mayberry could provide a big bat off the bench.
Number one prospect Dominic Brown moved before the trading deadline but thankfully Roy Halladay didn’t cause it. The five-tool outfielder traded his Thresher’s uniform in for some R-Phillies pinstripes. Since Taylor got promoted to Lehigh Valley, it was only a matter of time before Brown became a Phillie.
Injury-plagued P Scott Mathieson’s comeback continued as he jumped to Reading, as well. With the GCL Phillies and Clearwater, the former big leaguer excelled. In 10 outings, he’s yet to give up an earned run over 15 innings, with 18 strikeouts and a save. Mathieson is coming off two Tommy John surgeries in the past three years.
And in “good-f0r-him” news, P Kyle Kendrick returned to the majors. His stay shouldn’t be too long with Myers, Martinez, J.C. Romero, and Clay Condrey set to return relatively soon, but let’s hope he makes the most of it while in Philly.
—Sam Fran Scavuzzo
***follow me on twitter @samfrans ***
Loading ...