I don’t know why, I just think it will happen.
As we all know, Jamie Moyer was the odd/old man out of the rotation yesterday when the pitching matchups for the Cubs’ series were announced. J.A. Happ will get the start tonight, with Pedro Martinez making his Phillies debut on Wednesday. Cliff Lee gets pushed to Thursday, giving him a full week off.
My reasoning for saying Moyer will be back in the rotation is simple. I don’t think he’ll do well out of the bullpen. I’m sure that Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee think that they can use him as a long reliever/mop up type, but I don’t think he’ll do well in that situation. Moyer has a set routine that he’s been following forever. Now that he’s out of that routine, who knows what can happen.
Now I’m not hoping for an injury or one of the starters to implode, I’m just saying that I think Moyer only fits in the rotation. He led the team in wins last year, and is still leading them in wins this season as well. Despite his high ERA, the Phillies usually win with him on the mound. He simply wins games.
With no one knowing how Pedro is going to be, I agree with the Phillies at least giving him an opportunity to start. He’ll probably get a few turns in the rotation to prove his signing was a good one. The only problem I see is that he hasn’t pitched deep into a game in any of his rehab starts. I think that makes him a perfect candidate for a spot in the bullpen.
Here’s what I think will happen. Moyer will pitch out of the pen a few times, Pedro will make a few starts, and then the Phillies will make a switch similar to the one they made with Happ and Chan Ho Park. Look how well that has worked out.
Moyer took his move to the bullpen with absolute class, as was expected, but I think he’ll be back in the rotation before the end of the season. The Phillies would be better off with him in the rotation than in the bullpen.
