Pedro to the Phillies (Then to the DL)
July 15th 2009 17:33
It appears that Philadelphia has signed Pedro Martinez after he "passed" a physical for them; however, he will apparently head straight to the disabled list.
The Phillies have had the best offense in the majors this season, even with Ryan Howard not getting on base nearly as much as he did in 2006 and 2007 and Jimmy Rollins appearing to have completely forgotten how to hit. Their pitching, however, has been in the bottom third of all teams. Starters Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, and especially Jamie Moyer have been plagued by the long ball and have posted ERAs of 4.44, 4.87, and 5.99, respectively. Rookie J.A. Happ has been the best starter, but he projects as only a #4/#5 starter, so the sustainability of his performance so far is questionable. Current fifth starter Rodrigo Lopez has posted an ERA of 3.18 in two starts, but his career 4.78 ERA does not portend a bright future. The other starters that came and left the rotation were all ineffective and are now either in the bullpen or hurt.
This combination of ineffective pitchers and a rookie playing over his head is an issue that the Phillies need to address, Pedro or no Pedro. At best, Martinez can give them a handful of dominant starts like he did for the Mets in 2007. At worst, he will be the completely ineffective pitcher that saw his ability to strike out batters sharply fall and his pinpoint control diminish on the way to a 5.61 ERA, like the Pedro of 2008. The mere fact that he is beginning his stint with them on the DL with arm issues is a bad omen. Based on the poor performance of the rotation to date, Pedro does not have to return to his peak form to make an improvement, but one 37-year-old pitcher will not cure the other four problems in the rotation, nor the gaping holes in the bullpen.
The Phillies have had the best offense in the majors this season, even with Ryan Howard not getting on base nearly as much as he did in 2006 and 2007 and Jimmy Rollins appearing to have completely forgotten how to hit. Their pitching, however, has been in the bottom third of all teams. Starters Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, and especially Jamie Moyer have been plagued by the long ball and have posted ERAs of 4.44, 4.87, and 5.99, respectively. Rookie J.A. Happ has been the best starter, but he projects as only a #4/#5 starter, so the sustainability of his performance so far is questionable. Current fifth starter Rodrigo Lopez has posted an ERA of 3.18 in two starts, but his career 4.78 ERA does not portend a bright future. The other starters that came and left the rotation were all ineffective and are now either in the bullpen or hurt.
This combination of ineffective pitchers and a rookie playing over his head is an issue that the Phillies need to address, Pedro or no Pedro. At best, Martinez can give them a handful of dominant starts like he did for the Mets in 2007. At worst, he will be the completely ineffective pitcher that saw his ability to strike out batters sharply fall and his pinpoint control diminish on the way to a 5.61 ERA, like the Pedro of 2008. The mere fact that he is beginning his stint with them on the DL with arm issues is a bad omen. Based on the poor performance of the rotation to date, Pedro does not have to return to his peak form to make an improvement, but one 37-year-old pitcher will not cure the other four problems in the rotation, nor the gaping holes in the bullpen.
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