The worst kept secret in baseball is out: Pedro Martinez will be making his first start of the season Wednesday in Chicago. What? You thought he'd been signed to work out of the pen?
The second worst kept secret is also out: Jamie Moyer has lost his spot in the Phillies rotation...at least for now. This may be the first time in history a guy leading his team in wins has been demoted, but, then, this all just goes to show the numbers can and will lie. Moyer also has the second highest ERA among regular starters in the NL and the Phils can no longer afford to send him out there every fifth day, especially with the entire offense mired in a serious slump. Normally the beneficiary of substantial run support, neither Moyer nor the Phils can count on that at the moment.
So, Pedro gets the nod and a chance at redemption. Naturally, all concerned would love to see him go out there and give the Phils a quality start, especially with the bullpen a mess, too. We won't have long to wait to see just how much the 37-year old has left.
Speaking of the bullpen, one need look no further than the Disabled List to know just how concerned the Phillies are about the back end of their pen. Brett Myers' name keeps coming up as if he were going to ride in on his reconstructed hip a la Chase Utley, and save the day. All that's missing from this scenario is a bugle and the flag of the Seventh Cavalry.
Meanwhile, Cliff Lee is still wondering what happened to the high-powered offense he'd heard so much about.
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