Not Overburdened

Uncanny. Once again, the Phillies’ alleged “brain trust” is true to form.

After last night’s disastrous outing by Gavin Floyd, but not due to it, the Phils announced the young starter would be taking up new digs in the bullpen to make room for Vicente Padilla, who returns from the Disabled List.

Thus, faced with a choice of sending Floyd down to AAA where the youngster could get regular work as the starter he is or sticking him in an admittedly shaky Phillies bullpen where he has absolutely no place being, the baseball men who run this organization made the wrong choice. Normally, one might say the odds were even they’d make the right one, but “normal” isn’t in the cards where Ed Wade et al are concerned.

For his part, Floyd seems to have accepted his new assignment with an equanimity belying his youth. I hope his agent is less sanguine and raises a ruckus.

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Last night against the Braves, Jimmy Rollins blew a chance to lead the Phillies right back into the game after Floyd surrendered four runs in the top of the first inning. Rollins was on second base and Placido Polanco was on first when Bobby Abreu hit a shot off the left centerfield wall. Rollins misjudged how far the ball was hit and retreated to second base preparing to tag instead of playing it at least half way. Even Andruw Jones had no chance to make the catch, but he did play the carom perfectly (maybe he could offer Kenny Lofton some lessons), threw a perfect relay to Raphael Furcal who gunned Rollins down at the plate. Had Rollins not retreated to within a few steps of second, he would have beaten the throw. Instead of having one run in, men or second and third and no outs, the Phils settled for two runs when Jim Thome followed Abreu and doubled.

Rollins blunder, a momentum buster despite the rbi double by Thome, recalled Jason Michael’s poor base running against the Nationals two weeks ago that also proved costly. It may be early in the season, but these are the fundamentals good teams are supposed to have worked on in Spring Training and execute right out of the gate.