Robinson Tejeda’s chances of beginning the season in Philadelphia took a sharp turn toward Scranton over the weekend with his miserable outing against the Pirates. The 24-year old allowed seven base runners in 1 2/3 innings while yielding five runs. Much has been written about the on-again/off-again/on-again decision by Tejeda and fellow Dominican pitcher Eude Brito to pitch for their country in the WBC. Tejeda, justifiably concerned that playing in the WBC would hurt his chances of making the Phillies opening day roster, opted out after initially agreeing to participate only to be later assured (thanks to Beerleaguer for this information) that he would receive extra help from the Phillies during his absence. So, he joined his fellow countryman and proceeded to pitch less than two innings for them. Worse, he didn’t appear to have benefited from the “extra” help if indeed he received any.
For those of us who argued this kid has the tools and the moxie to contribute to a team desperate for middle relief pitching, this was also a setback. And for those who argued his numbers reveal a guy with serious location problems, the line score against Pittsburgh said it all.
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I caught a few innings of Sunday’s telecast against the Red Sox and found third base coach Bill Dancy in mid-season form. He waved Jimmy Rollins around on a play in front of him and, naturally, Jimmy was out by a mile. If the Phillies believe the third base coaching spot is a place where loyal soldiers go to retire, Bill Dancy is their man. But if Pat Gillick is really serious about making up those five games he thinks the Phils need to get to the playoffs, he can start by replacing Dancy, who could easily cost them some if not all of those games with his inevitable mistakes in judgment.
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Forgive me in advance for raising a tired subject, but listening to Scott Graham is painful. His wit and insight are strictly middle-brow Tim McCarver, no mean feat I admit, and his voice is broadcasting 101, which for those of you who don’t know is the prerequisite for hosting game shows on daytime television.
1 comment:
Same reaction here on seeing that throw-out of Rollins at the plate. When I heard "He's sending Rollins home..." as the leftfielder picked up a ball hit right to him on a bounce, I thought... well, nevermind, I won't pollute your blog with my exact thoughts.
The Phillies really aren't a very good baserunning team to begin with and this "damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!" 3rd base coaching only makes matters worse.
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