Coulda' Been Worse

Carlos Zambrano?  Well, it coulda' been worse; the Phils could have tried and tempt Pedro Martinez to come out of retirement.

Seriously, folks, Carlos Zambrano couldn't convince 31 other clubs he can still pitch so it's hard to imagine what, other than desperation, motivated the Phillies' alleged brain trust.

But back to more important things....

The Phillies have been maddeningly inconsistent for two seasons in a row but on one front they have never wavered:  they hide injuries or simply lie. The Roy Halladay saga was basically laid at his feet.  Roy never said he was ailing.  Right, and I have a bridge for sale. 

The Phillies, especially the press-friendly pitching coach Rich Dubee, insisted he was fine.

Last winter there were reports Cole Hamels was experiencing discomfort in either his shoulder, arm or elbow.  (I can't recall which and I am not interested in looking it up.  The point is the reports were of some discomfort in an area of significance to someone who throws a ball for a living.)  So far this season Hamels has been wildly inconsistent.  The only area of any regularity has been his propensity to serve up home run balls.

At some point in the next few weeks we may just get word of a "precautionary" MRI or other such test.  Meanwhile, Carlos Zambrano will be working himself back into shape, hopefully as a pinch hitter.  As Ben Davis put it, "the dude can hit".  As a former catcher, Davis is also convinced the dude can no longer pitch.

If all of these things come to pass, Cliff Lee and Kyle Kendrick will head the staff.  Now, before you three readers jump down my throat, it's not certain Hamels is injured; he may simply be off his game.  But given this team's track record, I wouldn't bet on it.