Bastardo Out For Next Start

by dolphin341 on Jun 28, 2009 1:54 PM EDT

Phillies pitcher Antonio Bastardo will miss his next start due to a shoulder strain that he suffered during his last start against the Tampa Bay Rays. Phillies ace Cole Hamels will replace him on Wednesday, but it is still unclear who will take the mound on Thursday.

Some possible call-ups are Kyle Drabek, Carlos Carrasco, Andrew Carpenter, and the dreaded Kyle Kendrick. We could also pitch Chan Ho Park, and call-up Kendrick for bull-pen duty. If we would do that, under no intentions would I use him after his last outing!

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Sounds like it will be Carrasco. I’m excited to see what he can do—he’s been pretty sharp for the IronPigs, and of all the possible options—including those four guys plus Lopez and Chacin—he’s the one I’d have the most optimism about in terms of being an asset the rest of the season. Drabek is tempting but it’s more important to manage his workload than to throw him into the fire with five starts above high-A and hope it somehow works out.

by dajafi on Jun 28, 2009 4:35 PM EDT reply actions

I don’t know that he’s been sharp at all. He’s only pitched two good games in a row, and immediately before that were two bad games.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not down on Carrasco as a prospect. But I think the evidence still weighs pretty strongly in favor of concluding that his developmental stage is not yet close to being complete.

by taco pal on Jun 29, 2009 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Well it’s not like Bastardo was ready either – they’re in a tough situation – and carrasco is probably the best of a group of bad options

"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."

Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.

by jemagee on Jun 29, 2009 2:41 PM EDT up reply actions

Yes, well, that I understand. I’m just saying I hope they’re doing this with the intention of making it temporary, if possible. The fact that Carrasco’s day fell on the same day as Bastardo’s leads me to believe that they’re not necessarily doing this because they think it likely that Carrasco’s “ready”, which is good.

Also, while the options are never good for any team in a situation like this, comparatively they aren’t really that bad. Here are the four alternatives, and their stats in their last five starts.

Carrasco: 3.48 ERA, 31.0 IP, 10/26 BB/K
Carpenter: 1.87 ERA, 33.2 IP, 7/26 BB/K
Lopez: 2.03 ERA, 31.0 IP, 5/22 BB/K
Chacin: 3.81 ERA, 26.0 IP, 9/14 BB/K

Under the circumstances, things could be a lot worse. Obviously Carrasco is the best long-term prospect by a country mile, but I think any of those guys would have a shot at pitching adequately for the big club in the short-term. It’s worth noting that Lopez and Chacin aren’t your typical quadruple-A retreads. Both of them were once good major league pitchers who are now coming back from injuries.

by taco pal on Jun 29, 2009 3:29 PM EDT up reply actions

I was against Bastardo coming up anyway – no harm in giving Carrasco a one shot look – and then if it doesn’t work out ‘fenagle’ Carpenter to match up with the next one?

I think they feel Bastardo when healthy is the best option, recent numbers aside, I don’t think he is, I just hope they are looking to get someone in so Bastardo can go back down and refine what needs refinement

"Someone created the box score," Morey says, "and he should be shot."

Blocked shots — they look great, but unless you secure the ball afterward, you haven’t helped your team all that much.

by jemagee on Jun 29, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions