Is it over for Jamie Moyer?

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

The end might finally be coming for Jamie Moyer. The 46 year old pitcher for the Phillies enjoyed a remarkable season last year when he won 16 games and helped the Phils win the World Series. After that effort, many talked about how Moyer had several good years left and how he could possibly pitch into his 50's.

Flash forward to this season and things have gone downhill fast. Moyer has made 7 starts this year and has had only one where he has given up fewer than 4 earned runs. Including Wednesday night's effort against the Dodgers, here are the number of earned runs Moyer has given up in each start: 4, 4, 4, 1, 5, 7, 7. The one good outing he had was against the Florida Marlins, the team Moyer has owned the last few seasons.

With his ERA sitting at 8.15, we now have to wonder if it's time for Moyer to ride off into the sunset, or, at the very least, take a few starts off to clear his head. With the recent emergence of Chan Ho Park, Moyer has certainly become the weakest link in the Phillies rotation, and with capable pitchers like J.A. Happ and Kyle Kendrick waiting in the wings, perhaps Moyer should come up with some phantom injury so he can take some time to straighten himself out.

While I hold out hope that this isn't the end for Old Man Moyer, it feels like we are getting closer and closer to that point with each terrible outing. Perhaps he is just in a funk or in a post-World Series hangover, but whatever the problem is, his career depends on him figuring it out. Hopefully, if he realizes he has nothing left in the tank, he will do the graceful thing and bow out of the game rather than try to fight it. Jamie Moyer has had such a great career, it would be a shame if it had to end with a series of drubbings.