Scott Eyre rides off into the sunset

Scott Eyre recently said that he would only continue playing baseball if it was for the Phillies. With the Phils apparently looking into other options for a lefty bullpen arm, Eyre has kept his word. As he told Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Eyre is retiring from baseball.

Eyre, who spent 2 seasons with the Phillies and 13 total in the majors, goes out on top, being a contributing member of two World Series teams with the Phils. Eyre, 37, finishes he career with 649 innings pitched for 5 different teams (White Sox, Blue Jays, Giants, Cubs and Phillies).

So long, Eyre, and thanks for everything you did to help the Phillies win in '08. Enjoy your retirement, you deserve it.

Phillies bullpen re-modeling: Eyre down with injury, Kendrick up

The injury bug is starting to sweep the Phillies bullpen. First Brad Lidge went on the DL with an "injury", either to his knee or to his psyche. Now, Scott Eyre, lefty specialist extraordinaire, is joining Lidge on the sidelines. Eyre has a right calf strain, so the Phils placed him on the 15 day disabled list. Early indications are that he will be back with the team as soon as the 15 days are up.

To replace Eyre, the Phillies called up former rookie sensation Kyle Kendrick. Last we saw Kendrick, he was getting knocked around last September as a starting pitcher. This time around, he figures to contribute to the team as a long reliever.

As the Phillies bullpen continues to get re-shaped by recent injuries, they continue to lose some of their depth. Losing Lidge doesn't affect the closer role because Ryan Madson can close just as well. It instead effects the 8th inning setup role, where they have to juggle J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin. Losing Eyre means that Jack Taschner steps in as the primary lefty specialist, a role that he hasn't really filled too well. Romero also now becomes the only other lefty option.

Here are the roles for the Phillies bullpen as I see them:

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park
Kyle Kendrick

Lefty specialist:
Jack Taschner

7th inning:
Clay Condrey

8th inning:
J.C. Romero
Chad Durbin

Closer:
Ryan Madson

Phillies bring back Eyre, several coaches

Step one for the Phillies as they look to repeat as World Series Champions: make sure their bullpen, which was a huge reason for their success, remains intact. The Phillies took care of one order of business today and re-signed lefty Scott Eyre. Eyre came over in a trade from the Cubs in August and was a great second lefty option out of the bullpen. His ERA with the Phils was below 2.00 and he is the type of pitcher that is key to have in a successful bullpen.

The Phillies also announced they will bring back pitching coach Rich Dubee, first base coach Davy Lopes and hitting coach Milt Thompson. Bench coach Jimy Williams won't return, joining Steve Smith as two members of the coaching staff who won't return. Lopes' impact on the base-paths is well-documented, so I'm happy to see him back. Dubee and Thompson also deserve another year, since they helped lead the team to a World Series and all. Williams is 65 so I wouldn't be surprised if this is the end of his baseball career.

These moves may be a bit of a letdown to those who expected the Phillies to get Matt Holliday, but these are the types of minor moves that can lead to championships. Just ask Pat Gillick.

Utley's homer helps Phillies win series against Pirates, Lidge sidelined

(AP Photo/H. Rumph, Jr.)

The Phillies offense "exploded" for 6 runs today, getting timely hits from Greg Dobbs and Chase Utley to help them win 6-3 and take the series against the Pirates. The Phils offense finally appeared to wake up, considering it hadn't scored more than 5 runs in a game since July 31st when they scored 8 runs against the Nationals. Entering today's game, the Phils were only averaging 2.6 runs per game in August, so seeing them plate 6 was a welcome sight.

With the Phillies down 3-2 in the 7th inning, Dobbs, the pinch hitting master, doubled to tie the game and three batters later Utley homered to give the Phillies the lead.

Jamie Moyer pitched adequately for the Phillies, giving up 3 runs in 6 innings. The Phillies seem to finally be getting consistent performances from their starting pitchers. By my count that's the 8th straight outing where a Phillies starting pitcher has pitched well, with even some really good performances by Blanton and Myers mixed in. It seems like the pressure is now on the hitters to make the most of this great pitching streak.

Scott Eyre made his Phillie debut today, earning himself a phantom win for getting one batter out on four pitches. He did exactly what he was brought in to do and got a left-handed hitter out and just so happened to be in the game at the right time to earn himself a win.

The Phillies will now go west for a 7 game road trip out to LA and San Diego. They will play Manny and the Dodgers four times (starting tomorrow night in an ESPN game), and then play the lowly Padres three times next weekend. A split with the Dodgers and 2 out of 3 against the Padres will make for a successful road trip. Anything less will be disappointing.

Lidge injured And now for some bad news. Brad Lidge, who has been Mr. Dependable as the Phillies closer, has been benched for the last two games as he deals with "bicep soreness". Lidge thinks he can be ready to play again as soon as Monday, so this isn't something to panic about, although any type of injury to a key player at this point in the season could spell trouble. If Lidge continues to miss games, expect the trio of Ryan Madsen, Chad Durbin and J.C. Romero to close games, depending on the situation.

Phillies acquire Scott Eyre, lefty reliever

The Phillies finally got their second left hander out of the pen, something they had been looking for since Spring Training. Scott Eyre, formerly of the Chicago Cubs, was acquired today in exchange for Single A pitcher Brian Schlitter. Eyre has had a rocky season this year, posting a 7.15 ERA while dealing with some nagging injuries. In the past he has been pretty reliable, but you have to wonder how useful he could possibly be if the Cubs, who are also in the middle of a pennant race, wanted to get rid of him. He had been the odd man out in the Chicago bullpen, but if he was useful at all you can believe the Cubs would have held on to him. He will only be a LOOGY (Lefty One Out GuY) for the Phillies, so he won't have a huge role anyway.

With Eyre coming to the team, the Phillies will have to make a move to clear up a roster spot. The likely candidate to go is J.A. Happ, who has barely pitched at all since he was called up. The Phillies don't need three lefties in the pen, and Happ won't be a starting pitcher anytime soon, so he will probably have to go back to Lehigh Valley.

Click here for Scott Eyre's career stats.