Phillies DFA Sergio Escalona

With the signing of J.C. Romero finally made official, the Phillies found themselves with an extra player on the 40 man roster. That extra player turned out to be Sergio Escalona, who has been designated for assignment by the Phils.

Escalona, who pitched in 14 career games with the Phillies, never quite lived up to the potential he showed in 2009. For a team that has been starved for lefty help out of the bullpen, Escalona never did enough to step up and prove that he could be a steady contributor. After never getting above Double A last year, the writing was on the wall that Escalona wasn't going to be a part of the Phillies plans.

Since all of the Cliff Lee excitement, things have been pretty quiet for the Phillies. While there have been grumblings here and there about a Chad Durbin signing, the Phillies seem pretty content with their roster. Personally, I'm still hoping they add another right-handed outfield bat to the mix.

LOOGY race is down to two: Escalona sent to the minors

As the season draws near, the Phillies bullpen is starting to take shape. With J.C. Romero likely to start the season on the disabled list, the Phillies will have one, and possibly two, spots open for lefties out of the pen. Entering Friday, three pitchers still vied for the LOOGY (Lefty One Out GuY) role: Antonio Bastardo, Sergio Escalona and Mike Zagurski. Well, with the demotion of Escalona to the minors, that race is down to two.

Escalona, who shuttled back and forth from the minors to the Phillies last season, will likely start the year in Double A where he will look to refine his control and get some innings under his belt. At only 25, we will certainly be hearing from him in the future, although he may never be anything more than a serviceable major leaguer.

As for the remaining lefties, Bastardo seems to nearly have a bullpen spot locked up while Zagurski will only make the team if the Phillies decide to start the year with two lefties. With Romero not expected to be out for an extended period of time, Zagurski seems destined for the minors, which is where he probably should be as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery.

Bastardo to the DL, Phillies acquire Mazone

The Phillies have made a series of minor moves in the last 24 hours.

First, as expected, the Phillies placed Antonio Bastardo on the 15 day disabled list. To take his place on the roster, but not in the rotation, the Phils called up Sergio Escalona. Escalona figures to be with the team until they need to call up another starter to take Bastardo's turn in the rotation.

That day will be Friday, when the Phillies play the Mets. The Phils moved J.A. Happ from Friday's start to Thursday, meaning they have an open spot for Friday's game. Possible candidates include Drew Carpenter, Carlos Carrasco and Rodrigo Lopez, all of whom pitch for Lehigh Valley. There is also an outside chance the Phillies could make a trade by Friday and plug the new pitcher into the rotation. Let's hope it isn't Chien-Ming Wang of the Yankees, like some of the rumors I've heard.

The Phillies also made a move today that will allow them to replace whoever they call up from Lehigh: they acquired Brian Mazone from the Dodgers. Mazone is a former Phillie farmhand who is strictly a minor league pitcher, there is no chance he will be called up to pitch for the Big Club.

I would expect the Phillies to keep tinkering with their roster over the next few days. Stay tuned!

Welcome back, Lidge!

A few weeks ago, this blogger made a mistake. I called for Brad Lidge to step down as closer for the Phillies, to be replaced by Ryan Madson. I stand by my statements that Lidge needed some time off, possibly with an "injury", but 2 blown saves and a loss later, I realize that Madson was not the answer. So, with that in mind, I welcome Brad Lidge back to his closer role. Hopefully the time off has given him a chance to clear his head and nurse his injured knee and he will be ready to be the dominant closer that he was last season. He can't be any worse than Madson, right?

To make room for Lidge on the roster, the Phillies sent Sergio Escalona back down to the minors. Escalona has been up and down all season long, so you can bet we are only an injury or overused pitcher away from seeing him again.

Here are the updated bullpen roles. With Lidge back, everyone seems to slide back into more comfortable roles, although the Phillies are without a true lefty specialist at the moment.

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park
Chad Durbin

Lefty who can go multiple innings:
Jack Taschner

6th inning:
Tyler Walker

7th inning:
Chad Durbin

8th inning:
J.C. Romero
Ryan Madson

Closer:
Brad Lidge

Who needs relievers? Clay Condrey to the DL

It had been four days since they sent a player to the disabled list so you knew the Phillies were due. According to ESPN, Clay Condrey will be placed on the DL tomorrow with an oblique strain, to be replaced by lefty Sergio Escalona on the roster. Condrey joins fellow bullpen arms Brad Lidge and Scott Eyre, along with Raul Ibanez and of course Brett Myers, on the ever-growing list of injured Phillies. Don't forget to also add to that list Ryan Howard, who is iffy to play tomorrow as he recovers from being sick.

The Phillies bullpen is now stretched completely thin, as they are without their closer, lefty specialist and now their most reliable arm in Condrey. Condrey doesn't have amazing stuff, but he has gotten the job done time and time again this season. His loss on its own wouldn't be that big of a deal, but when you couple it with the rest of the walking wounded, the Phillies bullpen is certainly running on empty now.

Maybe the Phillies just want to keep things interesting on their reality show, "The Pen"? Perhaps they want to get as many pitchers in their system a chance to be on television as possible.

As always, I have updated the roles for the Phillies bullpen. This is just my best guess as to how these guys will be used, at this point several relievers are going to be used in situations that they are not best suited for. Durbin is versatile so I listed him twice.

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park
Chad Durbin

Lefty who can go multiple innings:
Jack Taschner

Lefty specialist:
Sergio Escalona

7th inning:
Tyler Walker

8th inning:
J.C. Romero
Chad Durbin

Closer:
Ryan Madson

Phillies bullpen roulette continues: Walker up, Escalona down

Extra inning games, rain delays, injuries and general ineffectiveness have taken their toll on the Phillies bullpen, so they are forced to once again call on reinforcements. First, Kyle Kendrick had a shot, but he got sent down after reminding us just how bad a pitcher he really is. Next up was Sergio Escalona, who had previously not given up any runs in his big league appearances. After giving up three hits, walking two and giving up a pair of runs yesterday, Escalona has also been sent back the minors.

Enter Tyler Walker. The Phillies called up the 33 year old veteran who last pitched in the majors with the Giants in 2008 and posted a 4.56 ERA in 53 innings. He was the Giants 8th inning setup guy for most of last year, but figures to be in much more low-leverage situations with the Phillies. Still, Walker is a veteran pitcher who could stick if he is effective.

I figured I might as well update the bullpen roles since they are changing daily! The Phillies seem to be missing a lefty specialist now, since Taschner is more likely to pitch multiple innings than to just one batter. I've listed Chad Durbin twice because he has shown he can fill either role.

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park
Chad Durbin

Lefty who can go multiple innings:
Jack Taschner

7th inning:
Clay Condrey
Tyler Walker

8th inning:
J.C. Romero
Chad Durbin

Closer:
Ryan Madson

That was quick: Kendrick sent down, Escalona called up

And just like that, Kyle Kendrick is gone again. After getting called up yesterday, pitching two innings and reminding us all why he isn't in the Phillies starting rotation, Kendrick was sent back down to Triple A today. Sergio Escalona was called up to replace Kendrick. Escalona has pitched 2 and a third innings this year for the Phils and has yet to give up a run. He also allows a little flexibility as he gives the team another lefty out of the pen since Scott Eyre is on the DL.

I hope that's the last we see of Kyle Kendrick this season. If the Phillies actually call on him again, they would have to be really desperate.

Updating my post from the other day, here are the new bullpen roles as I seem them:

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park

Lefty who can go multiple innings:
Jack Taschner

Lefty specialist:
Sergio Escalona

7th inning:
Clay Condrey

8th inning:
J.C. Romero
Chad Durbin

Closer:
Ryan Madson