Looking at the Phillies in those new but old-timey uniforms in Thursday afternoon's victory over the Houston Astros got me to thinking about what a few old Phillies are up to these days. After all, there are quite a few ex-Phillies out there in the big leagues. In fact, one of them, Michael Bourn, beat the Phillies with a single, stolen base and a home run in the Astros' 2-1 victory last night.
Bourn leads the league with nine stolen bases and his two homers in 2008 already doubled his career total. But Bourn is hitting just .224 with a .318 on-base percentage. For a leadoff hitter, that's no good.
Geoff Geary pitched a scoreless inning for the Astros in Thursday's loss to drop his ERA to 2.84. In six games and 6 1/3 innings, Geary has six whiffs a loss and has held opponents to a .208 batting average. When used properly, Geary isn't too bad. The problem is the Astros might have to turn to the ‘pen a lot this year.
Houston, with GM Ed Wade, has a bunch of old Phillies. In fact, Tomas Perez got into Thursday's game and rapped out a pinch single to boost his ledger to 2-for-9 this season. Perez has appeared in seven games this year with one start.
In the American League, Bobby Abreu is closing in on the 1,000 RBI milestone. In 15 games for the first-place Yankees, Abreu is hitting .288 with two homers and nine RBIs. One of those homers came in last night's 15-9 victory over the Red Sox. Abreu's on-base percentage is still decent (.354), but he still strikes out a ton. So far he's whiffed 12 times.
Also in the AL East, Rod Barajas has hit reasonably well for the Blue Jays. In six games the much-maligned catcher who spent a rough season in Philadelphia in '07, is hitting .313. However, Barajas suffered a strained groin in Sunday's game and hasn't played since. Last season an injured groin landed Barajas on the DL. His poor play didn't help matters either.
The Blue Jays also have Scott Rolen, who finally had a pin removed from his broken hand and will rejoin the team in Baltimore this week. Manager John Gibbons said Rolen could rejoin the team in two weeks. "I've started hitting. I've been throwing. Baseball preparation-wise, I'm ahead of schedule," Rolen told the Toronto Star.
Last weekend Gavin Floyd took a no-hitter into the eighth inning in the White Sox victory over the Tigers. Better yet, the star-crossed right-hander while with the Phillies has pitched like the No. 4 pick in the draft. In two starts Floyd has allowed three runs and seven hits in 13 1/3 innings. The 2-0 record doesn't hurt either.
Maybe Floyd finally figured it out?
Meanwhile with the ChiSox, Jim Thome served a one-game suspension this week for arguing a third-strike call. Thome returned from the suspension last night and homered against the Orioles, which is his first homer since he blasted two on Opening Day. However, six of Thome's nine hits this season are for extra-bases and he has struck out in more than a quarter of his plate appearances. The .184 batting average sums that part up.
In Cleveland, Paul Byrd is 0-2 with a 6.07 ERA. Perhaps it's time to visit his dentist... Also, David Dellucci is hitting .276 with a homer and four RBIs in everyday action, while Jason Michaels is struggling with a 3-for-29 jag to start the season.
The Tigers struggles aren't just relegated to the standings. So far Placido Polanco is hitting .154 and took a game off with a nagging back. But veteran reliever Todd Jones has allowed just one run in six games for three saves.
In Minnesota, Nick Punto has fallen out of a starting position to a utility infielder's role. In eight games he's 3-for-11 with a stolen base.
Arthur Rhodes returned from Tommy John surgery to pitch a third of an inning for the Seattle Mariners last Tuesday. He allowed two hits without a run. Carlos Silva is the No. 2 starter in the Mariners' rotation after signing a big free-agent deal over the winter. In three starts, Silva is 2-0 with a 3.27 ERA and has pitched at least seven innings in all of his outings.
Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla hold down the top two spots in the Texas Rangers' rotation, which hasn't been all that great. At 6-9 the Rangers are just one game ahead of the Tigers for the worst record in the American League. Millwood, though, has pitched decently despite the 1-2 record. He's allowed three earned runs in his last three starts and was tagged for a loss the last time out even though he didn't give up an earned run.
Padilla, the $11million man, has pitched at least six innings in all three of his starts and has a 3.00 ERA with a 1-1 record.
In Washington, catcher Johnny Estrada should be in line for more playing time with Paul Lo Duca out of the lineup with an injured hand. The trouble for Estrada is his bat - the switch-hitter and one-time All-Star hasn't gotten a hit in a week.
Relief pitcher Jon Lieber hasn't allowed an earned run in three innings and 9 1/3 innings for the Cubs. The Cubs were town last weekend and no one seemed to interested in walking over to the visiting clubhouse to see how the 2-1 pitcher is doing. No doubt he's spending his free time washing his monster truck.
Reliever Ryan Franklin was pretty good for the Cardinals in '07. So far in '08, the righty has been a workhorse. Franklin has been in 10 games with a 2.16 ERA. Meanwhile, castoff starting pitcher Kyle Lohse is 2-0 and finally allowed a run in his last outing. Lohse has a 1.48 ERA in three starts though opponents are hitting .323 against him.
Gary Bennett is the backup catcher for the Dodgers, a role formerly handled by Mike Lieberthal. Like Lieby, Bennett hasn't seen much action this year, appearing in just one game.
In San Francisco, Aaron Rowand has found it a little difficult to show off the power that produced a career-high 27 homers for the Phillies in 2007. Rowand has also struggled with a sore rib and groin that was achy enough to force him to take a night off yesterday. In 12 games for the Giants, rowand is hitting .263 with four extra-base hits, no homers and four RBIs.
In San Diego, lefty Randy Wolf was slotted in as the fourth man in one of the best rotations in the league, but has posted the best numbers of all the Padres' starters. In his last start Wolf took a no-hitter into the seventh inning in a win over the Rockies. Meanwhile, Wolf's 1.42 ERA is fourth-best in the league, which fits in pretty nicely with a 8.53 strikeouts per nine innings (18 in 19 IP) as well as holding opponents to a .161 batting average.
Finally, Billy Wagner, Marlon Anderson, Endy Chavez and Nelson Figueroa all come to town this weekend with the Mets. Wagner, of course, is the Mets' closer who has not allowed a run in four outings. Better yet, he's still flipping that slider up there.
Anderson and Chavez have solid bench roles for the Mets, though the pair has combined for two hits all year (one apiece).
Figueroa, on the other hand, has been one of the better stories in all of baseball. His Quixotic journey through all sorts of pro leagues has been chronicled by all the New York papers. Plus, he's taken over a spot in the rotation with Pedro Martinez on the disabled list. In his first start of the season, Figgy gave up two hits and two runs in six innings for a win over the Brewers.