Phillies Thoughts For Wednesday

-Jamie Moyer is done. He gave up six earned runs in five innings, walked four and gave up six hits in his start against the Rockies last night. At this point, I have the same feeling when he's on the mound that I had last year when Adam Eaton pitched. Which is to say, I'm surprised when he doesn't get hit around. Yes, he leads the Phillies with 10 wins, but that 5.55 ERA is on merit.

-Moyer's next start is this weekend against the Marlins, whom he has also owned. The only times he hasn't been hit hard this year are against the Fish or another young, free swinging team, like Arizona. If he can't get it done against Florida, you've got to sit him down. He's a nice guy and everything, but if you can't get the job done, it's time to move on.

-Moyer will face Josh Johnson this weekend. Wouldn't be a good time to get bombed.

-Moyer's ERA against Arizona, Washington and Florida this season is a combined 2.39. He has a 0.00 against Arizona, a 3.75 against Washington, and a 2.37 against Florida.

-Moyer's ERA against everyone that isn't Arizona, Washington and Florida is 7.03.

-J.A. Happ's ERA is 2.97.

-I'll be really disappointed if Happ gets demoted to the bullpen. He's in a position to get hosed because of his versatility, in that he can pitch as a starter or reliever, while Jamie Moyer can't. At this point, Happ is a much better pitcher, period.

-The Phils are slumping now, but they're coming up on a somebody-got-to-pay game. Good luck to whoever's on the mound when that happens. The score will likely be in the teens.

-Pedro Martinez was in the house with the Phillies last night, and is scheduled to pitch for AA Reading tonight. Pedro could make a crowded staff even more crowded, which is fine, because you really never can have too much pitching.

-GM Ruben Amaro has hinted that a six man rotation could be used by the team down the stretch in order to give some guys more rest. Well, you want Lee, Hamels, Happ and Blanton going every five days, and Moyer every Marlins series... that translates to an average of about every six days, right?

-The Clearwater Threshers (A) locker room right now has a row of lockers that says "Romero-Durbin-Myers-Condrey"... the problem is that today is August 5th, not March 5th when all of those guys should be in Clearwater. However, that does mean that reinforcements are on the way for the big league club.

-I had an interesting discussion yesterday about Ryan Howard and his long-term status with the Phillies. Howard, and his family, have made it clear that they view Ryan as an unprecedented player, and will seek to break the bank when he hits free agency after the 2011 season. That's a nice thought, but without some serious changes, it's not going to happen. As of today, Howard is hitting .260 with 26 home runs and 78 RBI. Very nice stats. Jayson Werth is hitting .270 with 22 home runs and 66 RBI. Very comparable stats. Howard is making $15 million in 2009, Werth is making $2 million. Hmm... Examine Howard's stats a little closer... Against lefthanded pitchers in 2009, Howard is hitting .179 with three home runs, 17 RBI and 59 strikeouts in 156 at-bats. That's terrible, and shows just how completely neutralized against lefties Howard has been this season. While his defense is improved, he's still a below average first baseman. And he strikes out way too much, against lefties and righties. Now, Howard is the type of player that can carry a club for a stretch, which Jayson Werth is not. But is he worth A-Rod money? Pujols money? No, he's not. And he's not as good as those guys either. Even if he were, after looking at the graph in The Sporting News showing how many significant Red Sox pieces you can get with just the money A-Rod gets, I'm not sure I'd want to sign anyone to that kind of deal.