MVP Cole Hamels takes back seat to Cliff Lee

by Eric Schwartz

Thursday August 20, 2009 

MVP Cole Hamels takes back seat to Cliff Lee thumbnail

Phillies fans may never forget the playoff and World Series performances put together by Cole Hamels last postseason.

In five starts Hamels went 4-0 with a 1.80 ERA. The Phillies won both of Hamels starts in the Fall Classic, earning the young left-hander the World Series MVP award.

However, even with that data on his resume, there is little arguing that Hamels should not get the ball if – and when – the Phillies 2009 postseason begins.

The reason is simple: Cliff Lee.

Since arriving in Philadelphia by way of trade last month, Lee has been the definition of a staff ace. He as gone 4-0 with a minuscule 0.83 ERA, with his best performance coming Wednesday night when he hurled a complete game, two hit, seven strikeout performance.

Lee as a No. 1 also has an extra bonus – he is not afraid to pitch on three days rest. Lee has done it in the past and almost certainly would do it again if the situation called for it. Hamels has been reluctant to change his pitching schedule in the past, something that has irked Phillies fans (well at least it did before he helped the city finally see a major title).

With Lee and Hamels planted as the top two pitchers in the postseason staff and Joe Blanton (a right hander) almost certain to take the No. 3 spot, the only battle that remains is the fight for No. 4.

On paper, the front-runner is J.A. Happ, who prior to the arrival of Lee, was the Phillies top pitcher. However, as it was discussed on Daily News Live on Wednesday, managers are reluctant to start young pitchers in the postseason. The other candidates to fill the final starting job are Jamie Moyer and Pedro Martinez. The organization has already yanked Moyer from the rotation so it seems highly unlikely they would use him there in the playoffs.

The Phillies brought in Pedro with hopes of him finding his old form and becoming a bit of an “X” factor in the playoffs.

The next month will determine how much, if any, time Pedro sees in the rotation came October.

Barring Pedro finding a gear he hasn’t shown since 2005, when he won 15 games with the Mets, the edge has to go to Happ. Young or not, Happ has five wins this season and an outstanding 2.66 ERA. He has earned his shot.

Of course, in the ever-fickle game of baseball, all of this could change over the next month. Injuries and performances could change the pecking order. For now, the Phils look to have a solid postseason rotation.

It’s a good sign when the reigning World Series MVP can’t even be considered your ace.

Filed Under Phillies

Comments

5 Responses to “MVP Cole Hamels takes back seat to Cliff Lee”

  1. Joseph on August 20th, 2009 9:55 pm

    I agree Eric, give the ball to Happ. He earned it. After tonight, it sure looks like run support won’t be an issue ! BTW Happ has won 7 starts and has 9 total wins, including his two in relief !

  2. Jdawg on August 24th, 2009 3:40 pm

    Eric, good points..I say that you have to start the youngster until he gives you a reason not to..The only question is will he wear down?? We are nearing the tough stretch of the season where the young pitchers who have not logged this many innings before, start to show fatigue..If Happ can weather the storm and fill that void, then the Phillies could look pretty good in a short series..

  3. Eric Schwartz on August 24th, 2009 5:05 pm

    Jdawg, all good points. Also with all of the days off during the playoffs teams don’t even need a No. 4 in some series. Happ went through a tough patch a couple weeks ago where it looked like he might have reached that point where he had too many innings on his arm, but has since gotten back on track. Time will tell.

  4. Stafon on December 11th, 2011 12:23 am

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