pitching note...

[IE]

a few starters today are going on 3 days rest with some off significant pitches thrown:

halladay -- 3 days rest -- 112 pitches

buehrle -- 3 days rest -- 115 pitches

drese -- 3 days rest -- 118 pitches

kennedy -- 3 days rest -- 95 pitches



florida in all likelyhood will not have closer benitez tonight -- he threw 42 pitches last night.

 

[IE]

MARLINS NOTEBOOK


Bullpen help sought



The loss of setup man Chad Fox until at least mid-June has weakened what was already a shaky bullpen and sent the Marlins searching for help.

A team official said Tuesday the Marlins remain interested in Cincinnati's John Riedling, who is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA in 12 games, though the Reds have been reluctant to part with him. That could change today, however. Reds general manager Dan O'Brien, who tried all spring to get the Marlins to trade reserve outfielder Abraham Nu?ez, has scheduled a staff meeting for today to discuss his team's options in the wake of injuries to outfielders Austin Kearns and Ken Griffey Jr. and may be willing to consider a Nu?ez-Riedling swap.

''I think it's something you evaluate every day,'' Marlins general manager Larry Beinfest said about the possibility of a trade.

O'Brien was not available for comment Tuesday, but Riedling said he's aware of the trade talk.

''I've heard it,'' he said. ``You always hear stuff like this, more so toward the [trade] deadline. I'm not worried about it.''

Orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who examined Fox in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday, said the right-hander has an inflamed nerve in his surgically repaired right elbow and told him not to throw for four weeks. That was considered good news for Fox, 33, who feared for his career when he went on the disabled list six days ago.

''There's still some concern,'' he said Tuesday. ``But there's definitely a huge sigh of relief. We can move forward.''

In the meantime, Beinfest and manager Jack McKeon plan to audition the pitchers they have in the bullpen for Fox's setup role, with right-handers Justin Wayne and Nate Bump likely to get the first chances.

''Wayne's pitched very well. Bump's pitched well at times,'' McKeon said. ``We're not giving up on our guys. It's not a panic situation where we're going to give up the club to get a guy.''

However the team did acquire a pitcher Tuesday, signing free agent Josias Manzanillo, a right-hander with 10 years of big-league experience, to a minor-league contract and assigning him to Albuquerque, N.M. Beinfest said Manzanillo was signed to bolster the injury-plagued Albuquerque staff, although he could be called up.

Manzanillo, 36, appeared in nine games for Cincinnati last season, going 0-2 with a 12.66 ERA in 10 2/3 innings.

 

[Hailmary]

Good info I.E., now if I can only make it work for me! I appreciate all of the info you post in here, it comes in very handy. Thanks again,
GL & PEACE, HAIL

 

[IE]

Phillies Notes |


Just a few weeks ago, Larry Bowa might not have put Phillies righthander Ryan Madson into a tight situation in a close game.

That's a different story today.

"I'm not afraid to use him," Bowa said before last night's game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Citizens Bank Park. "I see him coming into the sixth inning in some games. Let's just say something happens where we've used [Tim] Worrell and our other guys; I'll bring him in the seventh inning. He throws strikes. If he gets hit, he gets hit. But it's not going to be because of fear."

Bowa had no idea how right he was. Righthander Roberto Hernandez went on the 15-day disabled list last night with a strained right calf muscle. The Phillies purchased the contract of lefthander Jim Crowell, who will be here tonight to take his place, but Bowa said Madson will pitch in Hernandez's role.

In seven appearances this season, Madson, the only rookie on the Phillies' roster, hasn't allowed an earned run in 15 2/3 innings, with just three walks and 13 strikeouts. In Sunday's 14-inning victory over Arizona, Madson allowed one unearned run in three innings.

Righthanders are hitting .185 against him, lefthanders just .160. He hasn't allowed a run in 17 2/3 innings, the longest streak by a pitcher to begin his Phillies career since Marty Bystrom threw 20 scoreless innings in 1980.

When Madson (2-1) battled for the final bullpen job in March, he said he would rather pitch once every few weeks with the Phillies than start every fifth day in triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. As it turned out, he has pitched quite a bit in relief. Only starters Kevin Millwood, Randy Wolf, Vicente Padilla and Eric Milton have pitched more innings than Madson.

Madson shrugs when asked about his early season success.

Just throwing strikes, he said.

I have a great defense behind me, he quickly added.

"Everybody here is worried about the team up here. That's what I love about being up here," he said. "It's awesome. I was put in a good situation. A lot of the guys out in the bullpen have so much experience. They know a lot about the game. They know about every situation."

The best advice so far?

"Always be ready and always bring the intensity. Never be surprised," he said. "That's what Billy [Wagner] said to me. Bring the intensity every day."