The Phillies have lost 46-year old lefty starter/reliever Jamie Moyer for the season due to tears in his groin and abdomen that will require surgery. Moyer pitched in 30 games (25 starts) this season for the Phillies and he was 12-10 with a 4.94 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. It will be interesting to see if Moyer wins a job in the starting rotation next season as he was bumped out of it by Pedro Martinez. Moyer has pitched three seasons for the Phillies covering 96 games (91 starts) in which he is 42-29 with a 4.53 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. I think part of the reason that Moyer was so upset about getting yanked from the starting rotation is that he might think he has a chance at getting 300 career wins. After all, he does have 258 wins in his career but time is running out for him.

29-year old lefty swinging 1B Ryan Howard is having another great season for the Phillies. He has played in 156 games this season for the Phillies and he is 166 for 603 (.275 avg, .918 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 43 homers, 137 RBIs and 8 stolen base. Howard has also whiffed 186 times this season but with his production no one is ever going to try to change his swing. In his four years as a full time starter he has scored over 100 runs three teams, has hit at least 43 homers all four years and he has knocked in at least 136 runs in each of the 4 years. Besides Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard is the best 1B on the planet of Earth.

The Phillies were smart to keep 22-year old lefty swinging outfielder Dominic Brown who was wanted in return in almost every trade conversation the team had before the trade deadline. He was the #1 prospect in the Phillies’ system coming into this season according to Baseball America. He played in 106 games in Rookie+A+AA ball this season and he was 118 for 395 (.299 avg, .881 OPS) with 65 runs scored, 14 homers, 64 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. The Phillies have enough depth in the outfield to bring Brown along as his own pace.

Last season Brad Lidge had a season for the ages as he pitched in 72 games for the Phillies in which he was 2-0 with 41 saves, a 1.95 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. Lidge did not blow any saves last season as he was a big key to them winning the World Series. But, this season has been a disaster for the closer. Lidge has pitched in 62 games for the Phillies this year and he is 0-7 with 31 saves, a 7.24 ERA and a 1.81 WHIP. Lidge has already blown 10 saves this season and that’s flat out unacceptable. He has been all over the place this season allowing 66 hits (11 homers) and he has walked 33 batters despite only pitching 54 2/3 innings. He has whiffed 58 batters this season so he still has good stuff it just appears as if he has forgotten how to pitch. Ryan Madson has been sharp in the 8th inning for the Phillies this season and he could close if the team wants to go that route. Madson has pitched in 75 games this season for the Phillies and he is 5-5 with 8 saves, a 3.25 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He has 72 strikeouts in 72 innings this season showing he indeed has the stuff needed to close games. Brett Myers has also been a closer in the past. But, he is just coming of a injury so the trust factor is probably not there yet. Since his return from the D.L., Myers has pitched in 5 games (0 starts) and he is 0-0 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. If I were the manager I would go with Madson as the closer as Lidge just can’t be trusted.

The Phillies have gotten a rejuvenated and healthy Pedro Martinez this year, as the 37-year has looked like a vintage Pedro.  That was until his start Saturday against the Atlanta Braves, where he left after only three innings due to a “stiff neck”.  The Braves ended up winning the game 6-4, as they held off a Phillies rally in the 9th inning.  The bigger news was Pedro and his neck, as he said he felt some discomfort there after swinging and missing on a curveball during his second inning at bat.  His neck began to stiffen up soon after that and manager Charlie Manuel shut him down before the start of the 4th inning.  Pedro had already given up three runs and seven hits, so it was the right move by Manuel.  It didn’t sound like that serious of an injury for Martinez, but neck injuries tend to linger around for a while and this may be a big problem for the Phillies.