Philadelphia Phillies storyline: pecking order

Jake Diekman of the Philadelphia Phillies is getting closer to the friendly confines. Where is he on the ladder to the Bank? Can we expect Phillippe Aumont?

TAL'S HANDY CAPS

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT:

After the 5-1 outcome, The Kangeroo Courthouse put David Herndon on trial for his inability to throw a decent pitchout in the 8th.

WELCOME, NEWCOMERS:

I will publish after every battle that is not washed out. The Phillies finished last summer 42 games over .500, which equaled a year of many positives. I will have many season-long highlights of puzzle pieces, especially important after drubbings and defeats.

NEW REQUEST:

The last two secondary transfers have not worked, and I’m going to republish those 2 articles this week. This will move up the timeframe, which hopefully will mostly correct the issue. I trust my regular readers will bear with me. Thank you, I do appreciate your site visits.

Hunter Pence's Throw Is Perfect But The Cubs' Speed Merchant Beats The Ball In The 3rd

NITECAP INSIGHT:

The Queue:

There is a progression system in place for the red pinstripes from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to a high-paying job. Dom Brown is behind John Mayberry Jr. and neither is sparkling. In the ‘pen Jonathan Papelbon is before Chad Qualls, and the line forms from there. Jose Contreras and Antonio Bastardo are next but neither are their 2011 version. Both are healthy but their stuff is diminished. Kyle Kendrick will join those two for the 3rd slot until one or more stands out.

Hunter's 3rd Recent Adventure In The 2nd

The jockeying is for the two remaining bullpen seats, which is led by Michael Stutes (6.35 ERA) and Herndon (4.70 ERA). They are there, because they have pitched in the majors with some small degree of success. That said, their roles are far from safe, but Stutes had tried to work through shoulder problems. Joe Savery (1.59 ERA) is the first from Lehigh Valley, and Michael Schwimer (7.71 ERA) is behind him. Both have seen limited action with the parent club in the last 2 campaigns.

Total Games are: Good, Okay or Bad

HURLER	ERA	SAVES	INN.	GMS	GOOD	OKAY	BAD
LHP Joe Savery	0.00	1	02.2	2	2	0	0
RHP Michael Schwimer	1.05	2	08.2	7	3	2	2
LHP Jake Diekman	0.93	3	09.2	8	3	4	1
RHP Phillippe Aumont	6.48	4	08.1	9	4	1	4
LHP Jeremy Horst	3.18	0	11.1	8	4	2	2
LHP Raul Valdes	3.14	1	14.1	8	6	0	2
RHP Brian Sanches	3.21	0	14.0	8	4	0	4

Too Fast Even For A Flawless Defensive Play In The 3rd

The above list includes 2 names at the bottom which are MLB inventory. Raul Valdes and Brian Sanches are experienced, but now the young guns get their shot at the show. You will notice that the first two are already here with the injuries to Cliff Lee and Stutes. After that Diekman, Aumont and Jeremy Horst are the wings immediately behind them. A look at their April appearances provides the reason for their current location. Justin De Fratus was the man behind Schwimer but he is disabled also. Their numbers will improve because they were much better last summer. And there are jobs to be won in Philly.

The Vanimal Works His Magic In Phoenix On April 24

PRECAP PITCH:

Vance Worley:

Of the 4 breakout youngsters from ‘11, he is the only one who is performing up to hoped-for expectations. He appears to have benefited from the aces in the rotation with pointers about enjoying success.

	STARTER	RECORD	TM	STARTER	RECORD	DAY & TIME
2	RHP Vance Worley	3-2, 3.38 ERA	@ O's	RHP Tommy Hunter	2-3, 5.59 ERA	Saturday, Late Day
3	LHP Cliff Lee	0-3, 2.92 ERA	@ O's	RHP Jason Hammel	6-2, 2.97 ERA	Sunday, Night
1	RHP Kyle Kendrick	2-5, 4.44 ERA	@ Twins	RHP Nick Blackburn	2-4, 7.75 ERA	Monday, Night

Chris Volstad Labors At Home Against The Cards On April 25

Chris Volstad:

He seems to have difficulty against the Phils, but they are without two key offensive threats. They usually begin their attack during his 2nd time through the order. He only goes 5 or 6 innings into every game, which means he struggles and runs deep counts.

DELIVERY = PITCHER’S 2012	DEFINITION OF SEASON
Over The Top	Excellent
3-Quarter Sidearm	Good
Sidearm	Above Average
Short Arm	Approximately Average
Submarine	Below Average

Quality number of the pitcher: 1 – 5

Slot on his club: 1 – 5

Ranking is 1 to 5 & 15 for the less adventurous.

HURLER	B.J. Rosenberg	Gio Gonzalez
NUMBER	A Five	A Two
CLUB SLOT	Five	One
FOR 2012	1st Start	Over The Top
'12 RANKING	-- of 5 Categories	1st of 5 Categories
LAST START	1st Start	Changeup
LAST HIGH OR LOW	-- of 15 Categories	8th of 15 Categories

DISPLAY NOTE: Non-listed results can go up or down by

* 1 notch & ** 2 clicks (This note will only appear when it’s relevant.)

* 1 Tick UP

	PITCH	INN	ER - R- H		PITCH	INN	ER
1	Gyroball	9 (CG)	0 - 0 - 3	10	Screwball	6	4
2	Fastball	9 (CG)	0 - 0	11	Knuckleball	5	3
3	Cutter	9 (CG)	3	12	Forkball	0 - 4.2	Monstrosity
4	Split Finger	7	2	13	Eephus Pitch	0 - 2.2	Disaster
5	Curveball	7	3	14	*Palm Ball	Ejected
6	Sinker	6.1	3	15	*Spit Ball	**Ejected+
7	Slider	6	2		*Breaking Ball	Injured
8	Changeup	6	3		*Fosh	Rain Interrupted
9	Slurve	5	2		*Knuckle Curve	Pitch Count
	** = Suspended				* = A 2nd Pitch Also

LINK-UP BELOW:

There are previews–time permitting–of my next storyline at Tal’s Handy Caps on Facebook. Join for notification of future glimpses, which will be almost daily. You’ll also know immediately when my isportsweb post goes up. It might be worth your while because I have seen delays of 2 hours on feeds.

Check out my previous publication (Bullpen Blaze), and the 38 storylines–so far–for 2012 on the Phillies page or my author archives, where there is an excerpt photo. The Apocalyptic Horsemen Stats are in my recent review listed below.

Tal’s Handy Stats is daily coverage. I am alternating the 2012 ERA For The NL East and the 2012 ERA For The MLB 5. Thank you, to all who bookmarked the Phillies page, because feeds are erratic at times.