Philadelphia Phillies storyline: FA arms to pursue for relief

Before Jonathan Papelbon in the ‘pen, what reliable gun do the Philadelphia Phillies have? What free agents would you select from the list below?

TAL’S HANDY CAPS

WELCOME, NEWCOMERS:

I will publish after every battle that is not washed out. I will have many summer-long highlights of puzzle pieces, especially important after drubbings and defeats. If you were directed here by a feed and this review does not mention yesterday’s contest, please go to the Phillies page for my most recent coverage. (Early morning readers may arrive before the latest post.) Scroll down to Tal’s Handy Links at the bottom. Thank you.

Check out: Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Bullets aplenty

CAP-SIZE HINDSIGHT: 12-6 Slugfest

TYPE	PLAYER	REASON
The Crystal Champagne Toast	Chase Utley	Four-Star Performance
The Penthouse	Pete Orr Chase Utley Dom Brown Chooch Ruiz	* Smoked A 2-RBI Gap Double To Close Within 1 Run In The 2nd During His 1 For 2 Game Stroked A 2-Run Single To Tie It Up At 4 In The 5th During His 2 For 4 Night With A SB, A BB & 3 RBI A 2-Out RBI Triple To Take A 5-4 Advantage In The 5th Smacked A 2-Run Double To Open A 7-4 Lead In The 7th During His 2 For 5 Evening
The Workhouse	Home SP	* A 39-Pitch 2nd Inning
The Leather Warehouse	1B Darin Ruf	Made A Spectacular Over-The-Shoulder Catch Of A Foul In The 5th
The Fun House Of Mirrors	Home RF The Defense	Takes 1st On A SO WP & 2nd After A Throw (E2) To The Bag In The 8th A SO WP With The Bags Full & A DP Tag At The Plate To End The 8th
House Call	Ryan Howard Tyler Cloyd	Season-Ending Big Toe Injury Shut Down With A Dead Arm

J-Roll Strolls The Bases In The 1st

NITECAP INSIGHT

The Abyss:

It is the 8th and sometimes the 7th when the starter is done. But Cinco Ocho is 3 to 6 outs away. The red pinstripes have an array of green talent that is not ready for that prime role. Michael Schwimer and Jeremy Horst could handle the 6th or 7th. Antonio Bastardo and Josh Lindblom could have first shot at the 7th. Mike Stutes, David Herndon, Jake Diekman, B.J. Rosenberg, Justin De Fratus and Phillippe Aumont are the others in the mix. That said, Rube Amaro needs 1 or 2 veteran endgame hurlers.

The 1st-Pitch HR Was A Sign Of Things To Come

He has approximately $13.5M for a third baseman and 2 relievers: I broke down the dollars in a recent article that is marked below. Rube should chase Clay Hensley and 1 of the other 4. Hensley did 8th-inning set-up in Miami during 2011. Mike Adams was on Amaro’s radar last year, and he would be a good signing. Grant Balfour is a set-up man and he had 7 saves in 9 chances, while he temporarily filled that designation during April. Brandon League is the youngest, and he lost his 9th-frame job at the end of May after 6 BS in 15 tries. Rafael Betancourt was the hammer in Colorado for 2012 with 19 saves out of 23 opportunities. The longtime 8th-slot occupant became the closer by default. There is help on the horizon for our beleaguered bullpen, which gives Rube something to digest over the winter.

Right-Handed Hired Guns:

HURLER	AGE	2012 $	ERA	GMS	GOOD	OK	BAD
Mike Adams	34	$4.40M	3.27	61	40	7	14
Grant Balfour	35	$4.00M	2.72	75	60	2	13
Rafael Betancourt	37	$4.25M	2.81	60	43	6	11
Brandon League *	29	$5.00M	3.13	74	52	6	16
* For The Dodgers	-----	-----	2.30	28	19	3	06
Koji Uehara	37	$4.00M	1.75	37	31	2	04

(No lefties among the known names)

Doc Dials Up A Cutter At The Bank On August 4 Against The Diamondbacks

PRECAP PITCH

Doc Halladay:

His last outing was his first ace game during a health-plagued campaign, which means he is back. His only appearance against the Cards was in St. Louis, and he went on the DL immediately afterward.

	STARTER	RECORD	TM	STARTER	RECORD	DAY & TIME
3	LHP Cliff Lee	06-08, 3.12 ERA	@ Nats	RHP Edwin Jackson	09-11, 4.13 ERA	Wednesday, Day

Kyle Lohse Loads Up During The 2nd Inning At Home On August 5 Against The Brewers

Kyle Lohse:

He is 6-1 with a 3.19 away ERA, which is 0.79 lower at home. He has worked 6.1 innings plus in 13 of 23 efforts with 4 clunkers. At home against the Phils in late May, his line was: 6.1 frames, 6 hits, 3 runs (2 earned), 1 HBP, 0 walks and 0 strikeouts on 98 tosses.

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.

*** = Approximately equal to after plus-and-minus computation

HURLER	Doc Halladay	Ricky Nolasco
NUMBER	A One	A Five
CLUB SLOT	One	Three
FOR 2012	Short Arm	Short Arm
'12 RANKING	4th of 5 Categories	4th of 5 Categories
LAST START	Eephus Pitch	Split Finger
LAST HIGH OR LOW	13th of 15 Categories	4th 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, ** 2 Ticks 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:

Tal’s Handy Caps on Facebook is for notification of posts and any holdups that may occur. It might be worth your while because there are delays of 2 hours on most feeds.

Check out my previous publications (The Green Machine) and the 89 storylines–so far–for 2012 on the Phillies page, where there is an excerpt photo.

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 my page.