Interview With Phillies Beat Writer Scott Lauber from the Wilmington News Journal

Scott Lauber covers the Phillies for the Wilmington New Journal and was nice enough to answer some questions regarding the Phillies.


Us & Them: After Kyle Kendrick's poor outing against the Red Sox, do you believe the Phils are more dedicated to going after a starting pitcher at the deadline?

Scott: The Phils were dedicated to finding another starting pitcher long before Kendrick's outing on Wednesday. The problem, as always, is whether they have enough bait to land a quality starter in a trade.



Us & Them: Is there anybody on the Phils roster now who you could see being traded before the deadline?

Scott: At this point, I think few players -- other than Utley, Rollins, Howard and Hamels -- are absolutely untouchable. Having said that, the Phillies are pretty happy with the makeup of their team, and they are looking to add, not subtract. I think they'd like to get another pitcher without trading anyone on the current roster.



Us & Them: If the Phils are unable to pick up a starter at the deadline, will they fill that spot with anyone from the minors perhaps? Anyone besides Kris Benson? And who on the staff is likely to be replaced?

Scott: Other than Benson, there isn't a starter in the minors capable of joining the rotation this season. Carlos Carrasco isn't ready yet. J.A. Happ isn't a permanent solution. If Benson proves he's healthy, he's the only serious candidate. The Phillies will give Brett Myers every chance to turn things around. If he can't, I could see him going to the bullpen.



Us & Them: The Marlins seem to be showing signs of coming back down to earth, The Braves are without John Smoltz for the year and the Mets just fired Willie Randolph. Even with the starting pitching the way it is for the Phils right now, is there any reason to be worried about any of the three teams chasing them?

Scott: The Marlins are hanging in it, although I don't know if they can sustain that throughout the summer. Without Smoltz and Glavine, the Braves have issues. The Mets are in all sorts of turmoil, but I'd be surprised if they don't make another run at first place.





Us & Them: Finally, A few questions about the minor leagues.

A: Lou Marson is really coming along, turning into , in my mind, the Phils number one catching prospect. What are your thoughts on him, and when could we possibly see him up with the big club?

Scott: If Marson continues to play well, I think it's possible he could reach the majors before the end of next season.



B: Any thoughts of moving Adrian Cardenas to Third?

Scott: I recently was told that third base isn't in the plans for Cardenas. Of course, that could change if he continues to develop.



C: Do you believe Greg Golson has the ability to be a better player then Michael Bourn?

Scott: Good question. From what I hear, Golson's stolen-base ability and center-field defense are good enough for him to be in the majors now. His hitting is the big question. Playing everyday in the minors has helped him, just as it would've helped Bourn last season if he'd been starting in Triple-A instead of sitting on the bench in the majors. But Golson must continue to develop offensively before we'll know how good he can be.


Thanks again to Scott Lauber, you can read him everyday in the Wilmington News Journal and check out his blog.

Mike Santa Barbara

How Long Can the Phils Keep This Up?

The Phils came back from a 5-1 deficit Sunday afternoon to beat the Marlins 7-5 , taking two out of three from the Marlins to take over 1st place by a 1/2 game. During this offensive explosion the Phils have been on, more times then not the Fightins' fall behind early. The real question is how long can they keep this up? Will the offense always be there to bail the starting pitching out?

Everyone is saying that Brett Myers last start was promising and he showed a lot of poise and promise, hoping to get out of the current funk he's started the season in. After letting the Marlins put three on the board before recording two outs in the top of the first the wheels were really beginning to come off for Brett. The Phils even had Rudy Seanez warming up in the bullpen just in case things got out of hand. Myers was able to get a couple young "aggressive" Marlins to pop up for the last two outs, getting out of the inning only giving up three runs. Then the Phils bats exploded giving him a huge lead to work with. So the question about Myers is, was it really him pitching better the rest of the way? Or was it the situation pitching for him? Either way you can pull some positives out of it I guess. If Myers had finally come around and was pitching well the rest of the way then great. If the big lead had allowed him to calmly pitch under less pressure then that also can be good. However, the latter suggests that Myers still can't be totally depended on especially as the Phils number one pitcher.

The very next night Cole got tagged for the second straight start. Cole has remarkable stuff, still young he doesn't seem to know how to use it. Not many pitchers survive throwing only two pitches. Cole "technically" throws three, but he seems to only use two. His great stuff usually allows him to breeze through the opposing teams line-up the first time through. After that they realize he's only really throwing a fast ball and a change-up. And we all know that Cole gives up the long ball quite often, and once hitters begin to decipher the locations of his change and his fast ball they start tailing off on him. You can't be an ace when you fall in love with two pitches. You can't be an ace when you don't show consistency. In Cole's case he needs to start living up to his expectations a little bit. Coming out and throwing a complete game shut out then giving up 6 and then 7 runs in your next two starts is not what ace's do. You would love to think that no matter how bad a run your team may be on at any given time you can always depend on your "ace" or your "stopper" to take the mound ever 5th day. In some people's minds Cole has the ability to be that kind of guy, but he's still yet to show it.

That brings us to Sunday, when veteran Jamie Moyer fell behind 5-1 early to the Marlins. Once again he was bailed out by the offense and once again another pitcher was given credit for pitching so well the rest of the way. Like the Myers situation two nights before, I ask the same question about Sunday afternoons game. Was it Moyer pitching better, or was it just the lead pitching for him?

I've just gone over the top of the rotation, your 1, 2, and 3 pitchers. All with the same scenario, all pitching against a team that has been front running in the NL East nearly all season long. We all know that the end of the rotation can't really and isn't expected to be relied on. However, looking around the league, you look at all the good teams and in almost every case you can look at the top of each teams rotation and it's solid. It can be relied on, you know pretty much what your going to get out of them. Then you look at the Phils rotation and your not quite sure. Moyer is solid but you can bet with the utmost certainty that he'll get whacked every third start or so. Myers somehow has gotten some sort of "reputation," the idea that he's a solid 1 or 2 pitcher in the Majors. When the numbers just don't back up that "rep." And Cole has looked like the best lefty in the league some nights and others looks as over matched as any young inexperienced pitcher.

So can the Phils offense keep this up? They better, because looking at the starting rotation realistically, they just can't be relied on.

Mike Santa Barbara