Anything's Better Than Eaton - Friday, July 18, 2008
290 Views :: 0 Comments :: :: Michael Bradley

   The Phillies finally made a move to upgrade their starting rotation Thursday afternoon, trading a pair of top prospects and a third minor-leaguer for Joe Blanton of the A's and his unsightly 5-12 record. He'll take Adam Eaton's spot and "eat up innings" while "giving the Phillies a chance to win." Given Eaton's recent incompetence, that represents a step forward. Trouble is, it's not enough.

   When last season's ugly loss to Colorado was over, everyone agreed the Phillies needed to go further in '08.  Players admitted they had been too happy with the division title and that they had suffered a letdown in the playoffs. It was a classic rookie post-season mistake, one that the team vowed wouldn't happen again. If the Phils make it that far this year, we'll see whether they can look past the delirium and perform well.

   The attitude adjustment is likely. What isn't so likely is an improvement in the team's pitching during a series. Brett Myers' inability to become a reliable second starter has left the Phils' rotation with several pitchers ill-equipped to make big statements in big games. Maybe Myers will come back from his minor-league exile better prepared to shut people down. He will probably, however, be more prone to some of the same inconsistency that has characterized his pitching so far.

   Blanton has arrived to save us from the every-fifth-day misery of Eaton, who must be removed from the rotation. Perhaps he'll revert to his form from '06-07, when he was 30-22, ate innings and struck some people out. Or, he'll continue to surrender many runs and get booed by the hometown fans. Whatever the case, the Phillies did not get themselves someone capable of starting the second game of a playoff series and outdueling a strong number two from a post-season opponent.

   You can't start worrying about the playoffs until you get there, but the Phils told us during the off-season they were committed to being more than a happy-to-be-there post-season squad. They then did little to make that happen, at least from a starting pitching point of view. Blanton is better than Eaton and should help in the pennant race. But it's not enough to win the division again and then fall flat. The Phillies promised us they would fix that, and acquiring Joe Blanton isn't the answer.