NL East Update: Ryan Madson Is Down and Out

The Phillies were dealt a big blow to their bullpen with the news that Ryan Madson will miss the next 8 weeks with a broken right big toe.

Days after their impressive series win against division rival New York, where they took the last two of three, the only thing that has been getting the Phillies any attention was a 17-year old fan getting tasered in front of 45,000 fans, and now this. As you can see by the picture in the link (which by the way isn't actually his toe), it can be a pretty gruesome injury, and it doesn't help that it is the toe that Madson pushes off of from the rubber. You can add Madson to the list that already has Brade Lidge and JC Romero, of Phillie relievers that will miss significant time due to injury. All of a sudden, Jose Contreras may be the biggest X-factor on the Phillie pitching staff as his number will be called much more. Nelson Figueroa will also see significant playing time meaning that Philadelphia will put their trust in two aged castoffs, trying to make one last impact in the major leagues...this is certainly their time to make a final statement.

With a 0-5 record and a 5.47 ERA, one can rightfully assume that maybe Kenshin Kawakami just isn’t that good, but in this article Braves Blast defends the struggling right hander.

Braves Blast couldn’t have said it better. It doesn’t matter who you have out there; any starter that gets 1.25 run support will not win games (except if your name is Roy Halladay of course). You have to feel for Kawakami because the team leader in wins with 4 is Derek Lowe, who has an equally bad ERA of 5.18…funny how cruel baseball can be sometimes. Last season with a 3.86 ERA, Kawakami collected 7 wins and proved that he doesn’t have to be the type of pitcher that blows hitters away to be a quality starter in the league. There comes a point where a pitchers win-loss record is a reflection of his teams hitters, and right now, the Braves hitters are not looking too good.