Myers Done For The Season….

In the latest injury out of “Hipgate,” Philadelphia Phillies RHP Brett Myers has decided to undergo hip surgery that will keep him out approximately three months. When asked if an autumn return was possible? Myers said it was a “longshot.” Myers joins Carlos Delgado, Mike Lowell, Alex Gordon, Alex Rodriguez, Fausto Carmona and fellow teammate Chase Utley as players who have suffered a significant hip injury in the last 12 months. Something fishy is going on here. 

Losing Myers is a big blow to the defending champs already weak starting rotation. Even though Myers has a 4.66 ERA and has given up a major league leading 17 HR’s this year, he still was 4-3  and did provide the Phillies with stability in the rotation during the first month and a half of the season. Phillies rank dead last in the NL in starter’s ERA (5.89), so Myers was pitching better than most of their starters.

In the short term, it looks like the Phillies will call up a starter from their minor league system. GM Ruben Amaro Jr named Kyle Kendrick, Carlos Carrasco, Drew Carpenter, Rodrigo Lopez or Antonio Bastardo as potential options to replace Myers.

In the long term, it’s pretty clear the Phillies will need to make a trade.Buster Olneyin his blog mentioned Jake Peavy, Roy Oswalt, Erik Bedard, Brad Penny, Zach Duke, Jason Marquis or John Garland could be option for the Phillies. Peavy, Oswalt and Bedard would cost the Phillies a king’s ransom, while Duke, Marquis, Garland and Penny would be much more cost effective options.

It will be interesting to see if the Phillies can weather this storm. JA Happ has pitched well since being moved into the starting rotation, but right now their only reliable starter is Cole Hamels. If you are a Phillies fan, look at it like this. Despite Hamels missing the first month, the starting rotation being the worst in the NL, Lidge being terrible and Jimmy Rollins hitting .227 you are only a half a game out of first place. Pretty encouraging.