Bows of Polly

Not one of the 33,000 fans with whom I watched last night's Rangers-Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park figured that we'd be seeing Placido Polanco's last appearance as a Phil. Most observers speculated that Ed Wade would wait until the approach of the trade deadline before dealing Polanco, but he pulled a fast one today. Wade sent Polanco to the Tigers for reliever Ugueth Urbina and infielder Ramon Martinez, in a trade that preserves the team's infield flexibility and brings a proven arm to a bullpen that has been a season-long weakness.

Polly is a hardnosed, professional ballplayer; I take no joy in his departure. But his days here were numbered, and anything that gets Chase Utley to feel more comfortable about his long-term role in Philadelphia is okay by me. Additionally, Wade, for all the heat he's taken this season (from me and others), managed to get real talent instead of just warm bodies in the deal.

As for the game, it was a garden-variety Phillies win. Jon Lieber gutted his way through 6-2/3 innings of pretty decent ball, the Phils got hits when they needed them, and the bullpen held. The 8-5 victory kept Philadelphia within a game-and-a-half of the division lead; at stretch time of tonight's game, it's 2-0, Phils.

Update: Robinson Tejeda tossed five shutout innings in his first major league start, and the bullpen finished up with four scoreless innings of their own, to give the Phils the 2-0 win. Keeping the hard-hitting Rangers off the board is not an insignificant achievement; this was a nice W.

Comments

[Jeff]

You're right about what you said in your comment to my post and again here. I really enjoyed Polly as a player; he played where he was told and was among the more workmanlike hitters that the team fielded. I'm more upset to see Polanco the person go than seeing Polanco the player swapped.

I'm still iffy on Ugie as another option in the 'pen. If Tejeda works out as a 4 or 5 in the starting rotation, we'll need Urbina as a reliever. His lifetime 3.39 ERA is comforting, and if he can show the stuff that he had in 2003 and has had so far this year, I'll warm to the deal.

But Wade still needs to go.

[gr]

9 innings of shutout ball, all by arms out of the bullpen, against the best offense in the majors? i feel like i don't even know this team anymore!

i like the trae. would have been nice to get a prospect out of it, but all in all, not bad. way better than byrd for eny chavez, anyway.