Welcome to Philadelphia, RoLo! Rodrigo Lopez the newest Phillies starting pitcher threw 6 1/3 solid innings, allowing just 2 earned runs and 1 walk while striking out 4 to earn the win against the Metropolitans. Pitching with an early lead surely made a return to the Majors easier for Rodrigo. Amanda at PhilliesNation has more.
Adios, Jack Trashcan! That guy with the hot wife was designated for assignment on Friday to make room for RoLo. Taschner's 5.20 ERA left him struggling to see game action. He had been used sparingly in recent weeks. Todd Zolecki has all the details of what may become of Taschner and his $835,000 contract.
Colbert Hamels has some nicknames. The best known one is obviously Cole. Another is Hollywood, after his shining performance in the 2008 post season which led to a huge media tour for a majority of the offseason. Teammates have even begun calling him Pert Plus, as a joke refering to his lovely locks of hair. Pert Plus, the shampoo company, not the pitcher, heard about the name and decided to stage a promotional gimmick where phans could enter a contest drawing for a personalized Phillies #35 "Pert Plus" jersey. Hot stuff.
Rumors of the annual Phillies July pitching acquisition are popping up. MLB Network and SI's Jon Heyman reported Friday evening that the Phillies have interest in former Trenton Thunder pitcher and current Yankee Chien-Ming Wang. Dave Murphy had comments from GM Ruben Amaro on available free agents like Paul Byrd and Pedro Martinez.
Enjoy your Independence Day. Worthy of noting...the only Baseball Hall of Famer born on July 4th is Mickey Welch (1859).
