Cliff Lee takes the mound for the first time in more than two months tonight, the first of two auditions for Lee prior to the July 31 trade deadline. Lee, of course, is one of several Phillies players who could be dealt in the next 10 days if General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. decides to revamp an aging and expensive roster.
Some players, most notably Ryan Howard, probably won’t be moving because their contracts are prohibitive. Others, like Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins, have veto power over trades.
So there are few easy deals for Amaro to make.
As luck would have it, the Phillies open a four-game series today against a team that just might be looking for some help. San Francisco leads the National League West by a percentage point over the highly paid but under-performing Dodgers. The Giants just placed starting pitcher Matt Cain (elbow issue) and first baseman Brandon Belt (concussion) on the disabled list, where they join center fielder Angel Pagan, who hasn’t played since late June. Second base has been a revolving door for the Giants since spring training, with Marco Scutaro, who just returned to the team two weeks ago due to back problems, and rookie Joe Panik sharing the job for now. Utley could be a second-base solution, but an expensive one. Long-time Brave and Marlin Dan Uggla, now a free agent, is a possibility but carries a huge contract.
(UPDATE: Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal announced via Twitter at 1:42 p.m. that the Giants have signed Uggla. It’s a minor-league deal.)
Marlon Byrd is another Phillie who could bring some value, even at age 39. But he strikes out a lot, and the Giants are most in need of someone who could play center field and lead off, problems that Byrd wouldn’t solve.
So we’ll see what happens over the next four days. Wouldn’t be a shock, though, if one or two Phillies find themselves in the visiting clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park before Thursday.
WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA? We’re referring to Cedar Crest’s football schedule. The Falcons have a new head coach this year in Rob Wildasin, who takes over a program that has won 11 games in the past five seasons, including 3-7 in 2013.
So what is Wildasin walking into next month? How about scrimmages against state powerhouse Bishop McDevitt and Central Dauphin East, and then non-league games with arch rival Lebanon, usually-strong Lower Dauphin and another long-time juggernaut, Manheim Central, which will be looking to give Mike Williams a big send-off in his final season as head coach. McDevitt (AAAA) and Manheim Central (AAA) will be ranked among the Top 10 teams in their classes in the state.
Most of last year’s Cedar Crest starters graduated, so Wildasin was looking at a tough situation under ideal conditions. Facing that early season competition isn’t ideal.
AND THEN THERE’S SECTION TWO – That’s where Lebanon does business in the Lancaster-Lebanon League, and the Cedars, coming off a surprising 7-4 season, will find the going a lot tougher than a year ago. That’s because two struggling programs, Conestoga Valley and Ephrata — teams that Lebanon has fared well against in recent years — have left the section. CV moved up to Section One and Ephrata, by choice, moved down to Section Three at the invitation of Cocalico, which didn’t want to leave Section Two but would have been forced to do so due to the league’s policy of aligning divisions by enrollment. Cocalico initially asked Lebanon to switch, but the Cedars declined. Sections are realigned every two years.
So now Lebanon will find itself matched up against Garden Spot, which has won a lot of games in Section Three the past several years, and perennial power Lancaster Catholic, which got booted out of Section One after two years with the big boys, who no longer wanted to play a AAA team most of them could not beat. Lebanon’s non-league schedule has not changed: Cedar Crest, Northern Lebanon and Elco.
Follow along on Twitter @sesnyderleb.