Brown, Herndon Up…Mathieson Down

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In the first of what will be a series of roster moves the Phils have called up RP David Herndon and OF Domonic Brown, placed OF Shane Victorino on the 15 day disabled list and optioned RP Scott Mathieson to AAA Lehigh Valley.  Just 12 hours after GM Ruben Amaro told the assembled media that Brown would not be called up, that is just what happened and Brown is expected to be available this evening against Texas.  The swap of Herndon and Mathieson makes sense in that Herndon is fresh and can provide some immediate innings in Philadelphia if necessary, after the depleted bullpen threw, in essence, the whole game last night (including two IP by Mathieson).

P Joe Blanton is still expected to be placed on the DL, most likely over the weekend.  When that occurs, the likely move will be Vance Worley rejoining the Phillies rotation.  Herndon has pitched well in Lehigh Valley, going 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA and a save in 5 games, spanning nine innings.  He has walked one and struck out nine for Lehigh Valley.

75 thoughts on “Brown, Herndon Up…Mathieson Down”

  2. Hmm, nobody impressed with Herndon’s AAA numbers? They may be indicative of why Zagurski and Mathieson always look dominant in the international league.

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  4. Brown not in the lineup tonight against the lefty Wilson. Francisco in right Mayberry in center Raul in left.

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  5. Will be interesting vs a LHP tonight whether he’ll start right away or not until Saturday.

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  6. Whatever. I think its ridiculous that every other pitcher in the organization must prove over a significant sample size that they have the head and guts (along with their talent) in the minors before they get a chance in the majors, let alone a second chance. 9 innings doesnt seem like much of a sample size. Like Baez, I just hope they dont have to use him. On the other hand, THANK GOD Brown is up!

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  8. Brown better play this time around. The Phils cost him 2 months of development by having him come off the bench last year. This messed up Brown’s swing. I find this move a little odd, considering that he had only played in 11 games for Lehigh Valley. Ruben does a switcharoo like Andy Reid did with Mike Vick. And I also feel the Herndon move is odd because he had pitched in just five games for Lehigh Valley. I don’ think these guys are ready. Brown is just returning from an injury. The Phils also have something against Mathieson. He threw the ball pretty well last night and he got just 2 appearances in more than a week. Now he’s back down. I could understand if he were sent down to make room for a guy like Contreras, but for Herndon? And, I just have to say, even though this happened a while ago, why did the Phils let Luis Castillo go? He played well in spring training, he has a fine track record. Why are they so confident in Valdez and Orr. Granted, Castillo is old and stunk for the Mets, but I think he had more upside, being a former all-star, than Valdez or Orr. Amaro said Castillo conducted himself professionally.

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    1. The Herndon/Mathieson move makes sense because of the depleted bullpen issue. It has nothing to do with performance.

      Luis Castillo has not been signed by any other team. It wasn’t/isn’t just the Phillies that think he’s done.

      My assumption is that Brown will play against righty’s at first, if for no other reason just because of a lack of bodies. If he does well there, then he will hopefully play his way into a more full-time role. No reason to start him tonight against Wilson.

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    2. Couldn’t disagree with you more. Brown is the best available replacement. He’s healthy. He’s on the 40 man. Don’t baby the guy. Last year he was proclaimed as the best prospect in baseball… let him play.

      I think Herndon has performed well recently at Lehigh and getting a fresh arm is worthwhile. Herndon has also had more success at the majors than Mathiesson. Love Scotty, but Herndon is a good choice.

      The Phillies have always valued having one speed guy and one premium defensive back up. Luis Castillo had no lateral movement left so his defense suffers. His speed was gone, so no value there. Not a lot left to say. No one else in the majors thought he was worth it either. Professional or not, he didn’t look that good to me.

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  10. I get the Herndon thing now: why burn Schwims options when you can burn Herndons? Hes going down anyway the moment Contreras is ready to go (thanks to anonymous from previous string for the clarification). I dont mind it as much then.

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    1. Herndon’s option was already burned. You can go open and down as many times as the team wishes in one option year,

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    3. Schwimer doesn’t have any options because he hasn’t been on the 40 man roster yet. The understanding of why Mathieson was sent down should include that he threw alot in yesterday’s game and they will wait at least until he recovers.

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  11. Dan – disagree on almost every point. First, Herndon is up because he is on the 40 man and they need a guy for a few days since the bullpen is short. They don’t have anything against Mathieson, they have made the right moves with Bastardo and Stutes. And keeping Baez is not being anti Mathieson, its being pro veteran and I disagree with it like most but its not a Mathieson issue. On Castillo, has anybody even signed him and what’s he doing? If he was so good, I’m sure he would be starting for someone else. As for Ruben’s switch on Dom, I’m sure they sat down and talked with the minor league staff and had some discussions and those inputs changed his mind. I think its best because there is no point in trading for a bat if we already have one that can help. The time to find that out is now and if he doesn’t perform, then we can go add a bat at the deadline.

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    1. charlie manuel made it sound as if he lobbied to get brown promoted. makes sense, since he’s the one who has to write out that punch-and-judy lineup every day.

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    2. Dom Brown is not the answer. He played bad, he did not perform well. He is not ready for the majors he needs more time. He does not need to not be pushed to soon. Give him time.

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  12. hate herdon, really dont think he is anything, really hope I AM wrong.at least with brown you have speed to steal a base. francisco is expose playing everyday

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  13. I was hoping Brown would stay in LV until at east Mid-June, however I understand the move considering the present makeup of the big club. I am just hoping he is ready. Considering his lackluster performance when he did get a chance last year, followed by the Winter league issues and poor Spring I will admit I am skeptical. I am especially skeptical about his ability to help now as compared to his ability to help 1-2 years from now. That being said, now that he is on the team he has to play everyday or at the very least every day there is a righty starter. Good luck Dom…

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  14. OK – Finally some movement, how about one of the most obvious, but somewhat irrelevant moves, send the Great “Dane” Sardinha down and bring up Erik Kratz. At least Kratz can hit AAA pitching reasonably well. Is there something special about Dane that the Phils know that the fans don’t. He is an putrid hitter and he is terrible behind the plate, especially plays at the plate. Give Kratz a shot, Chooch is our catcher, but even he is in the midst of an horrific slump. Jeez, while we are it, Rizzotti is ripping the ball at Reading and Howard hasn’t hit a fair ball in a week (just joking, but there is some truth to it). Howard is another one mired in an awful slump. He is so inconsistent. Actually lately, he has been more consistent, consistently bad!! When will Howard EVER LEARN the strike zone??? He swings at more bad pitches than any player in baseball, low and outside, low and inside, low & down the middle. Maybe he should bat from his knees and those pitches would would be a little more hittable!

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    1. NOTE
      Besides saying he wanted Brown on the radio today, Cholly also said that Ruiz is day to day. I guess that means he is playing very hurt.

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  15. The phillies also traded for Niuman Romero. He will take Dom Brown’s roster spot in AAA. Romero is a 26 year old infielder and was hitting .160 for the Blue Jays AAA team. He played a few games for the Indians in 2009 and spent a few games on the Red Sox last year. I would have rather seen somebody come up from Reading. Either Overbeck or Rizzotti or maybe even Paco Figueroa, Matt Miller, or Mike Spidale. To me, Niuman Romero seems like a worse version of Brian Bocock.

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    1. Also, Reading put Mike Cisco on the DL and since Worley will most likely get called up tomorrow, a Reading pitcher could go to Lehigh Valley to take his place. I think De Fratus, Brummett, and Rosenberg all earned a spot on the AAA roster. That also means that someone from Clearwater could go to Reading. Maybe Tyler Cloyd, Justin Friend, Joe Esposito, or Derrick Loop. I would like to see Brummett go to Lehigh Valley and Justin Friend go to Reading. This is Brummett’s 4th year primarily on Reading and I think he finally deserves a real shot at AAA. I also think Justin Friend should go to Reading. He leads the minors in saves and also had a good year in AA last year so he probably should have started the year in Reading in the first place.

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      1. Herndon will simply some back down when Worley comes up. Also, Jason Grilli is also eligible to come off the DL on May 22, and Drew Naylor may be waiting in the wings for activation shortly. DeFratus hasnt pitched well enough for AAA promotion yet, Brummett is a fringe AAA guy and Rosenberg is tonights starter for Reading

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    2. None of those guys can play shortstop. The problem with LHV’s roster is they literally had no one capable of the position besides Bocock. Niuman Romero is a serviceable AAA backup, can play the positions and that’s all that is really required from that role.

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  16. mathinson should be cut 27 and not a full year in philly CUT hes a waste of a 40 man spot that philly going to need

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  17. Saw this in the news…

    http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/prospects/2011/05/minor-league-transactions-may-11-17/

    Philadelphia Phillies
    Signed: RHP Juan Morillo (Rakuten (Japan)), C Liam Bedford
    Released: RHP Adrian Alaniz, 3B Stephen Batts
    Placed on restricted list: 2B Kevin Frandsen
    Optioned to Triple-A: RHP Vance Worley
    Placed on 7-day DL: RHP Jason Grilli, C Sebastian Valle
    Reinstated from DL: RHP Brody Colvin, C Bronco Lafrenz, 1B Tagg Bozied

    Article about Liam Bedford…
    http://thebaseballdigest.wordpress.com/2011/04/23/phillies-sign-liam-bedford/

    Did not realize Batts was released…

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    4. Juan Morillo was in MLB last season for an appearance or 2 and also in AAA. AAA IP 67 with 87K. Might be a MLB candidate soon. If so, maybe some don’t agree with the inexhaustible mother lode of high minors top relief prospects thing.

      Catchers- article says Liam Bedford will report next season. Don’t see it though, no reason not to bring to XST and GCL for a look-see. Maybe they place him in GCL with the younger catchers Numata and Chavarin add another High School catcher in the draft, play 4 young Catchers in GCL, equally divide the AB’s, then after the season -release a couple , and bring 2 right back to GCL for the next season and add a couple in offseason and draft and do the whole thing again the season after that. Oh wait , they did that last season.

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      1. Impress by BJ’s four innings tonight. Got stronger as he went along after up in the zone and probably jitters in the first two innings. Struck out four of the last 7 batters he faced and retired the side in order in the third and fourth innings. His slider baffled the Braves farmhands. Looks like he took well to the starters role tonight.

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  19. I was checking the box score ten minutes ago and I saw Brown didn’t play for LV, I was afraid he got injured again.

    I love the move, let Francisco know he has to earn his job while resting Brown against a great LH pitcher.

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  20. I really expected Schwim he really hasn’t allowed an errand run since April 26. Two runs scored recently on a high pop to the infield that none of five guys even tried to catch. (worse ever). I would sleep a little better is some from management would call and explain the Baez thing.

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  21. John Mayberry is coming unglued. He was doing so well. He was patient and laid off breaking balls that were not strikes and forced the pitcher to challenge him with fastballs. Recently he has started to swing wildly at balls. I think he is trying too hard to impress because he has been presented with a golden opportunity. It seems that Mayberry is not popular on this site, but I think that he has so much going for him in terms of athletic ability that the sky is the limit. Right now I think he needs a day to get his head straight and then go back to what he was doing before.

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    1. Even though we criticize UC for being excessively loyal, his actions send strong messages to his players that he won’t pull the plug on them without being given a fair chance to succeed. I, for one, AM a big fan of Jr. (and some outfielders mature late) so I hope he can just relax and find his glue again. It’s a long season, and hopefully extra at-bats will pay off in the long run.

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  23. Its funny Ben starts to hit when Brown shows up. I guess you can run faster when someone is chasing you.

    Funny note. People are stocking up on groceries for the end of the world like its a snow storm or something.

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  24. In the words of Anita Baker, has anyone been “caught up in the rapture” that you know? “I’m on the highway to hell.” And all morning I’ve been singing, “It’s the end of the world and I know it. But I feel fine” Sorry about that. I shouldn’t make fun of anyone’s beliefs.

    Look at the Brown move this way, he’s not going to any worse than the rest of the lineup’s been in the last 6 or 7 games. The West Chester Little League could accidentally get 4 hits a game. Maybe Brown will add a little spark. As someone said above, maybe Ben is hearing Brown’s footsteps and he’ll kick it into a whole new gear.

    I’ve always had a soft spot for Mayberry. I liked his father as a player and I got to see him a couple of times in the Cape League. When we flipped Golson for him, I thought he’d help the Phils. It’s been a long road since then but he’s in the big leagues. I think he is pressing and it’s not just that he’s been given a big opportunity here. I think it also is the lack of hitting up and down the lineup. He’s probably thinking, “I have to do something big.” Sometimes you have to take what the pitcher and the game are giving you. I saw his HR against Hudson a week or so ago. He was patient. He worked the count. He got his pitch and deposited in the Left Field Savings and Loan. Do that every at bat (understanding that he won’t get a hit every AB) and you’ll help the team and yourself.

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    1. I was at the Mets game he tied late with a homer. I feel the same way, i hope Maybs gets a real shot because i think he can be a much better option the Franny and Ibanny.

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  25. I KNOW that a lot of my question are consider stupid by some. but have to ask this question can someone tell me why kenrick is starting tuesday over worley against the reds. why isnt worley called up to start. right hander with 89 velcoity and not pinpoint control without other outstanding pitchers are not what I view as a quality starter in the big leagues.

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    2. I would have to agree that Kendrick seems to have adapted to the reliever role and Worley is throwing well as a starter. That seems to be the best use of resources. Rather keep a younger guy with maybe more upside in his accustomed role.

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  26. Not much thought put into bringing Herndon up for a “fresh arm” – Didn’t they realize that Halladay, Lee, and Oswalt are pitching the next few days? They may only need 2 or 3 releavers over the weekend. With Herndon in the pen, Cholly maybe tempted to use him :/

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    1. You never really know, there could be a long rain delay after 2 innings or (god forbid) an injury that forces anyone to leave a start early

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  27. I would like the Phillies to see what they have in Mathieson in the majors before the trade deadline. No reason to keep him around if there are better options and they will lose him next season anyway. Zagurski also on his last option year.

    I know it is way way too early for something as fluid at the bullpen but controlled 2012 bullpen would be:
    Contrares, Bastardo, Stutes, Schwimer?, Herndon, Vet Loogy, (Kendrick) with Worley starting.
    They will sign a closer (Madson) since I doubt they count on DeFratus or Aumont for that role.

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    1. The Phillies hold a club option on Brad Lidge. Steep at $12.5 million (really $11 million since they have to pay a buyout regardless), but only a one year commitment.

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      1. If they are somehow inclined to pick up that option , it will cost the full $12,5 million. If not they can pay the $1.5 million buy out and there is no committment. I would like to think they could even retain Madson cheaper than that. If not they can get numerous closer type candidates for a more reasonable amount. Bringing back Lidge, that should be way down the list of choices. They need to bounce that salary and any money spent on the bullpen will detract from changes at SS (they might even HAVE to), and LF , also replacement of numerous bench players.

        Here’s a more serviceable bullpen :
        CL- Contreras- Aumont (working in as alternative closer- and also a utility reliever until closer worthy- no need for that slow level by level slog.
        *Bastardo, Stutes, Zagurski (makes the team, no concern for options) , Herndon , Mathieson (see Zagurski)

        Other options for replacement and support as needed for above: Carpenter, Schwimer, DeFratus.

        No need to go wild with money on this: have Kendrick as non-tendered , and Worley as starter to replace trade or retirement candidates (doable).

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      2. No way Lidge has the option exercised. Lee gets a $10 bump, Hamels will get a big bump. To retain Madson will cost bucks. That should use up most of the Lidge and Ibanez savings. Still need a righty bat in the OF(unless a big turn around). Time to go young in the pen minus Contreras, lol.

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      3. I think that if they opt out of the contract, they can resign him for much less than $11 million.

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  28. Before I would even think about Lidge I would try the Soria option. Only six mil next year. He has blown two saves this year to bring his major league total to 15 but he got the the win in one blown save. His ERA is high because of the other blown saves (4 runs)
    The problem is the Royals are winning a little but six mil maybe high for them.
    Madson I think will be way too expensive unless he gives a hometown discount(Boros)

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    1. Boris is a concern, but Madson wants to stay in Philly. I don’t see him getting near $10 million though because his track record is as a setup guy. I think the Phils could keep him for around $8 million a year. Is that too high?

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      1. I think 3 years 21 million is about right for Madson. I don’t want the club trading away any more prospects… especially for a reliever which our system is full of.

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        1. Not sure teams would go 3/30 for a one year proven closer, but it only takes one. Should be a lot of quality closets available.
          What teams with $$$ will be in the market? I haven’t looked that far ahead.

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  29. If the Phils can backload the contract, it might work except for the “B” word. He will put pressure on the player to sign for the max.
    Madson should keep in mind the hell others have gone through switching teams.

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  31. Madson will re-sign here to be the full-time closer only. If RAJ sees him as anything but the closer he will go elsewhere. As for contract value, something along the lines of 3 years/24M should get it done. Plenty of time after the third year for Boras to go for the jackpot.

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  33. mlb network reported that Utley was in the Phillies clubhouse. Be great to see him play.

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