In early August, the Phillies traded starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez to the Dodgers. He was signed in the off-season to a one-year contract for $4.5 million. Hernandez was having an average season for the Phils going 6-8 with a 3.87 ERA, but wasn't likely to be back next season.
If a player is traded after the July 31 deadline he must clear waivers.
In this case, that meant every team with a record worse than the Dodgers would have to say they did not want Hernandez.
Phillies' GM Ruben Amaro Jr. figured the Dodgers just wanted another arm for their bullpen and knew they would get two low-level minor league players in the exchange. It turns out that the first-place Dodgers desperately needed to replace Josh Beckett in the starting rotation as he was headed to the DL with a hip impingement.
Dodgers' GM Ned Colletti admitted that he wanted to get the deal done quickly before Amaro found out about the Beckett injury or he would have had to offer the Phillies more in return.
In order to replace Hernandez, the Phillies brought up Sean O'Sullivan. After one disastrous start, giving up five runs in six innings, he was designated for assignment. His only other start back in June was equally poor.
O'Sullivan was subsequently replaced by Jerome Williams, who was claimed off waivers from the Rangers. In his first three starts with the Phillies, Williams was superb with a 2-0 record and a 1.77 ERA.
Pitchers Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon were also placed on waivers.
Hamels was claimed by the Cubs but the two teams could not reach an agreement in the required 48 hours. Now there are rumors that Hamels could be traded to the Red Sox during the off-season for sometop-level prospects.
Papelbon cleared waivers, which is a nice way of saying that nobody wanted him. Actually, he has great stats this season but is the highest paid closer in baseball and guaranteed $13 million next season.
The biggest story for the Phillies has to be Ben Revere. He hit .340 over the last two months, raising his average more than 20 points. His surge at the plate has put him in the race for a batting title. The last time a Phillies' player finished with the highest batting average in the league was in 1958 when Richie Ashburn hit .350.
Another positive has been the recovery of the bullpen last month. The relievers put together a streak of 20 scoreless innings and an ERA of 2.71.
Cesar Jimenez contributed to that success by pitching 7 2/3 innings of relief without giving up a run.
Papelbon also had a great month, converting all eight save opportunities while giving up just one run in 11 appearances.
The starting pitchers had their best month of the season, compiling an ERA of 3.74.
David Buchanan deserves some of the credit. He was brought back once again to replace the injured Cliff Lee. During his first stint with the big club, Buchanan had an ERA of 4.40. Since being recalled he has posted a 3.75 ERA.
Hamels continued his dominance, leading the staff with a 2.73 ERA last month.
Darin Ruf is another bright spot for the Phillies. He had not seen much playing time partly due to injuries but also because of ineffectiveness.
Prior to August, he was hitting just .154 but turned it on last month by averaging .370.
September is an important month for teams even if they are not in the playoff picture. Each team is allowed to have 25 players on its active roster for the majority of the season. They also maintain a 40-man roster which includes players from their minor league system.
From September 1 until the end of the regular season, teams are allowed to expand their active roster by calling up any player on the 40-man roster. Many young players make their debuts in the majors during this time.
One player that fans are hoping to see is Maikel Franco. Many believe the 22-year-old third baseman will be the Phillies' best player to grace the hot corner since Mike Schmidt.
Other call-ups will likely include players who were with the Phillies at some point during the season but were sent back down. They will get another chance to showcase their abilities and hopefully give fans a positive glimpse into the future of the Phillies.
(Schott is an occasional guest
columnist for The News-Item)