JD Durbin And Clay Condrey Are Last Men Standing
Big doings today, as reported by David Murphy and Todd Zolecki :
Travis Blackley was sent to waivers — a failed Rule V experiment. He started strong this spring, but ran out of steam as last cuts approached. His last appearance came with a plunk of Curtis Granderson — sending him to the 15-day DL — and a walk.
Vic Darensbourg and Gary Knotts were reassigned to AAA Lehigh Valley.
That means meet the new boss … same as the old boss: Clay Condrey, last year’s long man, is this year’s sixth inning guy. And JD Durbin, who did everything he could not to win a spot, is the mop-up guy.
How is this possible? Is there that much hope in JD Durbin? Did they really need to hold onto a right-handed pitcher? Durbin threw away his shot at the 25-man roster yesterday, if he didn’t already last week when his ERA inflated. Durbin isn’t necessarily a lost cause, but right now, he’s not the man for the job — not on a World Series contending club.
Maybe Pat Gillick is firing up the old burner to grab a righty for Wes Helms. I’ll believe it when I see it. I don’t have a problem with Condrey — he’s settled into a groove this spring and has been relatively effective. But Durbin? Come on. Contenders shouldn’t need mop-up pitchers.
Meanwhile, Blackley is bye-bye, and that’s a shame, as he was still workable, unlike Durbin. Darensbourg will likely get a taste of Philadelphia sooner than later as a left-handed specialist.
As it stands, Condrey and Durbin will make the team, as they can’t go into Opening Day with four or five relievers. An 11-man staff means a 14-man bench, which means Chris Snelling, Wes Helms and Rey Olmedo (lest I forget) are challenging for the final spot. If Helms is dealt, Snelling wins. If Helms isn’t dealt, he’s on the roster. Simple as that.
