Categories: PostsRaising Questions

Is Tonight The End Of Park’s Rotation Spot?

Suddenly, word is Chan Ho Park is facing a do-or-die situation tonight against the Mets. Paul Hagen writes that Rich Dubee and Charlie Manuel are dancing around the prospect of Park facing his biggest test. The quote from Manuel:

“With the way our starting pitching is going now, every time our guys go out there it’s important they start doing better. I think he needs a good game under his belt. I think he knows it. Here’s a guy who’s 35 years old. He understands the game. He won a spot in spring training and he wants to keep it. And there comes a time when he’s got to pitch better. There’s also a time when we sit down and evaluate our pitching and see where we go from there.

“I’m not saying it’s a life-and-death thing. But I think it’s important that he start pitching better than he has been.”

Park and his 8.57 ERA (and 1.857 WHIP) will face the Mets tonight. His goal is not only to perform well for his job’s sake, but to keep the Phillies in the game. The offense faces Johan Santana, who is having another all-universe season (3-1, 1.10 ERA). If this game is an early blowout, chances are Park might be staring at a demotion. Logic says he can buy another two to three starts tonight, but anything can happen.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.