Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Posted: 7:27 p.m.
By Jim Salisbury
CSNPhilly.com
ST. LOUISVance Worley will remain in the Phillies starting rotation and pitch Friday at home against Oakland.
The decision to keep Worley in the starting five was not a surprise. The Phils are high the 23-year-old righthanders potential, they like the job he has done so far in five starts, and they are eager to take an extended look at him.
With Worley in the rotation, the Phils can use Kyle Kendrick as a reliever. Kendrick gives the Phils a long man out of the bullpen.
Worley gave up one run in five innings in the Phillies 5-1 win over Seattle on Saturday night. That was his first big-league start since returning to the Phils after making three starts in Triple A. Worley is 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in five big-league starts this season.
We want to take a look at him, pitching coach Rich Dubee said Tuesday. We think he has a real good chance to be a piece of this rotation.
MLB
Worley is taking the spot that initially belonged to Joe Blanton, who is out with an elbow injury. Blanton is rehabbing the injury and will likely be out until late July or early Augustif all goes well.
It has been suggested that Worley could be trade bait down the road, but Blantons long-term uncertainty, and the possibility that Roy Oswalt might not return next season, would likely make the organization think twice before dealing him.
A name to watch
The name Lendy Castillo recently popped up on the roster of the Phillies Single A Lakewood BlueClaws team.
He is a career .239 hitter with no power and a poor on-base percentage.
Nothing to get excited about, right?
Wrong.
After three unspectacular seasons as a shortstop in the low minors, Castillo converted to pitcher after the 2009 season. The 22-year-old righthander made big strides in extended spring training and was recently assigned to Lakewood. In his first seven innings out of the bullpen, he struck out eight and walked one while allowing six hits and a run.
Benny Looper, the Phillies assistant general manager for player personnel, described 6-1, 170-pound Castillo as wiry. The Phillies have seen Castillos fastball reach 96 mph on the radar gun and hes got a good breaking pitch, Looper said.
According to Looper, the Phils could soon begin to use Castillo as a starter so he can gain more experience and work on his depth of pitches. Castillo, a native of the Domincan Republic, is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December so Phils officials will be watching his progress closely this summer. Hes a work in progress but has excellent raw ingredients.
Any time you convert a guy and he shows a big arm, you feel like its a bonus, Looper said.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JSalisburyCSN.
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