Pitchers: Good, bad & ugly

So the battle to be the caboose of the Phils starting rotation is starting to shape up. It looks like the bane of last year's pitching staff, Adam Eaton, the $7 million man, will get the first shot.

He's not exactly instilling confidence that he'll be better or that he understands how bad last year was for him.

"I think we're all pitching for a job to some degree. I think they're making the pitching staff as strong as they can. Last year, we had six starters, and it turned out we had injuries. They learned. We all learned. Pitching depth is a factor in getting to the postseason. I think I'm a part of that factor. I'm going to go out and do my job."

Yeah, he's going to be a factor. One of six. Hopefully we've seen his worst.

"Last year was my worst year as a baseball player, so I'd like to forget it and move on. But obviously, you need to learn from your failures and need to correct some things and move forward."

If he falters again, the newest Phil, Kris Benson, should be ready to replace him midseason, which means, assuming he's fully healed from that little rotator cuff surgery, we'll see a league-average pitcher replacing a poor one.

Let's hope Cole Hamels can stay healthy (he promises he will) so these two dregs aren't called upon to be anything more than the fifth starter.

Benson's arrival, with his wife Anna, will be interesting. Among the other traits she brings to Philly, Anna doesn't like PETA. It'll be fun to see how she fits in with a decidedly pro-animal environment. Consider:

-- Mrs. Utley volunteers with the SPCA and rescues abused and maimed animals.
-- Pat Burrell has a bull dog named Elvis. Every year he dresses Elvis in a jersey and trots him out on the field for father-child day.
-- J-Roll has a couple of dogs too.

So if Jen Utley runs the Bensons out of town and Adam Eaton remains Adam Eaton, the Phils could need another starter.

I hear that Roidger Clemens could be available - he's sworn to Congress he didn't do roids so that should settle that. Jeez, give the guy a break, he wore "USA" across his chest for the country. That little conversation Andy Pettitte "misremembered" was really a show Clemens watched about some old guys taking HGH.

MSNBC's post-game summed it up well. Actually, all the pregame this week also said the same thing: "We learned nothing new. Clearly, one of these men is lying."