Hopping along

Tomorrow, Trent will have his first visit from the Easter Bunny.

Earlier this week, we had a bunny nesting in the yard for the first time this year. Ironically, we noticed him on the day the Phillies called up SoxandPhils favorite Mike Zagurski.

I'm not automatically inclined to fill the hole. I may because it is a safety hazard, and I don't particularly enjoy picking up baby bunnies after a cat gets into their nest. But for the moment, I'm inclined to let Momma Bunny use our yard.

I know, I'm a complete mush since Trent.

J-Roll and Fattie whack Dobbs

The other day, when we wrote about the surprise recall of Scott Mathieson, whose return to the big leagues lasted one game, we remembered to check on the progress of Mike Zagurski, who we affectionately call Fattie. "He's pitching well in AAA, so maybe we'll see him join Mathieson again," I wrote last week. I was half right. Fattie's in the bigs, but Mathieson is back in AAA.

Also making his return to the Phillies is a forgotten infielder, Jimmy Rollins. To make room for them, the Phillies DL'd Carlos Ruiz - not a surprise because he was hit in the head by a broken bat on Friday - and designated Greg Dobbs for assignment. That's a bit of a surprise because he was so good as a pinch-hitter in 2008, but hasn't done squat since. Ruben Amaro didn't make the move lightly:

"Dobber has been a very, very productive player for us over the last several years," Amaro said. "He helped us win a World Series and he helped us get back to the World Series and it's hard. That role is not an easy role and it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I've lived it myself, so I have some empathy about how difficult that job is."

For the record, in 128 games in 2008, Dobbs hit .301/.333/.491, and in 139 games in 2009 and 2010, he hit .218/.274/.341. Does anyone need a crappy pinch-hitter, or is Dobbs going to be an IronPig?

Tonight's games: Jamie Moyer had another good start and has just about supplanted Roy Halladay as the Phillies' ace. Tonight, the old man went eight innings, giving up a run on just two hits and a walk with five strikeouts. Unfortunately, he needed 107 pitches (his season high is 111), so he had to yield to the bullpen.

J.C. Romero started the 9th (platoon splits) and got one out, but then put two men on, creating an awkward save situation for Brad Lidge, who hasn't been lights out lately. But he was tonight, striking out two to earn the save in a 2-1 win over the Indians. That's win No. 266 for J-Moy.

The Red Sox returned to the scene of their last World Series victory. Jon Lester pitched the 2007 clincher in Colorado, and he's opening tonight's series against the Rockies. So far, it's 0-0 in the 3rd.

Surprise recall

1. We didn't know Antonio Bastardo was injured.

2. We didn't know Scott Mathieson was a fan favorite, though we've been rooting for him here.

3. We didn't know that Mathieson would be the next pitcher recalled from AAA.

We learned all those things tonight as Mathieson has made it back to the big leagues after two Tommy John surgeries:

This completes Mathieson's grueling journey back to the big leagues. He went 1-4 with a 7.47 ERA in nine appearances (eight starts) with the Phillies in 2006. His struggles led to the Phillies acquiring Jamie Moyer. Mathieson injured his right elbow Sept. 2, 2006, and had Tommy John surgery Sept. 29. He made seven rehab appearances in August 2007, but felt more discomfort and required ulnar nerve transposition Sept. 24, 2007.

Mathieson had his second Tommy John surgery in 2008.

The chances of returning to the big leagues following two Tommy John surgeries are slim, but Mathieson did it. He's back. And I know fans have been eager to see him pitch at the big-league level again.

I'll never forget that his best work (so far) had come in relief in a blowout loss against the Red Sox. I was doing some electrical work in our spare bedroom and listened to the game on the radio. Mathieson's recall reminded us to check on the progress of another one of Christine's favorites, Mike Zagurksi. He's pitching well in AAA, so maybe we'll see him join Mathieson again.

Tonight's games: Playing an hour early so the Fenway Faithful could watch Game 7 of the NBA finals, the Red Sox finished off the sweep of the Diamondbacks behind a mediocre performance by John Lackey. Daniel Nava (he needs a good nickname) went 3-4 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI. ROY! ROY! ROY! I know, this run won't last long, but I'm going to enjoy it as long as I can.

In New York, meanwhile, Kyle Kendrick, who is preparing for a demotion, put in a strong effort -one run on four hits, two walks with three strikeouts in seven innings. His mates actually put some runs on the board, beating the Yankees 7-1.

Let the games begin

The Phillies are still more than two weeks away from reporting to camp, but the competition has already begun for the final spot in the bullpen.

It's a hard-fought battle that has started in sports pages via features on long-shot candidates.

Matt Gelb chose a real dark horse who would be a better story - Scott Mathieson is trying to come back from two Tommy John surgeries. And he's been helped by someone else competing for a spot - one of our favorites, Mike Zagurski, affectionately known here as Fattie:

He has spent the off-season working out with Zagurski, who is also rehabbing after Tommy John surgery, and Shawn Fcasni, the Phillies' minor-league strength and conditioning coordinator.

Mathieson and Zagurski play catch five times a week. To prepare, they each ride a treadmill for 10 minutes. No hot tub. No extra stretches. Just playing catch like old times.

And then they go home.

"It's pretty rare - most guys who have a second Tommy John, that's usually the end of their career," Mathieson said. "For me, I'm hoping it's just the beginning."

Scott Lauber, meanwhile, is casting his lot with Antonio Bastardo and takes a more analytical bent from Phillies assistant GM Chuck LaMar:

After getting called up in June, Bastardo threw his fastball 73.8 percent of the time, according to the statistical Web site FanGraphs.com. Even as a reliever, it's tough to make it in the majors with one pitch, so the Phillies wanted Bastardo to work on his breaking ball in the Dominican. Mission accomplished, LaMar said. Bastardo, 24, had a 1.50 ERA and six strikeouts in seven innings for los Gigantes del Cibao during the regular season, then fanned 12 batters over 7-1/3 scoreless innings in five appearances in the championship series against Escogido.

"There's no question he has the stuff to be a very successful major-league pitcher," LaMar said by phone. "He was able to come up last year and show the arm strength, especially from the left side, that can propel him to win a job. Now he's got to do it on a consistent basis. ... It's going to come down to having more than that fastball."

Christine is just waiting for someone to wise up and start touting Fattie. {Oh no, what do we call him if he has lost weight?}

He's lost his reputation - and his mind

After yesterday's post, I told Christine that I regretted not giving Alex Rodriguez credit for not whining that only his name - out of the 104 total roiders - was published.

Now, I'm glad I didn't mention it.

It turns out I missed the portion of the interview where Slappy does his classic bumbling PR shtick. He accused reporter Selena Roberts - whose report he had said was accurate - of breaking into his home and stalking him.

Roberts responded today:

I know for a fact everything that came out of his mouth was a fabrication. I don't know how he could believe anything that was such a grand distortion.

A-Rod's pattern of feigning innocence and making it seem as if the world is out to get him is beyond old. It's downright troublesome. He has lost is mind. And that, coupled with his history of substance abuse, could make him a danger to others. I hope someone steps up and gets this pampered prima donna some professional help before this story truly turns tragic.

Those seeking relief from these sickening steroid stories can take solace in the fact that the Daily News profiled Mike Zagurski today. The appearance of a story only his mom - and Christine - would care about can only mean that spring training is imminent.

Hands off the trophy, pee boy

I couldn't believe what I read this morning - the Phillies are getting impatient waiting for a decision from Nomar Garciaparra, so they are pursuing 42-year-old Moises Alou "pretty hard." I'm not thrilled with the prospects of the old and often injured Alou joining the team, but I can live with it if he accepts a very limited role and doesn't soil the World Series trophy with his pee hands.

Other fallbacks for the right-handed pinch-hitter role include former Red Sox Kevin Millar, Rich Aurilla and Mark Grudzielanek. I don't like any of these. Grudzielanek's not so bad, but I don't want to learn how to spell his name. Besides, it's not a good omen when just the other night Christine saw his name on the MLB ticker as a notable remaining free agent:

"I didn't know he was still playing, let alone a notable free agent," she said.

Bullpen: Tom Gordon wants to come back to the Phillies. The team said it ain't happening. Unfortunately, that same tidbit said one of Christine's favorites, fattie Mike Zagurski, had some snag in his recovery.

Another one bites the dust: Another reputable journalist, Todd Zolecki, has sold out and will be working for the institution he once covered:

Hi, everybody - Yes, I'm joining MLB.com next month. Fortunately, I'm not going
far because I'll still be covering the Phillies on a daily basis. It'll just be for a different company. I want to say thanks to everybody who checks out the Phillies Zone regularly. I think you know you have helped make this one of the top blogs at Philly.com. It's been an absolute blast. Don't worry, the Phillies Zone will continue. It'll just be somebody else at the helm. But like I said, I'm not going far. So feel free to stop by and say hello at my new address. And if you see me in Clearwater or at the ballpark during the season, make sure to say hello. I'll try to post something more later!

We'll miss reading him online at the Inky, but we're glad that he'll still be around and covering the Phils.

Phils phans win again

First they saw their team win the World Series, and now it looks like they've won the SoxandPhils preseason prediction showdown.

No one did particularly well, but Phils fans (probably picking with heart more than head) each got three of the four National League playoff teams correct, plus the Phillies as World Series Champions.

Brian was the only one to correctly predict an AL team. He went with the Angels. The rest of us were killed by the Mariners. But Brian also unofficially predicted 16 wins for Adam Eaton.

Christine also picked three of the NL teams (everyone got burned with the Diamondbacks in the West). She was also the only one to correctly pick an award winner (unless Jose Reyes wins the MVP next week). She went with Geovany Soto for Rookie of the Year.

She almost picked the correct number of games the World Series would last. She blames Clint Hurdle for getting it wrong. She assumed the NL would have home-field advantage, so she went Phillies in six, figuring we would have tickets to that game. If she knew Hurdle was going to suck in the All-Star game, she would have picked five. Also, it would have been impressive if she had gone through with her thought of picking the Rays in the East.

Only the Cubs division win and Willie Randolph being the first manager fired saved Joe Wolf's Vertical Jump from joining his brother on the shutout list. Joe Wolf may have picked the Phillies, not his beloved Expos, if he were picking seriously.

Like his Mets, Endy in the Outfield had nothing to show for his efforts.

Results could still change when the MVPs are announced this week, but no one has a serious candidate. In the NL, there are three Chase Utleys, a Reyes and Prince Fielder. In the AL, there are two Grady Sizemores, a Miguel Cabrera and Vladimir Guerrero. I've got the best shot at picking up a point with Alex Rodriguez. But I'd forgo that one to see Dustin Pedroia win it.

News: Still not much doing for the SoxandPhils. I was downstairs this morning when I heard Christine clapping at the computer. I expected something big. Her reaction was to the news that Mike Zagurski would be healed in spring training.

I know she likes the rotund pitcher we call Fattie, but I think her overreaction was just an excuse to look at this picture. We didn't get any baby bunnies this season.

Fattie(s)

The Phillies placed Mike Zagurski and two other relievers on the DL. Not earth-shattering news, and it usually wouldn't even warrant a mention on the blog. But it's Easter, so I figured it would be a good time to tell how in our house, Zagurski is linked to a bunny.

As you can see in the photo, Zagurski looks to have polished off more than his fair share of chocolate bunnies. Christine and I affectionately called him Fattie and rooted for him last year.

Meantime, several real bunnies used our yard as a nursery last summer. The bunnies were kind of cute, but it was scary knowing any minute I could step on a nest or do even worse with the lawnmower.

We read that you can pet bunnies without fear of the mother abandoning them, so we started petting them. Some let me hold them. Most of the bunnies disappeared without incident except for one clutch, which had an unfortunate incident with a cat. One of the survivors looked like he had more than his fair share of Momma's milk. Christine and I affectionately called him Fattie. And he would appear on-and-off for several days. Maybe he'll come back this summer - he just better not dig any holes.


(This isn't Fattie. He wouldn't stay still long enough for a photo.)