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?}