The mountains, that is.
Before the afternoon had slipped into early evening yesterday, the Phillies used six relievers, including two pitchers who were among the possibilities to start Game 3.
Joe Blanton threw 19 pitches and said he can still start tomorrow night. J.A. Happ threw just four pitches, took a hard shot off the left shin, and also said he can take the start. Pedro Martinez, the third option, didn't pitch yesterday and said he expects the next start to be given to him.
Other than that, there's no confusion at all.
"We concentrated on this one, and when we get to Saturday, we'll concentrate on Saturday," said Durbin, who answered the first bell yesterday, getting up in the top of the fifth as starter Cole Hamels struggled through what would be his final inning of work.
By the end, Durbin warmed up "three and a half" times by his own count but didn't enter the game. Neither did regular relievers Kyle Kendrick or Brad Lidge, but Manuel made use of everyone else who was available.
"Sometimes those are the chances you have to take," Manuel said. "I was making moves out there that if I could have picked some other things to do, I would have probably did it."
The Phillies set themselves up for this possibility when they put Happ and Blanton, who have been arguably the team's most effective starters in the last month, in the bullpen for the first two games of this series and perhaps beyond.
They ran the risk that one or both could get into a game and pitch themselves out of a potential start down the line. Manuel appeared ready to do that with Happ yesterday. He brought him into the game with one out in the seventh inning and made a double switch to protect him in the batting order, meaning Manuel intended to pitch Happ in the eighth inning as well.
