CLIFF OR COLE? Hamels or Happ?
The Phillies haven't even forced a Game 7 yet, but already the debate around town about who should start a final game has begun.
But I've already figured it out.
I think I can make skipper Charlie Manuel's decision a little easier. My solution? The kitchen sink. Pitch everybody for an inning each. No exceptions if a guy is lights out. No leeway if he gets jammed up. And I'm serious.
Here's how my lineup card would look.
First inning: Cole Hamels.
Second: Cliff Lee.
Third: Joe Blanton.
Fourth: J.A. Happ.
Fifth: Brad Lidge.
Sixth: Chad Durbin.
Seventh: Brett Myers.
Eighth: Scott Eyre.
Ninth: Ryan Madson.
Reserves: Chan Ho Park, Antonio Bastardo.
Spare me the knee-jerk negativism for such an unorthodox plan. Throwing (at least) nine pitchers against the Yankees' vaunted starting lineup would satisfy several elements needed for a Phils' victory.
It would ensure that the team's best, most consistent pitchers - Lee, Happ and Blanton - pitch in the biggest game in franchise history. It would offer Hamels both relief (he doesn't have to face the task of shutting down baseball's most powerful lineup for seven innings) and a shot at redemption.
It leaves Park, a guy used to pitching multiple innings, as an option should the game go into extra innings. And it'll force a notoriously persistent Yankees lineup to face a fresh pitcher every inning for the whole game.
Unlike their status in prior years, the Phils are one of the few teams in baseball with the resources to take such a risk. Put aside that the team's starting rotation was unusually deep down the stretch. The Phils' pitching staff is full of players who have experience and success as starters and relievers.
Happ, Park, Myers and Madson have all proved adept at excelling in new roles. He's not on the World Series roster, but even Jamie Moyer proved this year that an old dog can learn new tricks. Bottom line? This is a staff that already knows they can handle implementing a new game plan on the fly.
