For Herndon, the demotion will mark his first trip to triple A. Since being selected in the Rule 5 draft two winters ago, he has been a member of the Phillies' active roster. But in 102/3 innings this season, he had a 9.28 ERA and walked seven batters.
"He's fighting himself right now," pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "He hasn't had very good presence on the mound. It's a whole new scenario for him. Last year it was either make the club or go back, so it was kind of a free run. This year he's got options; he sees there are other people pitching behind him. He got caught looking behind him instead of looking in front and taking care of his own business and tried too hard."
Herndon is a pitcher the Phillies still like because of his heavy sinker and upside. He is just 25 years old, and going from double A to the majors is not a task easily accomplished.
It has taken a pitcher like Bastardo a few tries in the majors to feel comfortable, but it has finally happened. And while Romero was on the disabled list with a strained right calf, Bastardo asserted himself as the top lefty. He will retain that role, pitching the seventh and eighth innings as a setup man while Romero serves as the situational lefty when needed.
"Bastardo is starting to prove that he can pitch toward the back end of the bullpen," manager Charlie Manuel said.
Bastardo has allowed one run in 11 innings and has the best swinging strike percentage (19.4) in all of baseball. Lefties are 1 for 16 against him, with eight strikeouts.
Romero was signed to a one-year, $1.35 million deal in the offseason to be the primary lefty. He has a 3.86 ERA in 42/3 innings.
