NewsStarting has suited role-player Dobbs
Cincinnati (40-41) at Philadelphia (43-37), 7:05 p.m. ET
By David Gurian-Peck / MLB.com
07/07/09 1:59 AM ET
PHILADELPHIA -- Greg Dobbs couldn't have expected to match the production of Raul Ibanez, who was having a career year before straining his left groin. But Dobbs sure is filling in admirably. The left-handed-hitting half of Phillies manager Charlie Manuel's platoon system should be in left field against the Reds and their righty starter, Aaron Harang, at Citizens Bank on Tuesday night. (Youngster John Mayberry Jr. has been playing against lefties.) Dobbs was hitting just .172 (10-for-58) with a .556 OPS (on-base-plus-slugging percentage) before Ibanez was placed on the 15-day disabled list June 18. Dobbs had played in 50 games, but only started seven. Now thrust into a bigger role, Dobbs has thrived. He is hitting .421 with three homers and nine RBIs in 14 games (10 starts) since Ibanez went down. That includes a career day on Monday, when he matched a career best with four hits and launched a two-run homer in the Phillies' 22-1 win over the Reds. "Yeah that's a good thing, of course," Manuel said before Monday's game. "Dobbs needs at-bats. It's very important that during the summer that he gets some at-bats." The Phillies know what he can do off the bench and in the fall. Last season, he was 22-for-62 (.354) with two home runs and 11 RBIs as a pinch-hitter. He also picked up seven hits in 14 postseason at-bats. Dobbs will return to that backup slot when Ibanez is activated, likely this weekend. By then, though, Dobbs will have found the comfort zone that eluded him at the plate earlier. And until then, he has at least three more chances to enjoy playing every day. Pitching matchupPHI: LHP J.A. Happ (5-0, 2.96 ERA)
J.A. Happ, the Phillies' best starter lately, followed a June 27 shutout against the Blue Jays by allowing seven hits and two runs in seven innings Thursday against the Braves. He passed a big test for Charlie Manuel in the seventh inning of that game when he got Chipper Jones to fly out with runners at the corners with two outs. Happ seems to be gaining confidence with every start. CIN: RHP Aaron Harang (5-8, 3.86 ERA)
Harang pitched another outing worthy of a win last Thursday against the D-backs, but he couldn't get any run support. Harang tossed seven innings and allowed two runs on four hits, but he left the game with his team trailing by a run. The Reds would rally to win, 3-2, but Harang remained stuck on his fifth win. He hasn't won a game since May 25, against the Astros, despite posting a number of quality starts during that stretch. Harang will look to end his drought against the Phillies, against whom he is 2-2 in his career. The right-hander earned his fourth victory on May 20, when he pitched seven innings against the Phillies and allowed one run on four hits in a 5-1 triumph. Tidbits
The Phillies optioned left-handed reliever Jack Tascher to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday. They had designated him for assignment on Friday, giving them 10 days to trade him, release him or pass him through waivers. No team claimed him, allowing the Phillies to send him to the IronPigs. ... Philadelphia scored 10 runs in the first inning on Monday, something that had happened only three other times in franchise history: June 2, 2002, against the Expos; Aug. 5, 1975, against the Cubs; and Aug. 13, 1948, against the New York Giants. ... Ibanez (37 years, 42 days old on July 14) is the third oldest position player in history to earn his first career All-Star selection. Babe Ruth (38 years, 150 days) is the oldest, only because the first Midsummer Classic was in 1933. Second is George Crowe in 1958 (37 years, 108 days). Tickets
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• Wednesday: Reds (Homer Bailey, 1-0, 5.94) at Phillies (Rodrigo Lopez, 1-0, 2.84), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Thursday: Reds (Micah Owings, 6-8, 4.48) at Phillies (Jamie Moyer, 7-6, 5.72), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Friday: Pirates (Zach Duke, 8-7, 3.28) at Phillies (TBD), 7:05 p.m. ET
David Gurian-Peck is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
