Philly Sports Jabronis
By Todd Zolecki, Phillies.com
TORONTO — The Phillies’ bullpen shuffle continues.
The club announced Thursday it had outrighted right-hander Shawn Camp to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Camp, who had a 5.40 ERA in three appearances after allowing four hits and two runs in 1 2/3 innings Wednesday against Toronto, elected his free agency Friday. As part of Camp’s departure, the Phillies promoted right-hander Ken Giles from Double-A Reading to Triple-A. He has the best arm in the system, regularly hitting 100 mph with his fastball.
Right-hander Luis Garcia was recalled from Lehigh Valley to take Camp’s place.
Phillies assistant general manager Benny Looper said last week that Garcia was pitching better than anybody in the Triple-A bullpen, which currently includes three pitchers who opened the season with the Phils: right-handers Brad Lincoln, Justin De Fratus and B.J. Rosenberg. Right-hander Phillippe Aumont and left-handers Jeremy Horst and Cesar Jimenez also have pitched for Philadelphia.
Garcia has gone 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and six saves in 11 appearances with the IronPigs. In 13 2/3 innings, he has allowed nine hits, one unearned run and four walks, and he has struck out 13.
“I was working a lot on my mechanics,” Garcia said. “During Spring Training, I wasn’t consistent. So now I am. I have worked a lot on it.”
Garcia had a 3.73 ERA in 24 appearances last season with the Phillies, but he walked 23 and struck out 23 in 31 1/3 innings. He struck out one in one perfect inning for the Phils on April 14. Garcia knows he will need to throw strikes to stick around.
“I threw an inning, and it was pretty good,” Garcia said. “I think it’ll be good this year.”
Garcia hopes his next appearance is better than Thursday’s. He allowed four hits, five runs (three earned), one walk, two home runs and struck out two in two innings in the Phillies’ 12-6 loss to the Blue Jays.
Right-hander Ethan Martin, who could be a bullpen option at some point, made his second rehab appearance Wednesday with Class A Clearwater. He allowed two hits in one inning. Martin is recovering from right shoulder and triceps capsule strains.
“He’s still got a ways to go,” assistant general manager Scott Proefrock said.
Giles had a 1.20 ERA in 15 innings with Reading. He allowed eight hits, two earned runs, five walks and struck out 29. Looper said last week that Giles needs to improve his fastball command — the righty has thrown too many fastballs up in the strike zone — as well as improve his slider.
Looper said Giles’ next step would be to Triple-A, not the big leagues. Friday’s promotion represented that next step.
“He has spent, what, a month in Double-A?” Proefrock said of Giles. “Look back at his numbers in Class A last year. There are still things he has to work on. He’s had a lot of success and hopefully that continues, but generally the player will tell you when the right time to make a move is. But there also are things we need to see from a development standpoint.”
