Lopez to Meet the Mets
By DAN STAMM
Updated 6:00 PM EST, Wed, Jul 1, 2009
The Phillies opted to go with experience rather than upside Wednesday when they tabbed righty Rodrigo Lopez to replace injured lefty Antonio Bastardo in the rotation.
Lopez will make his first Major League start in nearly two years Friday night against the rival Mets, according to Delaware Online.
The 33-year-old last pitched in the majors with the Colorado Rockies in 2007. Overall he was 65-65 with a 4.80 ERA in 187 career games.
His best years came with the Baltimore Orioles where he twice won 15 games including 2002 when he finished second in Rookie of the Year voting after going 15-9 with a 3.57 ERA in 196.2 innings.
But why did the Phillies go with a Major League rehash rather than a possible future star like Carlos Carrasco?
It could have something to do with money but most likely it's because Lopez deserved the promotion. He brings Major League pedigree to the table but he also pitched well recently at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He was 5-4 with a 3.91 ERA in 13 starts with the IronPigs.
First Published: Jul 1, 2009 4:43 PM EST
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