In a better-late-than-never Phillies-related news item, left-handed specialist Scott Eyre has retired after 13 seasons in the major leagues.

Eyre, 37, posted a career 28-30 record with a 4.23 ERA in 617 games with the Chicago White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs and

Scott Eyre owned a 3-0 record with a 1.88 ERA after joining the Phillies in 2008

Phillies.

The Phillies had offered Eyre a minor league contract. Eyre turned down the offer, but said he was set on retiring, anyway.

“I had most of this retirement thing planned out,” Eyre said to Phillies.com. “I think even if he would have offered me a better contract I still don’t think I would have taken it. My family took a trip to Disney before Christmas. We stayed in the RV. We didn’t even go to the amusement parks. We fished. We hung out. It was fun. The more time I spent with the kids at home the more I realized I wanted to hang out. I’ve played long enough.

“I go out playing in back-to-back World Series. I won one of them. I lost two of them. I’ve been to three, so it’s not like I didn’t accomplish anything in my career. I pitched in a whole bunch of games and had a lot of fun doing it.

“I’ll be 38 in May. I’ve pitched in a lot of games. I’ve had elbow issues. I had the surgery to get it fixed, but nobody really knows if it’s going to work or not. I can’t guarantee it’s going to feel great when I’m snapping off sliders. So I really do understand why he (GM Ruben Amaro Jr.) held back (on offering Eyre a major league contract). He’s trying to protect the organization in case I get hurt. It made the decision a little easier, but I don’t think it would have swayed it.”

Eyre will miss his teammates and the city of Philadelphia.

“Every day I think about what I’m going to miss,” he said. “I’m going to miss going to the clubhouse. Being with the Phillies, I’m going to miss seeing Chad Durbin sitting at his locker doing the crossword puzzle. I’m going to miss watching Brad [Lidge] read his biblical books in his locker after batting practice, eating the biggest sandwich I’ve ever seen anybody eat. I’ve talked to guys about it. I talked to [Jon] Lieber about it. Basically, you miss the camaraderie with the guys. And the Phillies’ clubhouse is great. That’s one of the reasons why Cliff [Lee] didn’t want to leave. It’s one of the best clubhouses you could be in. I don’t care what anybody says about theirs. I’ve been in a few of them. This is one of the best. I never once said, ‘I don’t want to go to the field today.’”

Scott Eyre will be missed. He was a great clubhouse guy, a consumate professional and a clutch performer since he was acquired from the Cubs via trade in 2008. I think it’s going to be tough finding another lefty as effective as he was. J.C. Romero will be counted on to bounce back and the Phillies will either scour the free agent market for another lefty or let a youngster like Antonio Bastardo prove his worth.

• It appears the Phillies will not re-sign relief pitchers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre before the end of the winter meetings Thursday. Park remains the team’s No. 1 priority in terms of the bullpen, but according to multiple local reports, the Phillies seem willing to move on without Eyre because they believe Antonio Bastardo and Sergio Escalona have the potential to be effective left-handers out of the pen.
• Brandon Lyon’s asking price is too high, according to multiple reports. The Phillies were aggressively pursuing Lyon to be, perhaps, the closer if Brad Lidge falters next year.
• The Phillies have the pieces to obtain Roy Halladay in a trade. According to reports, the Phillies have had dialogue with the Blue Jays during the winter meetings.
• The Phillies have until Saturday to offer salary arbitration to right-handers Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey. Durbin, in all likelihood, will return.
• The addition of Ross Gload, signed late Tuesday, probably marks the “official” end of Matt Stairs’ tenure. Eric Bruntlett declined a minor-league contract last month and Juan Castro was signed to take his place.
• GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Phillies.com that Kyle Kendrick will “fight” for a spot in the starting rotation come spring training. Oft-injured, hard-throwing right-hander Scott Mathieson will compete for one of the bullpen spots.

The Phillies did not offer salary arbitration to relievers Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre.

What this mean is that, if either or both sign with another team, the Phillies would not receive compensatory draft picks in return.

“I don’t know that we want to put ourselves in a position to be tied up money-wise in either player,” Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Phillies.com . “I think we want to be able to keep our flexibility as far as who we’ll make a run at. And that will financially tie us up, frankly. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to bring them back. We can still bring them back.”

While both were key bullpen pieces last season, it’s very possible that neither re-signs with the club. It’s no secret that Park would rather be a starting pitcher — a foolish thought, if you ask me — and the Phillies would want him back as a five-out specialist in late relief.

Eyre’s been plagued with injuries and is leaning toward retirement. However, he wants to stay in Philadelphia because of the great clubhouse chemistry and passionate fans…

I expect Eyre back on a one-year deal and Park to move on to a team that will give him a shot to pitch in the starting rotation.

In case you haven’t heard, Brad Lidge, Raul Ibanez and Scott Eyre will undergo surgery over the next few days.

Lidge will have surgery Wednesday to remove a loose body from his right elbow. In addition, Lidge will have his flexor/pronator tendon looked at.

It’s expected that Lidge will miss the start of spring training.

Meanwhile, Raul Ibanez will go under the knife to repair a sports hernia and Eyre will have loose bodies removed from his left elbow. Both should be good to go by the start of spring training.

Ruben Amaro Jr.

Brett Myers will not return to the Phillies.

GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said on CSN Philly that it’s in the best interest of the team to “cut ties” with Myers.

“I’m not as disappointed as I thought I’d be,” Myers said in a statement.

Myers added that he wants the “roughest treatment” from  fans if he pitches again in Philadelphia as an opposing player.

Myers was the Phillies’ first-round draft pick in 1999. He was the second-longest tenured Phillie (July 2002) behind only Jimmy Rollins (September 2000).

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Amaro said the team is exploring options at third base and therefore may not pick up Pedro Feliz’s club option.

It sounded as if Amaro wants to part ways with Feliz. Amaro didn’t at all indicate that he  wants Feliz back.

The Phillies are rumored to be interested in Mark DeRosa.

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Amaro added that he has talked to the agent of Chan Ho Park. He said they are optimistic about re-signing Scott Eyre, who has contemplated retirement but wants to play in Philadelphia.

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Finally… the Phillies put right-hander Scott Mathieson on the 40-man roster. Mathieson is coming off a pair of Tommy John surgeries.

Mathieson could be a viable option at closer. I’m getting the sense the Phillies would like to mold him into that role to perhaps succeed Brad Lidge at some point. He’s a flame thrower and has tons of potential… but he hasn’t stayed healthy.

Scott Eyre, who left in the seventh inning of Game 3 after twisting his ankle, says he’s good to go tonight.

On Eyre’s MLB.com blog, he wrote the following:

“I sprained my right ankle in the seventh inning. They’re calling it a mild sprain. I’ll be able to pitch. You can bet on that. Ruben Amaro Jr. would have to hold me down and tie me up and that’s not going to happen because I’m bigger than he is. I know I’m one of only two left-handers in the bullpen. I also know this might be my last season in the Majors. I’ll be fine, but I sure would love Cliff Lee to throw a seven or eight innings in Game 4 to give me a couple days to rest it.”

The Stud

"Baseball be very good to me."

 Carlos Ruiz continues to amaze in postseason play. Dating back to last year, Ruiz has come through with big hits when it’s mattered the most, and Sunday night/Monday morning was no different

Ruiz was responsible for giving the Phillies the lead on two occassions. In the fourth inning, the Phillies had some patient at-bats against Matt Hammel, resulting in a revolving door of runners getting on base.  With the bases loaded, nobody out and the game knotted at 3-3, Pedro Feliz grounded into a 1-2-3 double play. It appeared that Hammel would get out of the inning without allowing any further damage.

Ruiz, though, managed to poke one in the hole on the third-base side of the infield, knocking in Raul Ibanez to put the Phillies ahead, 4-3.

Later in the game, Ruiz smacked one up the middle to give the Phillies a 5-4 advantage.

The Story

Three points: Clutch hitting, a solid bullpen and Brad Lidge.

The Phillies are excelling at the plate in all situations. It just seemed as if every hit was a big one, whether it was Ruiz’s two RBI knocks, Chase Utley’s first-inning solo homer or Jimmy Rollins’ leadoff single to set the tone in the top of the ninth inning. All in all, the Phillies have been getting the job done at the dish.

Considering the circumstances, the relievers did a great job. After J.A. Happ exited in the fourth inning, Joe Blanton pitched OK — his only real blemish was a solo dinger off the bat of Carlos Gonzalez, who has been killing everything. Scott Eyre was injured in the seventh inning when he rolled his ankle in an attempt to field a sacrifice bunt. No word on the severity of the injury.

Ryan Madson entered for Eyre in the seventh inning with runners on first and third and nobody out. Madson allowed a sacrifice fly, but also got a pair of hugh strikeouts. Finally, Chad Durbin pitched a spotless eighth inning to perserve the 5-5 tie.

As usual, Brad Lidge wasn’t sharp, but he battled through the adversity and that’s a great sign. Lidge worked himself out of a one-out jam to put the finishing touches on a Phillies win.

The Turning Point

Utley hit a tapper in front of the plate in the ninth inning and beat the throw to first base. Yes, it was a questionable call (s), but it allowed Ryan Howard to drive in the winning run with a sacrifice fly.

The… Uh… Next Game

Cliff Lee will duel with Ubaldo Jimenez in a rematch of Game 1. First pitch is scheduled for 6:07 p.m. EST later today. If Lee can mimic his Game 1 performance, in which he hurled a complete game, the Phillies will be off to Los Angeles for the NLCS.

The Dud

Wifey's having our baby. I crapped the bed.

Right before Cole Hamels was escorted by a police car to a nearby hospital, where he would be with his wife, Heidi, who reportedly went into labor, Hamels allowed four runs over five sub-par innings. We’ve seen this type of performance all to often from the left-hander, who fell to 0-7 on the year in day games.

I thought Hamels didn’t pitch poorly, he just was no where near the same pitcher who carried the Phillies in the playoffs last year. Then again, his un-clutch performance was not surprising.

Hamels labored in the first inning, allowing a run on a Todd Helton fielder’s choice. He made one huge mistake — a two-run homer off the bat of  Yorvit Torrealba in the fourth inning to give the Rockies a 3-0 lead.

The Story

Hamels failed to make into the sixth inning, which resulted in a carousel of relief pitchers used, including projected Game 3 and 4 starters, Joe Blanton and J.A. Happ.

Charlie Manuel did an abolsutely terrible job of managing the bullpen. Awful. He used Joe Blanton for an inning or so, and when he got into trouble, Manuel summoned Happ, who had to leave the game after facing one batter due to an apparent leg injury. From there, Manuel called on Scott Eyre, Brett Myers, Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson to pitch four innings.

The Phillies scored three runs in the sixth to make things interesting. Jayson Werth belted a solo home run to cut the deficit to 5-4 in the eighth.

The Turning Point

I think it was Carlos Ruiz’s double play that ended the Phillies’ threat in the sixth.

Yes, the Phils had already scored three runs off Aaron Cook, and Raul Ibanez was the only runner on base.  However, had Ruiz worked the pitch count a little more and gotten a better swing on the ball… who knows? We might be talking about a Phillies win, not a loss.

While Ruiz didn’t suck the air out of the balloon, I thought he had the perfect chance to keep things rolling. The momentum was on our side.

The … Uh… Next Game

Jason Hammel toes the slab for the Rockies in Colorado for Game 3 Saturday night. The Phillies counter with TBD.

Manuel has not yet decided who he will start. And that uncertainty is a product of how he managed the bullpen in Game 2. The choices are Blanton, Happ and Pedro Martinez.

Oh yeah, the weather is expected to be in the freezing range and snow flurries are a good possibility. Great times.

The Phillies lost to the Marlins, 4-3, Saturday afternoon. They cannot clinch home field advantage throughout the National League playoffs.

Good news, though, is that the Cardinals lost to the Brewers. Thus, the Phils have home field advantage in the first round ONLY.

Todd Zolecki of Phillies.com blogged Saturday that Charlie Manuel is leaning toward carrying 13 pitchers and 10 position player on the first-round playoff roster. Here’s the breakdown as far as position players are concerned:

C: Carlos Ruiz and Paul Bako

INF: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Pedro Feliz, Jimmy Rollins, Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett.

OF: Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, Matt Stairs and Ben Francisco.

The pitching is a whole lot blurrier. With season-ending injuries to J.C. Romero, Jamie Moyer and possibly Chan Ho Park… there are questions here. Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will start Games 1 and 2 of the NLDS, respectively. Joe Blanton should pitch the third game. The No. 4 spot has not yet been determined.

J.A Happ and Pedro Martinez are the candidates. Happ could be moved to the bullpen because of the team’s shortage of left-handed relievers. As of now, Scott Eyre

Don't lie to us, Charlie. If Brad Lidge has another 1-2-3 outing in a meaningless game Sunday (like he did Saturday), you're gonna put him in a save situation the first chance you get, right?

is probably the Phillies’ only lefty specialist.

However, if Sergio Escalona and Antonio Bastardo pitch well over the weekend, either one could be included on the postseason roster. At this point, you’d have to think that both are long shots…

Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Tyler Walker, Brett Myers and Eyre are “locks”. I’m pretty sure Kyle Kendrick has earned the role of long reliever.

Either Happ or Martinez is guaranteed a spot in the pen. Clay Condrey is iffy because he hasn’t pitched a whole lot this season because of injuries…

The pitching roles are pretty much undefined at this point. With one day left to go in the regular season, Manuel has some crucial decisions to make.

J.C. Romero will not pitch again in 2009.

The lefty specialist is still dealing with lingering soreness in his throwing elbow.

Finished.

“I’ve got to play it smart, bro,” Romero said. “The arm is not recovering the way it should. When they say tendinitis, that means rest. The most I’ve rested the whole time is 10 days. I’ve probably got to rest a whole month or so. That’s going to hurt, but I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. … If some miracle happens before the World Series and I feel extremely good, it could be a possibility. But first round? Definitely, no. Second round? The only way I would consider that is if after the second opinion, they say, ‘Nothing is wrong,’ that it’s just soreness from the weather. If they say, ‘You’ve got to rest or you’re going to create something worse,’ I’ll shut it down.”

Romero added that the injury, while problematic, is not severe.

“I don’t have any major pain,” he said. “I’m just not recovering. I have tightness in my forearm and my fingers feel kind of weak, which tells me that I have inflammation in the tendon.”

Meanwhile, Chan Ho Park is likely not to pitch in the Division Series after suffering a setback to his right hamstring this week.

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I kind of figured that Romero wouldn’t be back, so I’m not all that surprised or disappointed. Also, the guy has been out for virtually half the season, anyway, and he’s been OK at best. I think the true lefty specialist has been Scott Eyre, who quietly is have a fantastic season. He’s not as deceptive as Romero, but he’s been damn effective…

Park’s absence is huge, huge, huge. There’s no question that he’s been a key member of the bullpen, and losing him for any amount of time in the playoffs can spell doom for the Phillies. Obviously, some major decision have to be made regarding the pitching staff…