Maybe it's time to go back to the four-man rotation.
No, that isn't really practical. But with Opening Day encroaching, teams are sorting out their pitching staffs. And since most teams went into spring training not sure who would make up the back-end of the rotation, we're starting to get word now on who will fill those roles.
MLB Power Rankings:Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.
We're almost there. You can smell it in the air, can't you? That's right ... the NHL playoffs! Ha. I kid, of course. No one actually watches hockey (if it even exists). But people do get amped up for baseball, and the season is upon us. So, in that vein, we've got our final installment of preseason power rankings ready for your digestion. Play ball.
The picture to your right is not of former Oriole Kris Benson throwing a pitch. He tried to wave goodbye to a friend and his arm just snapped back like that.
In baseball news you may have missed (because you could not possibly care about it), the former first pick in the 1996 draft and perennial bench-grimacer signed a minor league contract last Saturday with the Texas Rangers. He pitched two solid innings in the Rangers Wednesday opener. Huh.
Tonight's Dugout, alternately titled "Return of the Living Dead," is after the jump.
A starting pitcher is making his way back to the major leagues via the traditional minor league rehab start. Oh, big news we all know that Pedro Martinez is on his way back to Shea, you say. Well, pipe down because that's not who we're talking about.
Kris Benson is set to start for the Phillies Class A team in Clearwater on Sunday after throwing 75 pitches in an extended spring training game earlier this week. Assuming he doesn't have any physical setbacks, and there are safer assumptions, the Phillies would need to make a decision on him pretty soon. Benson can opt out of his deal if he's not with the team by June 1.
Odd as it sounds, if Benson proves himself physically sound he'll get an offer to join someone's rotation. The Phillies probably won't usurp Brett Myers, no matter how much he's struggling, but an alternative to Adam Eaton can't sound too bad. Sure, he won last night (against the Rockies, but still) and has turned in two quality starts in a row but I think I might bet on Benson staying healthy before I'd wager on Eaton keeping that up.
And, of course, no discussion of Benson is complete without a mention of his wife. Who isn't aching to see a picture of her wearing hot pants while devouring a whiz wit' at Pat's?
It seems like the FanHouse has become the one place where Kyle Lohse can find some support. We've chronicled his search for gainful employment in painstaking detail over the last month. There were some hopeful signs for Lohse at Phillie camp this weekend.
Kyle Kendrick got lit up by the Blue Jays yesterday. His line of two innings, seven hits, six runs and two walks leaves him with an ERA of 16.43 thus far. While there's no reason to panic just yet, plenty of pitchers have struggled in March and sparkled later on, the Phillies can't be too complacent. They already have deep problems at the fifth spot in the rotation and can't afford similar trouble in Kendrick's four-hole.
The nominal fifth starter, Adam Eaton, had a MRI yesterday which revealed a herniated disk in his back. The good news is that he should still be able to pitch, the bad news is the same. If his back gets worse, the Phillies will be banking on Chad Durbin or J.D. Durbin or a return to health from Kris Benson. That should work out well.
It's Official! Kris Bensonsigns with the Phillies! Good for him. Have you seen the Orioles motto for this season? "THIS IS BIRDLAND." That's a great way to get fans into the park. "We traded away our stars. COME SEE THE BIRD, THE ACTUAL ANIMAL THE BIRD"
With the migration of Anna Benson comes the next chapter in a Dugout story that began in the long long ago before the darkness came about how Anna would sleep with everyone on the team including the mascot if she ever caught her husband cheating. The only way this could get better for us is if she got traded to the Red Sox and got to deflower Wally the Green Monster. She would have to go into the police force and get choked by Dmitri Young to be more Dugout ready.
Anna Benson wears a jersey around her cleavage like we'd never expect and Kris Benson gets into a plane crash and misses the '08 season with a dilated brain in today's Dugout, after the jump.
Amidst the Roger Clemens mess, it's nice to know that the only performance enhancements you have to worry about with Kris Benson is whether his wife Anna is cosmetically enhanced or not. It's peace of mind like that which drove the Phillies to act on their previous interest and sign Benson to a minor league deal on Wednesday.
There were times during the '05 season with the Mets where Benson actually pitched like a staff ace. But those outings have been too few and too far between for the former number one pick who struggles to average a strikeout every two innings ... and that's when healthy. Benson missed the entire 2007 season with a torn rotator cuff, which on top of the fact that Benson is a notorious fly ball pitcher (57 HR's given up in '05 and '06) makes the signing for a heavy risk for the Phillies if he were to win a rotation spot in a hitters park like the one sponsored by Citizens Bank. But if healthy, Benson does provide some depth for the rotation and perhaps the bullpen for the Phillies if Charlie Manuel decides he needs to use him there.
The Phillies are apparently a lot more serious about free-agent pitcher Kris Benson than they've let on.
Benson has thrown privately for Phillies scout Chuck LaMar twice in the last week, a baseball source said after Benson's most recent audition yesterday in Atlanta. Benson's agent, Gregg Clifton, confirmed the private workouts last night.
Benson is clearly the wrong man if you're looking for someone to anchor your rotation, but that's not what the Phillies need. They just want someone to push Adam Eaton for that fifth spot behind Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Kyle Kendricks and Jamie Moyer. That said, the Phillies have to worried about the fact that Benson has always given up more than his fair share of long balls, an pesky tendency that could turn into a fatal flaw at Citizens Bank Park, especially coming off shoulder surgery.
Kris Benson didn't pitch a single big league inning last year in what was supposed to be his second season with the Baltimore Orioles. But after spending an entire year on the shelf, he's allegedly healthy and eager to find work. Yesterday, he worked out for several teams in Arizona. From MLB.com:
Among the group were members of the Yankees, Mets, Astros, Nationals and Phillies, all looking for pitching help.
Reports were good, as Benson showed little wear and tear after missing the 2007 season in Baltimore because of surgery to repair a torn labrum. Benson felt no pain, said his agent, Greg Clifton.
"I thought it went very well," Clifton told MLB.com. "There were 25 scouts in attendance. From an overall perspective, I thought it was a very effective workout and he showed that he is 100 percent recovered from his injury and he is way ahead of schedule on his normal offseason program."
I guess he could be a low-risk pickup for a team desperate for pitching, but I've always been a little amazed at the hype surrounding this guy. He peaked in his second year and hasn't posted an ERA below 4.00 ever since, despite pitching in the National League. On his best day, he's the epitome of an average big league pitcher, and yet he's still able to get scouts lined up to see him. I don't doubt that someone will sign him, but I'll be shocked if he actually ends up being a factor in 2008.
Maybe it's time to go back to the four-man rotation.
The picture to your right is not of former Oriole Kris Benson throwing a pitch. He tried to wave goodbye to a friend and his arm just snapped back like that.
A starting pitcher is making his way back to the major leagues via the traditional minor league rehab start. Oh, big news we all know that Pedro Martinez is on his way back to Shea, you say. Well, pipe down because that's not who we're talking about. 
It seems like the FanHouse has become the one place where Kyle Lohse can find some support. We've chronicled his search for gainful employment in painstaking detail over the last month. There were some hopeful signs for Lohse at Phillie camp this weekend. 
It's Official! Kris Benson signs with the Phillies! Good for him. Have you seen the Orioles motto for this season? "THIS IS BIRDLAND." That's a great way to get fans into the park. "We traded away our stars. COME SEE THE BIRD, THE ACTUAL ANIMAL THE BIRD"
Amidst the Roger Clemens mess, it's nice to know that the only performance enhancements you have to worry about with Kris Benson is whether his wife Anna is cosmetically enhanced or not. It's peace of mind like that which drove the Phillies to act on their previous interest and sign Benson to a minor league deal on Wednesday.
Kris Benson didn't pitch a single big league inning last year in what was supposed to be his second season with the Baltimore Orioles. But after spending an entire year on the shelf, he's allegedly healthy and eager to find work. Yesterday, he worked out for several teams in Arizona. From MLB.com:
