Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel chose the aging right-hander over J.A. Happ and Joe Blanton, who made cameo appearances out of the bullpen Thursday, to face the Colorado Rockies in Game 3 of their NL playoff series Saturday night.So Pedro it is!
The best-of-five series is tied at one game each.
Martinez is 6-2 with a 3.40 ERA in the postseason, and Manuel said he likes his history in cold weather, too. The forecast for Game 3 calls for temperatures dipping into the 20s with snow flurries.
The 37-year-old Martinez sat out most of the year before signing with the Phillies as a free agent last in the season. He went 5-1 with a 3.63 ERA in nine starts.
This is one of the benefits of having a deep starting pitcher roster, although, ever since his 8-inning shutout performance against the Mets, it seems as if his play has dropped off a bit.
This decision will ultimately judged based on hindsight. If Pedro pitches really well and has a great game, then it will provide the city of Philadelphia with a playoff moment it will celebrate for a long, long time. But if he falters, Charlie Manual will become a big-time goat and his decision to pitch both Blanton and Happ in Game 2 will be forever scorned upon.
I posted the baseball open thread.
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