Wayne Krivsky did some tinkering this morning, picking up Kyle Lohse and Rheal Cormier in separate trades.
Lohse, 27, was demoted on May 17th. After four solid efforts in Rochester, he was recalled and used in middle relief. Maybe, just maybe, he can get by as a fifth starter in the NL.
The aggregate line of all the hitters Lohse has faced this year is .269/.334/.426 (.760 OPS). In comparison, Bronson Arroyo’s batters faced have managed an aggregate .756 OPS and Aaron Harang’s competition is at .754. So it’s not like the NL Central is that much easier than the AL Central based on quality of batters faced.
Cormier has posted a 1.59 ERA and 1.18 WHIP this season in 34 innings for the Phils. I’m surprised Krivsky didn’t give up Homer Bailey to get him. One note about Cormier is that he has not been used in high leverage situations this year. Baseball Prospectus ranks him fifth in leverage on his own team. Among pitchers who haven’t started or closed this year, Scott Linebrink leads in leverage. He’s followed by Scot Shields, Kyle Farnsworth, Matt Wise, Duaner Sanchez, and Roberto Hernandez.
