Carl Oliver to Make Spot Start

SP Benny Aybar and SP Quinn Stevenson are the two pitchers responsible for the last two Flash wins. Unfortunately, neither feels rested enough to try and buck the 3-game losing streak Philadelphia is enduring. The two losses to start the set against the Atlanta Mad Dogs put the Flash in danger of losing only their second series in their last ten. Meanwhile, SP/RP Carl Oliver, who was a starter through much of the previous two seasons, will take to the mound in Game 3 to make his second emergency start of the year.

His previous start came while Quinn Stevenson was on the DL. In that outing, against the Portland Beavers, he served up 3 home runs in the 3rd inning, at which point bench coach Lawrence McIntyre made the call to the 'pen for RP Junior Martin. Oliver's line included 2.2 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, and 3 HR. The Flash maintain hope that he can be better, despite facing a tougher lineup this time around.

Oliver has been a successful starter in the past for Philadelphia, so management is not nervous about tossing him out there. Of course, ideally spot starts would not occur in the middle of a series in which the team has dropped the first two contests, and the last three overall. To make matters worse, the entire NL East is red-hot, only exacerbating the problem and really putting the spotlight on Oliver.

Stevenson to be Dealt?: If possible, the Flash would like to upgrade their lineup, and they may be willing to part with one of the top arms in their rotation to do so. SP Quinn Stevenson, who is 6-1 with a 2.70 ERA in 11 starts this season, has been an essential cog in keeping the Flash in the mix in the very competitive NL East division. Still, an extra bat would push an offense that ranks right in the middle of the pack in the NL over the top.