Respect the Valdes & Other Little Guys

In a season that has been bleak, there is a nice little storyline going on with the Philadelphia Phillies- the unknowns, little guys, castoffs, and has-beens.  Let's take a moment to give some respect to these players that have helped carry the Phils to a .500 record (23-23) and not fall completely out of contention.

Raul Valdes - came in and put out the fire Blanton ignited last night and picked up the win.  In 4 appearances he's tossed 5.1 innings, striking out 7, allowing only 1 base runner, and no runs.  Small sample size, but nice and tidy nonetheless.

Jake Diekman - aside from one awful appearance (cut the kid a break), he's been outstanding, striking out 10 batters in 5 innings of work.  He has the look of a lefty that can be an effective piece of the bullpen puzzle for years to come.

Mike Fontenot - I wanted him back in spring training, then wanted him called up sooner once the Phils actually got him.  He's batting .500 (7-14) and might be a nice utility infielder to have for the rest of the season.

Hector Luna - Our overpaid first baseman remains on the DL, Thome is AWOL, Mayberry stinks, Wigginton is entirely mediocre, and Nix is hurt...so Manuel has turned to Luna lately.  6 RBI in 7 games is  good enough for me.

Pete Orr - the Canadian is quietly having a nice season as a backup infielder (.300/.767).

Juan Pierre - had to settle for a minor league contract this past offseason, and has proven thus far that he was worth the low-risk signing.  He's helped the team atop the order (.299 AVG/.343 OBP) while J-Roll continues to struggle.

While players like Hunter Pence, Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Ty Wigginton, John Mayberry Jr., Chad Qualls, and Jose Contreras have underperformed their expectations, the guys above have helped keep the team afloat.

Oh, and don't forget the Herculean effort Chooch has been putting forth.