Parnell's future likely to be in the bullpen
Photo credit: AP | Mets starter Bobby Parnell delivers a pitch against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday night (September 16, 2009).
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ATLANTA - ATLANTA - The Bobby Parnell Experiment continued last night after a lengthy rain delay at Turner Field. For the most part, however, his transition to a starting role with the Mets has blown up in their face.
Moved into the rotation out of desperation last month, Parnell appears to be a long shot to return there for 2010, even if he dominates the winter leagues and the Mets fail to add another front-line starter this offseason.
Then again, Parnell could be back in the bullpen as soon as next Monday, when Jerry Manuel figures to trim down the six-man rotation he's using for this week. The manager hinted strongly that Parnell was the leading candidate to be dropped because of his flexibility in a relief role and he didn't do much to change Manuel's mind Wednesday in the Mets' 6-5 loss to the Braves.
Parnell threw 83 pitches in just 31/3 innings before he was pulled. He allowed seven hits and four runs -- three earned - to push his ERA up to 7.93 in eight starts since he switched to the rotation on Aug. 8. Parnell walked three and struck out four.
Much, much later, Daniel Murphy's two-out error on Ryan Church's grounder in the bottom of the ninth handed the Braves the winning run. Omir Santos hit a tiebreaking homer in the eighth, but Francisco Rodriguez, who was bidding for his first four-out save since 2007, couldn't close the deal.
When asked before Wednesday's game if Parnell's "ideal" job was in the bullpen, Manuel recited a wish list for next year's team, a star-studded staff that can't exist in a post-Madoff world.
"Johan, Pelfrey, Lackey, Halladay," Manuel said, smiling. "You got all those guys in there? Who else you got in there for me?"
The Angels' John Lackey is the most coveted prize of this upcoming class of free-agent pitchers and the Blue Jays' Roy Halladay is expected to be available via trade as he enters the final season of his contract. The cost for either will be prohibitive, but the Mets are likely to be involved in discussions.
It's also within the realm of possibility that the Mets will spend their money in other areas - catcher, first base, leftfield - and choose to rely on a rotation of Johan Santana, Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez, John Maine and Jonathan Niese. In both scenarios, there's no room for Parnell, who would be a reserve starter at Triple-A Buffalo or make the Mets in a setup role, as he did for Opening Day this year.
When pushed again on Parnell's future role with the club, Manuel switched from talking about his fantasy team to evaluating his young pitcher.
"I think for me the jury is still out on that question," Manuel said. "I've seen glimpses of what I think can be a solid starter and I've seen glimpses of what I think can be a tremendous setup man.''
During a weekend visit to Boston in May, the Mets talked about Parnell as if he were the heir apparent to Rodriguez. His fastball reached 100 mph, and with J.J. Putz on the shelf, Parnell was a natural for the vacant setup role.
"On that particular night," Manuel recalled, "he was comparable to [Jonathan] Papelbon."
Before Parnell was moved to the rotation, he had a 3.74 ERA in 54 relief appearances.
"We still have to see progress," Manuel said. "All of those things factor into whether or not you can start and be a part of what you think is a championship rotation.''
