To no one's surprise, the Phillies have called upon David Buchanan to fill the spot in the rotation made vacant by the ailing Cliff Lee. Matt Gelb has reported that Buchanan was scratched from his latest Ironpigs start in preparation for a Wednesday start in Philadelphia against the Astros. No corresponding roster move has been announced just yet.
David Buchanan was scratched from his start at triple-A Lehigh Valley. He will replace Cliff Lee on Wednesday: http://t.co/sdKt5HXBWp
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 5, 2014
This isn't the first time Buchanan has taken over Lee's spot in the rotation. While Cliff was on the mend from his original injury, Buchanan made ten starts for the Phillies, posting a 5-5 record to go with a 4.40 ERA.
Since getting sent down to Triple-A, Buchanan made three starts for Lehigh Valley. In his first outing, he was solid, giving up just two earned runs over six innings while striking out six. His second start was a little more rough. He gave up four runs on seven hits in three innings, throwing 77 pitches over the start. Buchanan's most recent start was very encouraging though as the 25-year-old righty tossed 7.1 innings of one run ball against the Twins Triple-A affiliate. Buchanan went 6-5 with a 3.45 ERA this season with Lehigh Valley.
If Buchanan comes up to Philadelphia and pitches well over the final months of the season, there is a very good chance he could see himself as a regular in the 2015 rotation.
Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
