Following roster expansion on September 1st, Philadelphia called up RHP Gavin Floyd, A.J. Hinch, and Ryan Howard while activating Pat Burrell, Ryan Madson, Brian Powell, and Billy Wagner from the disabled list. The Phillies drafted Floyd out of high school with the fourth overall pick in the first round of the 2001 draft. He spent the following year at A Lakewood in the South Atlantic League and 2003 at A+ Clearwater in the Florida State League. The 21-year-old then opened 2004 at AA Reading in the Eastern League, where he compiled a 94:46 K:BB with 93 H and 5 HR allowed in 119 IP for a 2.57 ERA over 20 starts before Philadelphia promoted him to their AAA International League affiliate, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, in late July.

I would like to see Floyd receive more time at AAA in order to insure that he leaves his potential control troubles in the minors. Unfortunately, while the Phillies initially planned to let him experience the majors on the bench this month, he seems likely to remain in the rotation for the remainder of the season now that he has been pressed into active duty. He probably will post a high walk rate, but given his dominance and Philadelphia's strong defense, he should be fairly effective.

Floyd took the rotation spot of LHP Randy Wolf, who hit the disabled list on August 31st. Wolf evidently continued to pitch with some pain after returning from the elbow injury that caused him to miss more than three weeks in June. However, with the problem affecting his effectiveness, Wolf left his August 28th start against Milwaukee after only three innings. Tests have yet to reveal anything that challenges the Phillies' continued diagnosis of tendinitis, though the 28-year-old is still seeking opinions. While he has not conceded that his season is over, Wolf seems unlikely to return in 2004 given the fast approaching end of the year and Philadelphia's interest in having him healthy for 2005.

The ultrasound on RHP Kevin Millwood's elbow in early August revealed a sprained ligament and a strained tendon. After a couple of weeks of rest, he's resumed throwing off a mound and hopes to make a few starts before the end of the season. Manager Larry Bowa mentioned the possibility of bringing him back in a relief role sooner, but Millwood bristled at the idea, indicating an aversion to returning as anything but a starter. On the other hand, while he would normally build up his arm strength further before rejoining the rotation, expanded September rosters may allow him to make a start in the near future without planning on going more than a couple of innings into the game.