Rookie Arms Propelling Phillies

David Coggin began last season in Single-A, Brandon Duckworth started it in Double-A and Nelson Figueroa was in Triple-A. Now the three rookie pitchers are a major reason why the surprising Philadelphia Phillies are in first place. "Without them, we`re in trouble," manager Larry Bowa said. "All three of them don`t get scared about anything."

The trio is a combined 9-3, including six straight wins. They were 4-0 during a 5-1 homestand last week as the Phillies moved one game ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the race for first place in the NL East.

The Braves, nine-time defending division champions, had a three-game lead just one week ago.

Duckworth, in just his second start, allowed one run and three hits in seven innings Sunday, helping the Phillies complete a three-game sweep of Los Angeles that knocked the Dodgers out of first in the West.

"Brandon is living up to the hype," Bowa said.

Duckworth won 10 straight decisions in the minors before being called up to replace Randy Wolf, who went on the disabled list with an ankle sprain. The 25-year-old right-hander has allowed only seven hits and four runs in 13 innings.

"It`s absolutely incredible to hear that," Duckworth said. "You can`t be afraid of anything when you go out there. You have to compete and have the confidence that you can win."

The Phillies, seeking just their second winning season since 1986, already matched their win total for all last season – 65. Pitching in a pennant race fazes none of the rookies.

Coggin, who was the first of the three to be recalled on June 28, is 3-1 with a 3.08 ERA in eight starts. Figueroa is 4-2 with a 2.98 ERA in 10 games.

"It doesn`t feel any different than the month I was up here last year," Coggin said. "We`re just going out trying to do our job every fifth day. I know it`s a cliche, but that`s what we`re doing.

"I don`t feel any pressure. I put so much pressure on myself, that`s secondary."

The 24-year-old Coggin began last year at Single-A Clearwater after coming off shoulder surgery in 1999. He went 2-0 in five starts with the Phillies, including a victory over the Yankees in New York. Coggin is the only pitcher in franchise history to win at Yankee Stadium.

Figueroa, who bounced around the minors for six seasons, came from Arizona last summer in the trade for Curt Schilling. He has allowed two or fewer runs in seven of his nine starts.

"I`m no longer wondering if I`m going to start in five days or if I`m going to go back down," Figueroa said.

Bowa, in his first year as Philadelphia`s manager, knows a lot about rookie pitchers. He played shortstop behind then-rookies Bob Walk and Marty Bystrom – two key pitching cogs when the Phillies won the franchise`s lone World Series championship in 1980.

"Considering the situation these guys have been brought into, I haven`t seen something like this before," Bowa said. "They`ve done a tremendous job of keeping their composure out there."

Most impressive is that none of the rookies had the benefit of pitching to Mike Lieberthal, the All-Star catcher who went down with a season-ending knee injury in May. Instead, they`ve been working with another rookie, Johnny Estrada.

"I`ve worked with them so much. They know me, they have confidence in my abilities," Estrada said.

To take some pressure off Estrada, the Phillies acquired veteran Todd Pratt from the New York Mets last month. Pratt, who played on the 1993 Phillies NL championship team, has provided some much-needed leadership.

"Since Day One, I`ve been working with Johnny, talking about what it`s going to take," Pratt said. "With the pitchers, I try to talk during the game to the next day`s starter or the starter in two days, tell them how we are going to pitch guys, how to approach things. I`m real impressed by the staff."

No matter what happens over the last 45 games, the rookie pitchers are proving they have a future in the majors.

"They are definitely ready to pitch up here. All three of them," Estrada said.

(Copyright 2001 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Article continues below

---

advertisement

---

Author: 6 ABC - Action News