He's 40 years old, and hasn't hit a home run in a month. But in the NL East, where the margin between first and second is razor thin, Matt Stairs qualifies as an upgrade. And it's the Philadelphia Phillies that have snagged him for the stretch drive, acquiring him from the Blue Jays for an unidentified minor leaguer.Stairs is what he is ... a .250 hitter who also happens to be a career .250 hitter in the month of September. He'll most likely play some outfield in place of the disabled Geoff Jenkins, but I'd be willing to bet that most of Stairs' appearances will be coming off the bench to get some big hits for the Phils'.
I wonder if the Phils are done dealing ... as their problems lately have come from the bullpen in the eighth inning. In the last two weeks, they've blown five games where they've had leads in the eighth, with Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson being multiple offenders (they combined to blow a 4-1 lead Thursday night against the Cubs in the eighth.) Wild guess, but could Huston Street be far behind?
