J.C. Romero completed his final tuneup Sunday, facing four batters in the first inning at Class AAA Lehigh Valley and rejoined the Phillies in time to hop their cross-country flight to San Diego.
By Wednesday night, his 50-game suspension will be history.
And while Romero's return will be welcomed by a heavily taxed bullpen, closer Brad Lidge said the work of veteran Scott Eyre, who emerged as the Phillies' primary left-handed reliever during the season's first 50 games, shouldn't go unnoticed.
Eyre, who turned 37 Saturday and likely will retire after the season, has a 3.09 ERA in 21 appearances. Each of the four earned runs he has allowed came April 27 against Washington and he hasn't yielded a run in his last eight appearances (six innings).
"Scotty's been great all year," Lidge said. "He's been tremendous for us. He's filled in that role and it's really helped us. We needed a guy to step in and replace J.C. for a while and he did that. Obviously, J.C. will probably go back into that role now, but he should feel really proud of what he's accomplished."
Manager Charlie Manuel said Eyre will continue pitching in the late innings. But upon his return Wednesday against the Padres, Romero, who received a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned steroid, will maintain his status as the Phillies' lefty setup man.
"Fifty games, plus three rainouts. It's past due," said Romero, who allowed one hit and one walk in two-thirds of an inning Sunday.
"I'm ready. I was born ready. I'm pleased with how the team is playing, especially the way the bullpen has held their own without me. Now it's my job to give them some quality outings and take some of the pressure away from those guys."
