Carlton Is Struggling to Regain Form

When you’re 41 years old, have won only two games in the last two seasons and have an ERA of 6.69, there are bound to be questions about your future.

Even if your name is Steve Carlton.

The veteran left-hander, winner of 315 games in his career, has a 1-5 start this season after going 1-8 last year and gave up 45 hits and 25 walks in his first 36 innings.

Carlton, who missed 90 days and 14 starts last season with a strained left rotator cuff, is reportedly pitching without pain. But he’s also throwing without much effectiveness, as his fastball has been measured in the low 80s and he has lacked control of his breaking pitches.

Carlton, who does not speak to reporters, has given no indication that he’s ready to call it quits and the Phillies, desperate for starting pitching, are willing to keep him in their rotation with fingers crossed that things work out.

“Knowing Lefty, I don’t think he’s going to admit that he’s defeated,” said Philadelphia pitching coach Claude Osteen after Carlton’s 8-0 defeat by the Montreal Expos on May 6. Carlton gave up six runs, three of them unearned, in five innings.

“He lost the game tonight but he still thinks that he can win and I know that he thinks that way. I know he’s fighting an uphill battle to prove anything differently because of the results that he’s had. I know that inside of him he feels that there’s enough stuff to win if he can get a break. I don’t know how much longer he can go like that.”

Phillies manager John Felske said Carlton would get his next start May 11 against Atlanta and that he would then be evaluated.

“I’m just going to see what happens,” Felske said. “If we were to take Lefty out of the rotation and we’re already searching for a fifth starter, who would we replace him with?”

Phillies president Bill Giles said Carlton, who earns a guaranteed $1 million this season, would be given every chance to right himself.

Opposing batters have been about the only ones to say anything good about Carlton this season, but maybe that’s because they’re happy to finally get some hits off him.

“He’s still tough,” Montreal’s Andre Dawson said. “He’s throwing his fastball more than in the past. He used his breaking ball and slider more in the past. He’s running it away from hitters now.”

But Dawson also got a double and home run in three at bats against Carlton on May 5 night.

“He got the ball up and they hit it hard,” Felske said.

Osteen, who admits he never doubted himself even as he was going 7-16 in his last season, said Carlton, whose 3,946 strikeouts are second-best in baseball history, undoubtedly feels the same way.

“Obviously, he’s not like all the rest of us,” he said. “He wouldn’t have won 300 and something games. I think even to this day he tries to keep any of that from creeping into his thinking.”

Even when you’ve given up more earned runs (27) than you have strikeouts (26) in your first seven starts.