Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Pedro Martinez is 5-0 since joining the Phillies, but will that be enough to earn him a postseason start?

By Tim Kurkjian, ESPN The Magazine

The Phillies are facing a wonderful problem over the next three weeks. We all know they have two clear, top-of-the-line starters in Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. The big question is who is going to be their third starter in the first round of the playoffs and beyond.

The good news is that they have several workable options in Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ, Jamie Moyer and now Pedro Martinez. The bad news is that they will soon have to identify the right guy to ride into October. Blanton would probably get the first look, given that he's done a pretty good job all season (He's 9-7 with a 4.11 ERA as he readies for Wednesday's start at home against the Nationals). But then, Happ would seem to have every right to the third spot as well. And given what Moyer did last year, and in part this year, he'd also have to be considered as well.

And now, with the way Martinez has pitched since being signed (he's 5-0 with a 2.87 ERA after throwing 130 pitches in eight shutout innings Sunday night against the Mets) he's absolutely worked his way into the discussion. If he continues to pitch for the next three weeks the same way he did Sunday night, to me he'd be the top candidate for the third spot in the rotation. The league is hitting .188 against his changeup. Some would say it's even close to the great changeup of his prime. Through Sunday, Martinez and Hamels had the most swing-and-misses in the National League in the month of September. That is another really good sign for Pedro and the Phillies. Of course, Pedro also has a lot of postseason experience, including a World Series ring with the Red Sox, so that would be another check mark in his column.

It doesn't stop there, either. The Phillies have not lost any of Martinez's seven starts. It's the first time since 1900 that the Phillies have won the first seven starts of any pitcher's Phillies career. It's going to be a little bit tricky to pick a third starter in Philadelphia, that is, unless Pedro continues to throw as well as he has over the past two weeks. If so, I'm not sure there is any way around tabbing him as the guy. If this falls into place, they could move Happ to the bullpen, which would give them another valuable left-hander down there. Moyer could be the long man in the playoffs and Blanton could be their fourth starter later in October.

This could all work out very well for the Phillies if Pedro continues his recent run of success. But if Pedro starts to get hit hard from here, or shows any physical issues, then Blanton would likely be the top choice to step back in as the third starter. But when Pedro threw 130 pitches Sunday night, that implies his durability is not a problem right now. There are two ways to look at his late start to the season. You could say he hasn't had enough time to be at his strongest, but it seems more likely that his arm is so much fresher than anyone else's on a contender because he's only thrown 37 innings so far this season. You can't look past his track record and the fact that -- to me -- he's between the 10th and 15th greatest pitcher of all time. Even though he's not The Great Pedro from 1999 and 2000, he still knows how to pitch as well as anyone in the game today.

At least so far, this has turned out to be a remarkably good move for the Phillies. I thought it was worth the risk and expense to bring him in, but I had no idea he would be this good. In fact, on Sept. 3, when Pedro outpitched reigning Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, he did something he hadn't done in more than four years when he went at least seven innings, allowing one run and no walks to go with nine strikeouts. So this may end up being the midseason pitching signing of the year.

Past Baseball Tonight Clubhouses: Sept. 13 | Sept. 10 | Sept. 9 | Sept. 8 | Sept. 7

TOUCH 'EM ALL

Who went deep? Keep track of all the home runs hit each day on "Baseball Tonight" and on the Baseball Tonight Clubhouse page.

For more, check out the Home Run Tracker page.

Home Run Tracker
NAME	HR	OPP	SITUATION
Derrek Lee, CHC	33	Suppan	Bot 4: 2-1, 0 Outs. None on.
Adam Lind, TOR	29	Verlander	Top 6: 0-1, 0 Outs. 2 on.
Nick Swisher, NYY	27	Weaver	Bot 3: 1-1, 0 Outs. None on.
Shin-Soo Choo, CLE	16	Pavano	Top 4: 0-1, 0 Outs. None on.
Vladimir Guerrero, LAA	14	Chamberlain	Top 2: 2-2, 0 Outs. None on.
Ryan Raburn, DET	12	Purcey	Bot 1: 2-1, 0 Outs. None on.
B.J. Upton, TB	10	Hernandez	Top 4: 1-2, 0 Outs. None on.

The complete list of Monday's homers

ON DECK: TUESDAY'S BEST MATCHUPS

Angels at Red Sox, 7:10 p.m. ET

If the season ended today -- yeah, it doesn't, but if it did -- this would be one of the first-round playoff matchups. Daisuke Matsuzaka, out since June 19 with shoulder issues, makes his return. After going 18-3 a year ago, Matsuzaka struggled before heading to the disabled list, going 1-5 with an 8.23 ERA in eight starts.

Marlins at Cardinals, 7:05 p.m. ET

Sure, the Marlins still have faint hopes of sneaking into the postseason, but the more intriguing part is the in-team race for the NL Cy Young going on between the Cardinals' Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. While others in the NL are in the mix, Wainwright (18-7, 2.59 ERA), who pitches Tuesday, and Carpenter (16-4, 2.45), who goes again Saturday, are the leading candidates.

Rockies at Giants, 10:15 p.m. ET

The Giants, behind an exceptional performance from Tim Lincecum, cut the Rockies' lead in the NL wild-card race to 3½ games. Barry Zito tries to cut another game off the margin opposite the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez. Zito is 1-0 with a 0.42 ERA in three starts this season against Colorado, which has hit .181 off him.

For the rest of Tuesday's schedule, click here.