Righthander Koplove hopes to hang around Phillies' neighborhood

FORT MYERS, Fla. - At one point yesterday afternoon, Phillies pitching coach Rich Dubee picked up the phone in the visitors' dugout and placed a call to the bullpen in right-centerfield at City of Palms Stadium. He did not recognize the voice who picked up on the other end, and was further confused when that voice identified himself as "Mike."

A security guard, was Dubee's first thought.

Turns out, it was Phillies righthander Mike Koplove.

"I know him as Koppy," Dubee said later.

On the field, though, Koplove has done nothing to remove his name from the Phillies' radar this spring training. While his opportunities have come with the frequency typically afforded a non-roster invitee - namely, few and far between - the Philadelphia native and former Chestnut Hill Academy star has kept himself in the mix for a potential opening at the front of the Phillies' bullpen.

In five appearances this spring, he has pitched 5 1/3 scoreless innings, allowing two hits and walking two while striking out six. Though the Phillies' coaching staff is always vague when asked to handicap the roster chances of a particular player - "He's still here, isn't he?" Dubee said yesterday - Koplove feels like he has a legitimate chance to make the team.

"I feel great," Koplove, 32, said. "I feel confident out there and ready to go. I made sure I was in game shape by the time I got here. I feel healthy and strong. I feel like I'm throwing the ball well."

By now, Koplove's Philadelphia ties have been well-chronicled. He lives within spitting distance of Citizens Bank Park - if he does make the team, he would literally walk to work - and last year followed the Phillies' World Series run by sitting on his deck and listening to the roar of the crowd echo around the sports complex in South Philadelphia. He graduated from Chestunt Hill Academy in 1995 and enrolled at Northwestern. But shortly thereafter he transferred to the University of Delaware, believing it would give him a better opportunity to play shortstop - his true love - while also pitching. After helping lead the Blue Hens to the 1998 America East title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament, Koplove was selected in the 29th round of the draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks.

A side-armer, he picked up his delivery in elementary school after watching a baseball program that featured former big-leaguer Dan Quisenberry. While not initially a hot prospect, Koplove rose through the Diamondbacks' organization and broke into the big leagues in 2001. He was on the playoff roster for the National League Division Series and the NLCS during Arizona's World Series run.

He spent most of the next four seasons in the majors - in 217 career appearances for the Diamondbacks, he has a 3.76 ERA - but struggled during the 2005 season and was outrighted off the 40-man roster in August of that year.

"Once you get sent down like that, it's hard to get back," said Koplove, who pitched in two games for the Diamondbacks in 2006 and five games for the Indians in 2007 but spent all last season at Triple A in the Dodgers' organization. "Getting there is one thing, staying there is another, but once you go back, getting back up and staying is even harder."

Now, Koplove has a shot. It isn't clear how much of one. But there is at least a shot. He and fellow righthanders Gary Majewski and Dave Borkowski have been the three most impressive relievers in camp as nonroster invitees. Opponents are hitting less than .220 against all three. Then again, only Majewski has pitched in more than six innings.

It is unclear how many spots are open in the Phillies' bullpen. Last year, the team kept seven relievers. Of those seven spots, five (Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey) appear to be occupied. A sixth would go to Chan Ho Park if he loses the competition for the fifth spot in the rotation. That would seem to leave at least one definite opening for a player like Majewski or Koplove or Borkowski. But the Phillies have said recently that they are seriously considering starting the season with six relievers thanks to a glut of off days in the first 2 weeks of April.

"It's a possibility," Dubee said. "We're weighing it."

But the Phillies also have acknowledged that, once the bulk of the schedule gets under way, they likely will have to add another pitcher to the staff. Even if Koplove starts the season in Triple A, he could easily find himself in a position to contribute once the inevitable injuries of a 162-game season occur. (Even in what was held to be a surprisingly healthy campaign last season, 14 different pitchers had at least one relief appearance.)

"You have to make the most of every opportunity because you might not get a lot," Koplove said. "It's tough, but everywhere you go there is a lot of guys battling for a very limited amount of jobs . . . I feel like this is a good spot." *

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.