Man-not so well Managing

A friend comments on Charlie Manuel's managing of two games from last weekend:


* I don't think Charlie Manuel is a good game manager, surely not for the NL anyway. I've now seen two games in little more than a week in which he let his pitcher come to the plate in a critical situation. One time, Lidle batted with the game tied in about the 6th or 7th with runners on base, I think. He hit a grounder that he furiously tried to beat out for a single -- and injured himself in the process of trying to get the single. Last night, down 4-0 in the 6th, he lets Brett Myers bat for himself and he's in the LEAD-OFF SLOT for that inning. Myers makes an out and is subsequently lifted after finishing the 7th.

Does he realize pitchers can be pinch-hit for before the 8th inning?

Also, in the 7th last night (Monday the 5th), down 4-1, with one out Tomas Perez, playing first for a resting Howard, comes up in the 8 hole and appears to be a sure shot to be pinch-hit for, probably by Howard. No, instead, Manuel has Howard pinch-hit for the pitcher in the 9-hole, coming to the plate with the bases loaded and the chance to put the Phils right back in the game.

However, it falls right into Phil Garner's wheelhouse, becasue he immediately counters by bringing in a lefty -- not just to face Howard, who is way below the Mendoza line against lefties, but also to Rollins, who when turned around and batting right-handed is hitting 30 points lower and lacks any power.

The lefty struck out Howard. Thankfully, J-Roll worked a walk to get one run in for the inning.
Leading to another complaint of mine: How can we still have Rollins hitting lead off? That walk that drove in the run, it was just his 36th walk of the season. Terrible lead-off hitter.

All this aside, the Phils still had a chance to tie it in the 9th, when Rollins, batting lefty against Lidge, pounded a two-out double down the right-field line against the wall.

In the most anti-Dale Sveum move I've ever seen, our 3rd base coach holds up our runner (THE GAME-TYING RUN) at 3rd. yeah, it would have been a close play, and we were hitting Lidge, but there were two outs and a good baserunner (a speedy minor leage call-up) was circling 3rd.

Oh, and our next batter up was Endy Chavez, who promptly struck out and ended the game with runners on 2nd and 3rd.

Even if our starting pitching holds up down the stretch, and even if David Bell decides to play like a Major Leaguer, I don't think we have the smarts in management to pull this off.