Maybe there's still some hope for Charlie. Maybe not. This much I do know. He's lost me.
At this time, I'm going to break some rules. I never was one to second-guess managers, and it's the optimist in me that tends to make me go easy on people even when criticism is warranted, but I don't know if I can hold back now.
I don't have any reason to feel confident that this Phillies team has even a small chance of making the playoffs. If the club makes it into the postseason, it will be in spite of skipper Charlie Manuel, assuming that he's still around.
I'm not reading too much into the weekend series against Washington because the percentages will eventually catch up to the Nationals, and I expect them to be around the middle of the pack soon. So the Phillies took two out of three against the first-place team and got to enjoy the midseason break, but reality will set in again when the second half begins on Thursday.
I had something of an epiphany during the July 3 game that was nationally televised by ESPN. It was one of the few times that I was able to get to the park early enough to watch batting practice.
If you're not familiar with the drill, first the pitchers hit, then the scrubs and then the starting eight. It was the second group that caught my attention.
Todd Pratt, Tomas Perez and Jason Michaels, assuming that none of them are in the starting lineup, are legitimate bench players. But if Manuel is down to his last two moves during a stretch run, he's going to need stronger threats off the bench than Endy Chavez and Ramon Martinez.
I guess the players on the bench aren't his decisions, so maybe we can brush a little of this responsibility toward general manager Ed Wade, who will be expected to make some bold moves by the end of this month to save the team and his job. With the starting pitching in disarray, topping Wade's wish list should be a front-line starter.
The Phillies' strong point is the bullpen, but it's the way Manuel is using it that bothers me. In an earlier column, I pointed out how the manager called on closer Billy Wagner with one out in the eighth inning and the pitcher's slot due to lead off the Phillies' ninth. Wagner singled in his plate appearance and held on for the save, so Charlie dodged the bullet that time.
After the July 3 loss to the Atlanta Braves, the manager was again questioned about his use of the bullpen after the team had taken a 3-0 lead and starter Rob Tejeda was finished after six innings.
"We had our bullpen set up just the way we wanted it," Manuel said after that game.
The pattern has been for the middle relievers, usually Ryan Madson and Rheal Cormier, to bridge the gap between the starter and the set-up man (Ugueth Urbina) and closer (Wagner).
It makes sense, but in this case, Cormier and Madson gave up two runs in the seventh, and Urbina allowed the tying run to score in the eighth. That changes everything, right?
One would think so, but Manuel still called on Wagner to throw in the ninth frame of a tied game, even though the bottom of the order was slated to hit in the bottom half. In this case, Wagner gave up the winning run and took the loss, but just suppose he had held the fort and the Phillies didn't score in the bottom of the ninth. Who was going to pitch the 10th inning?
The team has since activated reliever Tim Worrell, so Manuel has another option.
His disdain for making double switches, which has been noted many times by others, also bothers me. When he finally made a double move in Sunday's 5-4 victory over Washington, another scribe in the press box said, "Maybe somebody clued him in."
Until that move, I wasn't sure that Charlie had any concept of the fact that pitchers have to hit in the National League.
Please, don't get me wrong. I have nothing against Manuel personally. It's hard not to like the guy because he's so down-to-earth, but he won't lead this team to the promised land.
If the Phillies are going to make a serious run for the Eastern Division or the wild card, changes must be made with the starting rotation, the bench and, unfortunately, in the manager's office. Sorry, Charlie.
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