STEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer
Charlie Manuel has been on a diet since the final week of spring training.
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Phillies Notes
Phillies' Manuel slimming down
It's no secret that Charlie Manuel has dropped some serious weight.
Even the umpires have noticed that the Phillies manager has trimmed down.
In a game against the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park on May 12, Manuel jogged out to argue a call with first-base umpire Bob Davidson.
Manuel had fire in his eyes when he approached Davidson, but the umpire defused some of the manager's ire by paying him a quick compliment.
"I got there and he said, 'God, Charlie, you've lost a ton of weight. You look great,' " Manuel said. "I said, 'Thanks, but I didn't come out here to talk about the weight I lost.' "
Manuel lost the argument. But the Phillies won the game.
While Manuel is noticeably thinner than he was when the season began, he won't say how much weight he has lost.
Some estimates have it at 30 pounds.
"It's more than that," the shrinking skipper said before last night's game against the Florida Marlins. "But I won't tell you how much - not until I hit my goal. When I do, I'll tell you."
Manuel would not disclose what his target weight was, but he did say he weighed 274 pounds when he started a NutriSystem diet during the final week of spring training. He said he is trying to keep his daily intake between 1,200 and 1,500 calories.
"I feel really good," the 65-year-old Manuel said. "I got hung up for a while, but I've lost a few more pounds in the last week."
Roster ruminations
Reliever J.C. Romero's return from a 50-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance is less than a week away. Barring a postponement, the lefthander will be eligible to pitch Wednesday night in San Diego.
The Phillies still have five games to play before needing to make room on the roster for Romero. Looking ahead, they could clear a roster spot by sending outfielder John Mayberry Jr. back to triple A. Or they could send a pitcher to the minors. Lefthanded reliever Jack Taschner has a minor-league option left. There are other possibilities but those two seem the most obvious.
General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. acknowledged Mayberry presents a balancing act.
"Typically, you don't want a promising young player like him to be a bench player," Amaro said. "You want to develop him as an everyday player. Sometimes it's difficult to ask a young player to do that job. If we had our druthers, we'd have a veteran guy in that role. That doesn't mean John won't be here for a while. But [having a veteran righthanded bat] would be our preference."
Glovework
The Phillies entered last night leading the majors with a .991 fielding percentage. They had made just 14 errors in 44 games, the fewest in the majors.
First baseman Ryan Howard's defense has been much improved. He entered last night with a .998 fielding percentage, fourth best among major-league first basemen. Howard made his first error of the season Tuesday night. Last season, he led major-league first basemen with 19.
"When I first saw him in the minor leagues [in 2003], the thing that impressed me was his defense," Manuel said.
Howard worked hard to improve his defense with infield instructor/third base coach Sam Perlozzo over the winter.
The results have been significant.
Good question
Florida's Wes Helms lined a single to left field in the third inning last night and a fan shouted, "Why didn't you do that when you played for us?"
And today . . .
The Phillies are off. They begin a three-game series with Washington tomorrow at Citizens Bank Park. They will use three lefthanders in the series - J.A. Happ, Cole Hamels, and Jamie Moyer. The Nats entered last night 4-7 against lefthanded starters.
Contact staff writer Jim Salisbury at 215-854-4983 or jsalisbury@phillynews.com.
