Frustration Continues For Manuel & Phillies
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Frustration Continues For Manuel & Phillies
Marc Narducci
Charlie Manuel is usually upbeat but this season is wearing on him. He sees a group of hitters who don’t show patience at the plate. His starting pitchers not named Cole Hamels and his relievers have produced a season of inconsistent performances.
So Manuel has said that jobs are to be won in these final 38 games. And even though he loves the game, Manuel couldn’t hide his frustration when asked how hard this season has been on him.
“It’s tough for me,” he said after Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds at Citizens Bank Park. It’s a challenge and that is good but at the same time I want us to keep playing hard and improving.”
Good luck with that wish, especially the improving part.
Among the more impatient hitters is Jimmy Rollins who is now batting .238 and has an on-base percentage of .297, not what a team is looking for from a leadoff batter.
“When Jimmy works the count, he is hitting good,” Manuel said.
That hasn’t happened consistently this year.
Manuel also seems like he is getting tired of being asked about Vance Worley’s loose bodies in his elbow.
“If something is wrong with his elbow he should tell us because we will do something about it,” Manuel said before the game.
Manuel says players are always getting MRIs to see if they are healthy enough to perform.
“When they (the medical staff) say he is OK and fine, then it is OK to pitch,” Manuel said.
To Worley’s credit, he has not blamed his elbow for a disappointing season that has him 6-9 with a 4.06 ERA.
When asked about his elbow after the game, Worley said, “It works.”
Then he expanded.
“I feel good,” he said. “The inflammation is not in there the way it was early in the season and I am still lighting up the gun. I hit 93 a few times.”
Manuel mentioned how Worley didn’t have his command but battled. In this season, that constitutes a positive development.
Case in point about the command - it took Worley 99 pitches to get through six innings. Reds winning pitcher Bronson Arroyo threw 59 in his first six and 86 in eight plus innings.
Kevin Frandsen has certainly helped himself in these late-season games and Domonic Brown has been playing well, batting .282 with a .397 OBP.
This may have been his best all-around, with a home run, double and a sensational catch and later just as impressive throw gunning down a runner at the plate. It’s the type of performance that makes a team not want to give up on the organization’s former top prospect.
Manuel was genuinely excited talking about Brown’s play. Maybe it took his mind momentarily off this 57-67 season, one that has even sapped some of the enthusiasm from this baseball lifer.
Poll: Will Lee be traded before Opening Day 2013?
Buy Phillies tickets - Of course you know he's trying to play through a knee injury. Oh wait, you didn't? Again, not sure he's got the head for the game but too many people posting stuff when they DON'T KNOW THE FACTS.
— drenner - I don't know why Manuel is treated like he's on the outside looking in. This is his team and it's his job to make sure the players are performing. The fans have a right to be frustrated not the manager.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- I blame Charlie. Jimmy sucks as a hitter, but so did, say, Juan Bell in 1992. The difference is that Jim Fregosi was smart enough not to put him at leadoff even once, let alone every damn game.
Charlie, WAKE UP!— steveinphilly - Coaches/managers in all pro sports, in my opinion, get way too much credit when a team wins and way too much blame when the team loses. I get that getting rid of him may send a message to the clubhouse or whatever, but I still think he's lower on the blame list. The bullpen that blew 17 leads going into the all star break tops it.— cloudkitt
- Chawlie not happy with his leadoff hitter's approach? Maybe as manager he can do something about it, like benching him or moving the Stroll to a more compatible place in the lineup? Nah, that would require intelligent thought. Plus, the Stroller might get mad at Chawlie. Can't have that, he's a players kind of guy after all.— wo_fat
- Worley says "it works" but everyone is up in arms because of his command and his high pitch count by the 5th or 6th inning. Earth to Phils' brass.....the elbow IS the issue behind the lack of command. You fix the elbow (even if it's not hurting bad) and you fix the command issues.....unless the damage to the surface of the joint covers too large an area. In that case, Worley may never have the same command again regardless of whether he has any inflammation or pain. He may never have full velocity either.— Mark1npt
- Cholly is the worst in game manager in baseball. if we had a real manager, we would have won more than 1 WS with the teams we had. All you Charlie supportors, go look at his track record in Phil and Clev and the teams he had. His running of the team during the playoffs is the worse I have seen. I can never forgive him for him for NY and SF. And if you bring up the braves, I think Cox should have been fired during that 1 WS in 10 year run. Thank you Jimmy Williams and Pat G for the title. RAJ and Cholly need to go.— Hobbes66
- If Amaro doesn't replace Manuel after the season, then he is (a) TRULY clueless, (b) a complete idiot, (c) the WORST GM in Phillies' history, or (d) all of the above. If Manuel is still in the dugout next year, I submit that (d) is the correct assumption.— ghost of callison
- Cholly was exposed in the 2009 series and they have been going backwards ever since he was handed this team I remember him keeping Utley on the bench in favor of Polanco, when he was traded he put Utley in. He is managing like he wants to be fired so he can collect a paycheck and go fishing, he brings a defeatiss attitude to the locker room and the players feed off of this. Come to think of it the core players on this team have not stepped up to show leadership, after they have won it all you would think they would be angry and play harder or atleast speak up this is a cancerous clubhouse that is run by I don't care Rollins. Rollins was a bad signing along with Papelbon we are in trouble for along time I hope they prove me wrong.— angrywhtguy
- Give it a rest man. This was the best run in Phillies history. 5 consecutive NL Easts, two pennants and a World Series but nobody knows anything but you. One thing I do agree with is that Rollins has been a cancer for a while now. When he declared that he had absolutely no intention of changing his approach to leading off he admitted as much. Wow, 41 leadoff home runs in how many years = 41 rbi.— drenner
- They're done for the foreseeable future. Too many big contracts for players who are on the downward slopes of their careers and a starting pitching staff that has performed woefully under any reasonable expectations. Amaro is far from the worst GM. His gamble paid off for a short time, but the luck has run out.— Bede19025
- for those that still defend Manuel but are OK with taking down Poppins, wouldn't it be nice if your hero Charlie would actually MANAGE for once and exercise some authority, instead of doing everything possible to ingratiate himself with them men he is supposed to direct?
For anyone on this board who knows anything about managing, this dope breaks every single rule. And then, as pointed out be several who got here before I did, he runs for cover and whines as though he is on the outside looking in. How this man gets anyone's sympathy is beyond me.
They have spent the most money in the league BY FAR every year for the past 5 years, and they have but one championship to show for it and 2 World Series appearances. While the rest of you are raising glasses to toast the guy for that single championship on his way out of town (I'd like to think that will be soon), the rest of us will realize that this man is the reason they didn't win more than one championship.
Bench Jimmy for at least one game, Charlie. Then man-up and move him down in the order to hit 7th or 8th. If he sulks, bench him again.— advantasux - 3 things: 1 would all the "fans" who don't appreciate what Charlie has done consider Jim Leyland who has done the same as Charlie but hasn't won 5 straight division titles. 2. The people who are true fans don't have a problem filling up the ballpark. 3. That being said, I do not know why Charlie stayed with Brian Schneider when he is 1 for 11 against Arroyo (who hit into a double play) with men at 1st and 2ed.— Andrewsgvl
- Really Jim Leyland, you want to compare Cholly to him. He has had one starting pitcher the whole time there. Verlander. You can't compare the talent; I would have given my left nut to have Leyland instead of Manual which that choice was made. If Cholly wasn't Thome's "Guy" he would have not been hired. Leyland has 3 Manager of the year awards. Cholly has ZERO! This is voted on by professionals. That speaks Volumes with the success he supposely had.
Let take his management of his Pedro experiment in 2009 vs NY, and how his best pitcher that year. Happ never started a game in the playoffs. Or in the 2010 SF series when SF he put Oswalt in as a relief pitcher when he was held out to start next game and he still had a full bullpen and in 2011 - Was anyone really confident with Manual vs LaRussa? Him leaving Lee in to get blasted for 12 hits. Or leaving Polanco and Raul in all series. Look at the facts. Cholly and RAJ are awful! With Leyland we would have more than 1 WS.— Hobbes66 
"When Jimmy works the count he is hitting good". Right Charlie. That's the problem. He rarely works the count. Does it take you an entire season to recognize this or could it be that fan's comments concerning your soft approach to team discipline is finally getting to you? Writing Rollins in the 1 hole day after day justifies the comments and complaints concerning your lack of guts or managerial acumen. Oh, Rollins knows how to take a strike, knows how to pop up, and knows how to skip to first on a ground ball. You and the fans have seen that all year. So, what you're saying, Charlie, is that you can't get through to Rollins or anyone else. Fine. Time to go fishin', my friend. And, even though a lot of your defenders thank you for 2008, personally, I thank Jimy Williams. He was the one that really ran the show that year. The proof of his influence was reflected from 2009 to present. Yes, the team won 102 games while you watched last year. Actually, they probably would have won 120 with someone else leading the team. But, when it came down to the post-season (post 2008), you were schooled by the opposing team's managers and you know it (and so does Amaro).
