Game 25: Kratz Your Hands Say Yeah
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Game 25: Kratz Your Hands Say Yeah
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
ATLANTA — Through 24 games, the Phillies are about as dead even as can be. They have won 12 and lost 12. They have scored 80 runs and allowed 80 runs. They are 5-5 and home and 7-7 on the road.
And they are only 2.5 games back of first place. So as bad as their brand of baseball has been in the season's first three-plus weeks, it could certainly be worse.
Charlie Manuel agrees, and he will send the same lineup against the Braves in Wednesday's second game.
1. Jimmy Rollins 6
2. Placido Polanco 5
3. Shane Victorino 8
4. Hunter Pence 9
5. Ty Wigginton 3
6. Laynce Nix 7
7. Carlos Ruiz 2
8. Freddy Galvis 4
9. Roy Halladay 1
The lone roster change is Erik Kratz for Jim Thome, who went on the disabled list with a bad back. A few Twitter followers asked why Kratz was recalled instead of another triple-A player. In the grand scheme of things, Thome's replacement won't see much playing time. Kratz is better suited for the bench.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Anyone else seeing that Galvis is not ready for big league pitchers? Good kid, great glove but Mikey Mart will be an upgrade at the plate. Pete Orr may be.
— eman- So why not Podsednick? Can we assume if they make that move he either needs to be kept up or released?— PhillySubsMac
- POsednik has a .189 BA in 10 games for LV. Still want him? — ESFjellin
- My guess its Kratz because they wanted a right handed bat off the bench. Martinez hit under .200 last year. He's not an upgrade over anybody, not even Pete Orr. That's how bad he is.— SteveS11
- Martinez isn't but he had 3 HR last year and has more pop than Galvis. In the unlikely event Galvis stays up all year, he'll record 0 home runs. He makes contact, but not good contact. — eman
- Hopefully the Braves defense and wild pitches come through for us again tonight.— burholme
Everybody hits again !!! WoooHooo !! Let's go Doc !— zubzub- They can't bring up Pods because he is not on the 40-man roster.— seaonasdad
- Is it my eyes or does Chris "Wheels" Wheeler look puffy and more bloated than usual on TV this season?— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- The reason "Wheels" looks more puffy and bloated than usual is because he's drinking so much more this season to kill the pain of the Phillies anemic hitting and horrible playing thus far in the season...with any luck the Phils will get it together and he'll be back to his normal puffiness and bloated self by the All Star break.— HJ_88
- When Martinez played regularly in July of last year he hit .247 with 2 HR, 3 2B, 1 3B and 15 RBI in 21 games, 17 starts. He was clutch in a few games. It's hard for a player used to start to come off the bench and be productive, more so a young one.— EL Zorro
- To put Martinez July numbers as a semi starter, JRoll this year has started 24 games and his numbers are .247 BA, 0 HR, 0 3B, 3 2B and 5 RBI. Please, educate yourself, learn the game, then comment.— EL Zorro
- Galvis needs to stay in the line-up. We're not winning a WS this year and his production is good enough at the plate and his fielding is superior. This club needs to start to build for tomorrow as opposed to being stuck in yesterday (Rollins/Utley)..........— Northcountry
- Maybe, just maybe, Kratz will get a start, Ruiz will get a rest by playing 3B, & Polly will be at 2B. Now if only Chooch could bat 5th or 6th.— princeton22
