Posted: Tuesday, July 27, 2010, 6:30 PM | 13 comments |
 

Game 100 open thread: Skeleton Lineup
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DAVID MAIALETTI / Staff photographer

For just the second time this season, Charlie Manuel has filled out a lineup card that does not include Chase Utley nor Jimmy Rollins. The manager's entire middle infield is missing.

To compensate, Manuel will start normal third baseman Placido Polanco at second base again, for the fourth straight game. That leads to a slightly unusual left side of the infield: Greg Dobbs and Wilson Valdez, both of whom have spent time as Lehigh Valley IronPigs in 2010.

In fairness, Dobbs is swinging a better bat during July. He's batting .318 with three home runs and eight RBIs. Valdez, not so much. He has hit into more double plays this month (three) than he has RBIs (two).

But funny how things can change, as a few Phillies players have mused to me lately. The team is on a five-game winning streak, tied for its longest this season. The Braves have slipped somewhat, leaving the Phillies 4 1/2 back even after what felt like a debilitating road trip.

Five days ago, it was certain Jayson Werth was gone. Now, from all indications, Werth is hardly a slam dunk to be traded. And why should he be? The rightfielder is hitting and the Phillies are winning.

(Full disclosure: I said six days ago it made sense to trade Werth. Now it doesn't.)

And there are still five days until the deadline. It can all change again.

Have at it. Talk about the game here. Follow me on Twitter (@magelb) for updates.
Posted by Matt Gelb @ 6:30 PM  Permalink | 13 comments
13
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:48 PM, 07/27/2010
    Note to journalists and writers alike: Please refrain from penning pun after horrible pun regarding the double entendre of Jayson's last name, and how much value he has as a ballplayer. You are not clever. You are a dork.
    — djacobs5582
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 6:54 PM, 07/27/2010
    Rollins is the true mvp of this team, when he is on his game there are very few that are better players and better team leaders. Phils win when JROLL is leading them.
    — garyp
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:02 PM, 07/27/2010
    Nice to know that djake took a few minutes off from his grad position at Penn to bless us with his kind and condescending remarks.
    — mick314
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:08 PM, 07/27/2010
    Great teams have great leadoff hitters...JRoll is beginning to fill that role as the team plays better with him.
    — psuwelsh
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:21 PM, 07/27/2010
    Yes they can and should win without him in the line-up, yes he's a leader but with all the injuries this season it's more than time now to pull ones own boot straps up and move within their own positions regardless. He'll be back, Utley is almost back but besides it all it's temporary and they better be able to keep going until the holes are patched again. No time for this and why are there 2 on already in the top of the FIRST??? THAT BETTER NOT BE A SIGN FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE GAME!!!
    — J-Joe
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:39 PM, 07/27/2010
    Just a sore foot...not hitting panic button yet...
    — Philly Fan in Kuwait
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:09 PM, 07/27/2010
    Just a sore foot leads to the DL. These are baseball players we are talking about, not hockey players. Think Lappy would miss a game with a sore foot?
    — Apache9
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:17 PM, 07/27/2010
    Apache9, what good is he if he can't run out a double or get to a ball in the hole? Exactly, different sports, and I'm not knocking hockey at all, love the game, but Chris Pronger is hardly a fast player and he dominates, Jroll is useless without his speed.
    — Bleue
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:25 PM, 07/27/2010
    A cold blister would keep Rollins off the lineup card. His name should be jelly roll. Anyway, an excruciating experience watching Herndon and Baez, two human torches. Happy to see Ransom and Gload who at least have power. Is it too much to hope for that Brown gets a call up now?
    — PhillyboyinNYC
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:50 PM, 07/27/2010
    If they weren't paying Ibanez and Lee a combined $24 mil, they could afford Werth. Two very bad contracts. They are over paid and untradeable. They should keep Werth, Happ and Kendrick. Go with the roster they have. Oswalt sounds like a problem child. For what they are considering paying him, they could get Cliff Lee back.
    — maxtel1910
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:53 PM, 07/27/2010
    The question still remains. Do we have a pitching staff worthy of a playoff run ? How about a Myers return ? Not a fan favorite but he is producing into 6 innings with Houston.
    — mr711
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:22 AM, 07/28/2010
    It never made sense to trade Werth, unless there is something behind the scenes to force their hand. He has a .380 OBP and his departure creates a huge right-handed hole in the lineup. With Victorino sidelined, put him on the DL as a precaution, give Domonic Brown a tryout in RF and - if he does well - explore trading Ibanez to Detroit or the ChiSox during the August waivers for a PTBNL.
    — bacbank
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:50 AM, 07/28/2010
    Victorino is faking it. He wants Werth to stay too.
    — maxtel1910


13 comments
About Matt Gelb and Bob Brookover












Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.

This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.

Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
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