Posted: Friday, October 24, 2008, 1:21 AM | 9 comments |
 

Phillies Punchless in Game 2
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Charlie Manuel watches from the dugout near the end of World Series Game Two at Tropicana Field October 23, 2008. ( Yong Kim / Staff Photographer ) (The Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News ) World Series Game 2 - Phillies at Rays

The Phillies went 1 for 15 (.067) with runners in scoring position in Game 2.

They are 1 for 28 (.036) with RISP in the World Series.

"I'm concerned about us hitting with guys on base because it looks like at times we might be trying a little too hard," Charlie Manuel said.

Whatever the reason, it must change and change quickly.

*

More tomorrow (or today).
Posted by Todd Zolecki @ 1:21 AM  Permalink | 9 comments
9
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:28 AM, 10/24/2008
    Hang your head Charlie. This is all on you and the coaching staff. Fight the fights that are needed to be fought.
    — eagles11
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 7:43 AM, 10/24/2008
    Methinks the Phillies might just need a new hitting coach. In Milt Thompson's tenure here, this team cannot produce in the clutch. Abysmal situational hitting. Somebody out there must be able to teach these guys how to hit a sacrifice fly. They sure can't do it now.
    — richw38
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 9:44 AM, 10/24/2008
    Charlie - Managers are paid to manage. Sometimes that means doing something bold. You can't always stick with the same lineup and be a players manager. Just ask your buddy Dallas Green. You don't have a bunch of games to let players work out of slumps. Stairs would have been a good pinch hitter for Feliz and Bruntlet plays third. A little bold play might help get this team out of it's hitting funk. Not many games left Cholly!
    — jjflaf
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:31 AM, 10/24/2008
    True they didn't have some offense that they usually have but this loss squarely rests on the umpire Daniels. Calling an out at the plate on Baldelli then going against the rules of the game and recanting because the first base ump said he didn't go around when he clearly did led to the winning run which shouldn't have been there. Methinks there is something crooked in umpsville. I don't have to talk about the other wrong call either. This umpire staff should be investigated and replaced as trhey are not a staff that should ump a World Series much less a LCS or a regular season game!
    — warrenhott
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:33 AM, 10/24/2008
    Me wonders if Charlie had blown up during the odd call in the 2nd whether the team would have responded with some emotion. Bobby Cox admits that sometimes arguing for the sake of arguing (even if it is not a wrong call) can fire a team up. In this case, I could tell the team was sluggish and a spark may have helped, especially when the players were obviously miffed by the call. Should Charlie try this sometime?
    — Timmy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:19 AM, 10/24/2008
    You can't blame Milt Thompson for the Phils lack of clutch hitting. Preforming in the clutch is largely a mental thing. All a hitting coach can do is teach hitting, they cannot configure players' heads. Hopefully the law of averages will allow the Phils to succeed in the rest of this series. They play better hear at the Bank. Let's go Phillies! This series is far from over! Just get it to Madson/Lidge and we'll be fine.
    — James TL
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:08 PM, 10/24/2008
    Umpires are no longer given the series assignments based on merit. Daniels is one of the worst and Welke's crew which had the Phils' last series in Chicago,were pathetic in every game. The consistently worst I have ever seen. So he works the World Series as a reward for his incompetence.
    — Bobby Bo
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:24 PM, 10/24/2008
    Thanks, Warrenhott, for pointing out the poor umpiring. I tried to add to your view, but it was not posted.
    — Bobby Bo
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 2:30 PM, 10/24/2008
    Moyer should be puzzling to the young Rays. That should help offset the puzzle Garza will be for the Phils.
    — Bobby Bo


9 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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