IS GETTING ITS DRAFT BOARD READY
Charlie Manuel thinks the Phillies are pressing at the plate.
Publicly, most players say they're not.
But Jimmy Rollins at least acknowledged he "felt a little tense" in one of his at-bats last night in a 4-2 loss to the Rays in Game 2 of the World Series. How else to explain a team that Rays manager Joe Maddon gushes about because he is so impressed with their quality at-bats? They might have quality at-bats without men in scoring position, but the Phillies are an anemic 1 for 28 with runners in scoring position in the first two games of this series. They are hitting .158 (18 for 114) with runners in scoring position in the postseason, too.
This is not just a two-game trend. This is a postseason trend, and the fear here must be that it finally catches up to them.
Phil Sheridan sees a tight team, too.
Splitting the first two games on the road might seem like a good thing, but it hasn't always worked out that way.
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Bob Ford talks about how close Brett Myers came to redemption.
Myers didn't pitch that bad. In fact, three earned runs in seven innings is good enough to win. But the Rays made their breaks. The Rays played small ball to score two runs in the first. An umpire's wave helped lead to a run in the second. They scored on a safety squeeze in the fourth.
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Jim Salisbury goes Inside the Game.
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Manuel thought last night might have been one of their sloppiest games of the year. He was right.
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John Gonzalez is not having much success understanding the Phillies' offensive troubles. Gonzalez, Sheridan and Ford talk about Jamie Moyer pitching tomorrow night (maybe in the rain) in Game 3.
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Frank Fitzpatrick offers his take on the happenings in St. Petersburg.
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Ryan Howard continues to search for the big hit. ... In the Phillies Notebook: Manuel isn't concerned about the Rays pitching around Chase Utley to face Howard. ... Some people are watching this World Series. ... MLB and the Phillies are preparing for a rainy day tomorrow.
