Phillies' Mackanin not yet worried about overusing Neris and Gomez

The sheet of paper Pete Mackanin plucked from his desk Saturday afternoon told a more complete story about the way the Phillies manager has been using his bullpen.

Hector Neris and Jeanmar Gomez - Mackanin's steady late-inning tandem - are on pace to pitch more innings this season than they have ever before. But the manager's color-coded printout reminded him that both pitchers have pitched just once on three straight days. And the innings they have thrown have not been laborious. Each is averaging roughly 15 pitches per inning.

Yes, their innings totals are high. But the manager believes they are not being overexerted. He said he is comfortable with how Neris and Gomez have been used but will continue to monitor the pitchers.

The manager has consistently called on Neris for the eighth inning and Gomez for the ninth as nearly a third of the team's games have been one-run margins. You have to try to win games, Mackanin said. And Neris and Gomez are his top options.

"Now, you get a four-run lead, then I can give them a rest. But we haven't had that luxury, either," Mackanin said. "I'm not concerned, only because I'm aware of it. It's not going to continue like this. If it does, we'll have other guys more involved."

Gomez entered Saturday with a major-league-

leading 14 saves. The righthander is on pace to pitch 97 innings in 90 games. It would be the highest workload for a Phillies closer since Al Holland threw 981/3 innings in 1984. Neris, whom Mackanin labeled as unhittable, is on pace to pitch 103 innings in 95 games.

"They've been so successful in that tandem," Mackanin said. "I don't feel like I've abused them in any way, shape, or form."

Tommy Joseph was not in the starting lineup after making his major-league debut Friday. It is still not certain whether a Joseph-Ryan Howard platoon at first base will be any different from Howard's time share with Darin Ruf.

Howard started at first base in 29 of the 35 games before Ruf was optioned to the minors. Joseph will most likely start Monday and Tuesday when the Phillies face lefthanded pitching on back-to-back days. Joseph, 24, went 0 for 2 with a walk and a run on Friday.

The Phillies entered Saturday with a record (21-15) that was 81/2 games better than their mark on the same date last season (12-23). . . . Adam Morgan (1-0, 3.94 ERA) will face righthander Dan Straily (1-1, 3.47) in Sunday's series finale. . . . The Phillies entered Saturday with a 21-11 mark since dropping their first four games of the season. The Cubs (23-7) were the only National League team to have a better record over that stretch.