Manuel Challenges Victorino

(On Saturday, CF Shane Victorino played all nine innings of an exhibition game, which is unusual for a starter. After the game, Victorino was called into the Manager's Office to meet with Charlie Manuel.)


CM: Have a seat, Shane. I'm sure you'd like to know why I've called this meeting.

SV: I know why I'm here, Skip. I know I haven't been working as hard as I could be down here. Maybe, I've been a little distracted by all the pranks, and the mini golf, and, whatever. But, I know I can do better. And, I understand why you kept me in the whole game today.

CM: You played the whole game? I guess they forgot to send So (Taguchi) in for you. I told them to do that before I left.

SV: Left?

CM: Yep. I had to check about a job opportunity. With this team, it looks like I need to plan for my future. What do we have, two starting pitchers? I'm no math whiz, but I know that's not going to cut it.

SV: Jamie (Moyer) and Kyle (Kendrick) will be fine. And Adam (Eaton) will be...Well, four starting pitchers is pretty good.

CM: But our lineup is going to lead the league in whiffs!

SV: Actually, strikeouts aren't that bad any more. Besides, it's not like you can strike out more than three times in an inning.

CM: That's true. Plus, I did see Pedro (Feliz) take a pitch the other day.

SV: I'm pretty sure that didn't actually happen, but that doesn't mean it can't happen in the future. Just like Flash (Gordon) pitching a scoreless inning some day isn't impossible.

CM: Don't remind me about the bullpen. The only guy out there in my long-term plans is Clay (Condrey).

SV: Brad (Lidge) and Ryan (Madson) should be pretty good this year.

CM: Maybe. But I'll be managing a restaurant by August, and Clay is going to be my Head Chef!

SV: Clay is a pretty sweet cook...But, what do you know about managing a restaurant?

CM: (in a confident voice) Well, I've seen a bunch of episodes of Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares, plus I'm a Manager already, so I don't think I'll have much of a problem. (in a suddenly concerned voice) Unless there are double switches. Will there be double switches?

SV: Um, Skip, why did you call me in here again?

CM: I've been playing a lot of Boggle lately. And I am ready to challenge you to a game.

SV: Umm OK. Maybe another time. Is there anything else?

CM: Actually, yes. Do you have any mirrors in your house?

SV: I see what you're getting at- I need to look at myself in the mirror and make some...

CM (interrupts): No. No. No. If you need mirrors, I can get you a deal. I know a guy.

SV (stands up): OK, Skip, good talk. Try to stay positive. We'll be in the playoffs again. For sure.

CM: Sure, I can be positive. But, if Red Robin calls about my job app, I'll be listening to what they have to say.

Lohse on My Mind

I dream of Kyle Lohse every night. Yes, the same Kyle Lohse who allowed the Kaz Matsui grand slam in Game 2. The Kyle Lohse who has such luminaries as John Thomson, Brian Moehler, and Mark Redman on his baseball-reference list of similar players. The Kyle Lohse who had a 1.37 WHIP last season, along with an ERA+ of 100.

The Phillies lineup is going to rack up the strikeouts this season. But they are also going to rack up the runs. It wouldn't be shocking to see that lineup lead the NL in runs and OBP. Yes, even with Feliz' horrendous .300 OBP bringing down the average.

But the current starting rotation is the stuff of nightmares. Brett Myers and Cole Hamels should be fine. All-stars, even, provided they can stay healthy. It's the other spots that scare the bejeezus out of me.

Jamie Moyer is 45. Last season, he paired a 1.445 WHIP with an ERA+ of 92. Putrid. He's likely to regress even further this season. He should be a #5 starter. Or a pitching coach in A ball.

Kyle Kendrick was outstanding last season. The Phillies would not have come anywhere close to the playoffs without him. But he has only 20 MLB starts. Anything could happen with him this season, as evidenced by his baseball-reference list of similar players, which includes Roy Halladay and Hipolito Pichardo. He could be the Phillies' #3 by midseason. Or the Iron Pigs' #3.

I don't even want to talk about the other spot in the rotation. Adam Eaton, by virtue of his $8 million contract, will likely open the season as the #5. This, despite a 2007 stat line that is too obscene to describe in this family-friendly blog. His competition consists of J.D. Durbin, who should be in middle relief with the Iron Pigs, and Travis Blackley, a Moyer-esque soft-tosser. They are two of the few pitchers in MLB who could actually be worse options than Eaton. Kris Benson should be ready in a few months, and will probably take Eaton's spot in the rotation. If things go well for Benson, his numbers should approximate...Kyle Lohse's.

That's an awful lot of below-league-average innings for a team looking to contend. As mediocre as Lohse is, his league-average innings would be an upgrade. He could be the difference between a playoff run, and finishing a few games out of the postseason. Even with a projected payroll in the $105 million range, if they could get Lohse for one year (at $6 million or less), the Phillies need to do it. It's going to be difficult to retain the nucleus of this team in future years, and the window of opportunity for contending could close sooner than we think.

Cole's Inner Conflict

(The following is an entry from Cole Hamels' personal journal, written on March 3, 2008.)

It was so much simpler when I could just go out to the mound every fifth day and shut the opposition down. When the games were all that mattered. I just hate that so many of the fans hate me right now. That they don't understand. That they think my actions are out of greed, out of self-interest.

For as long as I can remember, I've been taught to put my team first. I've always believed that it's not the personal achievements that matter, it's the collective ones. I want to be remembered by the fans as a team player, a champion. That's what makes this so hard.

It isn't the first time I've faced this sort of conflict. It seems like, as I become more successful at the MLB-level, this sort of issue pops up more and more. Last season, the organization wanted me to return from injury prematurely. There was the glaring need for a team chiropractor. In the playoffs, there was talk of a Game 4 start, on short rest. I did what was asked of me in each situation, but it never felt right.

This feels even worse. But I understand. More importantly, my teammates understand. (Though, for obvious reasons, the public can never know the whole story.) Sometimes you have to put others first. I guess that's part of what it means to be in a union.