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I have this theory about baseball that a manager is responsible for between five and ten games every season.  For the most part, a team is what it is, and no manager can change it.  The manager doesn’t pitch.  The manager doesn’t hit.  The manager doesn’t boot a routine double play ball, or pick a line drive headed down the line.  The team is as good as the sum of its parts.

But strategically, a manager can steal you a game here and there.  Of course, he can also lose you a game, too.  Enter Milwaukee…

Look, I’m not one of those guys that rips on Charlie Manuel just to do it.  To be honest with you, he’s probably the most loved manager by his players of anyone in baseball right now.  These players will kill for him.

I’m also constantly impressed with the way he finds at bats for everyone on the team.  It can pay dividends in a big spot, and if you want proof, just look at the game tonight.  Pedro Feliz picks up three hits last night against Colorado, but Manuel plays Dobbs anyway.  Dobbs hits a three-run, game-tying homer.  Why does he do it?  Because he’s not cold.  He’s comfortable, because he’s had his share of at bats this season.  Manuel does this as well as anyone.

But I go back to my original point: A manager can give a game away.  He certainly did tonight.

Cole Hamels had a rough first inning, but he rallied to pitch 7 innings of 3 run ball while racking up double-digit strike outs.  He did what an ace does.  He battled.

Manuel warmed up Chad Durbin and JC Romero for the 8th inning, and it was the right move.  With the heart of the Brewers order coming up, he had a lefty and a righty ready to go.  But then something curious happened.

Even though he had already thrown more than 100 pitches,  Manuel sent Hamels out to start the 8th.  Hamels promptly caughed up the lead, and the Phillies lost the game.  It’s kind of hard to pin this one on Hamels.  After all, he had thrown 120 pitches in a game in April.

No, this one has to fall on Charlie.  Bringing in the Durbin/Romero combo to pitch that inning, then turning the ball over to Tom Gordon in the 9th was a no-brainer.  (Note: Lidge was not available tonight, so Gordon would have closed out the game.)  There is no reason to let Hamels start an inning when he’s thrown that many pitches.  It’s not like he was working on a no-hitter, or even a 20 strikeout game.  No, he had done his job, and then the manager asked too much of him.

A manager can win or lose between five and ten games a year.  But considering the fact that these races always seem to come down to the last day, I’d love to have those five games go for my team than against them.  It’s just something that will add up through the course of the season.  The fact of the matter is that tonight, the manager made the difference, and it wasn’t a positive one.

Well, I can’t say I’m surprised.  Once Jimmy Rollins didn’t come back by Tuesday or Wednesday like the team originally said, you had to know something was wrong.  Then you saw him run, and you could just tell.  Now it’s official: Jimmy Rollins is on the Disabled List for the first time in his eight-year career.

It’s not a total disaster.  He’ll only be out 15 days, and it’s still April.  There’s a lot of season left to be played, and at least they’ll get to use someone else now that he’s officially on the DL and the roster spot is open.  In other words, if he’s going to get hurt, I’m glad it’s now and not in September.

The bigger problem here is that nobody else is stepping up.  Chase Utley and Pat Burrell have been good, but they were good before Rollins got hurt.  The team needs to replace what Rollins was giving them, and with Victorino out they just don’t have the speed at the top of the order to fill in that hole.

This is where some of the new guys are supposed to step up.  It’s time for So Taguchi and Eric Bruntlett to show us why they’re major leaguers.  So far, they’ve only shown us why nobody else wanted them.

Also, I wouldn’t be opposed to Ryan Howard making contact with the ball.  And short of that, he could at least try to catch it from time to time.

The bottom line here is that the guy who makes this team go isn’t around for the time being.  Someone else is going to have to get it done.  We’ll just have to wait and see who it is, but rest assured: My eyes are peeled.

I’m frustrated.  Not because the Phils just blew a golden opportunity to hurt the Mets in the early part of this 18 round boxing match.  Not because I’m still convinced Jose Reyes never touched home plate.  Not even because the Phils find themselves below .500 again.  No, I’m frustrated because I feel like I keep repeating myself.

Once again it wasn’t the pitching staff that lost this game.  Actually, they were remarkable.  I’ve been no friend of Adam Eaton, but I have to hand it to him.  He’s been the second best pitcher on this team behind Cole Hamels so far this year.  Give credit where credit is due.  Eaton is stepping up big time right now.

It wasn’t even the lack of Jimmy Rollins in the lineup, although watching Eric Bruntlett at the plate is a little bit like rubbing sandpaper in your eyes.  This guy is going to hit .167 AND make errors in the field?  Yeah, the fans in Philly will give him some leeway when he comes back.

No, they lost two games to the Mets for the same reasons they lost two to the Nationals and two to the Reds.  Whether it’s defense (four errors in a game for the second time this young season on Wednesday night) or a lack of run production (0-12 with runners in scoring position Thursday, including not being able to score when they had two on and nobody out in the top of the 11th), they’re losing because their biggest weaknesses have been the things that are supposed to be their biggest strengths.

4-6 doesn’t worry me.  .243 team batting average does.  2.5 games out first doesn’t even phase me at this point.  But 13 errors in 10 games, that’s just plain startling.  Geoff Jenkins, Pedro Feliz, and Bruntlett are a combined 2 for 22 with runners in scoring position.  That’s a problem, regardless of the month on the calender.

Oh, and Ryan Howard has 14 strikeouts through 10 games.  So to everyone who said they were glad Howard won his arbitration hearing, know this: He’s on pace to break his own record for strikeouts in a season that he set way back in…oh wait, 2007.  And Howard and his agent are rumored to be asking for 7 years, 150 million?  Really?

Some people will try to convince you that pitching wins championships, and most times they’d be right.  Some people will tell you that if you score enough runs, you can win any ballgame.  History has certainly proven that school of thought true as well.  Here’s the one thing both theories have in common.  At the end of the day, in any sport, winning teams have one thing that they do better than anyone else.  Maybe it’s as simple as running the bases well, but it’s something they can hang their hat on.

This team was supposed to be an offensive machine, and they were supposed to be one of the best defensive teams in the league.  As it stands right now, 10 games in, they are one of the worst defensive teams I’ve ever seen, and once runners get on base, they couldn’t hit off a little leaguer.  It’s one thing to have a weakness exploited by an opponent.  It’s another thing entirely to let your strengths become your weaknesses.  This team needs to shape up soon, because this “We don’t play until the middle of the summer” stuff is getting really old.

The first week of baseball season always comes with a great deal of anticipation.  Of course, if you’re the Phillies, it normally ends with more questions than answers.  It seems like this team gets off to a slow start every year, and so here’s a look back at the opening week that was:

The Good

Chase Utley is playing like it’s his turn to win the MVP award.  He’s absolutely crushing the ball, and he already has a mid-season intensity about him that we can all only hope is contagious.

Jimmy Rollins has been fine at the top of the order, even though his average is lower than he’d like it to be.  Even Pat Burrell looks good, and maybe that’s a sign he is going to carry over last year’s monster second half and come through in his contract year.

So much for the 5th starter spot being a weakness.  Adam Eaton looked like he got off on the right foot the other day when he pitched 7.2 innings against the Reds.  Of course, the Phillies lost that game, so I’m not sure what that tells us.  Consider it severance pay for the fact that Eaton won 10 games last year with an ERA over 6.

The Bad

I can’t put into words how annoyed I am with Shane Victorino.  He’s an astounding 3 for 23 so far this year with 4 strikeouts.  That’s a .130 clip, and what’s worse is that I haven’t seen him put together a good at-bat yet.  While his defense has been fine in Center, he sure looks like a guy who is walking around with the knowledge that for the first time in his Major League career, he’s not battling for playing time.  He’s a little too comfortable.

The Ugly

We can go on and on about the pitching staff, but the reality is that the two best outings haven’t meant a thing to this team.  Cole Hamels throws 8 innings of 1 run ball, and Adam Eaton throws 7.2 of 3 run ball, and the Phils lose both games.  Sure, Tom Gordon had a bad opener and Brett Myers hasn’t looked like himself, but the bigger problem is that this team isn’t playing much defense at all.

When a team this solid defensively makes 4 errors in one game like they did on Thursday, it’s a sign of a lack of focus.  And after the slow starts of the last few years and the hype around this team in spring training, it makes you wonder just what this team is thinking about.  They have to know how badly these losses can hurt them down the road.  But at the same time, the focus and the intensity (Chase Utley aside) just isn’t there.  It’s strange at best and worrisome at least, and either way it’s a sign that things need to turn around quickly.

The Mets and Braves haven’t gotten off to fast starts either, and so this first week has a chance to mean nothing.  But the time to turn it around isn’t May 1st, it’s right now.  Of course, they’ll get their chance.  They’ll help the Mets open the last season at Shea Stadium coming up this Tuesday.  Let’s hope they have their focus in time for that.

If this isn’t your first time visiting Philscast, you’ll notice that our website looks a lot different today than it has for the past several years. We’ve been redesigning the site for some time and are happy to roll out the new version this week.

Feel free to check out a few of the new features:

* Latest Episodes — check out the 3 most recent episodes of our show on the right side of the page.

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There are many additional features on the new site. Feel free to make yourself at home and check them out.

We’re finally starting to get some information about yesterday’s injury to Brad Lidge. He’ll have arthroscopic surgery on his no-longer-surgically-repaired right knee to fix a torn meniscus. The surgery will most likely keep him out 3-6 weeks, which means he’ll miss opening day.

Philscast, of course, will have a special report on this coming up as soon as possible. But in the meantime, you have to wonder about this injury. All we heard when the Phils signed Lidge was that his knee was fine and he would be ready for opening day. But he threw one pitch, and now he’s hurt already. One pitch. That’s upsetting, to say the least.

I remember last year when the Phillies made a trade to bring in pitching help. They brought in Freddie Garcia and they told us he was healthy and would be ready for opening day. He was never healthy, he was never ready, and he was certainly never effective in any of his starts.

Later, it came to light that the Phils had never bothered giving Garcia a physical, even though scouts had noticed a major drop in his velocity. You have to wonder if they gave Lidge a proper, thorough physical, or if they just repeated history.

Either way, it doesn’t seem to matter at this point. They can’t predict if Lidge’s injury will be something that nags him all season long. But he’s thrown one pitch, and his health count is at oh-and-one. All they can do now is show us their backup plan. Expect Tom Gordon to handle the closing duties for now. But if he can’t handle it, they’re really out of options. Brett Myers will have to move back to the bullpen.

That’s a move that would devistate their starting rotation, which leaves them in a tough spot. Of course, if they’re willing to spend the money, I have another suggestion:

Sign Kyle Lohse, and sign him now.

Every team is in camp and Spring Training games start this week. Lohse is still a free agent, and he has to be willing to lower his contract demands in the interest of finding a home. If Myers goes to the ‘pen, Lohse gives the Phils a viable number three starter to soften the blow. If Myers stays in the rotation, your starters just got that much stronger. It’s the perfect time to pull the trigger on this. Of course, they’d have to be willing to spend the money…

We’ll get back to our NL East Preview starting next week when I talk about first base, including everything you need to know about Ryan Howard’s arbitration win over the Phillies.

But for today’s show, we’re talking with Dan Gordon, the co-author of Haunted Baseball. It’s a great baseball book and a fun collection of ghost stories, and if you like what you hear, I encourage you to pick up a copy. You can check it out on the web at www.hauntedbaseball.com.

            I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: It’s damn near impossible to go through an entire baseball season without somebody getting hurt.

            Phillies fans don’t need to hear that.  We watched this team go without Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Brett Myers, Tom Gordon, Cole Hamels, and Shane Victorino for long stretches last year.  Injuries are a part of the game.  It’s what makes the 162-game season so exciting, so romantic.  Miss one of those 162 games, and you could miss something that changes the outlook of the season.

            As I continue to take a look at the National League East as part of the Philscast Spring Training preview, I would be foolish if I didn’t take a look at the benches of each team to see who has the greatest depth.  Frankly, only two teams even have a claim to it.  So naturally, we’ll start with the worst team and work our way up.

 5. Florida Marlins

             The Florida Marlins are the worst team in the division.  That’s pretty apparent no matter what part of their team you look at.  They’ve got Luis Gonzalez on their bench, and that’s a help.  The guy hit 15 homers last year and drove in 70 runs.  He won’t come near that production this year if he stays on the bench, but the guy is a veteran and he knows how to hit. 

            But other than that, I’d venture to guess you’ve never heard of any of the players on their bench.  Alfredo Amezaga?  Jai Miller?  To quote Major League, “I’ve never heard of half of these guys, and the ones I have heard of are way past their prime.  Some of these guys never had a prime.  This guy here is dead.”  It’s absolutely the worst bench in the division.  I’d say they can’t afford to lose a starter at any position, but you’ve probably never heard of any of their starters either.  Let’s call it even.

 4. Atlanta Braves

             I’ve ranked the Braves first in starting pitching and catching.  Their top three pitchers are fierce, and Brian McCann might just be the best catcher in baseball, let alone the division.  Disagree?  Fine, but if he’s not number one, he’s probably number two.

            But frankly, when it comes to their bench, they’re not exactly what you’d call dangerous.

            They’ve picked up Omar Infante (unfortunately for my bank account, no relation), and he’ll come off the bench as a utility infielder.  He’s a solid player, too.  He hit .271 in his limited time last year, and he fields every position reasonably well.  He even played some outfield last year.

            They also have Scott Thorman, but he can’t really play anything other than first base, and with Mark Teixeira over there, Thorman figures to struggle for plate appearances.

            Take away Infante and Thorman, and do you know how many at-bats the rest of the Braves bench has?  158.  That’s it, and that’s between four players.  How many times have you heard a player or a manager talk about what it takes to come off the bench and be ready to play instantly?  They always say it’s about experience, and that it’s about having a veteran guy who understands his role and can use his maturity in the game to keep his focus so that when his number is called, he’s ready. 

            If any of that is true – and conventional baseball wisdom is that it’s ALL true – the Braves are in some serious trouble.

 3. New York Mets

             People ask me why I think the Phillies will still win this division, and I honestly think this is one of the biggest reasons why.  Take a look at this Mets bench: Ruben Gotay, Damion Easley, Anderson Hernandez, Ramon Castro and Endy Chavez.

            First of all, Endy Chavez is hurt.  And other than Easley, Chavez is their only reserve outfielder.  When Moises Alou goes down (and he will, even if it’s only for a month in the middle of the summer), they’re going to be hurting for outfielders. 

            Second, do any of those names scare you?  They shouldn’t.  Hernandez is a nobody with a mere 87 at-bats and a career .138 batting average to his name.  Gotay and Easley are decent, but if something happens to a starter, I guarantee you the Mets wouldn’t feel comfortable having either of them start every day.

            If that’s the case, the Mets are in trouble.  Since the Santana deal, they don’t have any chips to use in a potential bargain.  They’d be negotiating out of need, and so every other team in the league would have the upper hand on them.  And they cleaned out their minor league system, which means not only can they not make a trade, but they can’t even call anyone up in a tight situation.  This team is a David Wright or a Carlos Beltran injury away from being mediocre at best. 

 2. Washington Nationals

             They’re good, and it’s close between them and the Phils for first place.  I’ll tell you why I put them second in just a bit.  For now, take a look at what they have.

            They come into camp with five catchers.  Obviously, we’re only looking at the bench.  Paul LoDuca will be the starter, which leaves Jesus Flores, Humberto Cota, Chad Moeller, and Johnny Estrada fighting for the backup catcher spot.  My guess is it goes to Estrada, especially with LoDuca starting the season hurt.  But you’ve got to admit, they have options.

            From there, they have some real veteran players.  You have to think Nick Johnson isn’t healthy, but what a backup to Dimitri Young if he is.  Aaron Boone is a solid veteran presence, and if his brother Bret makes the team, that’s two products of my hometown of Medford, New Jersey on the team.  You have to like that.

            From there they have other solid veterans like Willie Harris, Ryan Langerhans, and Rob Mackowiak.  They also have either Felipe Lopez or Christian Guzman, depending on who wins the starting job at short (bet on Lopez being the starter).  They also have some young players like Elijah Dukes and Justin Maxwell.

            Position battles breed competition, and competition brings out the best in professional athletes.  This is a team that should have plenty of depth, even if they lack impact players in the starting lineup.  If you’re strictly looking at the guys that can come off the bench, this team is loaded.

            So why didn’t I put them number one?

 1. Philadelphia Phillies

             I didn’t put the Nats number one because this team has it all.  The difference between the Phillies and every other team in the division is the simple fact that they have guys that started on a division championship team sitting on their bench.

            Greg Dobbs played in 142 games last year and hit .270.  He’s on the bench.

            Jayson Werth was the starting right fielder for this team in the second half of the season.  He plays reasonably good defense and hit .300 last year.  He’s on the bench.

            So Taguchi played in 143 games for the St. Louis Cardinals and was a starter the year they won the World Series.  He’s on the bench.

            Is there a more consummate bench player in all of baseball than Chris Coste?  He’ll do a great job as the backup catcher.  If he doesn’t, Jason Jaramillo is ready and waiting at Triple-A Lehigh Valley (boy, is that weird to write).

            Eric Bruntlett is a career utility infielder, and while that doesn’t sound all that impressive, consider two things. 

First, the Braves only have one guy who is of the caliber of Bruntlett in terms of being a utility man, and Bruntlett is easily the Phils weakest link on the bench. 

Second, the Phils went into last season without a backup second baseman and shortstop.  They ended up swinging a deal for Tadahito Iguchi, maybe the single most underrated deal of the entire season last year.  There’s no reason to think they won’t swing a deal like that again this year if they have to.  As I mentioned already, the Mets wouldn’t be able to pull off something like that with the players they have.

Phillies fans know what an advantage that kind of depth can be, because they saw it first hand last year.  The Mets didn’t have it, they wore down.  The Phillies had it, they won.

Plus, the Phillies bench is probably better than it was last year.  The same can’t be said for the Braves and Mets; neither team added a single player.

Add it all up, and the answer is clear: Advantage, Phillies.  

It’s official! Jimmy Rollins is the National League
MVP! We all got to enjoy watching J-Roll play this
year, and now that he’s been recognized, you can look
for a special Philscast tomorrow morning.

But in the meantime, you can get your thoughts in
about the latest Phillies MVP by e-mailing host@philscast.com or
giving us a call at 215-253-3712.

Thanks for listening, and Go Phils!

I just wanted to post something quickly to keep you
all up to date.

Tomorrow at 2 PM, the National League MVP will be
announced. One way or another, Jimmy Rollins’ name is
going to come up. And so you can look for a Philscast
Special on the MVP Award Wednesday morning.

In the meantime, after the announcement is made,
whether J-Roll won or got snubbed, you can always get
your thoughts in by e-mailing host@philscast.com or
giving us a call at 215-253-3712.

Thanks for listening, and GO PHILS!