ATLANTA -- So, my hunch was wrong. Shane Victorino (left) isn't in the Phillies' lineup for a second straight game, and the "Flyin' Hawaiian" isn't happy. Charlie Manuel met with Victorino before the clubhouse opened to reporters and told him he wanted right-handed-hitting Jayson Werth in the lineup against Braves lefty Chuck James. Victorino, it should be noted, is batting .219 (7-for-32) against lefties and is in a 3-for-28 funk overall."I'm a switch-hitter. That's how I look at it," Victorino said. "Hopefully, down the road, this won't be happening. It's [Manuel's] decision, but I want to play every day. I want to be in there for all 162 games."
Manuel said he isn't considering a Victorino-Werth platoon. But he does want to get Werth in the lineup more often. Manuel likes Werth's power potential, and if Werth (.276) plays well, he'll play more. "A little competiton never hurt anybody in this game," Manuel said. "If you're worried about competition, you're in the wrong business."
Hmm. Sounds like a potential platoon to me. More on Victorino, Werth and (teaser alert) some revealing words from Tom Gordon in tomorrow's News Journal.
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Want to laugh? Check out this mock Hall of Fame plaque for Jamie Moyer.
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Atlanta restaurant suggestion: Ted's Montana Grill (co-founded by Ted Turner). Had a great bison burger for lunch today. That's right. A bison burger.
2 comments:
Is Ruiz dinged up ? Will Barajas start tomorrow again with Eaton pitching ?
Good question. Ruiz isn't dinged up. Manuel said he felt like Barajas had a good game last night and wanted him in the lineup against lefty Chuck James. More than likely, Barajas will catch Eaton tomorrow night in San Fran, with Ruiz returning Friday night to catch Moyer.
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