Oct. 22 -- COSTE TO DH

BY SCOTT LAUBER

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- So, Charlie Manuel just met with the Phils beat writers and told us that Chris Coste will be the designated hitter tonight.

"I've got a good feeling about him," Manuel said. "He can sit there for a while and hit. Even [Greg] Dobbs, as good a pinch-hitter as he is, I think you've got to give him some bats. Coste can sit there for a while and still walk up and get a hit."

Coste also is a .296 hitter this season against left-handed pitchers. He's 1-for-1 in the playoffs, and finished the season in a 3-for-32 slump. Manuel said he gave consideration to starting Matt Stairs at DH, but Stairs only had 34 at-bats this season against lefties.

Here's the full lineup, with regular-season stats:
SS Jimmy Rollins (.277/11/59)
RF Jayson Werth (.273/24/67)
2B Chase Utley (.292/33/104)
1B Ryan Howard (.251/48/146)
LF Pat Burrell (.250/33/86)
CF Shane Victorino (.293/14/58)
3B Pedro Feliz (.249/14/58)
DH Chris Coste (.263/9/36)
C Carlos Ruiz (.219/4/31)
LHP Cole Hamels (14-10, 3.09)