June 25 -- WHAT TO DO ABOUT J-ROLL?

BY SCOTT LAUBER

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- So, Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-4 again last night, leaving him hitless in his last five games (0-for-19), 7-for-56 since a three-hit game June 9 at Citi Field in New York, and batting .211 for the season.

That isn't good.

But the most costly mistake Rollins made was, uncharacteristically, a mental miscue on defense. With two outs in the eighth inning, and the Rays leading 2-1, Pat Burrell hit a slow roller to Rollins. Now, we all know how slow-footed Burrell is, and even if we didn't, you don't have to be a two-time Gold Glove shortstop to know that, with two outs, the easiest play is always to first base. But instead of merely tossing the ball to first, Rollins tried to tag second base, where speedy Carl Crawford slid in safely. It allowed a run to score and opened the door to a five-run Rays rally that put the game out of reach.

"Usually, I just pick up and go to first automatically, because the ball is hit soft toward the middle and I'm over on the pull side," Rollins said. "I don't know why I went to second. I don't know. It's an automatic play to go to first."

It was a rare lapse for Rollins, who has emerged as the best defensive shortstop in the NL. But, with Rollins in the most protracted slump of his career, it makes you wonder whether his offense is starting to affect his defense. It also makes you wonder if Charlie Manuel finally must do something different with the Phillies' lineup.

Now, I'll preface what I'm about to suggest by saying this: I believe the Phillies' lineup is designed to have Jimmy Rollins at the top, and if Rollins doesn't snap out of his funk, the offense simply will not be as productive. Also, I tend to agree with Manuel that Rollins, even when he isn't going well, is the Phillies' best option to bat leadoff. But while Shane Victorino is still hot, and while the Phillies are still playing inter-league games in American League ballparks, I'd consider putting Victorino in the leadoff spot and batting Rollins ninth. Perhaps the change will be the jumpstart he needs to finally begin hitting with some consistency.

OK, let's hear from you. What would you do about J-Roll?

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As I noted in the game story in today's News Journal, Jayson Werth leads all NL hitters -- and ranks second in the majors -- with 4.42 pitches per plate appearance and has seen more pitches (1,303) than any NL player. He rarely swings at a first pitch, even when it's a meaty fastball down the middle.

Patience is Werth's calling card.

So, it was a head-scratcher in the fourth inning last night when Werth swung at a first-pitch fastball from Matt Garza, who had just walked the bases loaded without recording an out. Werth hit a grounder to Evan Longoria, who threw home to start a rally-killing double play. Now, ordinarily, that wouldn't be considered smart baseball, but Manuel wants Werth to be more aggressive early in the count. All the time, he tells Werth to swing at a first pitch if it's in the area of the strike zone where he wants it, and in this situation, Werth got the inside fastball that he was anticipating. Problem was, he hit it in the wrong spot.

"I have no problem with him swinging at a fastball there," Manuel said. "I'd like to see him swing at more first-pitch fastballs, if you want to know the truth. I'm sure he wasn't trying to hit a ground ball to third. There and back to the pitcher were probably the worst places he could hit it."

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Dining guide: Three days in Clearwater have given me a chance to hit up a few of my favorite spring-training spots, like this one, and this one. Unfortunately, the famous Frenchy's Cafe is closed this week for summer cleaning, but if you like seafood, check out this place the next time you're in St. Petersburg. Highly recommend the shrimp alfredo pasta.