Manuel: Hitters became too strung out in NLDS

Typically potent, the bats unexpectedly fell silent against an unheralded Rockies’ pitching staff during National League Division series. Why?

Charlie Manuel: "We hit good pitching. Colorado had two pitchers, (Franklin) Morales and (Ubaldo) Jimenez, who are young, throw hard, and are just a little bit wild, and I think we wanted them too much.

"When the playoffs started, our team was coming to the ballpark so early, I couldn’t believe it. I go to the ballpark every day early, and I guess I was kind of up into it [too], but for day games, we were getting there about 9 o’clock. For the night games - the last game we played in Colorado - they got there at 11:30. That’s way early. They already went down to the cage and did drills and you look up and it’s 1 o’clock and you still have five hours until the game starts at 6.

"I think we got too strung out – too up into it – and once it started, we probably pressed a little bit. Our main guys didn’t hit. Through the season, that never happened to us. Someone in the middle of the lineup always came through."

Beerleaguer take: When you talk about the importance of having players with playoff experience, here’s your proof. Even though they lost to another post-season newcomer in Colorado, it sounds like the high-energy, high-motor qualities of the offense worked against them this series. As Manuel said, they got “too up into it,” and even Manuel admitted he was wrapped up in the moment and didn't realize what what happening. It's also a valid point that the Phils tend to struggle against unpredictable pitchers with heat, particularly left-handers like Morales and Jiminez. As Manuel said, the Phillies hit good pitching.

(This is the fourth in a series of small reports from Thursday’s Winter Tour in Reading.)

Comments

[Dan]

good stuff today, Weitzel.

fyi, Brett Myers is doing a live chat on phillies.com at noon...i have a feeling he wont take my question about his the amazing discrepancy in belly size as starter/closer last season

Mets are reportedly close to signing Livan...i hope so...opponents hit .308 off him last year. if mets don't get Santana and we somehow sign Lohse and/or trade for Crede, i'd feel good going into the season

[Deutsche Phan]

JW - These posts are really doing the job of fueling my excitement. As much as we all complain about the FO and their collective brain cell, I can't wait to see these guys back on the field.

This particular bit is very revealing, and I'm surprised we hadn't heard this from anyone elses mouth perviously. I wonder what role guys like Rowand played on trying to get people to settle back into their routines?

[Tray]

Isn't that all just a bunch of post hoc explanation for what may have been completely random? I don't get it. The last few games of the regular season were just as big and we hit in those games. Don't you think people were coming early to the ballpark then too? The Rockies had no playoff experience and it doesn't seem to have been a problem for them.

[MG]

I still think Manuel is a below-average in-game tactican but he his other traits (ability to instruct hitters, keep the club even-keeled, etc) has really grown on me. If Manuel didn't have the accent and the "county-bumpkin" background, he wouldn't take nearly as much crap in this town.

[phanatics brother]

spot on Tray.

Then the blame goes squarely on Chollie's shoulders !!
WTF?
isnt that why ol Chollie is there? Isnt that his best quality ? isnt he supposed to be the one to keep everybody loose and relaxed?

[Enrique]

Maybe Cholly should use a different term than "strung out". I don't think they were all shooting up before the game

[JB]

MG - I was thinking the same thing about Manuel in reading these posts.

You can see why the team likes him and he is actually appears very intelligent despite his verbiage.

Mini-Jimy Williams is on his left shoulder and Mini-Rich Dubee on his right during the games.

Otherwise he is a great baseball mind and evaluator of ability in an organization that appears lacking more of these skills.

[Hawk]

Hasn't Cholly been to the playoffs before(maybe we can ask Jose Mesa)?? Shouldn't he have sensed that something was going on when nobody was hitting?? Isn't that what a manager is supposed to do -- use his experience to get his guys ready to play in any situation?? WTF!!!!!

[sixtoe]

I remember being in the second row behind the Phillies dugout when the guys were celebrating after winning the NL East...Werth spraying beer on us...Alfonseca turning the fire hose on the crowd...Eaton acting like a high school kid after the homecoming game...and I remember distinctly the classic advice from the grizzled coach to the rookie doing the touchdown dance in the end zone: "act like you've been there before." Those guys never heard that advice, and they got bit in the rear. Let's hope this time around, they remember that feeling, and Cholly calls up his inner Tom Landry.

[willi o]

Jimenez is a right-hander. Just look at the photograph. So that point made about how" the Phillies ...blah blah blah .... lefties like Jimenez" has zero credibility.