Time for a New Charlie Manuel

The last few weeks of Phillies baseball have been pitiful.

Just when fans thought the team’s current slump was over after Tuesday night’s slugfest, the Phillies proved tonight the slump has not ended.

Charlie Manuel needs to make changes with this team and edit his constant managing mistakes.

He is an excellent player’s manager. Every player in the Phillies clubhouse gives 110 percent for Manuel and his staff every game.

The players like his laid-back style and his refusal to put more pressure on them than is already there.

Manuel has done wonders for this organization.

Still, he is one of the worst in-game managers in all of Major League Baseball. He continues to use the wrong players in crucial situations.

The Phillies are down 1-0 and need a base-runner in the eighth inning to turn the lineup around for Shane Victorino (their best clutch hitter).

Manuel decides to pitch-hit Roy Halladay for Greg Dobbs.

Dobbs is the worst hitter on the team and is batting .140 on the season going into this at-bat. He grounds out on a weak swing to third base, ending the inning.

Instead of Dobbs hitting, why not use Brian Schneider? He is batting .241 and has the ability to get on base with a single or pull the ball over the right field wall which would tie the game.

With Manuel’s error, the inning is over and Roy Halladay is out of the game. He could have hit the ball Dobbs hit to third base.

In a bizarre move just five minutes later, Manuel decides to put Danys Baez in the game. Baez has a 4.50 ERA and is good to give up a run almost every time he comes in. He is the right pitcher to put in a game when the score is 10-0, not 1-0.

As a result, Baez gave up a home run to Dan Uggla, doubling the Marlins’ lead. With the way the Phillies were hitting, the chances of them tying the game almost became impossible.

Manuel continues to make the same mistakes at least once a week. These mistakes cause the Phillies a chance to tie and possibly win a ballgame.

Manuel needs to change something with this team right now. The lineup would be a good start.

The Phillies have too many players that cannot hit in the spot they are in. Manuel needs to stop being patient with them and change things up.

A change in the order would help this team and ruin the scouting reports for the opponent.

Another change Manuel needs to make is to stop giving players a day off when the team has an off day the next day.

Manuel has put Ben Francisco, Greg Dobbs, Wilson Valdez, and Brian Schneider in the same lineup too many games. There is no reason for Jayson Werth, Chase Utley, or Raul Ibanez to sit out a game when the Phillies have the next day off for travel.

Finally, Manuel needs to keep this team loose.

He should get them away from baseball for a day and have them relax on a day off.

The Phillies are pressing to score runs, which makes it harder to score when a team is in a slump.

If Charlie Manuel cuts down the in-game mistakes and changes things up in the clubhouse, the Phillies will be back to playing like the two-time defending National League champions.

If he keeps managing the same way, Phillies fans could be in the middle of witnessing the biggest disappointment in Philadelphia sports history.

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