Roy Halladay and Phillies Lose in 9th Due to Manuel’s Questionable Decisions

Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel does not always make the right moves from a baseball standpoint.  It’s his way of showing his players respect.  It’s his way of putting players like Roy Halladay, who have earned his trust, first.  It’s one reason players love playing for him.

It also loses games from time to time.  Last night’s ninth inning loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks was the latest example.

In Charlie Manuel’s words, “It’s kind of his game, isn’t it?…That’s my ace.  That’s kind of the way I looked at it.  If I was going to make a move, how come I didn’t make a move to start the inning?”

That is a good question Charlie.

Here’s another good question: if it’s Halladay’s game, why would both Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo be warming up to start the ninth inning?

Also, if both Madson and Bastardo are warm, why wouldn’t you use Bastardo to face left-handed hitting Lyle Overbay with two runners on base and one out in the ninth?  Overbay was 2-for-3 off Halladay and had driven in the only Arizona run in the game.

Thirdly, do we really need Roy Halladay throwing 122 pitches on a night in August when the Phillies bullpen is rested and ready?

I don’t question Manuel’s decision to send Roy Halladay out to start the ninth inning.  Halladay earned that right, not just in this game (he had retired the previous 12 batters) but over the past two years.

I do question Manuel’s judgement in having both Madson and Bastardo warming up and then not using them when the situation called for it.  Either warm them up and use them or don’t warm them up at all.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not writing this as my final act before jumping off the Ben Franklin bridge.  I recognize that this loss does not change the Phillies current status as the best team in baseball.

In fact, losing to Arizona might help the Phillies overall chances by keeping San Francisco out of the playoffs.  Arizona currently has a 3.5 game lead on San Francisco.  Every Phillies fan would agree that Arizona is a better playoff matchup than San Francisco.

As someone who grew up watching some of the worst teams in Phillies history, it’s still hard to see the Phillies lose winnable games.

Every Phillies loss bothers me, especially the ones where the manager does not put his players in the best position to win.  That’s what happened last night—Manuel didn’t put Roy Halladay (or his teammates) in the best position to win the game.

Charlie Manuel is not worried about winning a game; he’s worried about winning a World Series.  And he believes that investing in his players is the best way to do it, even if it costs him a game from time to time.

I have got to admit, it’s hard to argue with the past five years worth of results.

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