Phils-Dodgers Game 2 - Manuel and Utley

Phillie Notes:

In his tenure as Phillies' manager, Charlie Manuel has had an annoyingly predictable penchant for pulling starting pitchers too early and insisting on lefty-lefty, righty-righty matchups with his bullpen. This was on full display in game 2 against the Dodgers. Pedro Martinez looked strong and unhittable after 7 innings but Manuel stuck to his playbook and brought in Chan Ho Park. He then removed Park, who was the victim of some bad luck, so Scott Eyre could pitch to lefty Jim Thome. A few minutes later Ryan Madson exited in favor of J. Happ with the bases loaded so Happ could pitch to a lefty. Of course, all these moves backfired although it may seem easy to second guess with the benefit of hindsight. We will never know if Martinez would have been effective in the 8th, or if Park or Madson could have gotten the next batter. But when in doubt, why not stick with someone who is in the flow the game? And in case you haven't noticed, Eyre and Happ in no way resemble Mariano Rivera.

In a regular season game in late September, Chase Utley made a throwing error. In the radio broadcast, announcer Larry Anderson remarked that Utley had been throwing "horribly" for the last month. It looks like Anderson was on to something.