Utley back in third spot; Frandsen, Nix get starts

Despite two straight ugly losses, the Phillies can salvage a split in the four-game series on Thursday afternoon with Cliff Lee on the mound.

Charlie Manuel has been challenged to come up with different lineups through the first 23 games of the season. Thursday's game is no different. With center fielder Ben Revere struggling, Manuel gives Ezequiel Carrera a start.

Meanwhile, Laynce Nix and Kevin Frandsen also pick up a start to give John Mayberry and Michael Young the day off.

Here's how the Phillies line up against right-hander James McDonald and the Pirates:

1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Kevin Frandsen, 3B
3. Chase Utley, 2B 
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Laynce Nix, RF
6. Dom Brown, LF
7. Ezequiel Carerra, CF
8. Erik Kratz, C
9. Cliff Lee, P

Utley is 4 for 6 with a homer and a pair of walks against McDonald. Ryan Howard is 3 for 4 with a homer while Jimmy Rollins is 3 for 9 with a solo homer.

In his career against the Pirates, Lee is 1-0 with a 3.05 ERA in three starts. He has 20 strikeouts in 20 2/3 innings.

The Pirates lineup:

1. Starling Marte, LF
2. Brandon Inge, 2B
3. Andrew McCutchen, CF
4. Gaby Sanchez, 1B
5. Michael McKenry, C
6. Pedro Alvarez, 3B
7. Jose Tabata, RF
8. Clint Barmes, SS
9. James McDonald, P

Inge has three career homers off Lee and is 16 for 43 (.372) against the Phils' lefty. Inge has also whiffed 15 times against Lee.

Comments

[MG]

Well Cholly emptied the bench today. A little surprise Carrera got the start in CF & Mayberry is sitting.

[clout]

If Young needs a day off, that's fine, but Frandsen cannot hit RHP so this is not a great spot for him.

[MG]

Phils at -175 and Pirates at +160. Terrible value for the Phils (sucker to bet those odds) and I don't like Pirates/McDonald enough to even wager $5 bucks on this game.

[GTown_Dave]

clout: Yes. But apparently Charlie doesn't give a damn, so why not keep the LHB split?

[bay_area_phan]

We all know that Mayberry can't hit RHP, but that hasn't stopped Cholly from starting him against RHP on multiple occasions. Given that fact, it seems especially odd to bench him on a day when our starting centerfielder isn't playing. Mayberry, after all, is not only a better defensive player than the wretched Ezequiel Carrera, but also a better hitter against RHP.

[Jack]

Why bother splitting the lefties when your entire lineup is filled with them?

[clout]

GTown: I agree. If you're gonna use him the weak 3 hole is the place (although Charlie knows nothing about lineup optimization stats).

[clout]

And if you really want ot do it right, you bat Lee 8th and Carerra 9th.

[bay_area_phan]

GTown: If Carrera must start instead of Mayberry, I would have batted Nix 3rd. That way, when the LOOGY comes in, you bring in Mayberry to hit between Utley & Howard.

[clout]

finger: His name is spelled Ezequiel Carrera.

[Fatalotti]

If Carrera must start...I'd just forfeit the game.

[Sophist]

I mean, if MacDonald goes 6 innings then the majority of AB will be against a RHP. Why prioritize those later AB and split them up?

The bigger issue is having Howard in the middle of the lineup at all.

[GTown_Dave]

Fatalotti: While I understand that sentiment, you're missing one very happy element of today's game: the absence of Ben Revere. I intend to savor the moment.

[Fatalotti]

I mean, it's been a long time since I read Dante's Inferno, but I'm pretty sure one of the circles of Hell was devoted entirely to baseball managers who consistently misuse platoon players, and who EVER start a player of Carrera's caliber.

[lorecore]

No team has made the playoffs on last decade after being 6 games under .500 after April. Nothing like having "must win" games in April because you suck so bad to start.

[Allen Thornberg]

OK, I am officially sick of Starling Marte now.

[Phillibuster]

Zeque got his glove up real good there.

[Phillibuster]

Nothing like room temperature coffee after interviewing a candidate. At least there's a Phillies game to whine about watch.

[GTown_Dave]

My favorite thing about Ezequiel Carrera is that he's not Ender Inciarte. It's not much, but it'll have to suffice.

[Phillibuster]

Nice glove at 3rd.

[dlhunter]

When was the last afternoon game? Feels like this is the first 1 PM start all year.

[Ruben Amaro, Jr. Important Baseball Executive]

I need to correct something that the poster Sophist said about our centerfielder Ben Revere.

[Phillibuster]

I have to wonder why, when the put the mega-overshift on Chase, he doesn't bunt it down the 3B line. He proved he can still lay down an awesome one when he has to, and I don't think anyone would complain about an SP having to use up 4-7 more pitches in the inning to strike out Howard (maybe even leaving one up for him to use as a missile defense shield, like last night).

[mainerob]

I love your blanket statements, Clout, about someone who can and can't, such as Frandsen's not being able to hit righties.

That line drive out to third base was the hardest hit safe or out since the Utley and Howard homers last night.

I'll take that out over the softie lollipops the rest of the lineup has been putting up all season long.

[Charlie Manual]

"Zeque got his glove up real good there."

I've had it up to here with you people mocking my speech patterns.

[MG]

Revere is here but he was Amaro's 4th or 5th choice.

Amaro tried to sign/get a few other CFs instead of Revere. He was really hot to trot to get Folwer but O'Dowd supposedly has some pretty ridiculous demands for Fowler.

I understand why Amaro didn't give up a king's ransom for Fowler given all of the questions with him and some of his limitations.

[Phillibuster]

Glad it's Cliff pitching today and not Doc. Seeing the heat mirage coming off the turf leads me to believe he would need to have an ice bath waiting for him in the dugout.

[Phillibuster]

I actually wasn't trying to do that. But sure, let's go with it.

[Fatalotti]

Despite ONE hard hit ball, mainerob, clout's assertion is 100% on the money. Frandsen has a career .653 OPS in 583 PA against RHP.

[Allen Thornberg]

I'm sick of Alvarez too...

[GTown_Dave]

Lot of fly balls early for Lee. This could get dicey.

[Phillibuster]

Huh. Not a bad play there either.

Mind you, I'd still rather have Delmon Young than Carrera (and I don't want Young), but nice to see he can catch one of those "straight at ya"s with a little hop.

[Sophist]

Phils are going to get really good starts from Hamels-Lee-Doc this year, it looks like. Will there be another 1-3 that performs better than them? Will they still lose all those games anyway?

[awh]

Lee is pounding the strike zone.

[awh]

Sophist, statistically, if they only score 2 - 3 runs in those games, what percentage would they lose? 50/50? 40/60?

[Phillibuster]

Sophist: Call me a dreamer, but I really think our 1-5 will be pretty darn good this year - whether it's Lannan or one of our prospects stepping up in that last spot.

Will there be a better 1-3? Maybe SF? Dodgers and Angels are in a bit of a bind there, and the Nats' are looking (in a limited sample) far more human.

[Phillibuster]

See, that's what I remember Howard doing. Sitting on a fastball dead center and letting one slice across the far side for a strike with the first pitch.

[Phillibuster]

Howard's gait looks a little less awkward today. Could be coincidence, but I like the leadoff double.

[GTown_Dave]

Howard's been making solid contact his last handful of ABs. I've chosen impart more positivity on that fact than it probably deserves.

[Phillibuster]

Does anybody get fooled with Nix feints a bunt?

[dlhunter]

Been listening to the games lately, not watching. Is that really an improvement in gait, etc by Howard?

Disturbing that someone who moves like that on a good day is a starter in the National League.

[Domonic]

Me no likey curve balls

[GTown_Dave]

Really, Dom? A hundred ways to get the Run home, & that's what you came up with?

[Phillibuster]

DL: he actually didn't look bad legging out the double. No way he turns it into a triple, of course, but it wasn't like he was hobbling on the path. Was able to reach third on a pretty hard-hit ball to the 2B by Nix too.

[Bill]

Shocking that Dom couldn't make contact.

[GTown_Dave]

Corey Seidman: "Domonic Brown 0-3, 3 strikeouts with a runner on third and less than two outs this season."

[awh]

Wow, Dom Brown is getting "Howarded" - fed a steady diet of offspeed stuff.

Looks like he better learn to hit it because if this keeps up he won't see many fastballs.

[SLO Phan]

Shocking this team couldn't score a man on third with less than 2 outs.

[awh]

Will this be another leadoff double wasted?

[Phillibuster]

Zeque looking to pick up the team when they need it.

Or just looking in general.

[Sophist]

Howard up to .282/.301/.436 on the season.

He wasn't/isn't injured. This is just what he is. He'll warm up a bit and hit something between .250/.315/.450 and .250/.340/.480 for the year.

[bay_area_phan]

World's greatest lies:

-The check is in the mail.

-I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.

-I really thought Ezequiel Carrera would come up big there.

[HammRadio]

LA: "A this point they should walk the first batter and balk them over to third" lamenting Brown's strikeout with a Howard on 3B.

You can't "luck" into a run there??? Just absolutely terrible at bats...

[Phillibuster]

Sophist: If we believe the groin tightness comment the other day, then I have a feeling he just does a poor job getting stretched out.

If that's the case, warmer weather should help both his hits travel farther, and his muscles loosen up, which should lead to better strides, and possibly more inside-outing of pitches.

Hey, it's a theory, anyway.

[GTown_Dave]

b_a_p: You're forgetting

-Dom Brown is really starting to show signs of improvement!

[Fatalotti]

"Looks like he better learn to hit it because if this keeps up he'll be out of baseball."

Fixed that for you.

[bay_area_phan]

GTown: The funny thing is, before that wretched AB (at least it seemed wretched on Gameday), I was actually beginning to think that Dom might be starting to come around.

[Phillibuster]

BAP: It was pretty wretched, yeah.

[SLO Phan]

Lead off hit to the pitcher. This should be a good inning.

[Sophist]

Buster - I'm not sure I buy the injury, but as pessimistic as I am I think we've seen the worst. He's not an .700 OPS player. Just a couple of doubles and a HR and he's up close to .740. I just wonder how much he'll BB, how much he'll strike out, and how bad his contact will be. He may go thru another 2 weeks like what we saw.

I'm not sure I'd take the over on a .770 OPS from him. The BB are gone.

[Phillibuster]

The return of Kliff Lee.

[shoulda kept arbuckle]

its not that they can't get anyone on base, it's that these idiots can't get a guy home from third.

it was infuriating during the division run when they struck out with men on third, now it's flat out disasterous.

back to back strikeouts are absolutely inexcusable. they deserve to be destroyed by the fans and media.

this team is zero fun to follow.

I hate them.

[MG]

shoulda kept arbuckle - How were you a fan for the last 25 years then?

[Phillibuster]

Sophist: I'm not saying the injury was the cause of his rough start, but rather a secondary symptom of the cause: his failure to stretch out properly.

When the weather gets warmer, he doesn't have to do as much to get fully stretched out. When it's cold, however, he doesn't take the necessary time, so he can't get extended enough and his giddyup (such as it is) is short some of the "giddy."

[Sophist]

"Don't forget to stretch."

Reminds me of Rollins leg injuries the last few years. I don't know enough about conditioning to say. Just sounds funny.

[shoulda kept arbuckle]

MG: i didn't have any expectations in the 90s and the offense was good enough to cover things up the last ten years.

[Not Cliff Lee]

The way this team is hitting, Cliffie should be leading off, not hitting 9th! Maybe even put him in the 4 hole...

[Cyclic]

World's greatest lies:

-The check is in the mail.

-I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.

-I really thought Ezequiel Carrera would come up big there.

Posted by: bay_area_phan

From now on, I'm gonna read all bap's posts in the voice of Ron Swanson.

[Sophist]

Coming into today

Rollins: 1% HR, 20% SO, 4% BB -- .267/.308/.419
Howard: 2% HR, 24% SO, 4% BB -- .273/.293/.416

[Sophist]

Rollins' OPS+/wRC+ is right at career norms, and he plays SS. Not an statement against him. Just funny.

[Muuurgh]

Cyclic: Just don't forget to giggle after he says stuff like bullet #2.

[Muuurgh]

whomp

[Replacement Level Poster]

If Howard wasn't injured he could've jumped 15 feet in the air to snare that!

[bay_area_phan]

Who was the poster yesterday that claimed Frandsen is a better defensive 3rd baseman than Young? He isn't -- largely because he can't throw.

(Caveat: I'm on Gameday. Didn't see the throw)

[Corn]

Find it funny how quick Frandsen gets an error but somehow Young, who should have been marked up with a few, hasn't.

Gracious scorekeepers.

[Corn]

It was me and he is a better 3B then Young. Basing it off one throw is a bit of a stretch.

Better range & glove. Throws for some reason lately sail a bit on him ( not all the time, once in a while ).

[lorecore]

Remember all that runner on 3rd less than two out stuff i posted last thread?

DOM is now 0-6 this season. He's also 0-3 in advancing a runner from 2B to 3B with 0 outs.

[Corn]

And just go look at the numbers and you will see Frandsen is a better defensive 3B then Young.

[bay_area_phan]

"Throws for some reason lately sail a bit on him ( not all the time, once in a while )."

It's not "for some reason." It's because his throwing arm isn't very good. He is a 2nd baseman.

[lorecore]

bap: the poster actually went b00b style and said Frandsen >>> MYoung.

[Corn]

@lore.

Curious but who has been batting behind Dom in those situations.

[awh]

Well, maybe Frandsen should try to one-hop throws to 1B once in a while.

[awh]

Would love to see a back-to-back-to-back from Utley, Howard and Nix.

(OK, a guy can dream, can't he?)

[lorecore]

corn: Brown has batted 6th every game he's played. Mayberry/Revere have batted behind him 7 times, Nix 6.

[awh]

Corn, it's irrelevant. Lineup protection is a myth, andhow lineups are constructed doesn't matter. (Or so I've been schooled.)

[lorecore]

sorry, brown batted 5th twice. Mayberry and Nix each batted behind him once.

[Corn]

Nope. Frandsen > Young. Like I said go look at their numbers. Young should already have a few errors on him this season alone.

[awh]

Howard won't see anything to hit now, with 1B open.

[Jack]

In only one game of this stretch of offensive futility have I felt like the Phils just got beat by a good pitching performance, and that was Homer Bailey.

The rest has just been bad offense. McDonald is terrible. We should be mashing him.

[lorecore]

howard is 1-1 in advancing a runner from 2b to 3b. although i hope he does more than that right here.

[Corn]

Off to lunch

[Jack]

awh: "Howard won't see anything to hit now, with 1B open."

Didn't stop him from swinging, though.

[Allen Thornberg]

Swings at ball four...un-freakin'-beliveable.

[lorecore]

1-2

[awh]

Jack, true. Sad, but true.

[Phanatic's Phriend]

I see it linked over on the top right, but have you guys seen this??

It would be cool if any of our own BL eggheads could make this happen for Doc this year. I'd be afraid to see the output though - not sure the mechanics would be quite so consistent.

http://i.minus.com/i3SXAH4AAxtWS.gif

[awh]

At least Howard worked him for 9 pitches.

[SLO Phan]

I'll take it!

[Sophist]

"Howard won't see anything to hit now, with 1B open."

His BB% is under 4. Those days are probably over.

[bay_area_phan]

A run! Alas, it does not count since it is a RATAUW -- a run attributable to an unproductive walk.