The Philadelphia way

The Gabe Kapler Era in Philadelphia is off to a rough start, at least for Kapler himself. He’s already had some high-profile issues, notably his decisionmaking questioned on opening day when he pulled his top pitcher Aaron Nola after 68 pitches with a five-run lead, a bullpen gaffe in the second game of the season — after which he guaranteed the Phillies would make the playoffs — and ended his first road trip at 1-4.

Thursday for the Phillies’ home opener in Citizens Bank Park, Kapler heard plenty of boos when he was introduced. They weren’t scattered boos, either. He was then booed when he took out starting pitcher Nick Pivetta in the middle of the sixth inning with a 3-0 lead. The biggest cheers all day were actually for Eagles Coach Doug Pederson.

The early booing might be small news compared to what could be brewing.

“We’ll be OK … We just need the manager to get out of the way,” an anonymous Phillies player told Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

Five games into a manager’s tenure, that’s not what the front office needs to be hearing or reading about.

Then again, it’s only five games and surely Kapler is smart enough to make adjustments to his managerial style on the fly. Even the most stubborn people grow into new jobs and learn from mistakes. What the Phillies have to hope is Kapler has selfawareness on areas of dealing with the players and either adjusts or finds ways to massage any concerns within the clubhouse.

Though the quote came from an unnamed Phillies player, outfielder Nick Williams already has voiced his angst to the media. Williams, 24, is considered a key piece of the team’s future.

When asked about his lack of playing time, Williams told Philly.com that he blamed “the computers.”

“I guess the computers are making [the lineup], I don’t know,” said Williams, referencing the team’s reliance on analytics when charting a lineup. “I don’t get any of it, but what can I do? I’m not going to complain about it because I have zero power. I’m just letting it ride.”