Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Mackanin refuses to take his slumping batters to woodshed
PHILADELPHIA >> It takes a professional baseball manager to state the obvious in the most objective, constructive, analytical and ... well, nice ... way possible all at the same time.
Which brings us to the way Pete Mackanin handled the elephant in the interview room issue after the Phillies’ 8-4 loss to the Cincinnati Reds Sunday.
So No. 2 hitter Odubel Herrera went oh-for-4 and his batting average is starting to fall off the Mendoza coast line and his swings are something out of a bloopers TV show. Comments, Pete?
“He’s scuffling,” Mackanin said about Herrera. “A couple of guys are scuffling.”
If others are scuffling, Herrera is spinning out of control. You know, like he does when he swings the bat.
Think this is a slump? He was hitting .270 at the start of May, and it was acknowledged he had to pick it up a bit. Now? Herrera is hitting .127 over his last 17 games (9 for 71). And if you think there are signs that he might be coming out of it ... he is 1 for his last 21. He has no homers and all of four RBIs in May.
For this guy expected to bat at the top of the lineup and at least seriously threaten .300, it’s hasn’t been a scuffle or a shuffle or even a slump. It’s a drop off the face of the stats board, all the way down to .217.
“I’ll probably move him down in the lineup,” Mackanin said. “I can’t keep him in the 2-hole. But he’s got to fight his way out of it. We’ll see what happens when (Howie) Kendrick gets here. We’ll have another outfielder. I’m going to mix and match and try to get everybody in there.”
Kendrick, out seemingly forever with an oblique muscle tug, is finally expected to be activated Monday when the Phils play in Miami. Mackanin wouldn’t say, but don’t be surprised if he gets inserted into the lineup right away, probably in left field, with Aaron Altherr moving over to center and Herrera finding a comfortable bench seat.
If so, it’ll only be a temporary look-see from there for “El-Torito.”
“Kendrick we’ll bring along slowly because I want to make sure he’s healthy,” Mackanin said. “In other words, I don’t have a set outfield. I’m going to mix those guys up.
“I plan to give (Herrera) a day off here and there, because obviously he’s not swinging the bat well. It’s tough mentally. You go through something like this, you have to fight your way out of it. But it’s a good idea, in my opinion, to occasionally take a guy out of the pressure and let him relax a little bit.”
*** Another guy in need of a relaxing benching is Maikel Franco. Of course, that was tried recently and it hasn’t seemed to help much. Franco did slam a single to center Sunday against the Reds, but that lone hit in four trips leaves him at .213.
“He hit a ball hard today but he’s not giving us consistent at-bats,” Mackanin said. “He’s searching, both physically and mentally, and it’s not easy for him. I can tell. He’s down on himself. He’s not happy about what’s going on, but I’ve been there before.
“You just don’t really know how to get out of it. When he finds the way that he’s been working (toward) and takes it into the game, he’s got a chance to get out of it.”
*** Over his last 12 games, Andrew Knapp has hit .306 with a .405 OBP and a .611 slugging percentage. In 13 of his 16 starts, he has reached base safely.
“The more playing time you get, the better you feel,” the catcher said. “It’s just the way it goes. But I am just trying to take my opportunities and take advantage of them.”
Knapp hit a 434-foot home run to right center in the second, scoring Tommy Joseph. It was his second home run since Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, we didn’t win today,” he said. “But the more atbats I get, the better I feel.”