I thought Ryne Sandberg had an awakening this week when he finally put the most productive lead-off hitter in franchise history back in appropriate spot. On Friday, former MVP Jimmy Rollins was finally listed at the top of the Phillies’ lineup as Ben Revere and his .284 OBP. It turned out Revere had a stomach bug, so it remains to be seen if Sandberg actually became sane or the circumstance forced him to make the move.
Furthermore, it is an absolute disgrace to the managerial position that Sandberg started John Mayberry Jr., whom does not have a hit against right-handed pitching, against right-hander Alfredo Simon. Revere was unavailable, so he gets some slack there, but Tony Gwynn Jr. and Cesar Hernandez are guaranteed to be no worse than a guy hitting .000 against RHP. He already has enough automatic outs in the lineup as it is, helping the Reds get more outs does not help.
Finally, I would be remiss if not taking some pressure or blame off Sandberg just for the fact that Ruben Amaro has given him no bench and no bullpen. When Jonathan Papelbon got a sore neck on Sunday, Snadberg had little options in the bullpen. So much so that Cole Hamels had to labor through over 130 pitches and Roberto Hernandez, the starter from two days ago, had to pitch in the ninth inning.
Along the same lines, it would seem to be an odd choice when he sent Cesar Hernandez up as the tying run with two outs on Friday’s game. But that is all he has, as the bullpen and bench have remained pathetic for three seasons now.
Mike Angelina is a producer for 94 WIP and a contributor to Philliedelphia. Follow him on Twitter at @MikeAngelina
