The Phils won Saturday night behind a strong outing by Joe Blanton and a great game by the Phils bullpen. Ryan Howard hit a two-out, two-run double in the top of the 11th inning to win the ballgame.
Pete Orr batted second in this game. In preparation for this recap, I was ready to criticize Manuel for putting someone with a .291 career OBP at the top of the Phils lineup. However, the only alternative would have been a 6-7-8 lineup of Valdez, Schneider, and Orr (in no particular order). I do not blame Manuel for spreading out the clear 3 worst hitters in the lineup.
Kyle Kendrick pitched the 10th inning, and Ryan Madson pitched the 11th to earn the save. Why is Kyle Kendrick pitching in an inning where one run equals a loss, while Madson is pitching in an inning where you can allow 2 runs and still not lose? It is easier to pitch with a 2-run lead in extra innings than it is to pitch with a 0-run lead. The best pitchers should be used first, but almost every manager does not do that. As a result, this is more of a criticism of managing in general than it is of Charlie Manuel.
Regardless, he didn't make any terrible decisions in this game, and it set them up for a chance to sweep on Sunday.