Ruiz hit .219 during the regular season and was just 1-for-14 (.071) in the Milwaukee series. Catcher and shortstop are probably the two positions where teams might sacrifice offense for defense. Especially in October.
"He's learned how to handle each guy individually," said Moyer, who at 45 is 16 years older than Ruiz. "[Manager Charlie Manuel] has a lot of confidence in him and so does [pitching coach Rich Dubee].
"And us, as pitchers, have a lot of confidence in him. That's important from a pitcher's standpoint. If you have a catcher behind the plate you can tell if he's uncertain about giving a sign. I don't sense that with Carlos. When he gives a sign he means it and there's usually a reason behind it. You can also communicate with him, too. There's a lot of give and take and that's important."
Manuel was not available to address the topic yesterday, but his confidence in Ruiz is evident in how little backup Chris Coste has been used lately. Coste has started a game since Sept. 19, not counting the meaningless regular-season finale.
"The one thing you try to remember at this time of year is your strengths," said Fox analyst and former catcher Tim McCarver. "I think that's what Charlie is trying to do with Ruiz. If you had a Greg Dobbs-type hitter as the other catcher, then you can say, 'We have to get a lefthanded bat in there.' While Chris Coste is a good player, he's not that much greater [offensively]. What are you going to do? They've gotten this far with Ruiz."
Closer Brad Lidge, who is in his first season with the Phillies, has said his confidence in Ruiz is similar to the relationship he had in Houston with Astros catcher Brad Ausmus. Lidge is a two-pitch pitcher and one of those is a nasty slider that often is as difficult to catch as it is to hit.
