"Execution is big," he said. "Like, watch the Yankees. [Brett] Gardner hooked a hole. Gardner's a little guy, a speed guy. He knows how to play. He gets up, guy throws him a fastball out away from him. I saw him move closer to the plate and hook the ball like that" - Manuel then demonstrated with his hands - "and snatched the hole over there. Base hit, guy goes to third."
Actually, Gardner's seventh-inning single merely advanced catcher Russell Martin to second, and that just made Manuel's impromptu story even more telling. He saw the Yankees put up eight runs on his team in a meaningless spring training game and it caused him to assess his own offense, which scored just once.
What he sees is uncertainty, a great deal more than Manuel's Phillies teams are accustomed to at this point.
"We're trying to find our lineup," Manuel said. "I ain't seen anyone torque it yet. I see guys hit some every now and then."
So, exactly how concerned is Manuel as he prepares for life without Jayson Werth and the injured Chase Utley?
"Well, we're missing the three- and five-hole hitter," Manuel said. "Two guys who had .400 on-base percentage. One guy, if he's well, hit 25 to 30 home runs. He hits .300 when he's healthy, knocks in 100 runs and scores over 100. Our fifth-hole hitter was a guy who knocked in 90 to 100 runs and has a .400 on-base percentage and steals some bags and plays good defense."
Realizing he hadn't directly answered the question, Manuel stopped talking and laughed. It was good enough.
"We have to have someone who can help us hold our own there," Manuel said. "Those are two important spots in the lineup."
