"Hits," Manuel said. "Hits. That's what I'm looking for."
On cue, Mayberry delivered the two biggest hits of the evening, a two-run single in the top of the second inning and a three-run double that turned the game into a rout in the eighth.
"I'm aware [they're looking for a righthanded bat]," Mayberry said. "It's usually part of my interviews, but I don't really think about it too much. I'm just trying to perform as well as possible and leaving it to the higher-ups to make those kinds of decisions."
Manuel and the Phillies are aware of Mayberry's immense ability.
"John has got a lot of talent," the manager said before the game. "If you grade players out across the board, he can throw, he can hit, he can run, he's got power, and he can play all three outfield positions. He plays a pretty good center field, and he can steal a base. The thing he needs to improve on is hitting righthanded pitching. I think he can hold his own against lefties."
Mayberry has a .261 career average, and six of his 11 home runs have come against lefties, but at the moment he is hitting all pitching - and it may have something to do with an adjustment he made at the urging of Manuel.
"Basically, I've just been trying to get into a more athletic position, more open and more on the balls of my feet and then just be aggressive," Mayberry said. "Charlie has kind of always told me that, and it was time to make that adjustment."
After struggling with that adjustment when he was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley, the former first-round pick of the Texas Rangers impressed the Phillies when he went on a hot streak. And when the team wanted an extra bat at the beginning of the month, Mayberry was back in the big leagues with another small window to prove his worth.
