"He's been getting a little tightness in his back," manager Charlie Manuel said of Victorino. "Actually, he could play, but I also wanted to get Mayberry in there."
Manuel said he hoped not to play Victorino at all Wednesday so that he could get two days of rest, since the Phillies will have Thursday free before practicing Friday for Saturday's Game 1 of the National League division series at Citizens Bank Park. But Manuel had Victorino pinch-hit in the seventh inning, and he grounded into an inning-ending double play. He did not stay in the game.
Armed and ready
In their final starts of the regular season, the Phillies' Four Aces combined to allow three runs and 16 hits in 25 innings for a 1.08 earned run average.
Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt each pitched six scoreless innings while Cliff Lee allowed two runs over six innings and Cole Hamels one run over seven innings. Hamels allowed two runs in three innings of relief on Wednesday.
Praise for Pence
Manuel knew the Phillies were getting a quality player when they acquired Hunter Pence from Houston on July 30, but he said the rightfielder is even better than expected.
Pence went into Wednesday's game batting .325 with 11 home runs and 33 RBIs since joining the Phillies.
Contact staff writer Ray Parrillo at rparrillo@phillynews.com or @rayparrilloinq on Twitter.
