A day after choosing Ty Wigginton over Ruf because he liked the way the veteran had been hitting against lefthanders lately, the manager went with another vet who's been on the roster all season when he started Juan Pierre in left. The move paid immediate dividends for Manuel, as Pierre hit a single and scored in the Phillies' three-run first inning. He finished with three hits.
"Right now," Manuel said before the game, "we're in a frame of mind where we want to win every night."
The result is a crowded bench.
With Domonic Brown playing every day at one of the two corner outfield spots and John Mayberry Jr. entrenched in center, Manuel has five guys left for the final spot: Wigginton, Schierholtz, Pierre, Ruf and Laynce Nix. There is no easy way to keep everyone fresh and content.
Schierholtz, who came over in the Hunter Pence trade, has adjusted to the same role he held in San Francisco, as a reserve, after starting nine of the first 10 games he played with the Phillies in August.
"I'm just trying to have good at-bats and trying to help the team any way I can," Schierholtz said. "Obviously we've got a chance to make the playoffs, so that's exciting. We're all fighting for the same goal."
It's easier to keep everyone happy when the team is winning, of course. But Manuel's agenda isn't to keep his clubhouse content; it's to keep the winning streak intact. And it appears that he plans to do that with the veterans he's entrusted in the season's first 5 months.
"I want to see Schierholtz play," Manuel said. "I want to get Nix in the game because . . . I think Nix can hit. I think he shows that when he comes off the bench and he hits the ball by people. That counts.
"But at the same time, we're still looking at Brown playing because we want to see him. And I look at Pierre sometimes, and the matchup sheets indicate Pierre should be in the game. That makes it tough."
Frandsen update
Kevin Frandsen said he "feels good" but that hasn't helped him get back into the starting lineup in the last week. Frandsen hasn't started a game since Sept. 4 in Cincinnati.
Michael Martinez made his sixth straight start at third base in place of Frandsen, who has a stress fracture in his left shin.
Entering Tuesday, Frandsen had made one appearance in the last week, hitting a pinch single in the second game of Sunday's doubleheader before being lifted immediately for a pinch-runner.
"I feel like that I ran well on it the other night,'' he said. "It was just the initial day. We had a couple days off. It feels a little bit better - I'm not waking up as much [with pain]."
Frandsen was walked intentionally in a pinch-hitting appearance Tuesday night and was not lifted for a pinch-runner.
Although the injury has improved in the last week with rest, Frandsen knows it's also not going to be healed in the next 3 weeks. Because of that, his play could continue to be limited for the remainder of the season.
"I've been waiting to see what the doctors and trainers say about him," Manuel said. "They feel like he doesn't need a pinch-runner and leave him in the game, so eventually we'll be able to put him in there and let him play."
Phillers
Lefthander Jeremy Horst allowed a single to Greg Dobbs in the seventh inning, Horst's first appearance since Sept. 2. Before the game, Horst said he's fine healthwise and pitching coach Rich Dubee said with several one-run games in the last week, the team has saved Horst in case they need a pitcher for extra innings. The Phils don't have an obvious long man in their bullpen . . . Cliff Lee takes the mound opposite Miami ace Josh Johnson in today's series finale, a 4:05 start. Lee is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in his last five starts. He's struck out 38 batters while walking two in 34 2/3 innings in that span . . . Chase Utley took ground balls at third base for the third time in the last 14 days before the Phillies took batting practice.
