Bruntlett Sucks, Says Burrell

Well, not exactly. But Pat is not happy with getting replaced at the end of games for defensive reasons, and neither am I.

From the Inquirer:

"I'm upset, absolutely," Burrell said. "I'm upset, and I have been for a long time. It's not personal. I don't want to ever come out of close games."

"In that situation, we're trying to put more speed out there, so I can't question what the manager is trying to do. He's got confidence in all his guys," Burrell said. "But I can't lie and say I'm not frustrated by it, especially when it's close like that in a low-scoring game. He knows that. We've discussed it.

"Do I wish it was different? Absolutely. I don't know any other way to say that. A lot of games I've come out, it's never an issue, but when it does come back to bite us, it becomes more of a focus."

"Maybe I've got to improve my 60 times," he said.

This whole defensive substitution thing has been bugging the hell out of me for a long time. Sure, Bruntlett covers more ground, but he's really not that much better in the field. Not so much that it justifies taking out Burrell in a tight game. Pat has been one of the few consistent hitters for the Phils this year, and his bat is needed in close games.

For all the wins Manuel has put together with this team, the man is a horrible, I repeat, horrible game situation manager. He may keep the guys loose and do a lot of little things that are invisible to the naked eye, but he sure as shit can't do the things that are obvious to the naked eye very well.