Manager Steve Roadcap of the Reading Phillies keeps a watchful eye on his pitcher during a recent game.Charlie Manuel was no doubt doing the same last night with Jamie Moyer, who was sterling for the first three innings, then got lit up for seven (!) runs in the 4th. With Moyer, it's very much hit or miss. If he hits his spots, he's fine; if not, the hitters don't miss. After three outings like this, the 46-year-old Moyer has all the doubters burying him. Moyer says he is not frustrated and will work his way out of this. That makes fans think he's delusional. I think it's just that for a player or for a team to succeed over the long haul of a baseball season they've got to accentuate the positive. For success, positive thinking is key to that famous "90% mental" part of the game.
Jimmy Rollins, again batting 5th, gave the Phillies a brief lead with a solo homer but the team did nothing else until Raul Ibanez chipped in with another solo shot in the 9th. By then the Dodgers had nine on the board. If the Phillies don't hit, the game is pretty much a miss. And last night they were not hitting ex-Phil Randy Wolf, who barring more injuries could be a future Jamie Moyer. I used to love hearing Wolf talk about pitching but listening to last night's game was no fun.
