The Zo Zone

Charlie Manuel put on his brave face after last night's 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field.

"We need somebody to step up and get a job," he said of his depleted bullpen.

But I will bet this: Manuel knows his team is in serious trouble while Ryan Madson and Tom Gordon are hurt. Consider for a second the combined ERA for closer Brett Myers and setup man Geoff Geary: 1.38 (four earned runs in 26 1/3 innings). Then consider the combined ERA for Antonio Alfonseca, Fabio Castro, Clay Condrey, Yoel Hernandez and Francisco Rosario: 6.06 (22 earned runs in 32 2/3 innings).

In other words, Manuel only has two consistent, reliable options in the bullpen at the moment. (Condrey has a 2.25 ERA in three appearances earlier this season, but the Phillies outrighted him at one point.) He can't burn Myers and Geary every night, so that means he's left to use inexperienced pitchers like Rosario and Hernandez in key situations.

"Those are tough spots in the game," Manuel said. "Yeah, it's a lot to ask somebody who hasn't done it."

He just has no choice.

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Manuel said he went with Rosario in the eighth inning instead of Geary because "we figured Geary for the ninth and if the game kept going he would give us at least two innings and then we had Myers back to close. It didn't come out good."

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But at least Freddy Garcia pitched very well. In six innings, he allowed five hits, two runs and no walks. He struck out two.

He threw just 70 pitches.

Garcia could have pitched at least eight innings if he could continued to pitch as economically as he had. But the Phillies had to pinch-hit for him in the top of the seventh inning, when they scored two runs to tie the game.

"I didn't want to take Freddy out of the game," Manuel said.

Neither did Garcia.

"I wish I could have gone one more inning," he said. "It's really tough for me because in a game like this in the American League I could go seven, eight, complete game. I had to be aware because we're trying to win the game. But I wasn't surprised. That's the way they play here. That's the way the National League goes. That's the decision for the manager and he's trying to do what's best for the team. I respect that."

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Some have wondered why Manuel didn't let Garcia hit for himself in the seventh with Carlos Ruiz on second, no outs and the Phillies down a run. Garcia potentially could have sacrificed Ruiz to third, leaving Jimmy Rollins or Shane Victorino to score Ruiz.

Of course, that'a assuming Garcia could execute the sacrifice. And that's assuming Rollins and Victorino could get the ball out of the infield (both of them grounded out to second base in the seventh and the balls were hit hard enough that Ruiz wouldn't have scored.)

But here is Manuel's explanation anyway.

"Once we had the guy on second with nobody out, I felt like it was time for us to try to win the game," he said. "If there were guys on first and second he would have bunted. If there was a guy on first he would have bunted."

Frankly, I have no problem with the call. Obviously, you would have preferred to keep Garcia in. But mark my word: if Manuel had let Garcia hit and the Phillies had lost 2-1, he would be ripped today for not pinch-hitting for Garcia with a runner on second, no outs and down a run in the seventh. Guaranteed.

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More on Ryan Howard's problems this season.

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The Phillies need Adam Eaton to pitch well tonight to give this team a chance to go 5-5 on this 10-game road trip. He hasn't pitched well so far.

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Phil Sheridan writes about how Barry Bonds is just the tip of the iceberg.