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Werth To Start For Now; Vic Is Unhappy

Charlie Manuel has confirmed Jayson Werth is an “everyday” player in center field, leaving Shane Victorino to platoon with Geoff Jenkins in right field.

“Right now, [Werth is] definitely one of our starters,â€ Manuel said. â€œWhy shouldn’t he be? We’re trying to win,” said Manuel to PhillyBurbs writer Randy Miller . He continued:

â€œI can only play three [outfielders] at a time. Hit .320 or .330 and you’ll be sure to be in there. If you’re hitting .235 … â€

That’s a shot at Victorino, who is hitting .235 this season. Of course, Werth is hitting .272, not exactly .235. Against righties he’s hitting a Vic-like .236. Jenkins is hitting .265 but only has two home runs and seven RBI, not exactly the numbers you were hoping from a guy with 30-HR power. He’s hitting .154 against lefties.

While Vic is hitting poorly, he needs to be in there almost everyday. The Werth/Jenkins platoon is the right way to play the outfielders. Werth won’t give you much against righties; Jenkins won’t give you much against lefties. Vic gives the same amount against both (.233 against RHP, .238 against LHP) and should come around to his career norm of .270.

This is another classic case of Manuel sticking with his guns after one hot performance. The 3 HR, 8 RBI game by Werth was something special, but you can’t ignore numbers and facts, and they state Werth is most dangerous against lefties and not at all against righties. Utilize the lineup correctly and the benefits will come.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.