LH LH LH

Not to kill the vibe of this great win/demoralizing loss vibe, but we almost got bit again on the LH LH LH Utley, Howard and Ibanez.  Feliciano comes in and shuts them all down.  That is where having Werth hit against a lefty could be huge.

Where Charlie really gets this wrong is that he starts the 3 lefties in a row against a righty.  That makes less sense than starting them in a row against a lefty.  They are going to get thier ABs against the righty no matter what, whether it is in a row or separated by a right handed hitter.  What you are then doing is setting up for the checkmate for the other team to bring a lefty right in.

The only way this is viable against a righty is if you are willing to PH for one of your lefties, which the Phils are not willing to do (and I am not saying that they should).  Split Howard and Ibanez with Werth.  Howard might actually get some walks when facing a righty then.