GaryMrMets
06-28-2004, 03:20 PM
http://www.courierpostonline.com/news/sports/s062804d.htm
Lieberthal upset at Bowa for benching
Monday, June 28, 2004
By EDWARD de la FUENTE
Gannett News Service
BOSTON
Phillies manager Larry Bowa wants his catcher, Mike Lieberthal, to regain the form at the plate he possessed last season while hitting a team-leading .313.
Having seen little of that this year, Bowa gave Lieberthal a second consecutive day off, against Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
"Hopefully he'll get untracked," Bowa said. "We need his bat. I thought it would be a good day to get his head cleared. I just want him swinging the bat like he did last year."
But Lieberthal, hitting .247 this season, couldn't remember having two straight days off for anything other than an injury since becoming the Phillies' starting catcher in 1997.
"I was more shocked than anything," Lieberthal said of the decision.
Asked if he was upset, he said, "Definitely. You expect to play on days like this. It's a Sunday, in Boston, against Schilling, and I have some friends here from California to watch. Yeah, it's disheartening."
"I told him that lately I've felt better," Lieberthal added. "I'm still not where I want to be, but I don't think I've been that bad, except for the first month."
The numbers seem to back Lieberthal up. He struggled through April, hitting .174, but improved to .264 in May and is hitting .305 (18-for-59) in June, raising his season average to .247.
Lieberthal said Bowa first approached him with the idea after Saturday's victory, in which Todd Pratt went 2-for-5. Pratt typically catches day games after night games, but Lieberthal saw no need to rest on Sunday.
"The only message he sends to me is the confidence he has in me," Lieberthal said. "Obviously he feels better today with Pratt than with me. I mean, I hope he gets four hits and we win."
While Jim Thome has placed the Phillies' offense on his back in June, with 14 home runs, Bowa still hopes to see improvement from Lieberthal and left fielder Pat Burrell (.176 in June) soon.
"We really need those guys," Bowa said. "Pat's a big part of our offense, and so is Lieby. If they don't get out of it, we're in trouble."
Madson on track: When rookie right-hander Ryan Madson logged 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in Saturday's game, he resembled the confident pitcher who had a 0.85 ERA through the first two months.
"That was huge for us," said Bowa, who figures to use Madson in more middle-inning, close-game situations.
Madson experienced his first struggle as a major-leaguer earlier this month, when he gave up six runs in two-thirds of an inning during a spot start June 8 against the Chicago White Sox. He yielded runs in two of his next three relief outings.
But mechanical improvements have helped prevent his change-up from cutting in on right-handers, making a big difference. "This is the best I've felt in a long time," Madson said.
Phillies fodder: Struggling reliever Roberto Hernandez started working with pitching coach Joe Kerrigan Saturday to get him out of the rut that resulted in a 6.30 ERA this month. He has already made one change to his windup, keeping his hands at the belt instead of raising them. . . . Sunday's game was the final road game for the Phillies before the All-Star break. They open a two-week, 14-game homestand tonight against Montreal.
Lieberthal upset at Bowa for benching
Monday, June 28, 2004
By EDWARD de la FUENTE
Gannett News Service
BOSTON
Phillies manager Larry Bowa wants his catcher, Mike Lieberthal, to regain the form at the plate he possessed last season while hitting a team-leading .313.
Having seen little of that this year, Bowa gave Lieberthal a second consecutive day off, against Curt Schilling and the Boston Red Sox on Sunday.
"Hopefully he'll get untracked," Bowa said. "We need his bat. I thought it would be a good day to get his head cleared. I just want him swinging the bat like he did last year."
But Lieberthal, hitting .247 this season, couldn't remember having two straight days off for anything other than an injury since becoming the Phillies' starting catcher in 1997.
"I was more shocked than anything," Lieberthal said of the decision.
Asked if he was upset, he said, "Definitely. You expect to play on days like this. It's a Sunday, in Boston, against Schilling, and I have some friends here from California to watch. Yeah, it's disheartening."
"I told him that lately I've felt better," Lieberthal added. "I'm still not where I want to be, but I don't think I've been that bad, except for the first month."
The numbers seem to back Lieberthal up. He struggled through April, hitting .174, but improved to .264 in May and is hitting .305 (18-for-59) in June, raising his season average to .247.
Lieberthal said Bowa first approached him with the idea after Saturday's victory, in which Todd Pratt went 2-for-5. Pratt typically catches day games after night games, but Lieberthal saw no need to rest on Sunday.
"The only message he sends to me is the confidence he has in me," Lieberthal said. "Obviously he feels better today with Pratt than with me. I mean, I hope he gets four hits and we win."
While Jim Thome has placed the Phillies' offense on his back in June, with 14 home runs, Bowa still hopes to see improvement from Lieberthal and left fielder Pat Burrell (.176 in June) soon.
"We really need those guys," Bowa said. "Pat's a big part of our offense, and so is Lieby. If they don't get out of it, we're in trouble."
Madson on track: When rookie right-hander Ryan Madson logged 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in Saturday's game, he resembled the confident pitcher who had a 0.85 ERA through the first two months.
"That was huge for us," said Bowa, who figures to use Madson in more middle-inning, close-game situations.
Madson experienced his first struggle as a major-leaguer earlier this month, when he gave up six runs in two-thirds of an inning during a spot start June 8 against the Chicago White Sox. He yielded runs in two of his next three relief outings.
But mechanical improvements have helped prevent his change-up from cutting in on right-handers, making a big difference. "This is the best I've felt in a long time," Madson said.
Phillies fodder: Struggling reliever Roberto Hernandez started working with pitching coach Joe Kerrigan Saturday to get him out of the rut that resulted in a 6.30 ERA this month. He has already made one change to his windup, keeping his hands at the belt instead of raising them. . . . Sunday's game was the final road game for the Phillies before the All-Star break. They open a two-week, 14-game homestand tonight against Montreal.