It’s no secret Charlie Manuel is frustrated.  The Phillies are on a six-game skid, hitting .170 collectively.  If you’ve watched the past six games, a .170 team average actually seems a bit high.  They’re chasing bad pitches, not advancing runners, striking out a ton, and overall playing the poorest they have all season. 

Well Charlie’s decided to do something about it.  I give you tonight’s lineup:

Jayson Werth – RF
Chase Utley – 2B
Jimmy Rollins – SS
Pat Burrell – LF
Ryan Howard – DH
Pedro Feliz – 3B
Shane Victorino – CF
Chris Coste – C
Eric Bruntlett – 1B

As unorthodox as this lineup looks, it’s in order.  With the offense sputtering as it is, a shakeup could  be what they need to get firing on all cylinders. 

I like the lineup. from to to bottom, it screams balance.  Utley and Howard are split, which takes away the Athletics option to bring in Alan Embree to face the back-to-back lefties.  Bruntlett appears to be a bit of a shock at first base, but he’s in there for his speed.  With he, Werth, Rollins, and Victorino all in the lineup, this is a quick lineup.  Hopefully it’ll reap rewards.

For those staying awake, the game starts at 10:05 and is on CSN, here in Philadelphia.