Recap: Manuel On WFAN
Mets manager Jerry Manuel recently finished his weekly appearance on the WFAN’s Mike and the Mad Dog show.
In case you missed it, here is a quick recap of Manuel’s appearance:
- Manuel said he did not send Johan Santana to the plate to bat in the seventh because he believed the team needed more than a one-run lead due to the bullpen’s struggles. Had Daniel Murphy drove in a run, he would have let Santana bat and pitch the eighth inning.
- Manuel said Santana did ask to stay in the game last night.
- He did not use Eddie Kunz as the team’s closer last night because he believed Pedro Feliciano was a better match up against the left-handed hitting Willie Harris, who lead off in the bottom of the ninth. However, if Feliciano struggled he would have gone to Kunz.
- He is proud of his team for doing a good job coming back after bad losses. He believes the team’s resiliency will help them in September.
- He wants the starting pitchers to be patient with the bullpen while Billy Wagner is on the disabled list.
- Manuel says he is surprised by Murphy’s maturity at the plate and that he has grasp of the strikezone.
- He will be watching John Maine closely tonight to see if he alters his mechanics due to his injury.
- Manuel stated he has not lost confidence in Aaron Heilman, but believes he needs to find the right spot to pitch him in.
To listen to Manuel’s interview in it’s entirety, go to WFAN.com.
