On just his second day as the new manager for the Philadelphia Phillies, Don Mattingly worked out with Kyle Schwarber at first base, had some hitters work on bunting and even carried a large red plastic garbage can filled with batting practice baseballs off to the warning track dirt in front of the third base dugout as the team’s pregame ended.
No job is too small for “Donnie Baseball.”
However, Mattingly might be in the midst of his biggest job of his career.
To dig the Phillies out of their early season rut.
A 7-0 blanking of the San Francisco Giants in his managerial debut in red pinstripes was a good start. But at 10-19, there’s still plenty of work to be done.
Mattingly wants his team to have an intensity and attention to detail, similar to his playing style when he was one of the most feared hitters during his era.
“We have to take care of our business. Take care of ourselves. I feel simplistic in my approach towards the game. Let’s get ready to play, play our best baseball, give our best chance to win and go home at the end of the night,” Mattingly said.
“If you do that, you’re going to feel OK and you’re going to sleep OK. If you are not preparing, not playing well, if I’m doing all kinds of crazy stuff, we aren’t going to be sleeping well.”
Playing their best may not always result in wins. Mattingly understands that. But what he doesn’t want to see from his team is what has plagued them during this brutal month of April.
“If we are kicking the ball around, we are giving teams extra outs, we are not having quality at-bats, that’s to me losing games.”
Of course, part of the success depends on who is in the lineup and contributing. The offensive struggles have been well documented.
The top of the Phillies’ lineup draws perhaps more debate and discussion than most topics in the city.
Should Schwarber hit leadoff? Should Bryce Harper slide down in the lineup?
To Mattingly, he doesn’t think it matters much. He wants his guys to be comfortable.
“I think we can hit Harp first and Marsh second, or we can hit Trea second and Schwarb first. I don’t think that will make a big difference in our lineup. I want guys to be comfortable. I do know that as a player they want to be in spots and be comfortable with the guys around them, especially the big boys.”
“There might be ways I think it could be better, but if you talk to guys and they are not comfortable then I’d rather be at a place where they are committed and comfortable.”
The former slugging first baseman certainly has the experience to draw from. A 14-year career, an MVP award, a.307 career batting average to go along with 222 home runs and over 1,099 RBIs says it all and then some.
There is one thing evident in the way Mattingly speaks. He’s confident, he’s sure of himself. He knows the journey of a baseball season.
“It’s marathon-ish. Those marathoners aren’t running six minute miles. They are getting up to speed and they’re keeping pace. That’s what you hope for. That your club can get into a groove and ride that wave for a long period. There’s going to be a bad 10-day period, it’s happened to us early. Hopefully that was in the past and we get to ride our wave,” Mattingly said.
“I think about winning every night. That’s my approach. Whenever we play a game, I think we can win.”
