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CHICAGOTheres a room in the tunnel behind the visiting dugout at Wrigley Field that is used for storage. In the postseason, it has been used as an interview room. On Wednesday, it became Lourdes for Phillies pitcher Vance Worley.
You might have heard that a heat wave has engulfed the Midwest this week. Its headed to the East Coast just in time for the Phillies to open a 10-game homestand Friday night. Triple-digit temperatures, they say.
The Chicago heat got the best of Roy Halladay on Monday night and with the temperature soaring to 97 degrees on Wednesday, Cubs officials decided to open the storage room behind the visiting dugout, flip on the air conditioner and give Phillies players a spot to seek relief.
The retreat came in especially handy for Worley, who visited it between innings of the Phillies 9-1 win over the Cubs.
I was fortunate enough to have the room to sit in, said Worley, who pitched a career-high eight innings. It definitely helped.
You didnt need to know the secret pitchers handshake to get into the room. Jimmy Rollins visited it a few times between innings. He homered twice in the gameonce from each side of the plateand doubled in a run as he raised his batting average to .406 over the last 14 games. (The salary drive has begun.)
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Its excellent, Rollins said of the cool room. Roy could have used that. Theres air conditioning and a TV in there. I heard one of the doctors suggested they open it.
Wrigley Field is 97 years old and lacks the amenities of modern parks. The dugouts are tiny and they feel like pizza ovens on hot days.
In heat like this in that dugout theres no relief, Rollins said. You need a place to go cool off. It worked out well.
Wednesdays victory, led by Worley and Rollins, gave the Phils eight straight series wins as they improved to a majors-best 61-36. The Phils havent lost a series in a month.
If you take two out of three all the timeI can even count that up, manager Charlie Manuel said. Thats .667 or .666. Whatever it is, were looking good if we keep doing that.
There are many reasons why the Phils have the best record in baseball and those three all-star pitchers have a lot to do with it.
But so, too, do a handful of players who have made good on opportunities that have come their way during the season. In the bullpen, Antonio Bastardo and Mike Stutes have delivered. In the rotation, Worley has taken his chance, borne from of an injury to Joe Blanton, and galloped with it. He is 6-1 with an ERA of 2.00 in 10 starts. Overall, the 23-year-old right-handers ERA is 2.02 in 12 games.
You never know whos going to step up, Manuel said. This is a game of opportunity. When you get an opportunity, youve got to take advantage of it. Some guys do and some dont. We have had some guys step up and thats good. Thats what baseball is all about. You always can be replaced.
Worleys previous innings high was seven. He was pleased that Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee gave him a shot to go back out for the eighth. He earned the chance by keeping his pitch count in check. He threw 111.
He did a good job, Manuel said. He stayed in and battled. That was the most pitches hes thrown all year. We felt like getting his pitch count up on a day like today could help him. Well see how he reacts next time.
Worley was pleased to show Manuel that he could go deep into the game.
I feel like my pitch count was what was ruining me from going deeper, he said. I feel conditioned to do it. I just need to keep my pitch count down. Ive gone eight and nine innings before. Its just a matter of getting it done up here.
Worley gave up just four hits and struck out seven. Rollins stood in against Worley as the pitcher completed his warmups in the bullpen before the game. Rollins believes deception has been a big part of Worleys success.
You just dont pick the ball up off of him right away. You dont, Rollins said. I dont know why. Hes a big dude, big head, Mohawk haircut and everything. He finds a way to hide that ball. Its not like his stuff is electric. Hes not lighting up any radar guns. But he gets a lot of swings and misses and thats what really counts.
Eventually, hitters will get more of a read on Worley. It happens all the time in the big leagues. It will be up to him to make adjustments and stay ahead of them.
As long as he can stay strong, I think hes going to be OK, Manuel said. With the scouting reports we have, as long as our catcher and pitcher stay in tune with what we want to do, hell be fine as long as he stays healthy and strong.
E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com
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