Raul Ibanez returns to the field this evening as Charlie Manuel has penciled him in batting sixth and playing left. With John Mayberry playing very well as of late, there was no need to rush Ibanez and his sore groin back. Whether Mayberry's growth has turned him into the better option over Ibanez remains to be seen, but we all know Charlie Manuel is a loyal guy (and we also know how most fans feel). Charlie may be managing what looks like a platoon but will never call it a platoon.
That said, Ibanez is back tonight and will face Reds' starter Bronson Arroyo (8-10, 5.02) who Raul has hit .429 against in (only) seven career at-bats. As we mentioned earlier, Arroyo has struggled mightily against the Phils over his last four starts. Toss in new Phillie Hunter Pence who has seen Arroyo a ton (11-32) and it looks like a good matchup for the Phils.
Oh, and Roy Halladay (15-5, 2.56) is pitching for the Fightins.
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John Finger went to Allentown to take a look at the state of Dom Brown. It's mixed and uncertain.
Speaking of Dom, he had a particularly rough night in Allentown last night and was booed quite a bit. [TheFightins]
Then, later this afternoon David Murphy tweeted this, "Manuel said that he will recommend that Dom Brown gets called back up after the minor league season. Sounds like he really wants him here."
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So, Dom's future seems up in the air.
Tonight's Lineup: Victorino, Polanco, Utley, Howard, Pence, Ibanez, Chooch, Valdez, and Halladay.
7:10 start time from Cincy. Enjoy the Halladay.