Mackanin: ‘Not going to stand for' Odubel Herrera's outbursts

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ATLANTA — Even with their offense lost in a fog, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin didn’t hesitate to yank one of his best hitters from the lineup Sunday during the 2-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves (see Instant Replay).

Mackanin lifted Odubel Herrera after he was retired on a soft fly to left to end the fourth inning and slung his bat in frustration. When the Phillies took the field in the bottom of the inning, Aaron Altherr slid over to center field to take Herrera’s position and Brian Bogusevic took his spot in the batting order.

“He threw his bat after he popped out and he didn’t run hard so I took him out of the game,” Mackanin said.

Herrera is batting .293, the Phillies' highest average among players with 300 or more at-bats. He was hitless in his last eight at-bats and showed the frustration after making the final out of the fourth.

“Lately he’s been showing his emotions a little bit more and we’re not going to stand for it,” Mackanin said. “I’m sure he’s going to understand.”

Herrera had three home runs and six RBIs against the Braves over the first 18 meetings. He was likely frustrated after being robbed on a line drive to second baseman Jace Peterson in the first inning. His emotional display in the fourth rubbed Mackanin the wrong way and the manager decided it was time to send a message.

“This game is easy to play when everything is going your way,” Mackanin said. “When you’re hitting and pitching and winning games, this is easy. Character comes out when you’re struggling. What kind of person you are. That’s what talked about with pitching, how we’re pushing to get out of jams. You cannot afford to pout or feel sorry for yourself. You’ve got to play like a man.”

The lack of offensive support has been galling to Mackanin. His team has manufactured only four runs over the last four games. They lost all three games in Atlanta by 2-1 counts and now trail the Braves by four games in the N.L. East.

This lack of support came back to bite rookie pitcher Aaron Nola on Sunday.

Nola bounced back from a poor start in his last outing against the Nationals and looked more like the guy who had allowed three or fewer runs in seven of his first 11 starts.

Nola allowed the first three runners of the game to reach base, with one run scoring. A double play and a ground ball got him out of the inning and he settled down from there. Nola pitched seven innings and allowed five hits and three walks, with four strikeouts.

Team officials will meet soon to determine how much more Nola will be allowed to pitch this season (see story).

The Phillies did show some offensive spark in the ninth when they rallied to score a run against Atlanta starter Julio Teheran, who retired the first 18 batters he faced. Altherr reached on a single that fell out of the glove of Cameron Maybin, who almost made a diving catch, and Bogusevic singled to right. The Braves removed Teheran and called on veteran Peter Moylan, who retired Jeff Francoeur but gave up a single to Andres Blanco. Rightfielder Todd Cunningham’s throw to the plate was late and Altherr slid home with the tying run.

But the Braves scored a run against reliever Luis Garcia in the bottom half of the inning. Garcia (3-6) allowed a one-out infield single to shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who went to second base when Cody Asche’s throw got away. Simmons stole third base and scored on a single by catcher A.J. Pierzynski.

“Teheran pitched very well,” Mackanin said. “He can be tough when he’s on. But I’m tired of giving credit to the other pitchers. I want to give credit to our hitters. We just haven’t been able to make adjustments. Right now nobody is swinging the bats.”

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