Closer Jeanmar Gomez's leash shorter after tightrope act on opening day

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CINCINNATI -- The taste of the Philllies' opening day win over the Cincinnati Reds was not as sweet as it could have been for manager Pete Mackanin.

Sure, he was thrilled to see Cesar Hernandez open the game with a home run and Freddy Galvis add a longball in the second inning and newcomers Michael Saunders and Howie Kendrick come up with big hits and another newcomer, reliever Joaquin Benoit, put up a roadblock on the Reds' offense in the sixth inning.

But Mackanin was left with a bit of a sour aftertaste after closer Jeanmar Gomez had reprised the wobbly ways that cost him the job late last season.

"I'm concerned about it," Mackanin said, plainly.

The successful setup work of Benoit, Edubray Ramos and Hector Neris had netted Gomez a three-run lead and a layup of a save in his first appearance of the season, but he came way too close to coughing up that lead for Mackanin's liking. Gomez gave up a leadoff single and a two-run homer with two outs in the ninth as the Reds made it a one-run game. Gomez finally got the last out and the Phillies won, 4-3, but it was a little too close for the manager, who has carried an uneasiness about his closer situation for months. That much became evident when Mackanin started qualifying his comments about the closer role, saying things like Gomez was his closer "for now," and "He's going to get every opportunity to do the job. If he doesn't, we're going to take a look at it."

Well, Mackanin is already taking a look at it.

Gomez's leash got a little shorter on opening day.

"I had two guys up in the 'pen in that ninth inning," Mackanin said. "(Gomez) is just not getting the ball down the way he did when he was successful. I want to make sure that he gets opportunities, but at the same time, I don't want to let games slip away."

Gomez won respect from the skipper when he plugged a problematic closer position and saved 37 games last season.

But this year, the Phils have legitimate options at closer. They signed Benoit, who was throwing 96 mph on Monday, in the offseason, and Ramos and Neris, both owners of closer stuff, have a year of valuable experience under their belts.

"It's very tricky," Mackanin said. "Like I said, [Gomez] has earned the right to have the opportunity to be the closer. But at the same time, just because a guy is a closer doesn't mean you can't take him out of the game when he's getting the ball up.

"He got the save. He did the job. But he's got to get the ball down. That pitch was up in the zone for an opposite-field home run. I don't want that to happen.

"As I said last year, and I'll always say it, you audition every day. Just because you're the cleanup hitter doesn't mean you're going to stay the cleanup hitter. Just because you're the closer doesn't mean you have to stay the closer. Like I said, a closer doesn't have to stay in the game, win or lose. It depends on what the manager feels is best for the team. So, you know, we'll go from there.

"I certainly have options. I don't want to make too big of a deal out of it, but I owe it to the team to do what I think is best for the team."

The Phillies are off on Tuesday.

If they have a save situation on Wednesday night, Gomez will likely be the guy that Mackanin calls upon. But one more walk on the tightrope could lead to an early change in the role. Stay tuned.

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