Francoeur, Phillies going down to the wire

Jeff Francoeur has been through the drill before so he is taking the suspense that comes with attempting to make the Phillies roster in stride.

Francoeur insists he isn't stressed out over whether he will make the team. The 25-man roster must be submitted by 3 p.m. Sunday.

This weekend,manager Ryne Sandberg talked about the need for righthanded hitting by the Phillies. Francoeur is a righthanded bat with a strong arm in rightfield who fits the bill.

He has some pop, although Francoeur hasn't hit for a very high average recently.

This spring he batted .227 10 for 44) with three doubles and two RBIs. He was a non-roster invitee who has blended well with his new teammates.

Francoeur even lost about 10 days this spring with an oblique injury, but he has had his moments.

One of them was Friday night during the Phillies 7-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Francoeur went 3 for 4.

So now it's time to wait, which can't be easy but Francoeur is able to keep things in perspective.

"You know the situation," he said after Saturday's 6-4 win over the Pirates. "You know what goes into it and really if you do the best you can there is nothing else you can do."

He said he put in the work in the offseason and now he'll await the decision.

Last season Francoeur saw limited time, 10 games with the San Diego Padres.

Francoeur began his career with the Atlanta Braves, then spentwo seasons with the New York Mets, 15 games with Texas, three years in Kansas City, a brief 22-game cameo with the San Francisco Giants in 2013 before appearing in 10 games last season with the San Diego Padres.

Francoeur says he won't even get into speculating about his chances to make the roster.

"You never know, man," he said. "You prepare the best you can and if you do that, then at the end of the day, you can be OK (with the decision)."

Make no mistake, being OK doesn't mean he would agree with a decision that doesn't include him on the 25-man roster. It's just that the 31-year-old Francoeur understands the harsh reality of the game.

Rosters aren't easy to make, even for a team that has generated such low expectations as the Phillies. Francoeur feels he put himself in a good position to earn a spot. Now the decision is up to the Phillies front office and at least Francoeur has made it a difficult choice, which is why it is going down to the wire.