Phillies Notes: Manuel rests Ibanez, goes with Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO - After Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, Charlie Manuel was asked if it was time to bench Raul Ibanez after 15 straight hitless at-bats and play Ben Francisco in left field.

"I'll think about all that," the Phillies' manager said. "But at the same time, it's getting kind of late to be trying to make moves, isn't it?"

Apparently not.

Francisco started in left and batted seventh in Wednesday night's Game 4 as Ibanez sat. Manuel said his reasoning was twofold. One, he wanted another righthanded bat in the lineup against San Francisco lefthander Madison Bumgarner. Two, he noticed disturbing trends in Ibanez's swings during the last week.

"I feel like Raul is trying too hard," Manuel said, "and overswinging, chasing bad balls. The swing's getting long."

Francisco had just one at-bat in the postseason before Wednesday. But after a long layoff in September, Francisco hit well in the final week of the season with regular at-bats. He was 7 for 17 (.412) with a double and two home runs. Against lefthanders this season, Francisco had a .901 OPS in 88 at-bats.

"He can stay on the ball and he has a knack for hitting," Manuel said. "He's a good fastball hitter and he works the count pretty good."

Cole Hamels said the Giants' Cody Ross hit what he thought was an unhittable pitch for a run-scoring single in Game 3. Preparing for a guy that hot isn't easy to do, the pitcher said.

Roy Halladay, the Phillies' Game 5 starter, also was victimized by Ross, who hit two home runs in Game 1.

Halladay will be making adjustments.

"I'll talk about that with my catcher," Halladay said. "We definitely have some ideas. But he's hitting good pitches at times, something he wasn't doing as much in Florida."

Halladay was named the Sporting News' National League pitcher of the year in a vote by players, managers, and general managers.