Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has two rules -- hustle and be on time. Jimmy Rollins has broken both.
Rollins, the reigning NL Most Valuable Player, was removed from the starting lineup Thursday before a 3-1 loss to the Mets because he showed up nearly an hour later than he was supposed to report to Shea Stadium. Rollins explained that he got stuck in traffic driving from the Phillies' midtown Manhattan hotel. "Jimmy and I talked about it. That's all I've got to say," Manuel said after Rollins batted in the ninth inning and hit a first-pitch, game-ending grounder in a loss that bumped the Phillies from first place in the National League East. "It's an in-house thing."
Rollins was removed from a game June 5 at Citizens Bank Park for not hustling on a shallow pop fly that was dropped by backpedaling Reds shortstop Paul Janish. In that situation, Rollins agreed with Manuel's decision to replace him with Eric Bruntlett.
Not this time.
"We're not going to agree on this one," Rollins said. "I agreed with him last time, but we're not going to agree on this one. I think he understood that, and I understood it. But he's the manager. He has to set a precedent, and for certain players, you are expected and held up to higher rules. That's fine. That's part of it."
Rollins expressed little regret for his transgression. He said he didn't speak with his teammates about it, and because Bruntlett snapped a 1-for-16 funk by equaling his season-high with three hits, Rollins said he didn't think he let down the Phillies by not playing.
Not all of his teammates agreed.
"It's disappointing," said pitcher Jamie Moyer, who found out Rollins wasn't playing while he was warming up in the bullpen and was credited with the hard-luck loss. "It's unfortunate. But rules are rules. I commend Charlie for standing up to the rules that he has, and I think we all need to be accountable to that. You create who you are in the clubhouse by how you act and the way you carry yourself."
METS 3, PHILLIES 1: Jamie Moyer allowed two hits in seven innings, but the Phillies dropped the finale of a three-game series at Shea Stadium and dropped out of first place in the NL East for the first time since May 31. Reliever J.C. Romero allowed a two-out, two-run double to Carlos Delgado in the eighth inning to break a 1-1 tie. The Phillies went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight runners. Jayson Werth's solo home run in the seventh inning represented their lone run.
