Phillies try to put to rest worries about long layoff

Charlie Manuel left Appalachia for a career in professional baseball nearly 50 years ago. But in a lot of ways, Appalachia never left Charlie Manuel.

So when the Philadelphia Phillies manager wades into a sentence in his distinctive southern Virginia twang, you find yourself hoping he spread breadcrumbs behind him so he can find his way out again. But set aside the style and concentrate on the substance, and there’s a lot of homespun logic in what Manuel says.

FOR THE RECORD:
Baseball playoffs: In the Oct. 12 Sports section, an article analyzing the potential problems of a five-day layoff for the Philadelphia Phillies as they head into the National League championship series against the San Francisco Giants said the Detroit Tigers in 2006 rolled through the American League playoffs unbeaten. The Tigers lost Game 1 of the AL division series to the Yankees before winning the next three games and then sweeping the Oakland A’s in the ALCS. —

Consider the response he gave Sunday, the day his team finished off a three-game playoff sweep of the Cincinnati Reds. Asked whether the five-day layoff before the Phillies’ next postseason game would hurt his team, Manuel answered with a definite maybe.

“You do good, nobody says nothing,” he said. “If we play good, I would say no. If we don’t play good, I go ‘Yeah, it hurt us.’ That’s how people are. I’m no different.”

Translation: If the biggest problem facing the Phillies is the schedule, then Manuel’s team is in pretty good shape.

The Phillies were so efficient in dispatching the Reds, getting two complete-game shutouts in the three-game National League division series, they flew home from Ohio on Monday to begin a work-week-long wait before opening the NL Championship Series against the San Francisco Giants on Saturday.

That will mark the team’s longest break between games since spring training began in February. And it means Philadelphia ace Roy Halladay, who pitched a no-hitter in the playoff opener with Cincinnati, will be starting Game 1 of the NLCS on nine days rest. And Cole Hamels, who beat the Reds in Sunday’s playoff clincher, will have eight days off before starting Game 3 in San Francisco.

The excess rest could be an even bigger issue for the deep Philadelphia bullpen, which has been in only one game since Oct. 3. Relievers, even more than starters, thrive on routine and regular work, which keeps them sharp and prevents them from becoming too fresh and overpowering the ball.

“You do not want to have too much rest because … our shoulders start to heal and you’re breaking that up again,” said reliever Ryan Madson, who appeared in 55 games during the regular season but will begin the NLCS having pitched only 2 2/3 innings since Sept. 24.

“You’ve got to get some reps in at some point,” said Chad Durbin, who has thrown only six pitches in the postseason after leading the bullpen with 68 2/3 innings during the regular season. “If your body does need to heal, it’s a good thing. But healing too much for us, I don’t feel as good with four days off as I do throwing three or four days in a row.”

The Phillies, bidding to become the first NL team in 66 years to win three consecutive league titles, had no more than three days rest between the division and league championship series the last two falls. But they’re not the first team to have to deal with an unusually long playoff break.

In 2006, the Detroit Tigers rolled unbeaten through the American League playoffs, then had to wait six days before opening the World Series. They lost to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games.

As far as Manuel is concerned, however, the long rest won’t be an issue. Unless it becomes one.

“When you say ‘Is that too much [rest]?’ if you advance to the next round, nobody says nothing,” he said. “But if you don’t, people say the rest hurt ‘em, things like that. That’s always something to talk about.

“I mean does it hurt us? I don’t know. Seriously, I mean, if we play good, I would say no.”

kevin.baxter@latimes.com