ATLANTA - Maikel Franco batted four times in Friday night's loss to Atlanta. He saw four pitches. He made four outs.
But, after the game, Phillies manager Pete Mackanin could find no fault. He has preached discipline to his young lineup, a group that swings at a higher percentage of pitches than any other in the National League, according to FanGraphs.
The Braves threw Franco four first-pitch fastballs. Three of them were probably strikes, and the other was a borderline pitch.
"I don't have a problem with that," Mackanin said. "The first pitch he hit, he was upset because it was a good pitch to hit.