NEW YORK -- Gabe Kapler is not blind to the intense criticism the Phillies have received the past few days.
They are the talk of baseball, but not in a way that anybody wanted. Kapler has been panned because of the way he managed his pitching staff last week in a three-game series against the Braves at SunTrust Park. The rookie manager pulled Aaron Nola after 68 pitches Thursday, despite dominant stuff and a 5-0 lead. The bullpen blew that lead and lost the game. Kapler then used nine pitchers in 11 innings Friday, and Saturday nobody told Hoby Milner to warm up in the third inning when they summoned him from the bullpen.