Phillies manager Larry Bowa said that Mike Lieberthal will be behind the plate again tonight. That's significant because Duckworth is pitching.
It's the first time that Lieberthal has caught consecutive starts by Duckworth since the middle of May.
On Sunday, against the Mets at Shea Stadium, Duckworth and Lieberthal had some pitch-selection disagreements early in the game. Duckworth, whose ERA is 3.29 with Todd Pratt behind the plate and 6.11 with Lieberthal catching, has never stated a catching preference.
"I can't let our two young pitchers [Duckworth and Padilla] determine who's catching them," Bowa said. "These guys are young and they have to learn to pitch to whoever is catching them. I thought [Duckworth and Lieberthal] did a good job together. He had one bad inning."
It's the first time that Lieberthal has caught consecutive starts by Duckworth since the middle of May.
On Sunday, against the Mets at Shea Stadium, Duckworth and Lieberthal had some pitch-selection disagreements early in the game. Duckworth, whose ERA is 3.29 with Todd Pratt behind the plate and 6.11 with Lieberthal catching, has never stated a catching preference.
"I can't let our two young pitchers [Duckworth and Padilla] determine who's catching them," Bowa said. "These guys are young and they have to learn to pitch to whoever is catching them. I thought [Duckworth and Lieberthal] did a good job together. He had one bad inning."
