June 1, 200323 yr from miamiherald.com Armando Almanza hasn't landed in the doghouse because of his recent failures. But he did find himself ensconced in the dugout before Saturday's game with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who is known to ''take a walk'' with struggling players when he feels there is a need to offer support. Almanza took the losses in Marlins defeats Thursday and Friday and has given up 10 earned runs over his past seven relief appearances covering 5 2/3 innings (15.87 ERA). ''I've been putting a lot of pressure on myself,'' said Almanza, who partly blames the sudden ineffectiveness of his curveball. ``I think before I would panic in a situation like this, and I started to in the beginning [of his current slump]. But I'm tired of driving myself crazy over it.'' Manager Jack McKeon had said initially he planned to stick with Almanza as his primary left-handed set-up man, but that position might change after his recent struggles. McKeon said it's possible he could insert Almanza into a long role ''just to get him back in the swing of things,'' even if that involves having the pitcher go ''three or four innings'' in a single stint, most likely during a rout. ''Sometimes that's what you've got to do,'' McKeon said.
June 1, 200323 yr Maybe I'm in the minority but I think he'll be ok, just needs one or two good outings to get his confidence back.
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