Manuel "could have strangled" Ryan Church

New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel said he "could have strangled" outfielder Ryan Church, according to Brian Costa of the Newark Star-Ledger.

In another effort to beat themselves, Church failed to step on third base in the 11th inning of their 3-2 loss on Monday.

As Costa points out, it's perceived that Manuel is harder on Church than any other Met even though he claims he does "not have a doghouse."

"I don't know why people think I got a deal with Ryan Church, I really don't," Manuel said. "I don't have a problem with Ryan. Not at all. I like to egg him on and mess with him a little bit like I do with everybody, but I love to see Ryan every day. He comes to the park every day early. I love to see Ryan Church. I don't have a problem with Ryan Church."

Whether or not he really has a "problem" with Church, more times than not perception is reality.

In 37 games, Church is batting .275 and has one home run and eight RBIs.