Howard's blast masks otherwise lifeless crew

By Jared Trexler

The Phanatic Magazine

Faster than a speeding bullet, did Ryan Howard save the Phillies season?

Unlikely for a team off a 4-6 road trip, entrenched in fourth place and showing flashes of acceptability amongst lengthy bouts of lethargic play.

Those flashes in the pan are likely that, mirages of a baseball oasis not experienced in this town since the year-long tropical paradise of 1993. Though sorry for the visual -- Dykstra, Kruk and Inky are the last people anyone wants to see in bathing suits.

Howard made history in the top of the seventh inning Wednesday, coming off the bench and turning on a Brandon Medders fastball for a grand slam that left as fast as it came in. The big man pointed to the bench in an "I told you so" manner, rounding the bases with the distinction of the first home run champ to club a pinch-hit long ball the following year since Ralph Kiner 60 years preceding.

Though, granted, most HR champs aren't coming off the bench like Howard did in the desert series finale -- saddled by hagging groin issues and mired in a season-long slumber illustrated by a .198 batting average entering the contest.

Howard's last three hits have been home runs -- possibly a tell tale sign the slugger is awakening, you think? Not when considering the three hits span a week, starting May 2 in San Francisco.

Never let the facts get in the way of complete rah-rah hope.

It's all grasping at straws with a 10-game homestand on the horizon against Chicago, Milwaukee and Toronto. The Cubs have been playing better of late, Milwaukee has the best record in baseball and Toronto has lost eight straight games.

All winnable series, especially at home, where one good trip can keep afloat a leaking ship.

Again, blank hope.

Something tells me the Phillies are what they are -- a streaky at best group that meshes at times then seems completely unattached at others. It likely has something to do with the players' personalities, Charlie Manuel's managing and the worst combination of late game baseball in the bigs.

The Phillies don't hit in the clutch, have one of baseball's worst benches and fancy a bullpen that, well, isn't too fancy.

Their starting corner outfielders have a combined three home runs, and it looks like Pat Burrell's increasing frustration with such a stat is hindering his easy, level swing approach from earlier in the season. Aaron Rowand is bound to calm down from a start that sees him hitting almost 100 points above his career average -- and when he does, what is left of an outfield with an already short supply of power?

The starting third baseman -- Abraham Nunez or Wes Helms -- have a combined zero long balls. Nunez has ridiculous splits (.600 batting left-handed, .162 hitting right), again against the career norm, and may be a better option at the present time especially with his glove late in games. Helms is David Bell Lite, which is a sad reality for a club that made upgrading the hot corner a top priority this offseason.

Speaking of priorities, GM Pat Gillick really didn't satisfy any of them, which firmly entrenches my contention that the wise, old baseball man is now just old, bunkering up North of the Border while his manager is left to sort through a back end of the bullpen featuring Francisco Rosario, an untested Fabio Castro and Antonio Alfonseca.

Which leads to the starting staff, by far the strength of the club to date with Gillick's best move -- 44-year-old Jamie Moyer -- pitching like a man half his age. Cole Hamels puts people in the seats and check marks in the win column and Jon Lieber has pitched with a purpose since being reinstated into the rotation.

Yet, Gillick's two offseason acquisitions have struggled. Adam Eaton is making $8 million this season to a 7.43 ERA and 47 hits surrendered in 40 innings. Freddy Garcia opened the campaign on the DL, hasn't pitched into the seventh inning in any of his five starts and still appears low on his prior velocity.

It's been discovered the Phillies didn't give Garcia a physical prior to trading Gio Gonzalez and Gavin Floyd for him at the Winter Meetings. If that's a blasphemous standard practice than the Phillies are just dumb.

Oh, but they get dumber. They weren't comfortable with Joe Borowski's physical, yet Cleveland signed him and he's answered the call with 11 saves in 12 opportunities. He'd have likely been a help to a bullpen that now includes Brett Myers out of necessity, the Opening Day starter with four-plus pitches and by far a bigger strength when pitching seven innings than one.

Unless of course you understand the sad state of the Phillies relief corps.

The club's best bench bat to date is Nunez, though he's raised his average nearly 60 points during a starting stretch on the road trip. Jayson Werth is at .273, but has just one extra base hit. Greg Dobbs is at an even .200, and Rod Barajas is even worse than that at .195. Chris Coste currently picks splinters out of his butt at Triple-A Ottawa.

And those are your Philadelphia Phillies, no better or worse than before Howard's missile sent a jolt of hope through the city. Ryan's still not back, and likely won't feel comfortable at the plate until he spends a few weeks truly healing that nagging quad. The bullpen is still a mess, especially when Geoff Geary or Myers aren't pitching. And the bench, well the bench is bad unless one of the club's best players -- Howard -- is coming off it.

Remember, before Howard's bomb, Randy Johnson struck out the first six Phillies of the game. The club was about to be swept out of Phoenix, completing a 3-7 road trip that just illustrates its consistent inconsistency.

Then Howard swung the bat. But things are still the same.

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You can reach Jared Trexler at jtrexler@phanaticmag.com