Now, for your latest silver lining.
When Ryan Howard went down with a sprained ankle in a win over the Nationals on Aug. 1, the Phillies lost their chief source of power in a season in which they already were homering with less frequency than in recent years. Sure enough, they went without a home run in nine of their first 13 games without him, including six straight heading into last night before Jimmy Rollins broke the streak with a three-run shot in the fourth inning.
But here's the rub: The Phillies entered last night having won 10 of 13 since Howard's injury, including five of the six straight in which they did not homer. In a 10-9 win over the Dodgers last week, they rallied for eight runs in the eighth and ninth innings while getting just two-extra base hits (both doubles).
Man does not live on home runs alone. And, suddenly, neither do the Phillies.
That's good news, because they likely will be without their star first baseman through the end of the week. When asked if he was targeting a date to return, he said Monday looked to be a realistic goal. There is still a chance he will come back sooner. But the Phillies know they need Howard healthy for September, and they don't want to rush him back.
"I'd rather be safe than sorry," Howard said before last night's game. "The competitor in me wants to be out there. But at the same time, you don't want to rush it back, because then it's all for naught. Come back too soon and go right back down and the next thing you know I'm done for the rest of September."
In the meantime, the Phillies have proven more than capable of executing their current brand of baseball. They entered last night hitting .290 with a .357 on-base percentage while winning 19 of 24 games, despite averaging just 0.8 home runs per contest.
Not only are they putting men on base, they are driving them in. During that 24-game stretch, the Phillies hit .272 with runners in scoring position, compared with a .258 average in their first 94 games.
For the season, the Phillies are hitting .262 with runners in scoring position, which would be their second-highest total over the last five seasons. In 2008, they hit .263 (although just .202 in the postseason). Last year, they hit .255 (.327 in the postseason).
