Well, what do you think is wrong with Ryan Howard? No, I'm really asking. If you have any ideas, the Phillies would love to hear them. Seriously.Charlie Manuel knows a lot about hitting. A lot. The man loves to talk about it, and he's gone toe-to-toe for hours with the likes of Ted Williams about the best approach to hitting a baseball. But when it comes to Howard's early-season struggles, even Manuel seems to be at a loss.
When the Phillies face the Mets tonight -- and try to stave off a three-game sweep -- at The Bank, Howard will be batting .182 (12-for-66) with 26 strikeouts. He's hitless in his last 10 at-bats with six strikeouts. And the best explanation that he or Manuel can come up with is that he's "uncomfortable" at the plate.
Ya think?
"I'm just not seeing the ball the way I want to see it," Howard said after going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts yesterday. "When you're not comfortable, that's what happens."
Said Manuel, who has told Howard to move closer to the plate, particularly against lefties: "He's just wanting to do too much. He's struggling and not hitting too good right now. That's common. We've got to work our way out of it. Believe me, he's trying hard. He's coachable. He'll listen."
So, amateur hitting coaches, what do y'all think?
***
Spent a few minutes before yesterday's game with Jimmy Rollins, and trust me, it's killing him that he's still unable to start a game. Especially against the Mets. Especially on national TV. At every key point yesterday, Rollins stood on the top step of the dugout to enhance his front-row seat. Hey, if you can't play, cheerlead.
Considering the circumstances tonight -- Phillies-Mets, ESPN, Mets going for a sweep -- it wouldn't shock me to see Rollins in the lineup, even if he limps to the plate Willis Reed-style. He looked more fluid yesterday fielding grounders before the game, and he seemed to run well to first base after grounding out in the sixth inning. But, if I was a gambling man, I'd say he won't start until at least tomorrow night in Denver.
***
Hey, Phillies fans, Billy Wagner says he disapproves of some of your brethren cheering as Jose Reyes writhed in pain at second base Friday night. What has society come to, Wagner asked.
"It's really sad when humanity comes to the point where somebody getting hurt, it's fun to watch," he said. "It's sad when that happens. Nobody wants anybody to get hurt. I don't want Jimmy Rollins getting hurt. I don't want Pat Burrell to get hurt. I want to compete against these guys because they're the best and you want to beat the best.
"When you see Reyes laying there -- it's a tough shot, a clean play -- and the fans cheering that he's hurt, that just goes and shows you volumes about where our society is headed."
***
Finally, in the Sunday MLB notes, Rollins isn't the only shortstop for whom April has been tough. But the Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki seems to be heating up, just in time to face the Phillies.
Enjoy your Sunday, everyone.
4 comments:
My brother and I have a theory that he needs a heavier bat. The game against the Reds when he pinch hit and hit two home runs to tie and then win the game, he was sick. After the game he said the bat felt really heavy and so he was far more selective. Perhaps always using a heavier bat would help him.
If he learned to lay off the low outside breaking pitch from southpaws, he'd be OK. Pat Burrell did it and look what it's done for him.
He's got 10 million reasons to give up
If anyone needs further proof that Philadelphia fans (Phillies, Eagles, Flyers) are the most ignorant fans on earth, watch them boo a potentially injured player. If there were ever IQ tests issued to these people, I think they would all end up institutionalized (with apologies to those already institutionalized). What a City of Losers.
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