Aug. 20 -- CATCHING ON?

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Lost amid the Jimmy Rollins nonsense last night -- and, thus, buried in the notebook in today's News Journal -- is a developing situation involving the Phillies catchers. Allow me to explain.

Charlie Manuel reiterated yesterday that Carlos Ruiz has done a nice job behind the plate -- calling games, throwing out runners, blocking pitches, etc. But with the rest of the lineup struggling, Manuel said it's becoming more difficult to overlook Ruiz's offensive deficiencies. That's why the Phillies have expressed interest in signing veteran catcher David Ross, who was released Monday by the Reds.

"His swing gets long at times, and it's slow," Manuel said of Ruiz. "Last year, it seemed like he had a quicker bat and he hit more balls hard. But if everyone was hitting, we wouldn't be talking about Ruiz."

Ross, 31, can clear waivers this afternoon. Folks in Cincy never confused him with Johnny Bench, but he did hit 21 home runs in 2006. Asked if it's reasonable to expect a catcher to join the team in late August and handle a pitching staff he hasn't worked with before, Manuel said, "I think it would be asking a lot of a young catcher. And it might be a lot to ask of a veteran catcher. Some guys have that knack, but those guys might be hard to find."

Indeed, if the Phillies sign Ross, it's difficult to imagine that he'd replace Ruiz. A team source said yesterday that it's more likely Ross would be sent to triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalled when rosters expand on Sept. 1. He would give Manuel another catching option and would allow him to use Chris Coste as a pinch-hitter down the stretch.

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Manuel likes Jayson Werth in the No. 2 spot because of his strong on-base percentage. And Werth is having his best season since 2004, when he batted second in the Dodgers lineup and hit 16 home runs. Back then, it seemed he was destined to be a decent starting outfielder. But he broke his left wrist in spring training in 2005, an injury that required two surgeries and imperiled his career.

Is Werth finally feeling like his old self?

"I hit eight home runs last year, and I didn't play the year before that," he said after hitting the game-winning homer, his career-high 17th, last night. "I'm just trying to get good at-bats and do what it takes to help the team."