June 17 -- THREE UP, THREE DOWN

BY SCOTT LAUBER

First things first: If it's Wednesday, it's time for our weekly live chat about all things Phillies. So, please join me at noon today by clicking on the link at www.delawareonline.com.

OK, now that that's out of the way, here are a three random things that captured my attention during last night's 10-inning, 8-3 Phillies loss to the Blue Jays:

1. We've always known that Ryan Howard is a much better hitter against right-handed pitching than against lefties, but a closer look at the Big Man's splits -- prompted by his three whiffs against Jays lefty Ricky Romero -- are borderline ridiculous.

vs. RHP: .298/.371/.702/1.073, 16 HR, 38 RBI, 42 K
vs. LHP: .194/.263/.350/.613, 3 HR, 13 RBI, 39 K

Of the Phillies' left-handed, middle-of-the-lineup sluggers, Howard's righty-lefty splits are by far the most lopsided. In fact, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez have hammered lefties almost as hard as they've pounded right-handers.

Utley vs. RHP: .323 AVG, .467 OBP, .615 SLG, 1.082 OPS, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 22 K, 130 AB
Utley vs. LHP: .299 AVG, .410 OBP, .529 SLG, .939 OPS, 5 HR, 14 RBI, 16 K, 87 AB
Ibanez vs. RHP: .325 AVG, .390 OBP, .669 SLG, 1.058 OPS, 14 HR, 35 RBI, 21 K, 154 AB
Ibanez vs. LHP: .301 AVG, .346 OBP, .656 SLG, 1.002 OPS, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 26 K, 93 AB

Howard has played in each of the Phillies' 62 games, and while I'm not suggesting he sit against tough left-handed pitchers (although, maybe he should), Charlie Manuel certainly may want to consider dropping Howard from the cleanup spot when the Phillies face lefties. Just a thought.

2. It isn't easy starring in a reality TV show, but lately, that's the least taxing part of the Phillies relievers' jobs. Since last Wednesday, the Phils have played four extra-inning games and endured a rain delay Saturday night that forced the bullpen to log eight innings. Through it all, Brad Lidge (knee) and Scott Eyre (calf) have landed on the disabled list, putting even more pressure on the rest of the group.

Here's a look at a busy week for the Pen Men:

Wednesday (Taschner, Durbin, Eyre, Romero, Park, Madson): 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 112 pitches
Thursday (Condrey, Durbin, Eyre, Madson): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 41 pitches
Friday (Park, Romero, Madson, Condrey, Kendrick): 6 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 BB, 103 pitches
Saturday (Durbin, Taschner, Escalona, Condrey, Romero): 8 IP, 10 H, 6 R, 8 BB, 172 pitches
Sunday (Park, Madson): 3-1/3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 70 pitches
Tuesday (Durbin, Romero, Madson, Condrey, Walker): 4 IP, 4 H, 6 R, 8 BB, 112 pitches

The Phillies were sure Cole Hamels would give them at least seven innings last night. He lasted only six, and afterwards, he was rather critical of himself. "You're supposed to be the guy that can go seven, eight innings, and when you're not able to do that, it puts a lot of stress on the bullpen," he said. "Being a top-tier pitcher, you're supposed to give the bullpen a break. I'm not living up to my caliber, I guess." And with Jamie Moyer starting tonight, it figures to be another busy night for the 'pen. Moyer has completed seven innings only once in 12 starts.

3. Everyone's looking for reasons to explain why the Phillies are 13-17 at home compared to 23-9 on the road. And while I don't have any answers, the numbers certainly reflect the records.

Offense at home: 30 G, .250 AVG, .340 OBP, .450 SLG, 40 HR, 148 R
Offense on road: 32 G, .273 AVG, .344 OBP, .471 SLG, 51 HR, 192 R
Pitching at home: 30 G, 5.30 ERA, 303 H, 169 R, 163 ER, 128 BB, .278 OPP BA
Pitching on road: 32 G, 4.15 ERA, 284 H, 137 R, 133 ER, 97 BB, .259 OPP BA