A few non-Alfonso Soriano-related notes to pass along from a day at Citizens Bank Park ...
* GM Pat Gillick said the Phillies didn't bid on Japanese 3B Akinori Iwamura and won't bid on P Daisuke Matsuzaka either.
* Don't expect the Phillies to go after any high-priced third basemen. Instead, it's looking more like Penn alum Mark DeRosa is a possibility to share time at third with Abraham Nunez (left). Charlie Manuel said Nunez "made a believer out of me" with his defense last season and is an advocate of giving Nunez plenty of playing time despite his lack of offensive production.* The Phillies aren't going after a catcher, either. Manuel said he's content with Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste splitting time behind the plate.
* Gillick said he's "hopeful, not optimistic" that LHP Randy Wolf will re-sign with the Phillies. Regardless, Wolf is going to test the open market as a free agent. "This is the first opportunity he's had for free agency," Gillick said. "He probably wants to kick the tires and see what's out there. It's only natural for a player to want to see if the grass is greener on the other side of the fence." It's expected that Wolf will attract considerable interest in a thin free-agent market for pitching.
* OF David Dellucci probably will be playing elsewhere in 2007. "We'd like to have him back," Gillick said, "but I think David is looking for some more playing time than we can give him."
* Oh, and Ryan Howard homered again Tuesday morning for the MLB All-Stars in Japan. In case you've lost track, that's four homers in four games, not including one he hit in an exhibition last week. Manuel, a fan favorite during his playing days in Japan, is guessing Howard has surpassed his popularity in the Far East. "When he hit that one the other day over the double-decker screen they've got out there, that's when he might've wiped me out," Manuel joked.
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