NEW YORK — The New York Mets made it no secret on Monday.
They don’t think Ryan Howard can hit a good fastball.
Howard saw eight pitches from right-hander Jacob deGrom in the first six innings and all of them were fastballs — good ones, too, at 94 and 95 mph.
Howard grounded out hard into the shift on the first pitch in the second inning. He turned on one and grounded a hit off the first-base bag in the fourth inning and flied to left in the sixth.
He batted for the final time in the eighth inning. Lefty Jerry Blevins kept attacking Howard with fastballs and got ahead, 0-2, before going to his curveball. He threw three straight. Howard looked at the first two before flailing at the third and striking out to end his day 1 for 4. He is 4 for 24 (.167) with no walks and eight strikeouts, marking the worst first week of his career.
Howard's performance Monday came one day after he struck out four times against the Washington Nationals. That followed Howard’s hitting a pair of doubles in Saturday night’s 3-2 win.
“That’s the game of baseball,” Howard said after Monday's game. “Hit the ball hard Saturday. Sunday? Tough day. Today I came back out and had some good at-bats, hit the ball hard. That’s just how the game is. Sometimes you’re locked in, you’re feeling good, you have four good at-bats, four good swings and what not, and then the next day, one thing happens and then all of a sudden you may be uncomfortable. That’s just the way the game goes.”
The Phillies lost Monday’s game, 2-0 (see story). It was the second time they’ve been shut out. They are hitting just .216 as a club — including .170 (8 for 47) with runners in scoring position — and averaging just 2.29 runs over seven games. After the game, manager Ryne Sandberg talked about the need for more offense and more production.
“We just need to create some opportunities with men on base for those guys in the middle of the lineup,” he said.
But will men on base at the top really make a big difference with the way things are going in the middle of this batting order?
Chase Utley, the team’s No. 3 hitter, has joined Howard, the cleanup man, in the slow start department. He is 2 for 22 (.091) with two singles, two walks and six strikeouts. Utley was not available for comment after the game, and Sandberg said there’s “no worry” about his second baseman. Utley’s homerless drought, by the way, stands at 175 at-bats dating to Aug. 10.
When your No. 3 and 4 hitters struggle at the same time …
“It sucks,” Howard said. “Yeah, it sucks. Obviously we want to get off to a better start. But we’re what, six or seven games in? It’s definitely going to turn around. Nobody plans on trying to get off to a slow start. The only thing we can do is keep grinding and keep swinging, try to have good at-bats. We’ve had opportunities. You just have to come through in other situations.”
It’s logical to wonder whether Sandberg will move Howard out of the cleanup spot if he continues to struggle. The first step to that might be Howard sitting regularly against lefties. The Phillies have faced one lefty starter this season and Howard was not in the lineup. Pay attention to what happens Wednesday night when the Phils face Mets lefty Jonathon Niese. Howard is 4 for 26 (.154) lifetime against Niese with a homer, a walk and 12 strikeouts. Sounds like a Darin Ruf game.
Sandberg was asked about the possibility of moving Howard out of the cleanup spot.
“I’m not thinking in those terms right now,” he said. “I’m thinking offense as a whole lineup — guys at the top of the lineup getting on base, guys in the middle getting key hits. It’s a whole lineup. It’s eight or nine guys in a lineup. So we need more production up and down the lineup.”
Freddy Galvis (10 for 25) and Cody Asche (8 for 18) have been the Phils’ top hitters so far. Maybe one of them moves up in the order Tuesday night.
Howard will likely be back in the cleanup spot against Mets ace Matt Harvey, who rolls out of bed throwing 97 mph.
Fastballs will surely be on the menu. Will Howard feast?