Ryan Howard Injury: 4 Reasons It Could Help Philadelphia Phillies in 2012

No one thought that the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that crept into the playoffs after the Atlanta Braves suffered a catastrophic meltdown, would dismantle the pitching powerhouse that is the Philadelphia Phillies.

The team with 102 wins overall, 70 wins by the starting rotation and a litany of perennial MLB All-Stars ended its season with disappointment on Friday with a 1-0 loss to the Cardinals at home.

As St. Louis rushed to the mound to celebrate its playoff series win, Phillies’ slugger Ryan Howard lay in a crumpled heap on the first base line, clutching his leg. Howard swung for the fences and hurt himself in the process, rupturing his Achilles tendon. “The Big Piece” will have to undergo surgery and preliminary reports indicate that he may miss six to nine months.

It’s entirely possible that Ryan Howard will start his five-year, $125 million contract extension on the disabled list next year.

With Howard’s injury looming and the contracts of players like Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson, Raul Ibanez, Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt on the table, things are starting look a bit nightmarish for the Philadelphia “Dream Team.”

Does Ryan Howard’s injury help the Phillies in any way? 

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Which Is the Better Philadelphia Phillies Team, 2008 or 2011?

Charlie Manuel has done it again.

In the last decade, Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has helped turn his team from a frequent disappointment into a perennial contender.

This year, Philadelphia looks to become heroes in what many hope to be a fairy tale season. With their eyes set on a championship, the team is shaping up to be quite the formidable opponent. 

How does this team stack up against the Phillies 2008 World Series team?

Find out how the two compare in a position-by-position battle.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Why Vance Worley is the Most Underrated Player in MLB

Even on the days when he takes the mound, Vance Worley is the least talked-about member of the Philadelphia Phillies pitching rotation. With the way Worley has been playing this season, he just may start to finally get the respect he deserves. 

At the beginning of the season, the Philadelphia starting rotation was the most talked about commodity in all of baseball. Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt were all expected to be anchors for the team with the fifth and final spot up for grabs.

As expected, the first three have been nothing short of spectacular. Oswalt, on the other hand, has missed much of the season due to a persisting back injury and is now struggling to return to form.

With injuries to the former Houston Astros hurler as well as veteran Joe Blanton, fans once were understandably worried about how they would round out the pitching rotation. 

They aren’t worried anymore. 

In short, Worley has been phenomenal this year. In 19 games played, the “Vanimal,” as Phillies fans affectionately call him, has posted a 10-1 record with a 2.85 ERA and 90 strikeouts. The Phillies have won 13 consecutive games with Worley as a starter.

That stat gives him and Philadelphia the third-most consecutive start wins in the National League in the last 15 years. 

What’s even more impressive is that he’s done all of this under, and often off, the radar. 

Had Worley been putting up these kinds of numbers on a dismal Astros, Twins or even White Sox pitching staff, the coverage would be different. There he’d be an ace or top three in the rotation for sure.

Instead, Worley basks in the shadows of three MLB titans. The names ahead of him on the depth chart will all likely be written down once it is time to vote for the recipient of the NL Cy Young award. 

Still, in 10 of his 17 starts it is Worley that has allowed only one or fewer runs. Even more impressive is Worley hasn’t lost a start for the Phils since his May 29 game against the New York Mets.

When stats like these go unnoticed, underrated doesn’t even begin to explain it. 

Fortunately for Worley, he’s not entirely underrated in Philadelphia. Fans have not let his astounding accomplishments go unnoticed. “Vanimal” shirts and signs have showed up all over Citizen’s Bank Park and the fans always let Worley know he is appreciated by giving him generous amounts of support at home games. 

Worley has a theory as to why he is such a big hit with Philadelphia fans.

“I think it’s my stupid haircut and glasses more than anything,” he says.

Who doesn’t love a nice Mohawk?  

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Why so Serious? How Hunter Pence Will Lead the Phillies to the World Series

The expectations couldn’t be any higher.

Before the first pitch was even thrown this season, critics and fans alike expected this Phillies squad to make a run at the World Series. Why shouldn’t they? On paper, the Philadelphia Phillies are unbeatable. With a starting rotation that needs no introduction, a handful of MLB household names and all the money in the world to throw at talented prospects, they seem to be a lock for going deep in the postseason.

So far, so good.

With the best record in baseball, the Phillies are doing their job. At this point in the season, they are essentially a lock to make it to the playoffs. That’s not to say, however, that the team doesn’t have a unique set of problems. Bullpen inconsistency, particularly at the closer spot, a streaky slump-prone offense and key injuries have left the unbeatable vulnerable.

Even still, the expectations forced upon this Phillies squad have started to wear away at the team. As the team continues to have its own brand of hardships, a noticeable weight seems to be sitting on the players. It’s made everything so dire, so serious. Players once passionate and fiery now hang their heads during games when things don’t work out the way everyone expects them to.

Cole Hamels is moody, taking the mound with the angst, reactions and expressions you’d expect to see from a teenager. Ryan Howard is generally dispassionate and shows a pretty consistent lack of hustle. Through strikeouts, errors and slumps, the Philadelphia Phillies have not been the scrappy, zealous group of players they once were. Some may call it focus. However, it begs the question: Is the pressure getting to them?

Fortunately for Philadelphia, Hunter Pence isn’t fazed at all.  It’s been over a month and Hunter Pence has been a fantastic addition to the roster. With a .313 batting average (.330 for Philadelphia) and 79 RBI, Pence adds great depth to the batting order. Pence helped balance out a lefty-dominated group and provides a much needed balance to the squad. By all accounts, Hunter Pence is living up to his name and the stats show that. Yet it’s the intangibles that Pence provides that may be his best contribution to the team.

Pence plays like no one else is watching. He runs with an awkward gallop, chokes up on the bat like he’s still in high school and couldn’t possibly look any less intimidating in his knee-high socks. It’s this unorthodox brand of play that has made Hunter Pence such a perplexing figure in Major League Baseball. Much of the strange reputation he has garnered is earned—the guy does play World of Warcraft in his spare time.

What’s best about Hunter Pence is that you can see determination well up in his face when he swings. You can see how badly he wants to win when he jumps around in frantic excitement after a play, looking for anyone to exchange high fives with. What Pence lacks in grace, he makes up for in spades with enthusiasm. It’s the kind of enthusiasm and unfiltered talent you’d expect to see before baseball was dissected and turned into a science. It’s the raw eagerness you see in backyards all across America. It’s passion.

In a year when the Phillies have all the talent in the world, it’s nice to see someone who isn’t just waiting for the on-paper analysis and the critics’ picks to crystallize. Instead, it’s clear that Hunter Pence intends to give it his best, gangly shot.

Hopefully the feeling spreads.

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