April 26, 2015
Ryan Howard hit his second homer in two games, helping the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves 5-4 on Sunday.
Howard's miserable season had already cost him his cleanup spot in the order, and he entered the game batting .189. Howard hit a two-run homer on Friday and a three-run shot in the first inning against Trevor Cahill (0-3) on Sunday.
Howard, who once hit 45 or more homers in a season for four straight years, has all three of his homers in the last five games and bumped his average up to .193.
Jonathan Papelbon had his fourth save. He allowed Alberto Callaspo's pinch-hit solo homer in the ninth.
Ben Revere knocked in the go-ahead run with a triple and the Phillies won two of three games in the series.
Jerome Williams (2-1) allowed three runs and eight hits in 6 2-3 innings for the Phillies.
Howard was dropped from fourth to seventh in Philadelphia's lineup earlier this month, the lowest in the order he'd batted in almost 10 years. Even with a sub.-200 average, Howard hit fifth against Cahill.
Howard has $60 million remaining in his $125 million, five-year contract he signed with the Phillies in 2010, leaving the franchise with few options for their 35-year-old former slugger.
Howard could possibly help his trade value with a few more homers and an uptick in batting average. In a rebuilding mode and in last place in the NL East, the Phillies would certainly have to eat a large portion of Howard's salary in any potential deal.
Howard knocked a full-count pitch in the front row of the right field seats for a 3-2 lead. Chase Utley, who walked, scored on that homer. Like Howard, the 2008 World Series champion holdover is having his own awful season. Utley has continued to bat third, even though he entered with a .125 batting average.
Howard and Utley have made a combined 1,092 starts, the most on the right side for any tandem in Phillies history.
The Braves scored twice in the first when a pair of walks came back to get Williams. Jace Peterson's two-RBI single to right gave the Braves an early lead. They tied it 3-all in the third when Kelly Johnson ripped a shot off Howard's glove and the ball bounced away for what was ruled a double.
Revere made it 4-3 in the fifth, and the Phillies tacked on an unearned run in the seventh.
Williams won his second straight start and three other relievers combined to finish off the Braves.
Cahill allowed four runs in six innings, his longest outing of the season.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Neither team had any injuries of note. Papelbon pitched a day after he had a migraine headache.
UP NEXT
Braves: RHP Doug Fister (1-0, 2.37 ERA) gets the call when the Braves open a three-game series Monday against Washington. The Braves head home to open a 10-game homestand, which includes a four-game set with the Reds and three with the Phillies.
Phillies: RHP Severino Gonzalez will make his major league debut Tuesday against St. Louis. The 22-year-old is 1-1 with a 3.57 ERA in three starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He was the 2013 winner of the Paul Owens Award as the best pitcher in Philadelphia's minor league system. He has walked only 67 in 415 1/3 innings. The Phillies are off Monday.
Happy birthday cake for The Phillie Phanatic ! pic.twitter.com/0DvovwTBrn
— Dan Gelston (@APgelston) April 26, 2015
On this day in 1978 the best mascot in sports was born. Happy birthday, Phillie Phanatic! #Phillies pic.twitter.com/0wr9ZICJg1
— Sports Are Philly (@SportsArePhilly) April 25, 2015
Phillie Phanatic birthday party. #Phillies pic.twitter.com/zUL2W61J4m
— Angel Ibo Castillo (@Angelibo0507) April 26, 2015
