Once again, Howard can’t hang on the mound
For a strapping starter of only 24 years of age, Spencer Howard hasn’t seemed to have much durability of late.
Yet again, the recently recalled Phillies fifth (sixth?) starter barely gave slightly late-arriving fans time to settle in their seats before he was getting shipped to the Citizens Bank Park showers Saturday afternoon.
Howard faced all of seven batters, making it through 2.1 innings in 48 pitches ... all of 26 of them crossing the plate.
In that time, only one Nationals run crossed, too, something that would later be negated by the Phillies in a 5-2 victory. Even that one run Howard allowed was unearned, and he gave up only one hit, too. But then, the hit was by the other pitcher, and to go along with two walks and a hit batter, along with the 22 Howard pitches off the plate, that was enough for Joe Girardi to grab that hook he keeps so conveniently close in the dugout every time it’s Howard’s turn to pitch.
“I felt like the game was at a critical point there, with (Juan) Soto coming up,” said Girardi, referencing a spot where Howard had one out and two on with Soto stalking him in the third inning.
“He’s such a dangerous hitter,” Girardi said. He added that relief pitcher Ranger Suarez has been skilled this season at getting groundball outs, so...”
That’s what should have happened, but Soto’s grounder was booted by Jean Segura, allowing a run to score. Suarez was clean after that ... in fact he’d go three full innings with no hits or walks and three strikeouts, and wound up earning the victory.
But solving the mystery of Spencer Howard is still a job left undone.
“He had a hard time commanding his offspeed (pitches) today,” Girardi said. “...He’s devel
oping. You pitch games like this, you’re always learning stuff.”
Howard might be taking that veteran calmness from his manager with a grain of salt. He agreed that his breaking stuff was out of control. He agreed that he sees no reason why that came to be. He’s also clueless as to why in three starts for the Phils, he’s had two of them end so soon ... thanks to a significant drop in his velocity and having his command go astray.
Howard was hitting midto upper-90s Saturday until dropping some three or four ticks on the radar gun in the third.
“Just struggling to command off-speed, and really, my fastball for that matter,” Howard said. “It’s tough continuing when you can’t control pitches.
“I can’t point to one specific reason. It does seem like there’s a wall I just have to push through. I can’t tell if it’s physical or mechanical ... something to work on for sure.”
To get the heave after just 48 pitches? Well, the Phillies needed a win, no doubt.
“Yeah, I didn’t expect that,” Howard said, “but I understand the thought process behind it. Ranger has been nails all season long, and especially behind me. So tip my cap to Ranger.”
That would be Suarez, the converted starting prospect who this season has found a niche in the bullpen ... mostly as Spencer Howard’s clean-up guy.
Starter? Reliever? In Suarez’s case, both seem true.
But what of the 6-foot-3 Howard? Could it be more physical than anything?
“I think he’s OK,” Girardi said of Howard, who has logged just 9.1 innings over his last three appearances, all starts. Overall this season he’s pitched to a 4.61 ERA, but admitted he was having trouble going deep into games while pitching for the Triple-A IronPigs, too.
“I didn’t go past four innings there,” he said. “I’m racking my brain, too, man. I can’t really put my finger on it. I’ll be for sure working on it. But I’ve got nothing, really, for you.”
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Didi Gregorius was on the field taking batting practice before the game. He hasn’t played since May 12 due to swelling around his right elbow.
“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Greogorius said. “But, I mean, I’ve always dealt with stuff like this.”
Gregorius has had swelling issues before; a condition leaves him with problems with healing inflammation woes. But Gregorius said the swelling now is finally down. Asked if he thinks he needs a rehab assignment to get back into swinging shape, he said, “I’ve missed a bunch of games, so yeah.
“I don’t know where,” Gregorius added. “That’s up to them, where they send me. That’s not my department.
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NOTES >> Suarez has a 12.1 inning scoreless streak going . ... With Hector Neris on paternity leave, Connor Brogdon came on and pitched a fine ninth inning for his first career save . ... For their second “full capacity” day, the Phillies drew 16,118 to CBP.