31-year old lefty swinging 1B Ryan Howard is still providing a lot of thump in the middle of the batting order for the Phillies. He has played in 128 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 121 for 483 (.251 avg, .827 OPS) with 71 runs scored, 29 homers, 102 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Howard has played in 22 games so far in August and he is 20 for 84 (.238 avg, .867 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 8 homers, 21 RBIs and 34 whiffs. Howard has now played in 1,003 games in his first 8 years with the Phillies and he is 1,023 for 3,720 (.275 avg, .929 OPS) with 623 runs scored, 282 homers, 850 RBIs and 12 stolen bases. Howard is still the most important hitter in the Phillies’ lineup as he produces a lot of runs with his bat.

The Phillies have acquired 28-year old lefty swinging 1B/OF John Bowker from the Pirates for a player to be named later. Bowker played in 19 games for the Pirates this year and he was 4 for 17 (.235 avg, .610 OPS) with 2 RBIs. He has now played in 228 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 133 for 561 (.237 avg, .679 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 17 homers, 73 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. The Phillies will likely call him up tomorrow when rosters expand. He will give them another bat off the bench.

25-year old rookie righty reliever Mike Stutes is having a rough time so far in August for the Phillies. He has pitched in 9 games (0 starts) in August for the Phillies and he is 0-0 with a 5.56 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP. Overall this season though, Stutes is looking pretty solid. Stutes has pitched in 46 games (0 starts) for the Phillies so far this year and he is 5-1 with a 3.67 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He has only given up 37 hits while whiffing 46 batters in his first 49 innings in the majors which is pretty impressive. The Phillies hope he gets back into gear and finishes his rookie season strongly.

The Philadelphia Phillies have placed 27-year old lefty starting pitcher Cole Hamels on the 15-day disabled list due to left shoulder inflammation. He was placed on the D.L. retroactive to August 13th, so he shouldn’t miss too much time. Still, the Phillies are going to be really careful with him. Hamels has started 25 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 13-7 with a 2.62 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. He has been simply amazing this year for the Phillies as he is in the midst of a “career” year. 26-year old righty Kyle Kendrick will likely replace Hamels in the rotation. Kendrick has pitched in 29 games (12 starts) for the Phillies so far this year and he is 7-5 with a 3.24 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He has been a godsend for the Phillies this season, stepping into the rotation and pitching well whenever needed. The Phillies have called up 32-year old lefty swinging infielder Pete Orr to replace Hamels on the active roster. Orr played in 29 games earlier this year for the Phillies and he was 15 for 63 (.238 avg, .590 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 3 RBIs and 1 stolen base.

The Phillies have placed 32-year old switch-hitting SS Jimmy Rollins on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained right groin. He has played in 121 games for the Phillies so far this year and he is 132 for 493 (.268 avg, .743 OPS) with 79 runs scored, 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 28 stolen bases. Wilson Valdez will take over as the Phillies’ starting shortstop until Rollins is ready to return to action. Valdez will do a solid job defensively but the Phillies will miss Rollins’ bat while he’s out of action.