Garcia improving, Howard not

Freddy Garcia injured himself by running full speed into a maintenance vehicle parked on the field during batting practice in San Francisco last weekend, which left the Phillies wondering if he could make his start in Arizona on Monday night.

There was no report on how much damage was done to the vehicle.

Not only did Garcia pitch after smashing into the maintenance cart, but he also turned in his best outing as a Phillie. No, that’s not a backhanded compliment considering that Garcia had not pitched past the fifth inning since joining the Phillies and had an ERA north of 6, but it’s something to build on.

Nevertheless, at times it appeared as if Garcia was limping or favoring the soreness in his shin after the accident. He also pitched just as deliberately (read: slooooooooow) as he typically does, as well.

But Garcia pitched well and felt good. That’s important for the Phillies. If he didn’t have to come out for a pinch hitter at the end of the sixth, Garcia could have gone deeper into the game since he only threw 70 pitches.

Regardless, there is no truth that Garcia plans on running into a wheel barrel or stepping on a rake before his next outing.



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Speaking of injuries, Ryan Howard really looks like he could be hurt because his swing and stance appear off. I’m no doctor or Walt Hriniak, so this is based purely on watching the games on TV, but it seems as if Howard is more upright and open than usual in his stance. It also seems as if he’s having difficulty distributing his weight during his swing.

Howard said: "My quad hasn't been the best. It's my back leg. It's my leg that I push off of that helps generate that power. When you're off, you're rushing things. You're off balance. Right now, I just can't stay on my back side, so I'm pushing everything forward and trying to go get everything instead of letting it come to me. It's just a matter of getting back to trusting myself, being relaxed and having fun."

Based on reports from Arizona it seems as if there is some concern about Howard’s balky left quadriceps and a trip to the disabled list is not out of the question.