Phillies manager Pete Mackanin insists he hasn't given up on platooning Ryan Howard, but it appears the struggling first baseman will be getting the day off on Sunday, even though the Atlanta Braves will be starting a righthander.
Howard's batting average plummeted to .161 after striking out twice in Saturday's 2-0 loss to the visiting Atlanta Braves. He only has 15 plate appearances this year against lefthanders, against whom he is hitting .143. Mackanin pinch-hit Tommy Joseph for Howard when the Braves brought in lefthander Ian Krol in the seventh inning. Joseph flied out.
So for now, Mackanin plans to stick with Howard against righthanders, with Sunday likely being an exception.