So much for pre-Series hype. The talk before the World Series was of how sluggers Ryan Howard and Alex Rodriguez could dominate the World Series. But neither player has done much in the first two games and Howard had a brutal Game 2 against A.J. Burnett and Mariano Rivera.
Howard went 0-for-4, striking out four times. He is batting .222 in the first two games with four RBIs.
“Baseball is a game of ups and downs,” Howard said. “You’re not going to stay hot forever. That’s why you have a batting average. One day you can go out there and get three hits. One day you can go out there and get no hits. It’s just all about your comfort level. Sometimes you’re out there and a guy is dealing, and there’s nothing you can do.”
Howard is the 12th batter in a World Series game to fan four times. The last was Brad Hawpe for Colorado in 2007.
Howard struggled with umpire Jeff Nelson’s strike zone. Nelson gave both pitchers the corners all night, frustrating he hitters.
“It looked like he was kind of giving guys the corners a little bit, in and away,” Howard said. “It was tough. With A.J.’s breaking ball, it starts in the other batters’ box. He had it working today.”
During the first two rounds of the playoffs, Howard feasted on opposing pitchers. He was batting .354 with two home runs and 14 RBIs coming into the Series. He was the NLCS MVP against the Dodgers and a matchup between he and Rodriguez was an intriguing one.
In Game 1, he went 2-for-5 with a RBI, but last night he could not make contact.
The Phillies return home with the series tied 1-1. They have been here before. It was 1-1 in the NLCS with the Dodgers when they returned home and won three straight games to take the pennant.
“It’s 1-1,” Howard said. “Obviously you want to try to come out 2-0, but on the bright side it’s 1-1. The goal at the very least was to get a split and get the home-field advantage.
“We’ve been here multiple times. The only thing you can do is go back home and try to get them on Saturday.”