Ryan Howard is sitting on this afternoon... at least at the start of the game.

Howard, who had a busy week with All-Star festivities in St. Louis, is being given a breather by manager Charlie Manuel. The Phils aren't off until Aug 3, two weeks from tomorrow.


So with a long stretch of games coming up, coming off a busy week, on a sultry Sunday in South Florida, against a left-handed pitcher, it is the perfect opportunity to give Howard a rest.

But Manuel said he wouldn't be afraid to use Howard in a pinch, and the big fella has been pretty good in those situations in his career: .375, 7 home runs and 17 RBIs in 40 pinch-hit at-bats.

That's stunningly good, actually.