| SEASON | CAREER |
| W6 | 187 |
| L4 | 101 |
| G12 | 390 |
| IP79.0 | 2582.0 |
| BB23 | 785 |
| SO55 | 1754 |
| SEASON | CAREER |
| W2 | 45 |
| L8 | 38 |
| G17 | 144 |
| IP74.0 | 672.0 |
| BB29 | 199 |
| SO52 | 327 |
When Ryan Howard made the final out of the Philadelphia Phillies ' 2011 season in Game 5 of the division series, few may have realized how much more disappointment would follow in subsequent months.
The last-place Phillies hope his return can provide a spark.
Howard will make his season debut and bat cleanup Friday night in the opener of a three-game set with the visiting Atlanta Braves .
As St. Louis celebrated a 1-0 victory on the field behind him Oct. 8, Howard was being helped to the locker room after tearing his left Achilles' tendon while grounding out to end the series.
His injury has kept him out all season as Philadelphia (37-47) - also dealing with injuries to Chase Utley and Roy Halladay - sits at the bottom of the NL East.
After batting .471 with a homer, two doubles and nine RBIs in six minor league rehab games, the slugging first baseman has been activated off the disabled list and is ready to go.
"We think he's ready to play and we want him in the lineup," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We think he can handle it."The Phillies could sorely use a boost from Howard right now. They've dropped seven of eight after closer Jonathan Papelbon allowed two runs in the bottom of the ninth in a 6-5 loss to the New York Mets on Thursday.
Jimmy Rollins went 3 for 3 with a triple, a double, two walks and two RBIs, while Hunter Pence extended his hitting streak to 10 games. He's batting .390 in that span.
"You try to stay even keel," Manuel said. "You come out the next day and chip away."Howard is batting .327 with six homers in 52 career at-bats off Braves starter Tim Hudson , who will take the mound Friday looking to bounce back from a tough outing.
Hudson (6-4, 3.87 ERA) went 3-1 with a 1.93 ERA in June, but his July got off to a rough start Sunday when he allowed six runs in six innings of an 8-4 loss to Washington.
The right-hander is 1-3 with a 4.30 ERA in six career starts at Citizens Bank Park, but he's 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his last six outings overall against the Phillies.
Atlanta (43-39) had lost five of seven before beating the Cubs 7-3 on Thursday. Jason Heyward and Brian McCann each hit a two-run homer in the first inning, and Freddie Freeman and Juan Francisco added solo shots.
Martin Prado went 2 for 4 to extend his hitting streak to 11, and he's batting .412 over his last 14 games. Prado is 7 for 12 in his career against slumping Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick .
Kendrick (2-8, 5.35) fell to 0-4 with a 7.67 ERA over his last five starts after giving up five runs in seven innings of a 5-4 loss to Pittsburgh on June 28.
The right-hander, though, has been solid against the Braves, going 6-1 with a 2.53 ERA in 10 career starts and five relief appearances.
Philadelphia took two of three at Atlanta from May 1-3, and has won nine of the last 10 matchups in this divisional rivalry.
"The Phillies are still the Phillies," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez told his team's official website. "I don't care if they're 2-110. You go into that ballpark and they sell out, and it's a great atmosphere."
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AVG
HRRUNSSBSOBBOBPSLGOPS
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Brandon Beachy | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .500 | .500 | .000 |
| Michael Bourn | 10 | .500 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .500 | 1.300 | .800 |
| Matt Diaz | 8 | .375 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .375 | .750 | .375 |
| Freddie Freeman | 4 | .250 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .400 | .650 | .250 |
| Tommy Hanson | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Livan Hernandez | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 2.000 | 1.000 |
| Jason Heyward | 11 | .091 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .231 | .322 | .091 |
| Eric Hinske | 4 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Tim Hudson | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Chipper Jones | 21 | .333 | 7 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 3 | .417 | 1.179 | .762 |
| Jair Jurrjens | 3 | .333 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 | .833 | .333 |
| Brian McCann | 25 | .320 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .414 | .894 | .480 |
| Martin Prado | 12 | .583 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .583 | 1.416 | .833 |
| David Ross | 6 | .167 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .334 | .167 |
| Dan Uggla | 28 | .250 | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | .276 | .705 | .429 |
VS.
| HITTERS | AB | AVG | H | HR | RBI | BB | SO | OBP | OPS | SLG |
| Roy Halladay | 6 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Cole Hamels | 6 | .167 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .286 | .453 | .167 |
| Kyle Kendrick | 4 | .500 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .500 | 1.000 | .500 |
| Cliff Lee | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| John Mayberry | 6 | .333 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | .500 | 1.833 | 1.333 |
| Laynce Nix | 19 | .368 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 | .400 | .979 | .579 |
| Pete Orr | 7 | .429 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .500 | .929 | .429 |
| Hunter Pence | 13 | .385 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .429 | .891 | .462 |
| Juan Pierre | 26 | .308 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .333 | .718 | .385 |
| Placido Polanco | 18 | .111 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .200 | .311 | .111 |
| Jimmy Rollins | 64 | .188 | 12 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | .235 | .610 | .375 |
| Carlos Ruiz | 27 | .259 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | .375 | .856 | .481 |
| Brian Schneider | 28 | .214 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 9 | .241 | .527 | .286 |
| Jim Thome | 18 | .500 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 2 | .640 | 1.862 | 1.222 |
| Shane Victorino | 40 | .250 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 6 | 7 | .362 | .812 | .450 |
| Ty Wigginton | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
| Vance Worley | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 |
 Atlanta Braves |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| July 05, 2012 | Jonny Venters | 15-Day DL | Left elbow impingement |
| June 17, 2012 | Brandon Beachy | 15-Day DL | Right elbow surgery - out for season |
| June 16, 2012 | Brandon Beachy | Day-to-Day | Left game - Right elbow soreness |
| June 13, 2012 | Freddie Freeman | Day-to-Day | Left thumb discomfort |
| June 12, 2012 | Eric O'Flaherty | Day-to-Day | Left elbow soreness |
| June 09, 2012 | Tim Hudson | Day-to-Day | Bone spurs in left ankle |
 Philadelphia Phillies |
|||
| Date | Player | Status | Injury |
| June 25, 2012 | Brian Schneider | 15-Day DL | Sprained right ankle - out 3-5 weeks |
| June 07, 2012 | Freddy Galvis | 15-Day DL | Lower back strain |
| June 05, 2012 | Placido Polanco | Day-to-Day | Left game - left index finger laceration |
| June 02, 2012 | Jose Contreras | 60-Day DL | Torn UCL, right elbow - out for season |
| May 28, 2012 | Roy Halladay | 15-Day DL | Right latissimus dorsi strain |
| May 16, 2012 | Placido Polanco | Day-to-Day | Left knee contusion |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Ryan Howard walked up to the plate to a loud standing ovation and drove the second pitch he saw deep to right-center for a double.
With all their regulars back, it was just like old times for the Philadelphia Phillies . Except the end result.
Brian McCann hit a grand slam, Tim Hudson tossed four-hit ball over seven innings and the Atlanta Braves beat the struggling Phillies 5-0 to spoil Howard's season debut Friday night.
"It felt good, but the outcome didn't go the way we wanted it," Howard said.
Howard was 2 for 4 in his first game since rupturing his left Achilles tendon on the final swing in a postseason elimination loss to St. Louis last October. But the last-place Phillies generated nothing else on offense.
The five-time defending NL East champions are a season-worst 11 games under .500. Since five-time All-Star Chase Utley returned last week, the Phillies are 1-8.
"We still control our own destiny," Howard said. "We have to go out and win series. If we can do that, we'll find ourselves in the mix."
Hudson (7-4) nearly went pitch-for-pitch with Kyle Kendrick , who also threw seven scoreless innings and allowed four hits. Kendrick had five strikeouts; Hudson had none. But Hudson got the W.
"Today was probably the best I felt through this whole process," Hudson said. "I felt like my fastball, velocity-wise, was pretty close to normal. I know for the last three or four starts, I didn't have a whole lot of confidence to really let it go."
Antonio Bastardo (2-3) replaced Kendrick to start the eighth and immediately ran into trouble. Pinch-hitter Matt Diaz led off with a single and Michael Bourn walked. After Martin Prado hit a shallow fly and Jason Heyward popped out, Chipper Jones walked to load the bases. Freddie Freeman then walked to force in the first run.
McCann followed with a shot to straightaway center for his ninth career slam, giving the Braves a 5-0 lead.
"I love hitting with the bases loaded because they have to come at you," McCann said. "They really can't walk you. It's definitely a good feeling to stand in the box and know they have to come see you."
Kendrick warmed up to force Atlanta manager Fredi Gonzalez's hand. But manager Charlie Manuel went with Bastardo after left-handed hitting Juan Francisco was announced as a pinch-hitter.
"Bastardo's been our eighth-inning guy," Manuel said. "We wanted him on the lefties. It didn't work out."
Kendrick wanted to stay in.
"It's his move. I respect it," Kendrick said.
Bastardo left the mound to a chorus of boos from frustrated fans, who've watched the NL's highest-paid team underachieve all season. Injuries, of course, have been a factor.
Utley missed 76 games. Howard, the 2006 NL MVP, missed 84. Roy Halladay hasn't pitched since May.
Even with the addition of a second wild-card team, it'll take a monumental turnaround for these Phillies to reach the postseason for a sixth straight year.
Howard easily made it to second base standing after hitting a high drive to the warning track to lead off the second. But he stayed there. Carlos Ruiz flied out to shallow right, and Hunter Pence and Juan Pierre grounded out.
Hudson ran into trouble after needing nine pitches to retire Kendrick for the second out in the sixth. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino followed with consecutive singles, getting a runner to third base for the first time for either team. But Utley hit a slow tapper to first to end the inning.
Kendrick worked out of a jam in the seventh after Jones and Freeman started with singles. McCann was called out on strikes, Dan Uggla fouled out and Andrelton Simmons grounded out.
Kendrick was 0-4 with a 7.67 ERA in his previous five starts.
NOTES: Jones extended his hitting streak to 12. ... With Howard missing from the lineup, Manuel tried six different cleanup hitters. Pence (43 games) and Ruiz (23) were most used in that spot. ... Kendrick remains 6-1 vs. Atlanta. ... Howard has six homers in 55 career at-bats against Hudson. ... Uggla, the NL starting 2B in the All-Star games, was dropped to seventh in the batting order. He went 0 for 3 and is hitting .223. ... Howard isn't slated to start on Saturday, but should return to the lineup Sunday. Utley may start three straight games for first time since returning. ... The Phillies had their 262nd straight sellout, counting postseason. ... Tommy Hanson (9-5, 3.70) starts for the Braves against Philadelphia's Joe Blanton (7-7, 4.85) on Saturday night.
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Rob Maaddi can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/RobMaaddi
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Atlanta Braves
