DENVER -- The Phillies promised a bigger and better offense with a healthy Ryan Howard in the lineup in 2014.He had hobbled on one leg each of the past two seasons as the Phillies missed the postseason twice. But even with a healthy Howard this season, the Phillies offense remained inconsistent through 17 games entering Sunday's series finale against the Rockies at Coors Field. In fact, the Phillies came into the afternoon without an extra-base hit in four consecutive games, matching the longest drought in baseball since the expansion Marlins in Sept. 1993 and the longest drought for the franchise since May 1968. 
But Howard showed some life in a 10-9 victory. He went 4-for-5 with a triple, home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. He tied a career-high with four hits, the first time he had done it since July 30, 2011.It raised his batting average to .262. He is on pace for 36 home runs, 90 RBIs, 90 walks and 189 strikeouts. His 90 walks would be his most since 107 walks in 2007.But the Phillies clearly needed more than just Howard on Sunday.Jimmy Rollins hit a solo home run to right field in the first inning to hand the Phillies a 1-0 lead. It snapped the team's stretch of 130 consecutive at-bats without an extra-base hit, going back to Domonic Brown's home run in the eighth inning Monday against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park.No team in baseball had played five consecutive games without an extra-base hit since the Pirates in May 1985, and no Phillies team had suffered a slump like that since a five-game stretch in Sept. 1927.So at least the Phillies avoided that.Chase Utley hit a two-out double down the right-field line in the third in a 1-1 game. Howard stepped into the batter's box with the chance to hand the Phillies the lead.He had struggled this season with runners on base. According to Baseball Prospectus, he entered the afternoon 22nd in baseball with 54 runners on base during his plate appearances, but had knocked in just 7.4 percent of them, which ranked 188th out of 216 hitters with 50 or more plate appearances.But in the third-inning at-bat, Howard hit a two-run home run to left field to make it 3-1.It was his fourth homer and eighth and ninth RBIs of the season.The lead didn't last long. Phillies right-hander Roberto Hernandez, who entered with a 3.86 ERA, allowed three runs in the bottom of the third to hand the Rockies a 4-3 lead. He allowed two more in the fifth to hand the Rockies a 6-3 lead.The Phillies scored twice in the sixth to make it 6-5 when Howard tripled and scored on Marlon Byrd's single, and Byrd scored on a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Freddy Galvis. It was the Phillies' first sacrifice fly of the season.They finished the game with three after entering the day as the only team in baseball without one.The Phillies took an 8-6 lead in the seventh with help from another hit from Howard, but Rockies first baseman Justin Morenau hit a two-run homer against Jake Diekman in the bottom of the inning to tie it.The Phillies, who finished with seven extra-base hits, scored two more in the eighth to take a 10-8 lead.Todd Zolecki / MLB.com
But Howard showed some life in a 10-9 victory. He went 4-for-5 with a triple, home run, three RBIs and three runs scored. He tied a career-high with four hits, the first time he had done it since July 30, 2011.It raised his batting average to .262. He is on pace for 36 home runs, 90 RBIs, 90 walks and 189 strikeouts. His 90 walks would be his most since 107 walks in 2007.But the Phillies clearly needed more than just Howard on Sunday.Jimmy Rollins hit a solo home run to right field in the first inning to hand the Phillies a 1-0 lead. It snapped the team's stretch of 130 consecutive at-bats without an extra-base hit, going back to Domonic Brown's home run in the eighth inning Monday against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park.No team in baseball had played five consecutive games without an extra-base hit since the Pirates in May 1985, and no Phillies team had suffered a slump like that since a five-game stretch in Sept. 1927.So at least the Phillies avoided that.Chase Utley hit a two-out double down the right-field line in the third in a 1-1 game. Howard stepped into the batter's box with the chance to hand the Phillies the lead.He had struggled this season with runners on base. According to Baseball Prospectus, he entered the afternoon 22nd in baseball with 54 runners on base during his plate appearances, but had knocked in just 7.4 percent of them, which ranked 188th out of 216 hitters with 50 or more plate appearances.But in the third-inning at-bat, Howard hit a two-run home run to left field to make it 3-1.It was his fourth homer and eighth and ninth RBIs of the season.The lead didn't last long. Phillies right-hander Roberto Hernandez, who entered with a 3.86 ERA, allowed three runs in the bottom of the third to hand the Rockies a 4-3 lead. He allowed two more in the fifth to hand the Rockies a 6-3 lead.The Phillies scored twice in the sixth to make it 6-5 when Howard tripled and scored on Marlon Byrd's single, and Byrd scored on a sacrifice fly from pinch-hitter Freddy Galvis. It was the Phillies' first sacrifice fly of the season.They finished the game with three after entering the day as the only team in baseball without one.The Phillies took an 8-6 lead in the seventh with help from another hit from Howard, but Rockies first baseman Justin Morenau hit a two-run homer against Jake Diekman in the bottom of the inning to tie it.The Phillies, who finished with seven extra-base hits, scored two more in the eighth to take a 10-8 lead.Todd Zolecki / MLB.com
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