Drop Howard in the Batting Order

With Ryan Howard mired in a hitting drought, Charlie Manuel has a dilemma. Howard was outstanding in the latter stages of the season and in the first two rounds of the playoffs. And he is a superstar, perhaps the premier power hitter in the game.

But when he does goes into slumps, they can be long and excruciating, like now, when he is on the verge of smashing a World Series strikeout record. But given Howard's resume, and Manuel's well-known loyalty to his players, the first baseman is not about to be shown the bench, or even pinch-hit for.

However, the Phils' manager should consider dropping Howard a few places in the batting order. Let Jayson Werth bat cleanup and move Ryan to five, six or even seven. It might take a little pressure off Howard and Werth has certainly earned it with his post-season work. Morever, the Yankees will be starting southpaws in game 6 and a potential game 7 and against lefties Howard has been AWOL all season. Werth, on the other hand, has feasted on lefties.