The sub .500 Philadelphia Phillies are fighting to get back into the NL East hunt before they get so far behind they can only dream of a WC birth. The Phillies are 4.5 games out of first place to the Mets.

Ryan Howard is still struggling at the plate with a .219 batting average. However, he is still managing to be a productive player because oh his high bases on balls count. Howard leads the team in walks with 23 so far. With so many walks, he has been able to keep his OBP high, which is hovering around .400.

The Phillies start a 3 game series in Atlanta today against the division rival Braves.