Ryan relieved that injury isn't serious

WASHINGTON - Ryan Howard just had to know how bad it was.

To the Phillies' relief, it's not as bad as it might have been.

Howard could have flipped the ball to Ryan Madson for the out but he wanted to test the ligament near his left knee he sprained in the top of the 10th on Wednesday. So, instead of flipping for the second out of the 11th inning, Howard outraced Chris Snelling to the bag.

Satisfied with the result, Howard remained in the game. It's the last action he is likely to see for a few days.

"Couple of days," manager Charlie Manuel said. Happy? "Yes, I'm very relieved."

Howard, the reigning National League MVP, hurt himself when he jammed his leg on first base trying to beat out a potential doubleplay grounder. Through a spokesman, the Phillies medical personnel said it was a sprain of the ligament that attaches the tibia to the fibula.

Howard did not have an MRI exam as Manuel indicated he would Wednesday night.

Howard did not start yesterday, his first missed start in 88 games. He won't start tonight in Cincinnati. He probably won't be available to pinch-hit until at least tomorrow or Sunday.

Severe and dismissive Wednesday night, Howard's mood improved with the good news yesterday, joking about possible pinch-hit heroics:

"Could be a Kirk Gibson moment," Howard joked, referring to Gibson's Game 1, pinch-hit homer for the Dodgers in the 1988 World Series. "Might be a Tom Berenger moment, from [the movie] 'Major League.' Go headfirst into first base."

Probably not.

General manager Pat Gillick said the team would not consider placing Howard on the disabled list unless Howard misses the entire Cincinnati series. If that happens, the Phillies could promote 2006 standout reserve Chris Coste from Triple A.

Howard said he couldn't put much weight on the leg, which is his back leg in the batter's box - and that's a lot of weight. Howard weighs 256 pounds. Of course, that heft helped him hit a club-record 58 homers last season.

The Phillies built their team around his production. Howard hopes they don't miss it too much.

"Hopefully, everybody will rise to the occasion," Howard said.

Then again, with a .213 average and one home run, Howard's production hasn't been what the Phillies hoped.

Pat Burrell moved up one place in the lineup and took over as the cleanup hitter. Spring-training sensation Greg Dobbs replaced Howard's lefthanded bat yesterday and hit fifth.

Manuel has other options. He could put Abraham Nunez at second base and move lefty hitter Chase Utley to first. He also could put Nunez at third and move Wes Helms to first.

Yesterday, righthanded hitter Jayson Werth took ground balls at first base. Werth, an outfielder who was drafted as a catcher, hasn't played first base since 2001 in Double A and hasn't even taken grounders there since spring training. Manuel said Werth could start tomorrow against Reds lefthander Eric Milton; certainly, he could be a late-inning pinch-hitter or a double-switch option.

"Whatever the situation dictates," Werth said.

Howard believes Manuel won't have to explore those options too deeply.

"Today. Maybe tomorrow. We'll see how it feels," Howard said.

Flush with the adrenaline of competition, the joint felt good enough to stay in Wednesday's game. Howard supplied an emphatic "No" when asked if he would have come out of the game had the Phillies' bench not been exhausted of position players.

He might have changed his mind if he hadn't been able to make it to first in time in the putout.

"I wanted to see how it was," he said. "That's why I took it."

Greg Dobbs' storybook journey onto the Phillies' roster added a chapter yesterday when he started in place of injured slugger Ryan Howard.

Greg Dobbs' storybook journey onto the Phillies' roster added a chapter yesterday when he started in place of injured slugger Ryan Howard.

Dobbs isn't getting comfortable.

"I'm caddying for him," Dobbs said.

"Dobbs is going to go out there and do some dangerous things," Howard quipped.

He has seen Dobbs do them before.

Dobbs, a 28-year-old waiver claim from Seattle in January, led the Phillies with a .387 average in spring training with five homers and 15 RBI, both second on the club in homers and third in RBI.

His hitting, along with his movie-star looks, earned Dobbs the nickname "Roy Hobbs," the character played by Robert Redford in "The Natural."

Dobbs' aspirations are more realistic than being Hobbs, or, more to the point, Howard.

"Those are big shoes," Dobbs said. "I don't know if anybody can duplicate 58 [home runs] the way he did it. I'm not going to try to be anybody but me. Take it or leave it."

Dobbs went 0-for-4 with a walk yesterday.

Before yesterday's win, GM Pat Gillick dismissed any notion that Charlie Manuel's job as manager was in jeopardy: "He's our manager. It's been 13 games. He can't go up there and hit for them" . . . The Phils lead baseball with 85 walks, including five yesterday. Pat Burrell drew three. *

Before yesterday's win, GM Pat Gillick dismissed any notion that Charlie Manuel's job as manager was in jeopardy: "He's our manager. It's been 13 games. He can't go up there and hit for them" . . . The Phils lead baseball with 85 walks, including five yesterday. Pat Burrell drew three. *