Phillies Notes | Chris Coste rejoins Phils from triple A

Chris Coste

isn't sure how long this will last, but he said yesterday he would savor every second while it does.

The catcher rejoined the Phillies yesterday after the Phillies placed Ryan Howard on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left quadriceps. Coste, 34, hit .328 with seven home runs and 32 RBIs in 198 at-bats last season, hitting .358 with runners in scoring position as the Phillies made a run at the National League wild card. But after the Phillies signed catcher Rod Barajas and claimed infielder Greg Dobbs off waivers in the off-season, it seemed Coste was more likely to start the season at triple-A Ottawa - fair or not.

He did.

"I took it pretty rough for about a week, but after that it went away," Coste said.

The toughest part?

"Just the fact that I felt like a nobody," he said. "That's the way it was. When I joined the team last year, I was the 25th man and then I jumped into a role where I was actually contributing and helping the team win. So to go from being as high as I possibly could be in my entire career to being in Ottawa was as far a change as you could get. It was a pretty big fall."

Coste hit .233 with five doubles and 10 RBIs in 26 games with Ottawa, but hit .357 (10 for 28) in his last seven games. He is expected to be used primarily as a pinch-hitter, with Wes Helms and Dobbs mostly playing first base while Howard is hurt.

"Whatever role or situation, I will just enjoy every day that I'm here until my career is over," Coste said.

First base coach

Davey Lopes

was not at the ballpark yesterday for personal reasons. It is unclear if he will be back for tonight's series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. . . . The Phillies announced that the June 16 game against the Detroit Tigers will start at 7:05 p.m. It had been a 3:55 p.m. start, but Fox will not be televising the game. Comcast will televise it instead. . . . The Phillies promoted lefthander

Mike Zagurski

from single-A Clearwater to double-A Reading. He had a 1.10 ERA and five saves in 12 appearances for the Threshers. Zagurski had struck out 30 and walked four in just 161/3 innings. Opponents had hit just .113 against him.

- Todd Zolecki