Howard's power and speed kill Marlins

CURIOUSLY, REIGNING National League MVP Ryan Howard did more significant damage with his tree-trunk legs than with his sapling of a bat.

"Sometimes, they underestimate the speed," the burly lefty said. " . . . And they find out."

Does he consider himself fast?

"I try to. Others laugh."

The Marlins weren't laughing last night.

Howard homered twice in the Phillies' 11-1 win over the Marlins - footnote homers, his 31st and 32nd, collected long after the game was in hand.

Howard - a 6-4, 265-pound Mack Truck of a runner - helped get it in hand with his hustle.

In the first inning, with one out and runners on first and third, Howard beat out a doubleplay ball, a one-hop shot directly at second baseman Dan Uggla that Uggla showed a marked lack of urgency delivering to second base. Howard ran hard out of the box and beat the relay from shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

"Uggla definitely took his time," observed Phillies manager Charlie Manuel.

As Howard entered the dugout after the top of the second, he sidled over to the fastest Phillie, who is injured, and said, "I felt like Michael Bourn there for a minute."

Not quite.

Howard started the five-run third when he drew a walk, the fifth of five issued by Marlins starter Rick VandenHurk, who lasted just 2 1/3 innings.

After Aaron Rowand was hit for the first of two times - more on that later - Jayson Werth singled to rightfield, giving Howard another chance to show off his alleged speed.

He was gone on contact, chugging hard around third, trusting embattled third-base coach Steve Smith explicitly. Howard beat the relay throw with a sweet slide.

"I was just trying to make things happen," Howard said.

So, does he have the green light on the bases to erase the zero from his career stolen-base column?

"I'm hoping. I'm hoping," Howard said.

No chance.

"He's all right where he is," Manuel said.

Howard overtook the Astros' Carlos Lee for the NL RBI lead, his three giving him 93 to Lee's 92.

He would trail Carl Lewis by about 5 seconds in the 100-meter sprint, but he got it done last night.

Oh yeah: There were the homers, too.

The first, in the fourth, Howard drove to left-centerfield, a trademark shot off Carlos Martinez. Martinez immediately gave up another to Rowand, his 17th, to make it 8-1.

Howard's second, in the sixth off debuting rookie Mauro Zarate, snuck inside the foul pole down the rightfield line. Zarate then hit Rowand (later, later).

The homers meant less than the hustle - hustle that made a big difference in the fateful third.

"It shows he'll do whatever it takes to win," said similarly large and lumbering teammate Wes Helms.

"Those are big plays right there," Rowand said.

As Howard slid into home, Rowand went to third. He scored on Carlos Ruiz's single. Abraham Nunez's RBI double put runners at second and third.

VandenHurk balked in Ruiz, his second balk of the night. Phillies starter Jamie Moyer doubled in Nunez, ending VandenHurk's night. VandenHurk's meltdown seemed imminent from the first inning, when he walked three.

Initially, Moyer looked only a little better. Ramirez, the best hitter in the National League, clocked his 20th homer of the year on the first pitch of the game, his fourth leadoff homer of the season. Moyer walked two after that, then escaped.

He gave up a pair of leadoff singles to start the second inning but got out of that jam when Howard charged VandenHurk's sacrifice bunt try and threw out the runner at third. Ramirez's second hit loaded the bases, but Moyer settled. He got the powerful Uggla to line out to second.

Up came perennial MVP candidate Miguel Cabrera. Manuel turned to bench coach Jimy Williams and said, "The game probably is right here."

Moyer froze Cabrera with an 80-mph fastball. Seriously.

"I was fortunate enough to get a fastball by him," Moyer said.

It was the first of five strikeouts for Moyer, who was on his way to retiring 13 straight batters.

The 44-year-old, pitching in soggy humidity, exited for a pinch-hitter in the messy, three-run bottom of the sixth. He moved to 10-8, the 11th season in his last 12 in which he has earned double-digit wins.

In six career starts against Florida, Moyer is 6-0 with a 2.31 ERA.

Right. Rowand.

Rowand was an outspoken critic of controversial Marlins lefthander Scott Olsen who, between scrapes with teammates, his manager and the law repeatedly has expressed his distaste for the Phillies. The Marlins incited a bench-clearing scrum when the teams last met May 24 in Florida. Rowand participated in the scrum and, afterward, offered plenty of derisive opinion of the Marlins' professionalism.

Before last night's game Rowand made it clear that, while the animosity remains, the Phillies could not let it impede them in their task:

"Right now, you've got to put all that B.S. aside. It's go time now. It's crunch time. The past is the past, unless something presents itself. Then, you deal with it accordingly."

Last night, in the sixth, something clearly presented itself. After Howard's second homer made it 9-1, Rowand was hit for the second time. He did not deal with it.

Not last night, anyway.

Rowand gave Zarote - debuting, remember - a pass, even though home-plate umpire Joe West warned both benches.

The Phillies play the Marlins six times after this series ends tomorrow night.

Maybe Rowand is waiting for Chase Utley's broken hand to heal. *