Phillies showing signs of life

For the first time since the day after Opening Day, the Phillies entered a weekend with a winning record. They still need to prove that they can string together wins against teams other than the Cubs and Padres, but the past couple of weeks have yielded some positive results that go beyond the scoreboard.

While Charlie Manuel would rather have a consistent lineup and bullpen at his disposal, the injuries and poor performances of the first month of the season have forced him to put some unproven commodities into some pressure spots. And that could prove to be a good thing, provided two things:

1) The Phillies are within striking distance of the division lead when Ryan Howard and Chase Utley return.

2) Utley and Howard, or at least one of them, hits the ground running with his usual production.

Take, for example, Juan Pierre. While the Phillies might be better off had they pursued one of the outfielders who were available this offseason - Josh Willingham entered the weekending hitting .294 with seven home runs, Carlos Beltran was hitting .293 with 13 home runs, and David DeJesus was hitting .279 with a .368 on-base percentage and 13 extra-base hits - Pierre has surpassed any realistic expectations with his play.

After going 2-for-5 with a run against the Cubs on Thursday, the veteran leftfielder was hitting .343/.388/.380. His .374 batting average on balls in play suggests that those numbers will normalize: at some point, a singles hitter is bound to see his would-be singles end up as groundouts and lineouts and soft fly outs. Those are just the odds. But the opportunity to play has had two benefits. First, it has allowed Pierre to get comfortable at the plate and on the basepaths, where he has reduced the blunders that marred the first few weeks of the season. Second, it has allowed Manuel to see firsthand the kinds of things that Pierre will be able to do once he is a role player. In nine pinch-hit plate appearances, he has two hits and two walks and has gone on to score two runs. He can still beat out a bunt or put a ball in play against any type of pitcher. The Phillies did not have that type of player last year, a player Manuel might have been able to call on against a locked-in Chris Carpenter to scrap his way onto base and make something happen.

Next, consider Freddy Galvis. As late as mid-March, the 22-year-old rookie was expected to start the season at Triple A, where he would attempt to build upon the progress he displayed at the plate last season. A month-and-a-half into the season, Galvis has yet to prove that he is ready to handle major league pitching on an everyday basis. His on-base percentage heading into tonight's game against the Red Sox is .270. Of the 91 qualified NL hitters, only seven have reached base at a lesser rate. That's a lot of outs. If Galvis had an OBP at the league average of .317, he would have made six fewer outs in his 128 plate appearances. That's two full offensive innings. But the opportunity to play has given us the ability to see that Galvis has the potential to play a Gold Glove second base. And it has shown that he has some legitimate pop from the left side of the plate, where half of his hits have gone for extra bases.

But most notable of all has been the performance of Carlos Ruiz. Going back to the 2008 postseason, Ruiz has shown himself to be, in the words of Dickie V, a PTPer. This past offseason, he made a concerted effort to add muscle and durability to his frame. It isn't a stretch to suggest that his current .363/.405/.619 batting line and seven home runs are at least partially attributable to the responsibility he feels to be a leader at the plate in addition to behind it. Ruiz is tied for eighth in the NL with 27 RBI despite spending the vast majority of the season hitting in the lower third of the order.

Ruiz plays a tough position. All it takes is one foul ball or errant swing of the bat or collision at home to throw his physical equilibrium out of whack. But right now, he is showing signs of having the ability to play a central role in a lineup. And if that convinces Manuel that Ruiz can hit sixth or even fifth regularly, that's a win in my book.

The list goes on. Even after Thursday's near-meltdown, the Phillies are still in a position where they need to give a young reliever like Jake Diekman the chance to prove himself. Maybe his command will end up being a problem. Maybe we'll get more outings like his major league debut. Either way, the results are secondary to knowing whether he can do the job. Last year, the Phillies were forced to put Antonio Bastardo and Mike Stutes into similar situations, and the knowledge they gained allowed them to focus on upgrading the offense instead of the bullpen at the trade deadline.

Another player who could end up getting a chance to show what he can do is Mike Fontenot, although he has not had much of a chance yet.

Of course, Utley and Howard are still the keys. If neither one returns to a form close to what he has shown over the last couple of years, the Phillies are still going to be lacking one of the most important ingredients of a successful lineup, which is a centerpiece player. Maybe Hunter Pence is getting more comfortable in that role. But at this point, Utley and Howard are still necessities if the Phillies hope to field a lineup that can contend for a title. Same goes for Antonio Bastardo and Jose Contreras in the bullpen. The Phillies need at least one of those hitters and one of those pitchers to perform.

If Utley and Howard do return to contribute, and the Phillies suddenly have a catcher with his confidence at an all-time high, and a couple of reliable contact-type reserves/pinch-hitters in Pierre and Fontenot, and a righty/lefty power combo of Ty Wigginton and Laynce Nix, and a rotational outfielder/first baseman who can slide back into the role in which he thrived last season in John Mayberry Jr., well, all of a sudden Manuel will have a well-rounded, balanced roster with a variety of weapons at his disposal. Shane Victorino is still bound to get hot, too.

Granted, that's a lot of ifs. And a five-game winning streak against the Padres and Cubs is no reason to think the Phillies have rediscovered anything other than their ability to prove themselves superior to some of the worst teams in the National League. But for at least one weekend, the Phillies were above .500, and there was reason for hope.

Contact David Murphy at dmurphy@phillynews.com.