Charlie Manuel would tell anyone within earshot how much the Phils missed Ryan Howard.

Well, the Big Piece appears to have recovered nicely from his Achillies tendon surgery. Howard beat up Atlanta’s pitching Thursday to help the Phillies coast to a 10-5 win over their division rival.

After slugging an RBI double down the right-field line off starting left-hander Paul Maholm, Howard blasted a fastball off Craig Kimbrel over the left center-field fence.

“I’m just taking everything in stride,” Howard said. “I’m not trying to analyze anything. I’m just working hard on what I’m doing. I’m getting good swings right now. I’m feeling good. I have no complaints.”

Manuel smiled when waxing about his cleanup hitter.

“He was totally relaxed and stayed on the ball,” Manuel said. “The ball was out from him and he stayed with it.”

Howard, Chase Utley, Ben Revere and Darin Ruf each had a pair of hits.

“You know this team can do a lot of damage,” Howard said. “We know what we’re capable of.”

Cole Hamels, who allowed one run, pitched three solid innings. He struck out five and worked his way out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam.

“I felt good,” Hamels said. “I’m just trying to get the pitch count up. It’s all going to come. But this was good.”

Revere executed a perfect bunt single.

“That’s something that I’ve worked very hard on,” Revere said. “I wasn’t the best bunter, but I’ve gotten better at it. It’s my job to get on base, score and play solid defense.”

Meanwhile, Ruf is still having a rough time in left field. He misplayed his second grounder there in three games.

“Darin is going to make some mistakes,” Manuel said. “Hopefully, he can keep working and we’ll see how much he improves by the end of spring.”

Adams throws scoreless frame in Phils victory
If this is a sign of things to come, the Phils won’t have anything to worry about in the eighth inning.

Mike Adams made his spring training debut Thursday and tossed a scoreless fourth inning against Atlanta. Adams, who inked a two-year, $12 million deal in the offseason, allowed one hit and struck out one. He retired three of the four batters he faced.

Howard hit a solo shot off Craig Kimbrel in the fifth inning of the Phillies’ 10-5 win over Atlanta Thursday afternoon.

Adams was signed to be Jonathan Papelbon’s setup man, so he’ll normally work the eighth. He is coming back from offseason surgery to correct a condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Adams wasn’t slated to debut until the first week of March, but the Phils say he is ahead of schedule.

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And while most of them have been addressed, it still seems as if the jury is out on a lot of them.
Johan Santana has proclaimed himself on track after two bullpen sessions. Andres Torres and Ruben Tejada have been plugged in to replace superstars Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes respectively. But will these changes hold up throughout spring and into the season? The answers are as tenuous as the Mets’ current financial issues.

Who replaces Reyes at SS?

The job is Ruben Tejada’s to lose, but expect some growing pains. And not just because he has yet to show up in camp, much to manager Terry Collins’s chagrin.

He has played in just 174 games the last two seasons and although he finished 2011 with a .284 batting average, he’s hit .256 over the two years combined.

What could be a bigger cause for concern are the 10 errors he has made in 291 total chances at second base and shortstop.

Then there’s the little matter of his predecessor. Reyes had a bond with the Mets faithful that will be hard to replicate. The fans loved Reyes’s electricity and he treasured their love.

That can’t be replaced.

Can Torres truly replace Beltran?

That depends on what you’re looking for.

If you appreciate solid defense in the outfield, then yes; Andres Torres is more than an adequate replacement for Carlos Beltran. Torres has only committed 19 errors in 801 total chances in his career.

If you are looking for him to replace Beltran’s offense, then no; you’re probably going to be disappointed.

Torres is a .244 career hitter with 27 home runs in 1,264 at-bats. His game is speed, but a .318 career on-base percentage is tough to have at leadoff.

What about the Madoff lawsuit?

It will be an annoyance, as players — specifically David Wright — will be asked questions they cannot answer while the Bernie Madoff trial is held in Manhattan.

But make no mistake about it. Everyone associated with the Mets will be watching the proceedings intently. Should Irving Picard, the trustee for the Madoff victims, win in court, it could set off a chain reaction that could see the Wilpons perhaps have to sell the team. Or, worse for Mets fans, gut the entire team.

Will Harvey make the rotation?

You will certainly see Matt Harvey, but it’s unlikely Harvey will contend for a starting spot.

Both Harvey and Zach Wheeler — acquired in the Carlos Beltran trade — are the future of the Mets, along with Jeurys Familia. But none of the three have thrown even 100 innings in a single minor league season.

Will Santana start opener?

There is a possibility that Johan Santana will be standing on the Citi Field mound at 1:10 p.m. on April 5, in full uniform, prepared to stare down NL East division rival Atlanta.

There’s an equal chance that he will be at the Mets’ training facility continuing to rehab the torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder that cost him last season. So far he is on schedule to pitch the opener.

The post 5 questions for Mets spring training appeared first on Metro.us.

That’s the benefit of having somewhere in the neighborhood of $200 million to work with.

That’s not to say the Yankees didn’t make a few radical changes though. They shipped off fan frustration A.J. Burnett to the Pirates last week and traded promising prospect Jesus Montero for Michael Pineda.

So what do you have to look forward to this spring?

1. Will two lefty relievers make the team?

In a perfect Yankees pitching world, Boone Logan and Pedro Feliciano would have been the two lefties out of the bullpen. Perfection was ruined by Feliciano’s shoulder injury and surgery so for most of the year the Yankees went with just Logan.

This year, candidates for the second southpaw job — if the Yankees take that route — include Rule 5 pick Cesar Cabral, who spent the last six seasons in the Red Sox minor league system.

Among nonroster candidates for a second lefty with major league experience, Mike O’Connor and Clay Rapada are in camp.

O’Connor, who has pitched for the Nationals and Mets, has a .308 batting average against, while Rapada has held lefties to a career .173 average in five seasons. He has pitched for the Cubs and Tigers among others.

2. Who will be the team’s No. 5 starter?

Two years ago, Phil Hughes won this competition.

Hughes won after being a successful setup reliever in 2009 with a fastball that averaged 93 miles per hour. His fastball remained at 93 mph and he won 18 games in 2010. But then his fastball velocity slightly dipped coinciding with a mysterious arm injury.

Now Hughes has lost 20 pounds, but does that mean he is better off in the rotation?

The Yankee preference would be to have Hughes in the rotation but his competition is 12-game winner Freddy Garcia. Garcia’s relief experience consists of one outing 12 years ago and if Hughes can’t pitch well during spring training, the job could be Garcia’s.

It’s unlikely the job would go to anyone other than Hughes or Garcia, specifically with A.J. Burnett being shown the door, but young stud lefty Manny Banuelos will be in camp and after an impressive spring last year, don’t be surprised to see fans clamoring for the 20-year-old.

3. Where does Joba fit in?

Last week, Joba Chamberlain said he felt no pain following Tommy John surgery in June and that his recovery was progressing well.

The target return for Chamberlain is sometime in June, but assuming he does return where does he fit in?

The eighth inning is David Robertson’s and the seventh is likely Rafael Soriano. Cory Wade and Boone Logan also fit into the picture and the middle innings appear to be where Chamberlain is headed when he returns.

4. How healthy is A-Rod?

Alex Rodriguez has dealt with injuries in two of the last three years.

In 2009, he missed the first 28 games with a hip injury, but that was nothing compared to last season.

Rodriguez had knee surgery in July and missed over a month. He also was bothered by a wrist injury much of the year. The combination of both of those injuries limited him to 99 games. He had 16 home runs, 62 runs batted in and a .823 on-base percentage plus slugging.

Those numbers were his lowest since 1997 when he appeared in 141 games for the Seattle Mariners as a 21-year-old in his second full season.

5. What is Andruw Jones’ role in 2012?

Is it a subtle message that veteran outfielder Andruw Jones was the first Yankee position to appear in camp?

But he has shown up about 10 pounds lighter and with a healthier left knee that was scoped during the offseason.

Does that mean there will be a left-field platoon of Jones and Gardner?

Gardner has everything a manger wants in a leadoff man, speedy, top-notch defensive and patient at the plate. On the downside, Gardner batted .220 against lefties and Jones hit .286.

There also isn’t any real consensus on who the Yankees’ fourth outfielder will be. Jones is the top option, but he is entering his 17th season.

Newly signed Raul Ibanez could play some, but a younger, defensive replacement might be invitee Dewayne Wise.

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