That was progress.

It was that kind of night for Howard, and for the other key lefthanded bats in the home lineup. Howard had struck out six times in a row - including his first two at-bats in Game 3 - before hitting a fair ball for the final out in the fifth.

Howard struck out again in the eighth.

"I've been a little anxious at the plate," Howard said. "I'm trying to calm it down a little bit. My last two [at-bats], I felt like I was seeing the ball a little better."

Second baseman Chase Utley and leftfielder Raul Ibanez, two other key lefthanded hitters, also struggled in the Phillies' 8-5 loss in Game 3 at Citizens Bank Park.

Howard, Utley, and Ibanez were a combined 0 for 12 with seven strikeouts.

Against Yankees lefthanded starter Andy Pettitte, they were 0 for 9 with five strikeouts.

"The thing for Pettitte was, he shut down our lefthanded hitters," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

The lack of production from the heart of the Phillies' lineup - No. 5 hitter Jayson Werth excepted - was in marked contrast to the work of some of the Yankees' big hitters. Alex Rodriguez, Nick Swisher, and pinch-hitter Hideki Matsui cracked home runs as the visitors seized a two-games-to-one lead in the series.

Utley and Ibanez were 0 for 4 with two strikeouts. Howard was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts and has struck out seven times in the last two games.

"That's baseball," Howard said. "You can have it one day and not have it the next day. The only thing you can do is show up and play the next day."

The Phillies were able to touch Pettitte for four runs, thanks to two solo home runs by righthanded hitter Werth, an RBI walk by switch-hitting Jimmy Rollins and a sacrifice fly by switch-hitting Shane Victorino.

But the big lefthanded bats in the Phillies' lineup were stone cold on a rainy night in South Philadelphia.

The trouble started early as Rollins led off the first inning with a single and stole second. But Utley and Howard stranded the Phillies' shortstop as Pettitte retired both hitters on strikeouts.

Howard had been hot before going cold in the last two games. The Phillies first baseman still leads all major-league players with 15 postseason RBIs.

Asked about lefthanded hitters, Manuel said, "At most we've got four games to play; if we're going to get going, it's time to do it."