Burrell's bat is back

It was such a remarkable turnaround that Pat Burrell jumped from sixth to third in the Phillies' lineup.

He had not hit third since 2002.

"Everything is the same," Burrell insisted over the weekend in Milwaukee. "I'm just not missing. I think it has more to do with . . . you're always going to get pitches to hit. It's a matter of what you do with them: Foul them off. Pop them up. I'm just hitting the ball hard. I'm just getting hits. I feel better, but you always feel better when you're doing good."

So there's really nothing different?

"No," he said. "Check the films."

But something must be different, right? Burrell is hitting .440 (37 for 84) since his average hit a season-low .201 on July 1.

"He needs to share," Jimmy Rollins joked.

Burrell had just eight home runs and 32 RBIs in his first 214 at-bats this season. He has nine homers and 26 RBIs in 84 at-bats since. That's 17 home runs and 58 RBIs in 298 at-bats.

Burrell ranks ninth in the National League in home runs per plate appearance at 17.5. The only players who have shown better power are Ryan Howard (11.3), Barry Bonds (12.4), Prince Fielder (12.8), Adam Dunn (13.0), Ken Griffey Jr. (14.2), Chris Duncan (14.9), Miguel Cabrera (15.1), and Albert Pujols (16.3).

Manager Charlie Manuel said Burrell was using his legs better and has a better "load" in his stance.

"In order for me to stay back and get a good balance and rhythm, I've got to cock my hips and I've got to load up my hands," said Manuel, a successful hitting coach before his managing days.

"He was frustrated just like everybody else," Manuel added. "Hey, nobody has to remind you when you're hitting .200. I don't have to tell a guy that. I don't have say anything to him. When he was hitting .200 and I wasn't playing him, he realized why I wasn't playing him. Did he like it? Probably not."

But Manuel thinks the time on the bench helped Burrell clear his head, although Burrell said nothing has changed - mechanically or mentally - since July 1.

"My job is to put people in a position where they're the most comfortable and I can get the most out of them," Manuel said. "That's communicating. That's knowing your player. That's knowing how to handle your player."

Burrell has been with the Phillies longer than any current player. He made his Phils debut on May 24, 2000. Jimmy Rollins made his Phillies debut on Sept. 17 that year, so he has seen Burrell at the big-league level as much as anybody.

"Pat is Pat," Rollins said. "He doesn't change at all. It doesn't matter if he's doing well or not. It's not like he's a big talker. He cracks jokes and tells great stories, but it's not like he's a big talker and stops talking when he's not doing well and starts talking again when he is doing well."

Burrell still isn't saying much, but as long as he keeps hitting, fans probably won't mind.