Rowand's homer lifts Phils to win

Aaron Rowand expects to be in a Phillies uniform through the remainder of the season.

You should expect him to be, too.

The Phillies have no plans to sell come Tuesday's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline. So that means Rowand, who smacked a game-winning home run in the eighth inning of last night's 4-3 victory over the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park, should be patrolling center field, running into walls, diving for balls, and coming through with more clutch hits for the Phillies for at least 63 more games.

"I'm not worried about that," Rowand said. "I'm worried about winning games because right now I feel like I'm a part of this team, and this is the team, hopefully, I will get to finish the season with and play in the postseason with."

Rowand's name has been a popular one in the rumor mill because he will be a free agent after the season and is productive offensively and defensively. He's hitting .330 and on pace for 23 home runs and a career-high 90 RBIs. But unless something miraculous falls into this team's lap - like a truly legitimate pitcher to bolster the rotation - Rowand seems likely to stay put.

"The likelihood of him being moved?" Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "Probably slim."

Rowand is hitting .459 (22 for 48) with 11 doubles, three home runs, and 12 RBIs since the all-star break. Last week, he became the first player in baseball history to have two games with four extra-base hits in the same month (July 14 vs. St. Louis and July 17 at Los Angeles).

Not bad.

"He's doing a good job there," manager Charlie Manuel said of Rowand's No. 5 spot in the lineup. "He's really been swinging well. He's been hitting the ball all over the field."

He also is a tremendous presence in the clubhouse.

That matters.

"Rowand's got a lot of intangibles," Manuel said. "He's tough. He stands up. He's a leader. If you walk through the clubhouse, you hear what he has to say. It's always 'us' and 'we' and 'team.' He's a vocal guy, but he backs it up in the way he plays. . . . And he also plays good defense."

Ah, yes. Defense. Rowand threw out Nationals pitcher Jason Bergmann at the plate to end the third inning.

Bergmann left the game in the bottom of the third because of hamstring tightness. He had allowed two runs to that point, including Jimmy Rollins' 20th homer of the season in the third to make it 2-0.

Rookie Kyle Kendrick allowed a bases-loaded double to Brian Schneider in the fourth inning to give the Nationals a 3-2 lead, but Pat Burrell's sacrifice fly in the sixth inning scored Rowand to tie it.

Rowand went 3 for 4 with three runs and an RBI. His other two hits were doubles.

To get to the point where Rowand's homer would matter, the bullpen had to chip in. It threw 31/3 scoreless innings to keep it close as Antonio Alfonseca picked up his eighth save.

The bullpen has allowed just three earned runs in 181/3 innings in its last seven games for a 1.47 ERA. Brett Myers, who had a 2.61 ERA in 18 relief appearances this season, will soon rejoin a bullpen that includes Alfonseca (3-1, 3.58 ERA), Tom Gordon (1-1, 3.97), Ryan Madson (2-2, 3.21), Jose Mesa (0-1, 3.71), J.C. Romero (0-0, 1.29), and Mike Zagurski (1-0, 4.50).

They could help make things interesting for everybody, including Rowand.

Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said earlier this month that the Phillies would not talk about a possible contract until after the season. Rowand seems OK with that.

He had two stints on the disabled list last season, so he is just glad to be on the field.

"I'm happy to contribute to my team," Rowand said. "I'm happy to be a part of this team. Everybody in here is pulling for the same goal, man. That's making the playoffs any way we can."

If they make it, expect Rowand to be in center.

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