Phillies Notes: Phillies' Ruiz adding some offense

HOUSTON - In the spring, it appeared that Carlos Ruiz was enjoying a breakout year. Then came summer, and what seemed like regression to the mean.

But with just a few weeks remaining in the regular season, Ruiz will close the year with numbers more than adequate for a strong defensive catcher, and much better than in 2008, when he batted .219. Ruiz's average stood at .254 after he doubled and made three loud outs yesterday.

Ruiz's primary value is as a defender, but his numbers in some categories have crept into the league leaderboards for his position. Ruiz's 21 doubles place him in fifth place among National League catchers. Because of a stint on the disabled list in April, Ruiz does not have enough at-bats to qualify for the lead in batting average or on-base percentage, but his .354 OBP would place him fourth among NL catchers.

The catcher has always maintained that his offensive performance is determined by two factors: the ability to hit the ball to all fields, rather than trying to pull it to left, and confidence.

Both skills ebbed in June and July, when Ruiz batted .173. (That was after posting a .309 average in May.) In August, he hit .305, rescuing his season from disappointment.

"The big thing is, you can have the ability to hit, but if you don't relax, it's tough," he said. "If you're a player, man, you want to do good. When you don't, it's tough. Now, I'm hitting the ball gap-to-gap, and it has been good again."

After the rough summer, Ruiz made several mechanical adjustments. He lowered his batting stance into more of a crouch, and raised his hands higher. "That gives me more bat speed," he said. "I feel more comfortable, more confident."

Manager Charlie Manuel has often defined an ideal Ruiz season as ending with a .260 batting average. He reiterated that yesterday. "He is capable of hitting .260, maybe even .270," Manuel said. "And he can hit 15 homers." (Ruiz has eight.)

The manager added that, while he would like Ruiz to drive in more runs, the catcher has improved his general approach. "He's hit some balls to right field good. That's good. That's what I want to see," Manuel said. "I'd say at the end, the evaluation would be run production, too.

"He's got 35 RBIs. I think he could do better than that."

Chase Utley (bruised foot) was back in the lineup yesterday, but Shane Victorino (knee) did not start. Victorino initially bruised his knee making a diving catch in Arizona in late July. Swelling persisted, and Manuel pulled the centerfielder in the ninth inning Saturday night.

The manager indicated after yesterday's game that Victorino would need at least one more day of rest.

"Shane's left leg swells up on him at times, and he had to get it drained a couple times this week," Manuel said. Asked if he thought Victorino was likely to play today, the manager said, "Not really."

The Phillies continued to make September call-ups, summoning outfielder John Mayberry Jr. and righthanded pitcher Kyle Kendrick from triple-A Lehigh Valley. . . . Raul Ibanez, who appears to be moving gingerly, singled twice yesterday, just his fifth multi-hit game since July 29.