Here's a stat to chew on as you wait for tonight's game

I'm not sure what this says, but I found it interesting, so I thought I'd share it.

Through 64 games, Phillies cleanup hitters have combined to bat .287 with a .351 on base percentage and .496 slugging percentage while hitting 12 home runs.

Ryan Howard hit cleanup in 64 of the Phillies first 65 games last season. In those 64 games, he hit .238 with a .326 on base percentage and .463 slugging percentage with 13 home runs.

Also interesting is the number of runners on base for the cleanup spot in 2011 compared with 2012.

Through 64 games in 2011, the cleanup hitter (Howard in all but one game) had a total of 215 runners on base during his plate appearances. That number is lower this season, but perhaps not as low as you might think: 202 baserunners.

In 2011, the cleanup spot drove in 36 of those 215 baserunners, or 16.7 percent, in the first 64 games. This year, the cleanup spot has driven in 32 of 202, or 15.8 percent. That's the equivalent of about two fewer runs driven in compared with the number that would have been driven in at Howard's rate.