Philadelphia Phillies: Ryan Howard Gets Hot Thanks to Hunter Pence's Protection

The talk was endless. The question was pondered ad nauseam. Who could possibly fill the void behind Ryan Howard and give him the necessary protection to put up the impressive numbers that we’ve seen in previous years.

Ben Francisco? Nope.

Raul Ibanez? Not now, not ever.

Shane Victorino? He was good but his skills are better suited elsewhere in the lineup.

Enter Hunter Pence, the two time all-star right fielder with a career average around .290 to go along with three straight seasons of 25 home runs.

Since Hunter “The Protector” Pence arrived in Philadelphia on July 30, he’s batted .327 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Those excellent stats, combined with his solid defense and infectious hustle, have made him a perfect fit for this team and this city.

But his greatest contribution to the Phightins just might be his affect on Ryan Howard.

While Pence’s stats since his arrival have been great, Howard’s have been even better. In the 14 games since Hunters debut, Howard is batting .333 with six home runs and 17 RBI. In only half a month’s time he has hit as many home runs as he did in any other month this year.

I wondered if this was due to pitchers actually pitching Howard differently because of his new-found protector, or if just the knowledge of having a proven hitter behind him let Howard relax and swing the bat better.

The truth is it’s a tough question to answer, and in all likelihood it’s some combination of the two. Nevertheless, I strapped on my diving gear and plunged into the deep unknown abyss that is plate discipline statistics.

We’ll start with Zone Percentage, which is the overall percentage of pitches a batter sees inside the strike zone. In July it was 35.1 percent, not surprisingly the lowest on the team. Since Pence joined the Phils that number has jumped up to 42.9 percent, meaning Howard is definitely getting more pitches to hit.

To go along with that, let’s take a look at Z-Swing Percentage, which is the percentage of pitches a batter swings at inside the strike zone. In July it was 68.5 percent; so far in August it’s 75.3 percent, so Howard has seemingly relaxed at the plate and is now swinging more when he sees good pitches.

I realize it’s still somewhat of a small sample size at this point and Ryan Howard has shown a tendency to come on strong towards the end of a season, but I love the way that he and Hunter Pence have meshed in this lineup.

So, will the dynamic duo continue to dominate dumbfounded pitchers? Is this lineup poised to be one of the best in the majors? Does anyone have a chance against this team? To find out, tune in next time to The Big Piece and The Protector.