Roy Hobbs Dobbs

Largely overlooked in the Phillies' ups and downs over the last six weeks or so is the resurgence of pinch-hitter/four-corners fill-in Greg Dobbs. Through May 19, Dobbs was putting up the sort of numbers that might prompt Eric Bruntlett to make a face and say, "damn, that guy sucks": a triple-slash line of .121/.194/.121. Worse, after setting the franchise single-season record with 22 pinch-hits in 2008, Dobbs was a putrid 3 for 21 coming off the bench. The hot start of Pedro Feliz, which helped keep Dobbs off the field, was one contributing factor. But more than a few Phillies observers wondered if Dobbs' two-year run as a superior bench bat was simply over.  

Since then, he's appeared in 33 games, including 14 starts (six of which have come in left field since Raul Ibanez hit the disabled list in mid-June), and banged out 22 hits in 63 at-bats for a .349/.377/.683 line. Half of those hits have gone for extra bases (6 doubles, 5 homers). Dobbs has scored 11 runs and driven in 12 over that span, and after last night's four-hit outburst he's raised his seasonal averages to a more than solid .271/.314/.490. With Ibanez likely to return no later than the all-star break, it should be interesting to see if and how Charlie Manuel finds ways to keep Dobbs sharp.