"No player in baseball has seen fewer fastballs during the past four seasons than Ryan Howard. Only the Brewers' Prince Fielder and Marlins' Mike Stanton have seen fewer balls thrown in the strike zone.

Howard's job is to be a run producer, but the opposition rarely gives him anything to hit.

Until, of course, Hunter Pence joined the lineup.

"HP is getting it done," Howard said. "If they want to keep throwing me fastballs, I'm not going to be mad at them."

With Pence batting fifth, Howard is seeing more fastballs out of the cleanup spot. But the added protection from Pence's bat isn't exactly rewriting the book on how the opposition pitches Howard.

Before Pence arrived, Howard saw fastballs on 36.5 percent of his pitches.

Pence joined the lineup July 30, and things changed -- barely. In his last six games, Howard has seen fastballs 40 percent of the time, a mark that would still rank among the fewest in baseball and a number that amounts to roughly one extra fastball every two games Howard plays.

But how does that explain the numbers? After all, Howard is definitely hitting better -- albeit in a small sample size -- since Pence joined the team. "