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Rollins' numbers are down nearly across the board. (Getty Images)

Last summer, shortstop Jimmy Rollins set an NL record for runs scored by a shortstop (139).

This summer, he's barely on pace for half of that (73).

Even more noticeable was Phillies manager Charlie Manuel yanking him from a June 5 game against the Mets when Rollins didn't hustle to first base on a popup that was dropped.

And Manuel's benching him for a July 24 series finale against the Mets when Rollins arrived late to Shea Stadium.

Last season, Rollins promised an NL East title during spring training and practically threw the Phillies onto his back while leading them to it.

This season, the most noise he has made came last week when, on a national television program, he called Philadelphia fans "front-runners." That ought to play well when Rollins and the Phillies open their latest crucial homestand Tuesday against Washington.

You wonder: Is the Phillies' fade and the unusually erratic behavior of their leader related? Even a wee bit?

No, insists Manuel.

"We handled that," Manuel says. "We have two rules: Be on time and hustle. If we've got rules, we've got rules -- and that applies to the manager, too. What the hell, I don't think that has nothing to do with it."

No, says Phillies second baseman Chase Utley.

"I didn't see any effect on us as a team," Utley says of that loss July 24 to the Mets. "We have a mature group of guys here."

Rollins' 2008 got off on the wrong foot, so to speak, almost immediately, when he badly sprained an ankle on April 8 in New York (yes, Mets games have been exceptionally eventful for Rollins this season). He missed 28 games before returning.

"I'm not satisfied with my production," says Rollins, whose .266 batting average, eight homers and 42 RBI are all down from last year's .296, 30 and 94. "I've always driven in more runs, and I've always scored more runs. My stolen bases are where they always are (He's fifth in the NL with 31, and he leads the NL with a 96.8 percent conversion rate.)

"As far as the other stuff, it happens. I'm not the first one it's happened to, and I won't be the last one.

"I'm probably not the only one on this team it's happened to. But I'm the one that got busted. I'm not pointing fingers."

He accepts responsibility for loafing on that June popup and agreed that his benching was deserved.

As far as being late to the park in New York in late July, he says he left the hotel when he always leaves and got caught in horrendous traffic. Though he and Manuel both say they're fine with each other, Rollins still doesn't think he deserved to be sat down that day.

The heck of it is, he says, while driving back to the hotel with reliever J.C. Romero the previous night, despite a 6-3 loss, Rollins had a key RBI hit mid-game and everything was positive.

"In the car with J.C. I was saying man, it's finally starting to come back to me," Rollins says. "And then, the next day, bam!

"It was the same thing at the beginning of the season, I felt good for three or four days and then, bam! I hurt my ankle. Every time something good happens, or I'm starting to feel good. ..."

Bam!

It's part of the game, part of the deal, as every player will tell you. If it was easy, everyone would have terrific 162-game seasons. But it's not. And you can't always control what happens on the field.

But everyone can control the two things Rollins' manager asks: Be on time, and hustle.

"If the rules don't apply to me, or to (closer Brad) Lidge, or to (Ryan) Howard, or to Utley or Jimmy, then why have rules?" Manuel asks. "I tell them I only have two rules. And then if there's something I see I don't like, I'll make 'em up as I go along."

What has killed the Phillies more than anything as they've slipped back behind the Mets into second is the surprising and prolonged silence from their lineup.

Over their past 11 games, the Phillies, who went 2-5 on their trip to Los Angeles and San Diego, are hitting .197 (70-for-355). Since June 13, the Phillies had hit an NL-low .236 and scored an average of only 4.07 runs per game. Only San Diego (3.98), Cincinnati (3.93), Washington (3.73) and San Francisco (3.5) have averaged fewer runs during that stretch.

Not only is Manuel puzzled, but the Phillies overall have reached the point where they'll even accept tips for hitting coach Milt Thompson to implement. Enlisting the National Guard can't be far behind.

"I'll listen to what anybody says -- fans, cab drivers, President Bush, anybody," Manuel cracks.

Being that the Phillies are winning 73 percent of the time when Rollins, their leadoff man, scores a run this season (30-11) -- they won 66 percent of those games last year (67-34) -- maybe it's as simple as Rollins showing up to the park on time, staying in the lineup and hustling.

2. Instant replay is coming: Probably by Sept. 1, just in time for the stretch run, and only on boundary calls (whether a ball is over the fence, whether it crossed the fair or foul side of the foul pole, etc.). And if baseball has a sense of humor, it'll hire Don Denkinger to oversee replays.

3. Tropical Storm Fay: The Tampa Bay-Los Angeles series beginning Monday night could end prematurely if the Rays and Angels get the high sign to evacuate from Major League Baseball and Florida authorities. Or, as Angels manager Mike Scioscia quips, "It sounds like we're not going to be working on our suntans down there."

4. Hurricane Manny: The Dodgers are 10-6 since Manny Ramirez's arrival, have vaulted into a tie with Arizona for the NL West lead and have watched attendance jump by 5,000 a game. He has hit safely in 14 of 16 games and he's batting .424 with six homers and 21 RBI with an on-base percentage of better than 50 percent. He had his hair trimmed and, by the way, manager Joe Torre proclaimed starter Brad Penny (shoulder) out for the season and hardly anybody noticed.

In fact, fans are fully expecting cooperative Manny to offer to join the rotation if need be.

5. The Milkman has left the building: And the Yankees are expected to follow outfielder Melky Cabrera straight into the hinterlands promptly. No word yet on when the Yankeeographies of Cabrera, designated-for-assignment Richie Sexson and Wilson Betemit will be running on the YES network. But right now, the month of October looks open.

6. The Friendly Confines: Don't look now, but the road is becoming as friendly as Wrigley Field to the Chicago Cubs. Already near-invincible at home (45-17), Lou Piniella's team now has won 10 of its past 11 road games and has stretched its lead over NL Central rival Milwaukee to 5½ games. Which puts Cubs-watchers on high alert, of course, because the Cubs now have positioned themselves to where it's going to take something epic to screw it up. Such as ... a billy goat? Ha! Like that'd ever happen!

7. Angels actually, ahem, lose a series: It's true. Even though Francisco Rodriguez tied the club record with his 47th save Saturday in Cleveland (he broke his own club record for fist pumps and gyrations a month ago), the Angels, headed for home-field advantage in the AL playoffs, lost their first American League series since May 9-11 when they were swept in Tampa Bay.

8. Tom Glavine: Done for the season with a bad elbow. And teammate John Smoltz is finished with a bad wing. And former teammate Greg Maddux is marooned on a stink bomb of a team in San Diego, contemplating retirement. Which means, suddenly, the stars are aligning for a possible Glavine-Smoltz-Maddux Cooperstown class five years from now.

9. Houston makes its move: Left for dead long ago, the Astros suddenly decided to let everyone know they exist, winning 16 of 20 games through one stretch that lasted through late last week. "It's unexplainable," Astros' slugger Lance Berkman said. He was right -- Houston dropped two of three to Arizona over the weekend.

10. LaRoche brothers hit Pittsburgh: First baseman Adam LaRoche and brother Andy, the third baseman acquired from the Dodgers in the three-way deal that sent Jason Bay to Boston, finally became the first set of brothers to play for the Pirates together since Eddie and Johnny O'Brien in 1958. Now, if their last name was "Clemente" or "Stargell" instead of "LaRoche", we'd be excited.