PHOENIX -- Phillies manager Charlie Manuel sees improvement in Ryan Howard's swing against right-handed pitchers, so he saw no reason to risk a regression by having the big guy deal with the special challenge that is Randy Johnson.

So Howard sat out on Tuesday against Arizona's still-dangerous lefty. He's never faced Johnson, so Manuel saw no reason to start now.

"Ryan Howard has been staying on right-handers real good and is starting to swing better," Manuel said. "Against [Johnson's] arm angle, I didn't want him to open up too quick. He wants to play, but I think he understands why."

Though Howard went 1-for-5 with a hard single to drive in a run in Monday's 11-4 win, one of the outs was a smoked shot to center field that wound up as a sacrifice fly. Another out was a deep drive to left field.

Still, the slugger's season average sits at .169, and he's struck out 46 times in 118 at-bats.

"You want to play, plain and simple," Howard said. "Regardless of who is on the hill or whatever you are doing. I guess that's the move they wanted to make today, so that's what they did."

The move shifted Chase Utley to first base, and provided Brad Harman with a Major League memory of getting to face Johnson. Harman started at second base.

Though he said he faced Johnson in Spring Training -- when Johnson was with the Yankees -- and took him on playing video games, this is different.

"I would always use him in the video games, because he was good," said Harman, who is destined for the Minor Leagues once Jimmy Rollins returns. "I could hit him in the video game. [Facing him will be] cool, but it's nothing different. I can't change anything."