Asche impressing with his work on defense

PHILADELPHIA -- Phillies third baseman Cody Asche entered Thursday's game against the Rockies hitting .200 (13-for-65) with four doubles, two triples and nine RBIs.

The Phillies believe the hitting will come.

But Asche already has impressed defensively, showing some pretty good range.

"I see tremendous progress on his footwork out there, his reads on balls, his quickness, his reacting to the hops and getting the hop he wants," interim manager Ryne Sandberg said. "It looks like he's really worked on his glove play, just using the glove along with his strong accurate arm. It's a very true ball that he throws over there. It's got a lot on it. I've seen a lot of improving developments since I saw him in mid-February. He's come a long way."