The Philadelphia Phillies continue to look like a team on a mission to win back-to-back World Series championships. After splitting the two games in Los Angeles, the Phillies blasted the Dodgers in front of their home fans.
Ryan Howard started the momentum for Philadelphia. His two-run triple in the bottom of the first inning opened the gates. When it was all said and done, the Phillies had handed the Dodgers an 11-0 thrashing.
Howard and Shane Victorino finished with three RBIs, while Jayson Werth had two. Every starter for the Phillies scored — including pitcher Cliff Lee.
Speaking of Lee, he was tremendous. …read more

Don’t ever underestimate the heart of a champion. The Philadelphia Phillies proved that saying correct one more time on Sunday night. Although the Phillies got down early 3-1 against the Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia kept battling and ended up with a 6-5 victory.
With the game tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth, Ryan Howard hit a sacrifice fly to score Jimmy Rollins. In the bottom of the ninth, Phillies fans had to pray. Brad Lidge, Philadelphia’s closer who had a 7.21 ERA and an 0-8 record in the regular season, was able to record the save despite giving up a …read more

The Philadelphia Phillies were recently struggling and their hold on the NL East seemed to be slipping. But with a 9-4 victory over the Atlanta Braves on Friday, the Phillies have now won six games in a row and they have all but clinched their division.
Leading the way for the Phillies was slugging first baseman Ryan Howard. In the fourth inning, Howard hit a two-run blast. In the sixth, he followed up his previous at-bat with a solo home run. Jimmy Rollins and Ben Francisco also hit homers for the Phillies.
The win gave the Phillies an 8-game lead over the …read more

Cole Hamels hasn’t been too impressive this season. After leading the Philadelphia Phillies to the 2009 World Series championship, the lefty hasn’t looked like a champion this season. However, on Tuesday Hamels snapped out of his funk and led the Phillies to a 1-0 victory over the San Francisco Giants.
Pitching all nine innings, Hamels gave up only two hits and one walk while striking out nine batters. It was his best start of the season and evened his record at 8-8 in addition to lowering his ERA to 4.26. Considering that he was 0-3 in August with a 4.91 ERA, …read more

Ryan Howard and J.A. Happ were masterful on Sunday as the Philadelphia Phillies toppled the Atlanta Braves by a final count of 4-1. With the win, the Phillies were able to build their advantage in the NL East to 4.5 games over the Florida Marlins and 6 games over the Braves.
In the second inning, Howard connected on his 29th home run of the year. His 30th homer of the year came in the sixth when he hit a three-run blast. Happ, the rookie starting pitcher, did the rest.
In 7.2 innings of work, Happ gave up only three hits and one …read more

Ryan Howard has played in 342 straight games. That number represents the current best consecutive games streak in baseball. But on Saturday, that streak appears to be coming to an end.
Howard went to the hospital on Friday night after complaining of flu-like symptoms. He reportedly was suffering from a fever of 104 degrees. In the early morning hours, he was released from the hospital.
On Saturday night, the Philadelphia Phillies go up against the Baltimore Orioles. Unless there is a miracle, Howard is set to miss the game.
Last year, Howard played all 162 games as the Phillies went on to win …read more

Ryan Howard of the Philadelphia Phillies no longer has to live year to year with his contract. The slugger agreed to a three-year contract with the Phillies that will pay him at least $54 million.
In the second and third years of the contract, Howard can earn a bonus $1 million by winning the NL MVP. If he finishes in second place in the MVP voting, his consolation prize is $500K.
In arbitration, Howard was asking for $18 million and while he will only make $15 million this season, the long term security was obviously worth the dip in pay for the …read more

Winning the World Series is always good business. Ryan Howard of the 2008 World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies proved that once again on Tuesday when he asked for $18 million in salary arbitration. The Phillies offered $14 million.
Either way, Howard is going to be paid a hefty sum for 2009. And judging by the World Series championship and his stats, Howard will definitely deserve every penny. In 2008, Howard hit 48 homers, drove in 146 RBIs and had 105 runs. The only blemish in his stats was his pedestrian batting average of .251.
Over the last three seasons, Howard has emerged …read more

Ryan Howard showed in Game 4 why he is such a feared hitter.
The Philadelphia Phillies, after their 10-2 win, are now one win away from winning the 2008 World Series and being declared the 2008 baseball champions. Leading in the series 2-1 coming into Game 4, the Phillies dominated in Game 4 to take a 3-1 lead in the best out of seven series.
The big star on Sunday night was none other than Ryan Howard, the slugging first baseman for the Phillies. Howard hit two home runs and finished the game 3-4 with walk and five RBIs.
Howard wasn’t the …read more

Philadelphia Phillies take the lead in the 2008 World Series.
The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays on an infield hit in the bottom on the ninth inning to win Game 3 of the 2008 World Series. With the win, the Phillies lead the Rays two games to one in the best of seven series.
With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, Carlos Ruiz hit a slow roller to third base and the throw home was not in time. The run made it 5-4 and gave the Phillies the win.
Earlier in the game, Ruiz hit …read more