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. In eight innings, he gave up three hits and no walks while striking out ten batters. The Dodgers, on the other hand, saw starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda last only 1.1 innings.

The two teams play again on Monday. Randy Wolf will be on the hill for L.A., while Joe Blanton toes the rubber for Philly.

Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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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 pair of hits.

In Game 4, the pitching matchup will be fantastic. The Phillies will send Cliff Lee to the mound, while the Rockies will go with Ubaldo Jimenez. The Rockies will need to win to stay alive, while the Phillies will attempt to move one step closer to back-to-back World Series championships.

Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies

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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 Florida Marlins and an 8.5-game lead over the Braves in the NL East. From August 25th through September 7th, Philadelphia had lost eight of 13 games and the team failed to score more than four runs in any of those contests.

With the 2009 baseball playoffs right around the corner, the Phillies seem to be heating up at exactly the right time.

Ryan Howard is going for another World Series title (Image: Zuma Press)

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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, this was quite a turnaround.

Providing the offense for the Phillies was — who else? — Ryan Howard. The big first baseman was 2-for-4 with an RBI double in the fourth inning. That lone RBI was all Hamels needed.

For the Giants, Jonathan Sanchez wasn’t half bad, either. In six innings, the native of Puerto Rico gave up only three hits and one earned run while striking out eight.

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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 earned run as his improved his record to 9-2 and his ERA to 2.66. The 26-year-old lefty has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the national league this season. When combined with Cole Hamels and trade deadline acquisition Cliff Lee, the Phillies trio is one of the best pitching trios in the league right now.

For the Braves, their only run was courtesy of a home run by Matt Diaz. Despite the loss, the Braves are still only 3.5 games back in the NL Wild Card chase.

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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 the 2008 World Series championship. He hasn’t missed a game since May of 2007.

On the season, Howard is hitting .254 with 19 homers, 51 RBIs and 42 runs. He also has 16 doubles and an on-base percentage of .330.

If Howard can’t play, Greg Dobbs will get the start at first base in place of Howard.

Ryan Howard - Philadelphia Phillies (Image: Zuma Press)

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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 2009 season.

To say Howard doesn’t this contract would be disingenuous. Over the last three seasons, he’s been one of the best sluggers in the National League. In 2008, Howard hit 48 homers and drove in 146 RBIs. Oh and he helped the Phillies win the 2008 World Series title.

In three years, a then 32-year-old Howard will hit the free agent market and will likely be the biggest catch of the offseason. Until then, Philadelphia will try to add to their trophy collection.

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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 as one of the most feared hitters in all of baseball. In each season, he has at least 47 homers and at least 136. The good news for the Phillies is he won’t become a free agent until after the 2011 season. If he were a free agent this season, he would have undoubtedly earned a contract paying well over $100 million.

Howard’s request of $18 million is far and away the most of any player in arbitration this season. In fact, it’s more than twice than the $8 million Prince Fielder asked for and Fielder had the second highest request.

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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 only hitting star for the Phillies on this night. Right fielder Jayson Werth had a home run of his own. Starting pitcher Joe Blanton was not only dominant on the mound, he also helped his own cause by hitting a home run in the fifth inning. On the mound, Blanton went six innings and gave up two runs while striking out seven batters.

The Rays could never get things going. Their only two runs of the game were courtesy of solo homers by Carl Crawford and Eric Hinske. Starting pitcher Andy Sonnanstine struggled, but he wasn’t alone. All four pitchers who pitched for Tampa Bay gave up at least one run.

The Phillies will go for the 2008 World Series championship on Monday. The Rays, on the other hand, will try to win the game and send the series back to Tampa Bay. The pitchers in Game 5 will be Scott Kazmir for the Rays and Cole Hamels for the Phillies. Game 5 of the World Series starts at 8PM eastern and will be shown on Fox.

Photo: Newscom

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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 a home run in the second inning off of Matt Garza. Chase Utley and Ryan Howard also hit homers for the Phillies. 45-year-old starting pitcher Jaime Moyer went 6.1 innings in which he gave up three earned runs and struck out five.

For the Rays, BJ Upton was again the star. Upton went 2-4 with a run and an American League World Series record three stolen bases. Carl Crawford also went 2-4 for Tampa Bay and scored two runs. Garza, the starter for the Rays, struck out seven batters but gave up four earned runs in six innings.

Game 4 will be on Monday night in Philadelphia. If the Phillies can win, they will be one win away from being the champions of baseball in 2008. If the Rays win, they will tie the series at 2-2 and have two of the final three games at home. The game will start at 8PM eastern and will be shown on television on Fox.

Photo: Newscom

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