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By MIKE LIPKA, STATS Writer
15 hours, 35 minutes ag
Ryan Howard grew up in St. Louis, but since he left to begin his major league career in Philadelphia, the slugger hasn’t shown any mercy when visiting his hometown team.
Howard will look to continue his hot hitting at Busch Stadium on Sunday when his Phillies play the decisive game of their series—and season series— against the Cardinals.
The 2006 NL MVP’s 31 home runs and 96 RBIs have helped Philadelphia (60-50) to first place in the NL East, but such production has become predictable for the first basemen when he visits St. Louis.
He homered and drove in three runs in his first game there on Aug. 1, 2006, and has a .521 on-base percentage and 24 RBIs in 14 career contests in St. Louis. Philadelphia is 9-5 in those games.
“You grew up playing here in front of your family and friends,” Howard said. “To be able to do it at the major league level, it’s just like playing back when you were 15.”
Howard went 0-for-3 in Friday’s 6-3 Cardinals victory, but he homered and walked three times in Philadelphia’s 2-1 win on Saturday as the Phillies opened up a 1 1/2-game lead over second-place Florida in the NL East. The New York Mets are two games back.
“I don’t know if we want to play the Cardinals every day, because they’re pretty good, but Howard seems to play pretty good against them,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “I think he feels comfortable here. He’s around his people and he’s relaxed.”
The Phillies also seem to be calm after winning six of their last seven games. They’ve scored 45 runs over that span, but they’ve also claimed a pair of 2-1 wins this week.
The first came at Washington on Tuesday with Brett Myers (4-9, 5.46 ERA) on the mound. The beleaguered right-hander, who has spent time in the minors this season and hadn’t won a game in nearly two months before Tuesday, pitched seven-plus innings, allowing four hits and one unearned run in the victory.
“If they lose faith in me, I’d probably lose faith in myself,” Myers said of his team. “But they’ve had faith in me all along and I knew I could do it.”
Myers faced the Cardinals on June 15 before his stint with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, allowing six runs in six innings at Busch Stadium. He didn’t receive a decision, however, as the Phillies lost 7-6 in 10 innings.
St. Louis (62-51) will counter with Todd Wellemeyer (8-4, 4.13), who has won just once in his last eight starts. He’s 1-3 with a 6.43 ERA over that span, though he gave up two runs in six innings Tuesday against Atlanta, leaving without a decision in the Cardinals’ 8-3 victory.
After losing for the fifth time in their last six home games, the Cardinals now have a better record on the road (31-25) than they do at home (31-26). They fell five games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, though they trail Milwaukee by just one game for the wild card.
One bright spot for the Cardinals on Saturday was Ryan Ludwick’s 26th home run. Ludwick is hitting .522 (12-for-23) with seven RBIs in his last six games, and he has three homers in his last two contests.
“I’ve been pretty much streaky. I think most power guys are like that,” Ludwick said. “You always hear that term, that they come in bunches.”
The teams have split their previous eight games.
15 hours, 35 minutes ag
Ryan Howard grew up in St. Louis, but since he left to begin his major league career in Philadelphia, the slugger hasn’t shown any mercy when visiting his hometown team.
Howard will look to continue his hot hitting at Busch Stadium on Sunday when his Phillies play the decisive game of their series—and season series— against the Cardinals.
The 2006 NL MVP’s 31 home runs and 96 RBIs have helped Philadelphia (60-50) to first place in the NL East, but such production has become predictable for the first basemen when he visits St. Louis.
He homered and drove in three runs in his first game there on Aug. 1, 2006, and has a .521 on-base percentage and 24 RBIs in 14 career contests in St. Louis. Philadelphia is 9-5 in those games.
“You grew up playing here in front of your family and friends,” Howard said. “To be able to do it at the major league level, it’s just like playing back when you were 15.”
Howard went 0-for-3 in Friday’s 6-3 Cardinals victory, but he homered and walked three times in Philadelphia’s 2-1 win on Saturday as the Phillies opened up a 1 1/2-game lead over second-place Florida in the NL East. The New York Mets are two games back.
“I don’t know if we want to play the Cardinals every day, because they’re pretty good, but Howard seems to play pretty good against them,” manager Charlie Manuel said. “I think he feels comfortable here. He’s around his people and he’s relaxed.”
The Phillies also seem to be calm after winning six of their last seven games. They’ve scored 45 runs over that span, but they’ve also claimed a pair of 2-1 wins this week.
The first came at Washington on Tuesday with Brett Myers (4-9, 5.46 ERA) on the mound. The beleaguered right-hander, who has spent time in the minors this season and hadn’t won a game in nearly two months before Tuesday, pitched seven-plus innings, allowing four hits and one unearned run in the victory.
“If they lose faith in me, I’d probably lose faith in myself,” Myers said of his team. “But they’ve had faith in me all along and I knew I could do it.”
Myers faced the Cardinals on June 15 before his stint with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, allowing six runs in six innings at Busch Stadium. He didn’t receive a decision, however, as the Phillies lost 7-6 in 10 innings.
St. Louis (62-51) will counter with Todd Wellemeyer (8-4, 4.13), who has won just once in his last eight starts. He’s 1-3 with a 6.43 ERA over that span, though he gave up two runs in six innings Tuesday against Atlanta, leaving without a decision in the Cardinals’ 8-3 victory.
After losing for the fifth time in their last six home games, the Cardinals now have a better record on the road (31-25) than they do at home (31-26). They fell five games behind the Chicago Cubs in the NL Central, though they trail Milwaukee by just one game for the wild card.
One bright spot for the Cardinals on Saturday was Ryan Ludwick’s 26th home run. Ludwick is hitting .522 (12-for-23) with seven RBIs in his last six games, and he has three homers in his last two contests.
“I’ve been pretty much streaky. I think most power guys are like that,” Ludwick said. “You always hear that term, that they come in bunches.”
The teams have split their previous eight games.
