Starting Five: Phillies' Howard Making MVP Case

by Ed PriceFiled under: Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Phillies, Pirates, Rays, Tigers, Twins, MLB Injuries, Starting FiveStarting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.You Oughta Know ...That Ryan Howard is trying to challenge Albert Pujols for National League MVP.Howard homered twice, doubled and drove in three runs Friday in the Phillies' 4-2 defeat of the Braves. Philadelphia now has an eight-game lead in the NL East."It makes you feel good when he starts hitting," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "He's amazing. He'll take two swings and not look too good, then all of a sudden he stays on a pitch and smokes it out of the yard. He's a tremendous hitter." More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics Starting Five: Phillies' Howard Making MVP Case originally appeared on Fanhouse MLB Blog on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Ema...