Red-hot Howard powers Phils past Cardinals again

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)
For everyone who has been criticizing Ryan Howard's play this season, you can stop now. Yes, he strikes out too much. Yes, he isn't going to hit for a high average. But, man, is he destroying the ball right now. He was the offense today, hitting his major-league leading 26th and 27th homers today to lead the Phillies over the Cardinals, 4-1. Howard had 3 RBIs to increase his Phillie record for ribbies before the all-star break to a league-leading 83. He's also hitting .234, a 30 point increase over his average a month ago. In the month of July, Howard now has 7 homers in 10 games. In short, while the rest of the Phillie line-up continues to scuffle, Howard continues to tear the cover off of the ball and keep the Phillies atop the NL East. more...