“Nobody wants to get hurt,” Howard said. “Only way to get it better is to shut it down. If you keep playing, the worst case is you’re out there playing and it gets worse and you’re out for the rest of the year. The key is to get healthy.”

National League MVP Ryan Howard was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a left quadriceps strain after he was out of the Philadelphia Phillies’ starting lineup for the fifth straight game.

This is not good news for the already slumping Howard. Hopefully he can bounce back and have a decent second half of the year. I just hope this isn’t a nagging injury.

The sub .500 Philadelphia Phillies are fighting to get back into the NL East hunt before they get so far behind they can only dream of a WC birth. The Phillies are 4.5 games out of first place to the Mets.

Ryan Howard is still struggling at the plate with a .219 batting average. However, he is still managing to be a productive player because oh his high bases on balls count. Howard leads the team in walks with 23 so far. With so many walks, he has been able to keep his OBP high, which is hovering around .400.

The Phillies start a 3 game series in Atlanta today against the division rival Braves.

It’s hard to find a grove when you have two games rained out in a row. The Phillies are struggling this year with a 3-9 record, placing them dead last in the NL East. I know it’s still early. Still way to early to call it a season. But where are the Phillies stars? Where are Howard and Utley?

They’ve been virtual no shows in most of the games. Howard is struggling at the plate and has only 1 homerun. And this is the future of the Phillies franchise? He’s on pace for about 15-20 homeruns this year. That’s not the way you lock up a long term deal.

The Phillies have two games in a row against Washington. Those should be two easy wins, moving them to a barely respectable 5-9 record heading into Cincy this weekend.

Ryan Howard went hitless yesterday in the first game of the New York Mets series. He did however draw 2 walks, that led to 2 runs scored.

The important thing is that that Phillies won.

Let’s see how Howard does tonight.

Ryan Howard knocked his first homerun of the season yesterday in a loss against the New York Mets. His 1-4 performance didn’t help raise his average though. Howard is still only batting .222 through the first 7 games of the 2007 season.

The Phillies have the day off today, but will continue their 3 game series against the Mets tomorrow.

The Phillies have faced some tough NL East pitching so far, so I wouldn’t be too concerned about Howard’s performance. I would be more concerns about the Phillies 1-6 record. Once they start winning, Howard will start clicking and crushing the ball.

Through the first two games of the season, Ryan Howard is off to an OK start. He doesn’t have any homeruns yet, but he does have 2 hits in 7 at bats for a .286 average. He also has 3 walks already in the first two games.

Accepting walks is something Howard has worked on. Getting a free base is nothing to be ashamed of.

The 0-2 Phillies play their final game of this series against Atlanta today at 3:00 EST.

The Philadelphia Phillies start their season off tomorrow afternoon in a 3 game series against the Atlanta Braves, with a break on Tuesday. Ryan Howard has no doubt been waiting all off season for a chance to prove he deserved the MVP and deserves the big bucks he’s after.

Brett Myers was selected to be the opening day starter and will throw his first pitch at 1:05 PM EST. Howard will be the starting 1st baseman. Along with Howard, the Phillies are manned in the infield with stars Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley making up one of the best infields in the National League.

Ryan Howard is ready to shut up the media with his play. I wouldn’t put an opening day home run against him. In his career against the Braves, Howard is batting a godly .438 with 6 homeruns.

The good news is that Spring Training is almost over and Howard can concentrate on the at bats that really matter.

The reigning National League MVP clearly showed his frustration Sunday before snapping an 0-for-17 skid with a single in the fifth inning of Philadelphia’s 10-2 victory against Minnesota.

Howard uncharacteristically snapped at a writer before the game and didn’t hide his dejection after striking out in the third inning. He is batting just .231 (12 for 52) with two homers and nine RBIs after hitting .313 with 58 homers and 149 RBIs in perhaps the best season ever for a second-year player.