ryan howard

Ken Rosenthal was worried Ryan Howard's World Series run was going to cost Albert Pujols the MVP. Which would have been bad.

St. Louis Cardinals star Albert Pujols has won his second National League Most Valuable Player award. Pujols won by a comfortable margin over Philadelphia slugger Ryan Howard.

Milwaukee's Ryan Braun was third and Los Angeles outfielder Manny Ramirez came in fourth after playing just two months with the Dodgers.

Pujols hit .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs despite playing much of the season with a sore right elbow. The Cardinals finished fourth in the NL Central.

The St.

Even their pitcher socked a ball into the seats. If Ryan Howard, the Philadelphia Phillies and their frustrated fans needed any more evidence this really might be their year, Joe Blanton gave it to them.

Ryan Howard's slump is history, which is what the Phils are closing in on after his 2 HRs led a Game 4 barrage, Mark Kriegel says.

PHILADELPHIA -- For a while, Phillies megastar Ryan Howard was struggling so badly that Rays pitchers were looking completely calm whenever Howard strode to the plate.

And those pitchers were eating him up with a steady diet of curveballs. But the thing about Howard is that all those strikeouts can turn to home runs in no time.

Even when he looks lost, he's a threat to turn a streak around, turn a game around, or in this case, send his team to the brink of their second World Series title.

Ryan Howard hit two of the Phils' four HRs. Even pitcher Joe Blanton hit one out as Philly took a 3-1 lead on Tampa in the Series.

Yes, the Phillies won Game 1. But Gerry Fraley says there's reason to be concerned, and it centers on Ryan Howard.

The playoffs have officially started as slugger Ryan Howard and the Phillies host the Brewers. Follow Game 1 LIVE right here.