Tuesday, June 7, 2016

2016 Topps Now #43 Ryan Howard

Cubs 6Phillies 4
Game 58 - Monday Night, June 6th in Philadelphia
Record - 28-30, 4th place, 6 games behind the Nationals

One Sentence Summary:  The Phillies waited until the ninth inning to start scoring, but it wasn't enough to overcome a six run Cubs lead.

What It Means:  It's not going well for the local nine.  They've now lost 11 of their last 14.

What Happened:  Down 6-0, five of the Phillies nine hits in this game came in the ninth inning. Freddy Galvis hit a three-run home run (6), followed by a solo homer from Tommy Joseph (5).  With two outs, and a runner on first, pinch-hitter Ryan Howard swung at the first ball he saw and grounded out to first to end the threat and the ballgame.

Jon Lester earned the win for the Cubs with eight shutout innings and nine strikeouts.

Featured Card:  It's been a rough year so far for the former franchise player.  Other than his big walk-off 11th inning home run in late April, commemorated on both this Topps Now card and a Chachi Now card, there haven't been many highlights for the former Big Piece.

On Saturday afternoon as Howard was leaving the field, a spectator threw a beer bottle at him. Philadelphia police are trying to track down the spectator (I won't call him a fan) in question, and his image has previously been shared on Philly.com and social media outlets.  I'm hoping this guy can be identified and properly punished.

This is just an awful situation.  Howard's swan song with the Phillies this season is painful enough to endure, and now this situation only makes it that much worse.

Recently added to The Phillies Room - 2016 Season Summary page with game results and links to game summary posts.

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