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Howard homers twice as Phillies crush Cardinals

Jun 14, 2008 - 5:44 AM ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Ryan Howard entered Friday still looking for his first home run this month. The search is over.

Howard homered twice and drove in five runs as the Philadelphia Phillies steamrolled past the St. Louis Cardinals, 20-2.

Chase Utley and Pat Burrell added solo blasts and Carlos Ruiz went 4-for-6 with four RBI for the Phillies, who pounded out 21 hits in scoring 20 runs for the second time this season. On May 26, Philadelphia posted a 20-5 triumph over the Colorado Rockies at Citizens Bank Park.

Kyle Kendrick (6-2) also got in on the offensive attack, collecting a double and an RBI single while scoring a pair of runs. The righthander also was solid on the mound, allowing two runs - one earned - eight hits and one walk with one strikeout in seven innings.

"It can be tough to stay focused with such a big lead," Kendrick said. "It's certainly nice to have that type of lead, but it's important to stay aggressive and stay focused out there."

Geoff Jenkins drove in three runs for the Phillies, who batted around during a nine-run fourth inning and had six players with multi-hit performances.

The Phillies wasted no time getting to Todd Wellemeyer (7-2). The converted reliever retired the first two batters of the game before Utley, Howard and Burrell hit consecutive homers to stake Philadelphia to a 3-0 lead.

"I've never been part of anything like that," Howard said. "It was pretty cool to have Chase start it off, then me go, then Pat coming right after that. It was pretty fun to be a part of."

"If that doesn't get you going, nothing will," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of the three straight homers.

Utley's blast was his major league-leading 22nd of the season, while Howard's ended a 12-game drought.

Ruiz extended the lead with an RBI double in the second before Skip Schumaker got St. Louis within 4-1 with a solo homer in the third. However, that was as close as the Cardinals would get as the Phillies broke open the game in the fourth.

Utley began the outburst with a two-run single and, after a run-scoring base hit by Howard and a sacrifice fly by Jenkins made it 8-1, Ruiz atoned for making the first out of the inning by delivering a two-run, ground-rule double.

Kendrick's single - his second hit of the frame - plated a run, and another scored when center fielder Rick Ankiel made an errant throw on the play. Shane Victorino, who collected three hits, capped the uprising with a double that scored Kendrick.

"We kept getting hits, and the more you get into it and the more things go your way, these guys start having fun and wanting to really be part of it," Manuel said.

Pedro Feliz hit an RBI double in the fifth and Howard launched a three-run shot in the sixth for a 17-1 cushion.

"I was lucky enough to get a couple good balls and put some good swings on them and hit them out of the park," said Howard, a native of St. Louis. "Playing before family and friends is relaxing to me."

Philadelphia reached the 20-run mark with three in the eighth, as Jenkins hit a two-run double and scored on a single by Ruiz.

Wellemeyer lasted 3 1/3 innings, surrendering eight runs, eight hits and three walks. Ron Villone was tagged for six runs in just 1 2/3 frames, while three other relievers combined to allow six more runs.

"I didn't feel too good," Wellemeyer said. "That's one of the best lineups in baseball, and none of us had it today."

"We just got the tar kicked out of us," said Cardinals righthander Russ Springer, who retired two of the three batters he faced but yielded a run.

Infielder Aaron Miles pitched a 1-2-3 ninth for St. Louis.

"None of us had it today except Miles," Wellemeyer said.

The loss was Wellemeyer's first since April 28, ending his five-game winning streak.

Philadelphia has reached double digits in runs eight times this season, including five in its last 16 wins.