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Howard, Phillies look to slug D-Backs

Jul 11, 2008 - 1:36 PM Philadelphia (50-43) at Arizona (46-46) 7:05 pm. EDT

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- It's evident that as Ryan Howard goes, so go the Philadelphia Phillies. The slugger seeks to continue his resurgence on Friday as the Phillies aim for a third straight win in the opener of a three-game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The National League's leading run producer, Howard hit a pair of home runs and drove in three runs to lead the Phillies to a 4-1 victory over St. Louis on Thursday.

With that performance, Howard extended his hitting streak to 13 games - one shy of his career high. The 2006 NL MVP has been roundly criticized for his huge strikeout total (124) and low average (.231) , but he is certainly showing signs of life these days. Howard is hitting .353 with eight home runs and 18 RBI during his hitting streak.

Meanwhile, Chase Utley has struggled, hitting just .250 (7-for-28) in his last eight games. Pat Burrell also is having some trouble with his production and has driven in just two runs in the same span.

Howard and company will try and beat up on Doug Davis (3-4, 3.74 ERA), who has posted a 2.67 ERA over his last five starts, but has just one win to show for it.

Philadelphia counters with Kyle Kendrick (8-3, 4.39 ERA) . Kendrick has won seven of his last eight decisions and is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his last three starts.