Post by lingzi on Sept 7, 2012 7:59:28 GMT 1
PHILADELPHIA -- Ryan Howard will be hitting cleanup for the Philadelphia Phillies when he makes his season debut Friday night. Matt Schaub Jersey . The former NL MVP has been sidelined the entire season after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while making the final out in Philadelphias loss to St. Louis in Game 5 of the NL division series last October. Hes missed 84 games. "It feels good. Im ready to go and get back in the swing of things," Howard said. Howard played in seven minor league games and went 10 for 20 with a home run. Hell be back at first place for the first time when the last-place Phillies open a three-game set against Atlanta. "We think hes ready to play and we want him in the lineup," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We think he can handle it." Howard was hoping to return by May before suffering a setback during spring training. He developed an infection around his Achilles that required a surgical procedure, forcing him to slow down his rehab. The five-time defending NL East champion Phillies entered the night at 37-47 and 13 games behind division-leading Washington. They just got Chase Utley back last week, but have gone 1-7 since the five-time All-Star returned to the lineup. With Utley and Howard hitting 3-4 for the first time, Manuel is looking for his team to make a run. "We need to play better than the first half," he said. "Getting those two guys back will create more offence. Hopefully we can go back to the resilient team we used to be. We dont ever quit." Howard, the 2006 NL MVP and three-time All-Star, averaged 44 homers and 133 RBIs per season between 2006-11. "Watching him hit, hes using his back side pretty good," Manuel said. Howard never was a speed demon, and hes clearly a slower runner now. Manuel said hell run for Howard and take him out for a defensive replacement when the situation dictates it. Howard isnt expected to start on Saturday, but should be back in the lineup on Sunday, Manuel said. Infielder Hector Luna was sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room for Howard. Luna hit .246 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 26 games. Tavon Wilson Youth Jersey . Almagro, the top seed, didnt allow a single break point to Hanescu in his victory at the Ibirapuera sporting complex. He had 12 aces and only one double fault in the second-round match which lasted more than two hours. Denarius Moore Jersey Youth . -- Andy Murray won his opening match Friday at the Sony Ericsson Open by beating Alejandro Falla 6-2, 6-3. Womens Brian Cushing Jersey . Pierrick Martel scored twice as the Cataractes exploded for five third-period goals in under seven minutes on Saturday for a 7-3 victory over Drummondville. Danny Woodhead Elite Jersey . Strasburg pitched six innings, but the Rockies rallied for a 4-2 victory over the Nationals that snapped the right-handers six-start winning streak. "I went out there and pounded the strike zone," Strasburg said. Peyton Manning Nike Jersey . -- Jimmie Johnson was the mane man at Dover.WARSAW, Poland -- In the face of a chorus of naysayers, Poland has defended its right to co-host the European Championship. The country scrambled to build three stadiums, pave hundreds of kilometres (miles) of roads for fans to get around, and upgrade everything from hotels to train stations to airports. Now the time has come to finally have some fun. Poland hopes to put on a good show Friday for the 55,000 fans expected to pack Warsaws sparkling new National Stadium and the millions more that will be glued to TVs when Poland opens the tournament against Greece. Both Group A teams are fully aware of how important a good start will be in their quest to advance to the knockout stage. Poland lost its opening match at the three last major tournaments it played in -- the 2002 and 2006 World Cups and Euro 2008 -- and is anxious not to dig itself an early hole and kill the popular buzz surrounding the team. "We are above all interested in a good result in our first match because it will put us on the right path and give us a lot of confidence," Poland midfielder Ludovic Obraniak said. Poland is led by a talented trio that plays for German champion Borussia Dortmund -- Robert Lewandowski, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek. The hosts chances of advancing out of the group, which also includes Russia and the Czech Republic, largely depend on how far those three players will lead them. Lewandowski, who scored 22 goals in 34 games for Dortmund this season and could emerge as one of the breakout stars of the tournament, will spearhead the Poland attack. Michael Huff Womens Jersey. Behind him hell have Blaszczykowski, Polands captain, running the show in the midfield, while Piszczek will anchor the back and launch the occasional attack down the right flank. The team doesnt have strength in depth, but Poland coach Franciszek Smuda has cobbled together a solid starting 11 that has put in quality performances in the past year, including draws with Germany, Mexico and Portugal. Theyve also won three straight matches without conceding a goal, which has provided a shot of confidence. "There are great expectations on us," Poland midfielder Maciej Rybus said. "Not long ago you could hear criticism about the national team, and now everything is positive and everybodys behind us." For Greece, a perfect start would have historic resonance: Eight years ago, they beat host Portugal in the Euro 2004 opener and went on to win the tournament, defeating the Portuguese again in the final. Only two players remain from that winning squad -- captain Giorgos Karagounis and fellow midfielder Costas Katsouranis. Kyriakos Papadopoulos was only 12 years old when Greece won the title in 2004. "Weve been studying Poland and we have respect for them, but there is nothing we fear," the Kaisersleutern midfielder said. "The pressure will be on Poland, who are playing in front of their fans." ' ' '