Phillies slugger Howard to compete in Home Run Derby
As expected, Ryan Howard has accepted an invitation to participate in the Home Run Derby on July 13 at Busch Stadium, in his hometown of St. Louis.
Howard, who will be joined by fellow NL first basemen Prince Fielder, Adrian Gonzalez and Albert Pujols, won the event in 2006 and competed again the following season. Howard is in one of the longest home-run droughts of his career. After last night's rout of Cincinnati, he has gone homerless in 13 games, covering 49 consecutive at-bats. During that stretch, he has hit .204 with nine strikeouts and four walks.
The longest homerless streak of Howard's career took place from Sept. 22, 2006, to April 9, 2007, covering 57 at-bats.
- David Murphy
