Ryan Howard homers twice as Philadelphia Phillies beat Tampa Bay Rays 4-3

Howard homers twice as Phillies beat Rays 4-3

CLEARWATER, Fla. — Ryan Howard hit two solo homers to help the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 on Tuesday.

Shane Victorino also connected for the Phillies, and Brian Schneider had a game-ending sacrifice fly.

Howard went deep against Matt Garza in the fourth and sixth innings. The big first baseman is batting .356 with three homers and eight RBIs in 16 games this spring.

Evan Longoria had a two-run double for the Rays. Garza yielded three runs and seven hits in 5 2-3 innings.

Joe Blanton pitched 5 1-3 innings for the Phillies, yielding two runs and four hits.