Ryan Howard injures ankle in Phillies win

The Phillies may have beaten the Nationals 6-4 in 11 innings but they may have paid quite a price: Ryan Howard injured his ankle on a slide into second base in the first inning of the game. While Phillies fans all feared the worst due to how Howard's leg appeared to buckle against the base, the initial reports are all positive as X-rays came up negative and the Phillies are calling the injury a sprained ankle.

After the game, Charlie Manuel speculated that Howard wouldn't need a DL stint but "might miss a day or two". Howard also so that he's in a lot of pain and he was seen on crutches as he left the park so it's probably still to early to judge whether he will miss an extended amount of time. You can bet the Phillies will take a close look at the ankle on their off day tomorrow and then proceed from there. Judging from their bad luck with injuries this season, don't be surprised to hear that Howard is placed on the disabled list tomorrow.

Should Howard miss extensive time, look for Ross Gload and Cody Ransom to play first base. Yep, that's quite a drop-off.
(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)