Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard's struggles against left-handed pitchers has been well-chronicled. However, during an intrasquad game Tuesday, he proved he had no problems hitting left-handed pitching.
Howard singled off top pitching prospect Jesse Biddle in his first at-bat and then homered off Cesar Jimenez in his second at-bat.
"He's approached me about seeing left-handed pitching," manager Ryne Sandberg said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer. "If he makes the left-handers throw strikes, in my opinion he can hit balls in the strike zone."
Howard fared pretty well against lefties during spring training last year, batting .400 with three doubles and three home runs in 30 at-bats. However, he struggled during the regular season, batting .173 with three doubles and three home runs in 87 plate appearances against lefties.