PHILADELPHIA -- Theres a reason why Ryan Howard was limping around the field. The Philadelphia Phillies slugger needs surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee and will miss at least six to eight weeks. An MRI on Monday confirmed the tear in his knee. A date for surgery hasnt been set. "It could have been much more significant damage," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "We dont want any of our players on the DL. But we know what it is and its treatable. Hopefully we can get him back in time to play this year." Howard, the 2006 NL MVP, went on the disabled list Saturday. The three-time All-Star was hitting .266 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs. He was noticeably hobbling during games before he was shut down. He said he continued to play through the pain because he thought he could perform. "We have to take care of it," Amaro said. Howard played his first game last season on July 6 after tearing his left Achilles tendon making the final out in the 2011 NL division series. The 33-year-old first baseman has been on a steady decline since signing a $125 million, five-year contract extension on April 26, 2010. Howard averaged 50 homers and 143 RBIs between 2006-09. He hasnt hit more than 33 or driven in more than 116 runs since then. Darin Ruf, who hit 38 homers at Double-A Reading last year, replaces Howard. Ruf had been playing left field in Triple-A. Howard is the latest star player to land on Philadelphias disabled list. Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz missed significant time and Roy Halladay remains out after having shoulder surgery. Backup catcher Erik Kratz had surgery for a torn meniscus on June 12 and already has started a rehab assignment, so hes ahead of schedule. "Hopefully we will have the same sort of time frame, but everyones knee is different," Amaro said, comparing Howard to Kratz. "We can only speculate the length of how long it will take to get him to rehab. Well shoot for the conservative one and hope he comes back faster." 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LONDON -- There are many reasons for Andy Murrays second Wimbledon championship and third Grand Slam title, not least of which would be his ability to return Milos Raonics big serves in the final.There was also Murrays unrelenting court coverage.Those dipping passing shots when Raonic charged the net.Those clean strokes from every angle, limiting his unforced errors to merely a dozen during the 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) victory Sunday that allowed Murray to end his three-match losing streak in major finals in rather dominating fashion.And, a cynic might point out, the chance to finally face someone other than Novak Djokovic or Roger Federer with a Grand Slam title at stake.Murrays mother, former British Fed Cup captain Judy, pointed to another, possibly less-apparent, explanation for her sons success.Hes very good at finding a way to win when hes not playing his best tennis. And he reads the game well, she said during a break from the champagne celebration after sitting at Centre Court for the final. And hes very competitive.That last part dates back years and years.Because hes a perfectionist, and he always wanted to win, he was very temperamental as a young player. Very temperamental, Mom said, noting that Andys time at a tennis academy in Spain as a teenager helped curb that somewhat.Its part of who he is, and you wouldnt want to change it, she added. You just have to learn to temper it.Here is what else we learned at Wimbledon:SERENAS IN A GROOVE: Not that she ever went away, but Serena Williams had what for her amounted to something of a resurgence by collecting her record-tying 22nd Grand Slam title, including seven at Wimbledon. Her serve was superb, and every other part of her game was rather excellent, too. After losses in the semifinals of last years U.S. Open, then finals of this years Australian Open and French Open, she once again finished a fortnight holding the trophy.DJOKOVIC NOT IINFALLIBLE: So much for the popular notion that Djokovic was unbeatable.dddddddddddd Owner of a 30-match winning streak at majors, including four consecutive titles, he looked out of sorts for much of his third-round loss to Sam Querrey, an American who began Wimbledon ranked 41st and never had made it past the fourth round at a major. How will Djokovic rebound?FEDERERS STATUS: Since 2012, when Federer won his 17th Grand Slam title, folks have been guessing when hell no longer be considered a contender at the majors. Theyve had to keep waiting for an answer, especially when he was the runner-up at Wimbledon in 2014, and Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 2015. Hell turn 35 on Aug. 8, and while he did pull off a monumental comeback against Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals, he looked quite vulnerable while losing to Raonic and we still dont know how badly he might have been injured during a fifth-set fall.WHITHER THE YOUNGSTERS?: Of the eight mens and womens singles semifinalists at Wimbledon, the 25-year-old Raonic was by far the youngest. When, if ever, will the next generation really be here to stay? The members of the womens final four, including a renaissance from 36-year-old Venus Williams, averaged 31 years, 9 months -- the oldest at any Grand Slam tournament in the Open era, which began nearly a half-century ago.U.S. MEN MATTERED: For the first time in a while, American men mattered at Grand Slam time. Four made it to the third round, and two got to the second week. Querrey, a 28-year-old Californian with a big serve, not only defeated Djokovic, but also appeared in his first major quarterfinal. No man from the United States had reached the quarters at any Grand Slam since the 2011 U.S. Open.---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '