Phillies Notes | Home run lifts Howard's spirit

CINCINNATI -

Ryan Howard

hadn't been a happy camper the past few weeks.

He had struggled at the plate and then injured his left leg Wednesday in Washington, which kept him out of the lineup until yesterday at Great American Ball Park. So he released his frustrations in the top of the ninth inning when he crushed a two-run home run to center field in a 9-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. It was his second homer of the season.

"About damn time," Howard said as he rounded the bases.

Howard, who is hitting .220 with two homers and 10 RBIs this season, almost had another homer in the first, but the ball was caught just short of the wall. It knocked in a run anyway, handing the Phillies a 1-0 lead.

"That's where you want to be," Howard said. "To hit to center field and try to work to the opposite field. I've hit a couple balls pretty solidly to center field. I've had a couple that weren't able to fall in. I just have to keep working."

The Phillies will celebrate Jackie Robinson's breaking of baseball's color barrier tonight at Citizens Bank Park before the makeup of a rained-out game with the Houston Astros.

The ceremonies had been scheduled for April 15 - the 60th anniversary of the milestone - but were lost to the rainout. All those in uniform on the Astros and Phillies are expected to don jerseys with No. 42, the number worn by the Brooklyn Dodgers great.

Aaron Rowand missed his chance to play in Cincinnati last May because he was recovering from a broken face after he slammed into the center-field fence at Citizens Bank Park.

But he played well here this weekend. He extended his hitting streak to 10 games yesterday with a third-inning single. Rowand, who also made a nice diving catch to end the fifth, is hitting .421 (16 for 38) with three doubles, two homers and five RBIs in the streak. He also has walked six times and struck out five times.

Matt Smith

, who has a 10.80 ERA in eight appearances, is the only lefthander in the Phillies bullpen, but has retired just two of the nine lefthanders he has faced.

He has walked five and allowed two hits to lefthanders - the hitter he is supposed to get out. He struck out lefthanded Josh Hamilton but walked lefthanded Adam Dunn in the sixth inning before he retired righthanded Javier Valentin.

"I couldn't believe Dunn didn't chase some of those pitches," manager Charlie Manuel said. "We've got to show confidence in [Smith]. I felt like he did pretty good today."

Before the Phillies scored four runs in the ninth to take a seven-run lead,

Brett Myers

warmed up to close. Manuel said he had Myers ready because

Tom Gordon

threw 37 pitches Friday. If the situation arises, Gordon would be the closer tonight against Houston.

- Todd Zolecki