Phillies' starter J.A. Happ (9-2) sat out a rain delay of 1 hour, 37 minutes, and then went on to carry a three hitter into the eighth inning -- giving up just one run on a solo homer to Matt Diaz.
In 7 2/3 innings, Happ allowed six walks and struck out three. He lowered his ERA to 2.66, best among all rookies in Major League Baseball this season.
Brad Lidge got Omar Infante out on a popup to end the game and get his 23rd save.
Diaz had two of Atlanta's four hits.
Javier Vazquez last (10-8) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks.
With the game tied 1-1 in the sixth, Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino hit back-to-back singles and then scored on Howard's one-out home run -- his 30th homer of the season.
Copyright 2009 by United Press International.
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