A couple of brief, notable items before the Phillies wrap their 36-hour stay in Milwaukee:

-Ryan Howard is out of the lineup today. The slumping slugger is hitting .181. He'll sit out tomorrow, too, when the Phillies face Pirates' lefty Zach Duke.

In his last 10 games, Howard is 5-for-39 (.154) with one home run, three RBIs and 15 strikeouts.

-Jimmy Rollins continues to progress while rehabbing his sprained left ankle. He's scheduled to take batting practice today in Clearwater.

(If he had a fracture, as some internet "news" sources - always trustworthy - have falsely reported, the team wouldn't have their MVP-winning shortstop taking BP).