"Charlie Manuel had most of his starters in the lineup for Sunday night's game except for one noticeable absence…

The Big Piece.

Because he's played most of September with a injured ankle, slugger Ryan Howard will likely have a cortisone shot on Monday. According to Manuel, the shot should clear out much of the inflammation.

"He'll probably miss two or three games," Manuel said. "That should help him some for the rest of the season."

Manuel pointed out that some days Howard's injury is more noticeable than others when he's on the field. However, there is no mistaking that the injured left ankle has caused Howard some distress at the plate. Since the first time he was out of the lineup because of his left foot three weeks ago, Howard has hit .222 (16 for 72) with seven home runs and 17 RBIs."