Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard (R) pumps fists with Chase Utley as he arrives at home plate after hitting a two run home run in the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 18, 2014.  UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard (R) pumps fists with Chase Utley as he arrives at home plate after hitting a two run home run in the sixth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium in St. Louis on June 18, 2014. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

St. Louis native Ryan Howard loves hitting at Busch Stadium III.  After missing 2012 and 2013 trips back home because of injuries, Howard and the Philadelphia Phillies returned and he picked up right where he left off in 2011 in a 4-1 win over the Cardinals.

Howard has hit safely in 22 of 27 regular season games at Busch Stadium. He has ten homers and 38 RBIs in St. Louis and a .374 batting average.

“It’s always good to be able to come back home and play in front of family and friends,” Howard said. “It’s a very familiar feeling. It’s always good to be back.”

Shelby Miller (7-6) gave up seven hits and three walks in 6.2 innings. Miller has thrown six innings or more in his last four starts.  Philadelphia scored two runs in the fourth. Carlos Ruiz doubled and Chase Utley singled to lead off the inning. Howard singled home Ruiz and Utley scored on Domonic Brown’s sacrifice fly.  Howard’s homer in the sixth came after Utley led off with a single, giving the Phillies a 4-0 lead.

David Buchanan (3-3) made his deepest start yet, pitching 7.2 innings. He shutout kept the Cardinals until the eighth, when Matt Carpenter picked up an RBI single. Buchanan allowed four hits and a walk while striking out four.  Jonathan Papelbon pitched the ninth to pick up 17th save in 19 opportunities.