Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Ryan Howard clubbed a pair of home runs and added an RBI triple, as the Philadelphia Phillies pounded the Boston Red Sox, 8-2, in the opener of a three-game interleague set at Citizens Bank Park.

Howard finished with four RBI, and Jimmy Rollins was 3-for-5 with a solo home run, three RBI and two runs scored for the Phillies, who snapped a two- game slide. Shane Victorino went 2-for-4 and scored a run, while Pat Burrell was 2-for-2 and walked twice.

Cole Hamels (7-4) allowed two runs on seven hits with five strikeouts and two walks in seven-plus innings for Philadelphia. Chad Durbin tossed two scoreless innings in relief.

"Good job," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said of Hamels. "(He was) very aggressive, especially with his fastball."

Boston starter Bartolo Colon (4-2) went just four innings before leaving the game due to back stiffness. The burly right-hander gave up four runs on six hits, including three home runs, with four strikeouts and two walks. He was replaced in the bottom of the fifth by Javier Lopez. Mike Timlin was victimized for four runs in just two-thirds of an inning.

Dustin Pedroia was 3-for-4 with a double and a solo homer for Boston, which snapped a two-game winning streak. J.D. Drew added a solo home run.

Manny Ramirez, who didn't start the last two games for Boston due to a sore right hamstring, was back in the lineup and went 0-for-4.

The Phillies jumped on Colon for three runs in the first inning. Rollins launched the former Cy Young Award winner's second pitch of the game into the seats in right field. Victorino then stroked a double and, after Chase Utley went down on strikes, Howard drove a breaking ball to left that landed in the first row of seats for a 3-0 lead.

Philadelphia added another run in the third on Howard's 19th home run of the season, a lead-off blast to left.

With one gone in the fifth, Pedroia and Drew golfed back-to-back home runs to cut the deficit in half, 4-2.

A four-run surge in the sixth extended the Phillies lead to 8-2. Timlin started the inning for Boston and proceeded to issue a lead-off walk to Pedro Feliz and a single to Carlos Ruiz. Hamels bunted the runners into scoring position and Rollins followed with a two-run single to right field. A base hit by Victorino put runners on the corners, and the Phillies tacked on another run when Utley grounded into a fielder's choice. Howard then smashed a triple that deflected off the glove of center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury to complete the scoring barrage.