No cycle?

We kid, we kid. It's tough being picky at a time like this.

Kyle Kendrick threw eight shutout innings and Chase Utley went 4 for 5 with a double and a triple last night in a 4-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum to snap the Phillies' six-game losing streak.

They needed it. The Phils entered the night 3-10 since June 8 for the worst record in baseball in that span.

"It was huge," Kendrick said. "Guys were joking around after we scored a run in the first inning. 'Oh, we got a run in the first inning.' They were actually pretty loose."

Kendrick, who allowed six runs in just three innings last week against the Boston Red Sox at Citizens Bank Park, retired 13 of the first 14 batters he faced before he allowed a double to A's third baseman Jack Hannahan to break up his no-hit bid with one out in the fifth inning.

Kendrick retired the next seven batters until Bobby Crosby singled off Utley's glove with two outs in the seventh inning. He allowed a couple of hits in the eighth, but worked out of that inning without a problem.

In a career-high eight innings, Kendrick allowed four hits, no runs and a walk. He struck out four.

Impressive, especially because the A's had six lefthanded hitters in the lineup. Lefthanders had hit .338 against him this season, compared to .250 against righthanders. But Kendrick threw his fastball inside for strikes and tossed a very effective sinker and slider.

"I was just pitching in more to lefties," he said. "I threw the fastball in, which opened up my sinker. I also commanded my slider. Pitching in definitely was a big key."

Kendrick improved to 7-3 with a 4.59 ERA. He is 17-7 in 36 career starts with the Phillies. The Phils also are 12-4 this season when he starts, and 25-11 in his career when he starts.

And then there is Utley, who had been stuck in a terrible slump for nearly two weeks. He entered last night in a 1-for-29 nosedive. That's one hit since June 13, when he had two in a 20-2 victory over St. Louis.

That's one hit in the last nine games and 11 days.

But Utley broke out of his funk – at least the Phillies hope he did – with a 4-for-5 performance that included a single in the first inning, a double in the third, a triple in the fifth and another single in the seventh.

It was Utley's first four-hit game since July 13 of last year against St. Louis.

It was needed.

So, how worried was manager Charlie Manuel about Utley anyway?

"I was scared to death," Manuel said with a devilish grin.

Of course, he wasn't scared at all. It was only a matter of time before Utley busted loose.

The Phillies' lineup, which had a much different look thanks to some shuffling by Manuel, scratched across enough runs to give Kendrick some breathing room, although the Phils were just 2 for 12 with runners in scoring position and they left 11 runners on base.

"That lineup could have scored more runs," Manuel said. "We could have scored a lot more. We got four, though. That's more than we've been getting."

It was enough last night.