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No, this team wasn't limping. It was walking on nubs. Yet for all the turmoil the Phillies had endured over the past couple weeks - six straight series losses, five wins in 18 games, an Opening Day starter sent down to Triple A - last night they looked very much like the team that swept the Braves at Turner Field 3 weeks ago.
The Phillies tallied 14 hits, their most since June 13, and got another strong pitching performance out of Kyle Kendrick en route to an 8-3 win that made it five straight and six of seven on the season against their division rival.
Whether this was an indication of a return to their old juggernaut selves or merely a momentary reprieve from a suffocating offensive depression will not be known until they string together a few more similar performances. But for at least 1 night, the team that showed up at the ballpark looked very much like the one that at one point was 13 games over .500.
Maybe it was facing a division rival, maybe it was being back in the Eastern time zone, maybe it was Charlie Morton. Whatever the case, it worked.
The first six batters in the lineup all had two hits, including rightfielder Geoff Jenkins, who had entered the game hitless in his previous 27 at-bats.
The Phillies chased Morton, a 24-year-old righthander making his fourth career start, from the game after the first six batters reached against him in the third.
"I hope we keep this going," said Shane Victorino, who hit a two-run home run in the third off Morton and a two-run single in the ninth to finish 2-for-5 with four RBI. "This is the team that we've been all along. We showed glimpses of it in the Texas series and other series of being an offense and then the next day not doing it. So I know tomorrow we're going to go out there and be the same team and keep plugging along and playing hard."
Though the day started off with the announcement that the Phillies had optioned Opening Day starter Brett Myers to the minors, Kendrick helped ease their pitching concerns as he cruised through his first six innings. He put on a leadoff runner in three of them but each time worked himself off the field. Coming off the best outing of his young career - eight scoreless innings in a win over the Athletics - he allowed four hits in the first six innings before running into trouble in the seventh. After allowing singles to Jeff Francoeur and Brent Lillibridge, he gave up a two-run double to Greg Norton and was pulled in favor of J.C. Romero.
"It was frustrating in the seventh," said Kendrick, who improved to 8-3. "I don't know if my mind lost focus a little bit, but that shouldn't happen. It really shouldn't happen."
The Braves would score one more run in the frame to cut their deficit to 5-3, but a three-run ninth gave Brad Lidge plenty of cushion to close out the game. Though it was just the sixth win in the last 19 games for the Phillies, it was their fifth straight over the Braves, whom they swept at Turner Field in early June. The Phillies have won all three of Kendrick's starts against Atlanta this season, and 13 of his 17 overall.
"He's always taken us to a part of the game where we can win, almost every time he pitches," manager Charlie Manuel said.
The win moved the Phillies to 45-39, a game-and-a-half ahead of the Marlins, 3 1/2 ahead of the Mets and five ahead of the Braves in the National League East.
Tonight, they'll try to win back-to-back games for the first time since June 12 and 13.
The Phillies officially announced the signing of first round draft pick Anthony Hewitt, who will receive a signing bonus of $1.38 million. *
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