It's OK to look now

ATLANTA - Good news for Jewish Phillies fans:

Maalox is now kosher.

The Phillies' anxiety-laden hijinx continued for a fourth straight game last night when they blew a sixth-inning lead.

This time, the miscues didn't cost the Phillies a win; they overcame their latest follies with an 8-3 win over the Braves, the first of a three-game series here.

That's because they tacked two runs on Tim Hudson in the seventh; two more from the bat of healed MVP Ryan Howard in the eighth off Tyler Yates; and one from Jayson Werth on a pinch-hit homer in the ninth off Peter Moylan.

Even with a solid outing from Jamie Moyer - seven innings, two earned runs, now 5-3 - ineptness afield dampened the win.

"Yeah. That's the way you play," manager Charlie Manuel cracked, dripping sarcasm. "Just pick it up and fire it around."

With Braves on second and third and one out in the sixth, Jeff Francoeur grounded sharply to the left of third baseman Greg Dobbs.

Oddly, Kelly Johnson chose to not go home; instead, he froze a few feet off third, awaiting Dobbs' throw. Meanwhile, Martin Prado broke from second, crossing Dobbs about the time Dobbs fielded the ball.

Dobbs had no play on Prado. He assumed Johnson had broken for home.

Shortstop Jimmy Rollins did not effectively inform Dobbs that he should hold the ball and get one of the lead runners: "I heard Jimmy yelling something."

Dobbs threw to first and got Francoeur.

Howard, in his first game back off the 15-day disabled list, twirled, double-clutched, then fired home, way late to get Johnson. His throw went wild, allowing Prado to score, too.

Instead of no runs, runners on first and third and two out, two runs scored to tie the game.

"I probably shouldn't have made the throw," Howard acknowledged.

The play mirrored some bizarre events in the three-game series the Phillies just finished in Florida - which left Manuel so frustrated, he refused to discuss it after the finale Thursday.

Manuel was less frustrated last night, in part because Howard was back.

Rollins' doubles in the first and third fueled the 3-1 lead the Phillies took into the sixth. Howard lined out to end the first, flied out to centerfield to strand two runners in the third and struck out to strand two more in the fifth.

With one out in the seventh, Hudson hit Chase Utley, unleashed a wild pitch to open first base, and then intentionally walked Howard. Pat Burrell's flyout and Aaron Rowand's walk brought Dobbs to the plate.

He singled off first baseman Scott Thorman's glove, scoring Utley and Howard for a 5-3 lead.

Howard had to score from second on the play. It was his harshest test of the left thigh strain that sent him to the DL.

"My leg felt great," Howard said. "I didn't feel anything running the bases."

That lead moved to 7-3 in the eighth. With runners on first and second, two outs and light-hitting rookie Michael Bourn on deck, the Braves let Yates pitch to Howard. He doubled to right-centerfield.

"The double felt great," Howard said, noting that he felt focused in his earlier at-bats as well.

In front of a boisterous cheering section of some 20 devotees, rookie lefty Mike Zagurski, a Class A standout 13 days before, pitched a perfect eighth. His girlfriend, aunt and uncle, all Atlantans, were there, as well as his parents, who flew in from Omaha, Neb., and his brother, who flew in from New Mexico, and a buddy from Boston.

Zagurski filled the roster space of injured closer Brett Myers, who hit the 15-day disabled list with a right shoulder strain suffered Wednesday.

Werth then smacked his third homer, all since Tuesday. Yoel Hernandez dealt a smooth ninth.

Smooth . . . like a minty antacid. *