Eight innings, four hits, seven strikeouts. That wasn’t Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee’s line tonight, it was Kyle Kendrick’s. The righty turned in the best performance of his career as the Phillies shut out the Rockies and extended their NL East lead to 8 games.
Ryan Howard homered twice and Hunter Pence went 2-3 as the Phillies continue to cruise. They’ve now won five straight and eight of their last ten. Meanwhile, the Braves, the only real threat in the NL East, have started to flounder. With their loss to the Nationals tonight, Atlanta has won just four of their last ten and have seen their deficit in the NL East fall to a season high eight games. What’s worse, their lead in the NL wildcard, which was once five games, could dwindle down to one should the Diamondbacks hold on for a win over San Francisco tonight.
Roy Halladay takes the hill tomorrow afternoon as the Phillies go for their second straight series sweep.