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Phillies' Hendrick picks up first victory

Jun 20, 2007 - 3:33 AM CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The National League's highest scoring-offense helped Kyle Kendrick get his first major league win.

Ryan Howard homered and had four RBI as the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the Cleveland Indians, 9-6, on Tuesday.

Kendrick (1-0), who was making his second start of his career, allowed three runs in six innings. He picked up a no-decision against the White Sox last week.

"It happened sooner than I expected it to," said Kendrick, who was called up from Class AA Reading last week. "But I am here now and I am trying to make the best of it."

Chase Utley and Pat Burrell drove in two runs each as the Phillies rebounded from a 10-1 beating to the Indians on Monday night.

"I thought we swung the bats well," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "Howard hit the ball real good tonight."

Kendrick retired the last seven batters he faced after the Indians had pulled within 4-3 in the sixth. The 23-year-old righthander then sweated it out as he watched the bullpen struggle to hold onto the lead.

The Phillies made it 6-3 in the seventh on a two-out, two-run single by Utley. Jayson Werth led off the inning with a walk, but Indians starter Jason Stanford (1-1) retired the next two batters. After Jimmy Rollins reached on an infield single to third, Stanford hit Shane Victorino with a pitch, ending his night.

Utley greeted reliever Aaron Fultz with a single to center on a 2-1 pitch.

Ryan Madson took over and pitched a scoreless seventh for the Phillies, but ran into trouble in the eighth. Madson retired the first two batters he faced, but then allowed a single to Jhonny Peralta, a walk to Trot Nixon and a single to Ryan Garko. Jason Michaels brought Peralta and Nixon home with a single to left making it 6-5.

Former Indian Jose Mesa retired pinch hitter Casey Blake on a ground ball to second to escape the jam.

Philadelphia answered back with three runs in the top of the ninth, with Howard delivering a two-run double off Roberto Hernandez to make it 8-5.

Antonio Alfonseca gave up three hits and a run before closing it out in the ninth.

"I wasn't nervous," Kendrick said. "I had a lot of confidence in our bullpen. I knew they would get the job done."

Howard gave the Phillies a 4-1 lead in the fourth after the Indians had pulled within two.

Howard blasted Stanford's 0-2 pitch into the second deck in right field - an estimated 451 feet away from home plate - for his 16th home run. It was Howard's 10th homer since coming off the disabled list on May 25.

"It doesn't matter how far it goes, as long as it goes over the fence," Howard said. "It could go 600 feet or 401 feet, it wouldn't matter."

Stanford, who quite possibly might have made his last appearence with the Indians organization, went 6 2/3 allowing six runs on six hits. He struck out three and walked one.

"I was able to battle back after the first and keep us in the game," he said.

With injured starter Jake Westbrook set to come back from 15-day DL on Sunday, the Indians will have to make a roster move and Stanford is out of options.

"I knew I was going to get two starts," Stanford said. "I was able to excel in the first one, but hit a bump today. I don't what the teams plan for the future is. That is for them to decide."

Philadelphia jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first.

Rollins led off the game with a bunt single off. One batter later Utley was hit by a pitch. Howard followed with a run-scoring single off of the glove of first baseman Garko as Utley went to third.

After Aaron Rowand popped out, Burrell doubled home two runs in the first with a drive off the center field wall.

Burrell, who had one hit in his last 13 at-bats, returned to the lineup after being given the past two days off to try and shake out of the slump.

Garko had two RBI for the Indians, who might have lost outfielder David Dellucci for a while.

Dellucci was trying to beat out a potential double-play ball in the fourth inning, but pulled up halfway down the line, grabbing his leg before diving into first. Dellucci was diagnosed with a strained left hamstring and will be re-evaluated Wednesday.

"It's going to be a DL situation," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "It's just a matter how extreme it is."