NEW YORK - The most interesting thing that happened in the game's first five innings was the 9-minute delay in the bottom of the first inning that began with homeplate umpire Brian O'Nora leaving the playing field.
A few innings later, it was reported to the press box that O'Nora took an early exit with flu-like symptoms.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel probably felt like calling in sick, too, as the game continued. The Phillies had one runner find his way into scoring position in the first five innings.
That runner - Laynce Nix - was stranded on second after a leadoff double to begin the third inning.
The Phillies offense showed a pulse, however, with back-to-back singles from Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley to start the sixth. With runners on first and third and no outs, the question most jaded Philadelphians had in mind wasn't how would the Phils score the run, but instead, how would they fail to bring Rollins home.
In each of the three previous games - all losses - the Phils failed in three separate instances with a runner on third and no outs.
But Friday night, Michael Young singled home Rollins with the game's first run. And three pitches later, Ryan Howard annihilated a Dillon Gee changeup over the fence in center for a three-run homer.
The sudden offensive explosion led Kyle Kendrick and the Phillies to a sparkling 4-0 victory, snapping a three-game losing skid in the process.
"We got him in , didn't we?" Manuel said with a self-deprecating laugh. "We put together four straight hits, then all of a sudden we shut it down there. We must have thought we hit a jackpot or something. I wanted to stop and get them to play a song for us."
What song, Charlie?
"How about, 'Let's do it again?' " Manuel said.
Kendrick was downright dominant. He held the Mets to three hits - all singles - in a complete-game shutout.
The Phils offense was downright dormant. But it rose to life for a brief instant, and that was good enough for one night, along with Kendrick's second career shutout and his first since blanking the Cardinals in St. Louis last June.
"Great man, great," Howard said of Kendrick's outing, which was almost overshadowed by the offense's brief arrival. "He had so much poise on the mound."
The Phils didn't score a run before or after the sixth inning, when each of the first four batters of the inning reached on hits and scored, too.
It was only the fourth time the Phils had scored four or more runs in their last 15 games. But it was enough for Kendrick.
Kendrick needed 107 pitches to dispatch of the Mets in 155 minutes. He struck out five, walked one and got 10 ground-ball outs.
Kendrick was right at home at Citi Field, apparently: He's 3-1 with a 1.97 ERA in six career games (four starts) at the Mets' 5-year-old ballpark.
"I enjoy pitching here. I've always liked pitching here," Kendrick said. "I feel pretty comfortable out there. It's a pretty nice park. One of the deeper ones we play in."
While the rotation has been dependable for the last 2 weeks, Kendrick, 28, has been the most consistent of the five starters. Kendrick is 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA in five starts.
After allowing five runs in his first start - when he was pulled with the lead while Kansas City was rallying in the sixth - Kendrick is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in his last four starts.
"He's always had confidence," Howard said of his longtime teammate. "But now he's exuding that confidence. He's taken what he's learned to the field. He has better tempo, he's executing his gameplan, executing his pitches. You can definitely see the maturation that's taken place."
Kendrick allowed just four baserunners - three singles and a walk - and only one after the fifth inning. After the Phils posted four runs in the top of the sixth, Kendrick retired eight in a row and 12 of the final 13 batters of the game.
Thanks to Kendrick and the four-run outburst, the Phils didn't need to take their chances with a slim lead and a busy bullpen. The win over the Mets marked just the fifth time this season the Phillies won a game by a margin of four runs or more.
Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese
