--RHP Kyle Kendrick meant to take a few minutes last week and talk to Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Webb. Kendrick never got a chance. But Kendrick did get a firsthand look at what makes Webb, a fellow sinker-ball pitcher, so good. Webb mixed a changeup with his sinker and fastball to stymie the Phillies' offense last Thursday. Kendrick said he has been trying to incorporate a changeup into his repertoire, but right now, the pitch hasn't evolved enough for him to throw more than about five per start. Kendrick, who will start Tuesday night in the opener of a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park, said he has heard that Webb didn't develop his changeup immediately. Once he did, though, he won the NL Cy Young Award in 2006 and has emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball. "I love watching how (Webb) pitches to lefties, how he attacks hitters, how he uses his changeup," Kendrick said. "(Pitching coach Rich) Dubee has talked about showing (the changeup) early, just to let them know it's there and I can throw it."

--3B Pedro Feliz quietly had a strong road trip for the Phillies. Feliz batted .364 (8-for-22) with four RBIs on the seven-game swing to Arizona and San Francisco, raising his average from .214 when the trip began to .240. When they signed Feliz to a free agent contract in January, the Phillies expected that he'd add offense to the third-base position. Feliz has hit at least 20 home runs in four straight seasons, all for the Giants. Thus far, he has five homers and 16 RBIs through 38 games for the Phillies.

--RHP Drew Naylor struck out a career-high 12 batters last Saturday night for Class A Lakewood, leaving him with a minors-leading 62 strikeouts in 53 innings. But Naylor is hardly the only Phillies pitching prospect piling up the whiffs. LHP J.A. Happ leads the Class AAA International League with 55 strikeouts in 46 1/3 innings for Lehigh Valley, and LHP Antonio Bastardo fanned 58 in 41 1/3 innings between Class A Clearwater and Class AA Reading. Happ, 25, is the closest to being ready to help the Phillies at the major league level. He made his major league debut last July, allowing five runs in four innings and taking the loss against the Mets.

--RHP Brad Lidge has said he's happy in Philadelphia. LF Pat Burrell said he'd like to return to the Phillies next season. And although it's GM Pat Gillick's preference not to negotiate with would-be free agents during the season, it's possible the Phillies may entertain discussions with the agents for Lidge and Burrell before the season ends. "I'd say at this point they're both having above-average seasons," said Gillick, who plans to retire after the season. "They probably would be somebody we would have to consider retaining." Lidge is 9-for-9 in save opportunities and hasn't allowed an earned run in 17 innings this season. Burrell batted .326 and led the NL with 26 RBIs during the season's first month.

--1B Ryan Howard's triple Sunday was only the fifth of his career and the first since June 20, 2006, when he tripled against the Yankees at Citizens Bank Park. Howard, who has struggled through the season's first six weeks, went 3-for-13 in the three-game series against the Giants at AT&T Park. But he showed signs of coming out of his slump by hitting an opposite-field home run Saturday. He also struck out only three times in the series.

BY THE NUMBERS
183 -- Road victories for the Phillies since the start of the 2004 season, most in the NL.

QUOTE TO NOTE
"He gets us going. He charges us up. For a short period of time, guys like (Jimmy) Rollins and (Chase) Utley can be replaced. Over a long time, it's a different story." -- Manager Charlie Manuel on SS Jimmy Rollins' return to the Phillies' lineup after missing time with a sprained left ankle.

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