Who Knew Batting Practice Lasted 9 Innings??

Phils hammer Cards early, often in rout
Philly hits three straight homers in first, plates nine in fourth

ST. LOUIS -- The Phillies needed about five minutes on Friday to turn a baseball game into their own version of Home Run Derby.

There was a harmless beginning, as Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino were retired by Cardinals starter Todd Wellemeyer. But then came a sudden, stunning power show that sent the Phils merrily on their way to a 20-2 victory at Busch Stadium.

Chase Utley? Gone. Ryan Howard? Gone. Pat Burrell? Gone.

Before some of the late-arriving fans had settled into their seats, Philadelphia had hit three consecutive homers in the first, setting the tone for what would be a comfortable night for right-hander Kyle Kendrick.

"If that [homer trifecta] doesn't get you going, nothing will," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said.

The three consecutive homers marked just the seventh time in franchise history that the Phils had accomplished that feat. The last time it happened was May 18, 2004, against the Dodgers.

The Phillies added another memorable offensive inning in the fourth, when they put nine runs on the board. That rally began with a double by Kendrick, who wound up with two hits in the inning.

It was that kind of wild offensive night for the Phillies, who received two homers from Howard, the St. Louis product, and was reminiscent of May 25-26, when the Phils put 15 runs on the board against the Astros and came back with 20 the next night against the Rockies.

"I'm glad I'm on this side," Kendrick said. "We have a great offense."

Sometimes, hot turns into scalding. The Cardinals certainly felt the burn in the series opener.

The St. Louis frustration was symbolized in the eighth, when reliever Russ Springer was ejected by home-plate umpire Larry Vanover after hitting Howard. Cardinals manager Tony La Russa was ejected for voicing his displeasure. Then Rudy Seanez threw a pitch behind Brendan Ryan in the bottom of the eighth, and St. Louis third-base coach Jose Oquendo was ejected for arguing about why Seanez was allowed to remain in the game.

Howard, who finished with two homers after getting to sleep in his own bed, wasn't passing judgment on whether Springer had thrown at him in the eighth.

"I'm not going to look into it," Howard said. "I don't know if it was intentional or not. If it was, it was. It's over. We'll go out and play tomorrow."

Asked if he thought Springer had intentionally hit Howard, Manuel said: "Ryan stands way off the plate. He hit him. That's all I've got to say."

Even after several trips back to St. Louis, Howard still gets a kick out of putting on the uniform in his hometown.

"Playing before family and friends is relaxing to me," Howard said.

Howard prepared waffles at his home before coming to the ballpark. He might want to consider having the same breakfast on Saturday after blasting Nos. 16 and 17 -- one to left and one to right.

The Phillies' 20 runs were the most scored at Busch Stadium since it opened in 2006. The St. Louis staff was tattered to the point that second baseman Aaron Miles took the mound for mopup duty in the ninth.

Kendrick (6-2) went seven innings and allowed two runs (one earned) while getting the type of run support pitchers dream about. Kendrick's only problem after the nine-run fourth inning was deciding how aggressive he should be with his pitches.

"When you have a big lead, you don't want to mess around and walk them," Kendrick said. "But still, you don't want to lay balls in there for them. I'm not complaining. I love that lead. But for me, I have to focus a little harder."

The Phils were up, 4-1, when Kendrick ignited the nine-run inning with his double to left. A two-run single by Utley made it 6-1 and prompted La Russa to lift Wellemeyer. But it only got worse for the Cards after Ron Villone came out of the bullpen.

"They start having fun and everybody wants to go up there and be part of it," Manuel said.

Catcher Carlos Ruiz finished with four hits to lead a 21-hit attack. Howard had five RBIs and Ruiz added four.

"When things are going your way, it's different than sitting there pressing to score," Manuel said. "Once you start scoring some runs, things loosen up."

For the hot-hitting Phillies, Friday's performance was about as loose as it gets.

Robert Falkoff is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

(Schadenfreude alert) Meanwhile, over in (with apologies to Jesse Jackson) Heimlich-town:

Mets closer Wagner: 'I stink right now'
Daily News Wire Services

Billy Wagner's big slump has come at a terrible time for the New York Mets.

The beleaguered closer coughed up his third consecutive save chance, this time wasting a splendid pitching performance by Johan Santana and allowing the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks to rally past New York, 5-4, in 10 innings yesterday.

"It's frustrating," Wagner said. "I stink right now."

Justin Upton doubled leading off the 10th against Aaron Heilman (0-3) and scored on Miguel Montero's sacrifice fly to help the Diamondbacks take two of three in the series.

Third baseman Augie Ojeda and shortstop Stephen Drew made diving plays in the bottom of the ninth to keep the score tied.

"We showed some tenacity all three games here, which was big for me," Arizona manager Bob Melvin said. "We haven't really showed a propensity to come back much this year in the fashion that we did last year."

After Santana struck out 10 in seven shutout innings, Wagner squandered a two-run lead in the ninth and screamed at himself several times while walking back to the dugout.

The lefthander also gave up a go-ahead homer to San Diego pinch-hitter Tony Clark in Sunday's 8-6 loss and a tying, three-run shot to Mark Reynolds on Wednesday night. The Mets recovered to win that one on Carlos Beltran's 13th-inning homer, ending a five-game skid.

"It's really not the team right now - it's all on me," Wagner said. "I'm not getting the job done."

Mets manager Willie Randolph thought Wagner's stuff looked typical yesterday, but the velocity on his fastball was down. The last time the All-Star reliever blew three save chances in a row was May 2000 when he squandered five straight for Houston.

The Mets fell three games below .500, matching their low-water mark for the season.

"We're in one of those bad ruts where the baseball gods are not good to you," Randolph said. "We've got to find a way."