Kyle Kendrick

Kyle Kendrick answered questions about the ball that popped out of his glove and two close plays at the plate, but he couldn't help but think about the things he thought had cost him last night at Miller Park. The leadoff hitter he hit with a pitch in the first inning. The hit he allowed to the pitcher in the fifth inning. Kendrick allowed eight hits and two runs in seven innings in another stellar performance, but Milwaukee Brewers rookie Yovani Gallardo pitched even better in a 2-1 victory that dropped the Phillies five games behind the New York Mets in the National League East.

Brett Myers spun off the mound with a celebratory fist pump Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park. He felt no such joy last night. "From the penthouse to the outhouse," he said. He struck out the side in Wednesday's victory over the Florida Marlins, but allowed two runs last night in a sloppy ninth inning in a 4-2 loss that prevented the Phillies from moving within three games of the New York Mets in the National League East and into a first-place tie with the San Diego Padres in the NL wild-card race.

Charlie Manuel held a 20-minute closed-door team meeting yesterday before batting practice and indicated he didn't raise his voice. Maybe he should have. Once again, the Phillies slumbered offensively last night. This time, their pitching kept them in the game until the ninth inning, when closer Brad Lidge was lit up in his worst outing of the season, and that turned a close game into an 8-2 romp by the Atlanta Braves at Citizens Bank Park. "Sometimes with meetings, you don't come out and win that night; you might go a day or two or whatever," Manuel, the Phillies' manager, said after his team's third consecutive defeat.

In a Phillies promotion, many fans dressed in colorful 1970s clothes and outlandish wigs last night. Two people flashed peace signs and carried a sign that read "Impeach Nixon. " Perhaps inspired by the leisure-suit atmosphere - and by the '70s music that blared throughout Citizens Bank Park between innings - Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard got into the spirit of the event. He came disguised as Willie Stargell. Howard smashed a two-run, fourth-inning homer to left-center off Greg Maddux - who has been around so long he almost pitched in the '70s - to trigger an 8-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers before an animated crowd of 42,620.

PHOENIX - After pitching in three of the previous four games, Mike Adams didn't warm up on Saturday, when fellow reliever Jonathan Papelbon pitched a five-out save. Yesterday, Adams wasn't available again. But this time it wasn't related to his workload. Adams is day-to-day with back spasms. The veteran set-up man said he first felt them while shagging in the outfield during batting practice before yesterday's game. "I felt it right at the end of BP . . . the last 5 minutes of BP it grabbed me," Adams said.

At Citizens Bank Park.   Tuesday at 2:35 p.m. Florida RHP Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 3.64 ERA) vs. RHP Kyle Kendrick (7-6, 3.29)   Tuesday at 7:35 p.m. Florida RHP Alex Sanabia (starting debut) vs. LHP Cliff Lee (16-7, 2.44)