July 14 -- CRAZY K

The sign, which hung from the second deck in right-center field at the Bank, read as follows:

7 Stadiums
52 Managers
2,150 Players
10,000 Losses

And, since all of the numbers checked out (yes, I looked it up), I'd congratulate the creator on a job well-done. But there was one problem. Losses was misspelled as "loses." Oops. I guess they haven't made spell check for fan signs.

There was another problem, too. Kyle Kendrick was pitching last night, and none of those losses (or loses, or whatever) have occurred on his watch. Kendrick is undefeated (4-0) since being called up last month all the way from double-A Reading, and last night, he turned in his best start yet. Seven innings. One run. Four hits. Four strikeouts. Yes, the Phillies once again gave him enough run support to last most teams for a week, but he showed poise, confidence and no trace of feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of being the pitcher to lose the ignominious 10,000th game. Kendrick doesn't blow fastballs by anybody. He doesn't overwhelm hitters with his stuff. He just throws strikes, gets ground balls and logs innings. Hard to quarrel with that.

Kendrick even got two hits and picked up his first two major-league RBIs. Yes, the kid did it all, prompting Charlie Manuel to suggest he could've done this job, too.

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Manuel also pronounced Chase Utley as "probably the best player in the National League." I've been hailing him as an early MVP candidate. Hard to deny these numbers in 73 games (nearly half the season) since April 20: .356, 58 runs, 103 hits, 27 doubles, 14 homers, 65 RBIs, .421 on-base percentage, .616 slugging, 1.037 OPS

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More on Tom Gordon's progress. If he's healthy, he could definitely help the bullpen. But is he healthy?