May 28 -- OH NO, UBALDO

OK, the Phillies' offense must be hot.

Not even my man, Ubaldo Jimenez, and his 99-mph heater, could slow down the juggernaut last night. For two innings, the Phillies teed off on a hapless Ubaldo, swatting nine hits and piling up seven runs, and for a while, it appeared they were well on their way to another double-digit offensive outburst.

Then, suddenly, the scoring stopped.

Mercy for Ubaldo?

"I guess we put it on hold or something," Charlie Manuel said with a smile.

Or, maybe, the Phillies simply decided to save some runs for Adam Eaton, who takes the mound tonight still looking for his first win of the season. Eaton pitched better last Friday night in Houston. Manuel even said it was the best he has seen Eaton pitch in his 40 starts over two seasons with the Phillies. Still, it wouldn't hurt if the offense gave him the cushy 7-run lead that it provided for Kyle Kendrick last night. That would make Win No. 1 far easier for Eaton to grasp.

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A little history lesson: The Phillies have scored 42 runs in their last three games. That matches a 42-run, three-game explosion from June 1-3, 1999. But it still was two runs shy of the "modern" franchise record. In 1900, the Phils scored 44 runs from April 28 through May 1. They beat the then-New York Giants 19-1 and 14-13 in back-to-back games at Baker Bowl before trouncing them again, 11-8, at the Polo Grounds. Something tells me good ol' Elmer Flick had some big games during that stretch. Or maybe it was big Ed Delahanty? My memory is a little fuzzy.

(Oh, in case you're wondering, stat gurus commonly define the "modern era" as 1900 or later, even though the first World Series wasn't played until 1903.)

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With all that offense, it was easy to ignore Kendrick last night. But let's give the sophomore right-hander some props. He pitched a career-high 7-1/3 innings, allowing only two runs. His 4.84 ERA is nothing to behold, but he's 4-2 in 11 starts. More impressive, the Phillies are 7-1 in Kendrick's last eight starts, which means he's pitching well enough to keep the team in games and allow the offense to do its thing. There's something to be said for that.

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It's no coincidence that the Phils' offensive surge coincides with Pedro Feliz's hot streak. When Feliz (teammates call him "Pete Happy") is hitting the ball well -- he's batting .457 (16-for-35) with one homer and 10 RBIs in his last eight games -- the bottom of the lineup is that much more dangerous. And Manuel keeps repeating that Feliz can be a better hitter than he was with the Giants, for whom he hit at least 20 home runs in each of the past four seasons.

Also, within the notebook, there's more on Kris Benson's encouraging start yesterday in an extended spring training game. I've gotten some e-mails from people who wonder exactly what "extended spring training" means. Well, it's basically guys who were unable to start the season on time because of injuries and recently drafted players whose seasons will begin in June at either Class A Williamsport or in the rookie-level Gulf Coast League. Anyway, Benson's first real minor-league start is scheduled for Sunday at Class A Clearwater.