Aug. 23 -- HOWARD, KENDRICK & MORE

BY SCOTT LAUBER

For one night, at least, Charlie Manuel found a cure for Ryan Howard's slump.

Watch video.

"I told him, I want him to go back and look at his 2006 [NL MVP] tape and study it, his swing and his approach, and I want him to get back to that cut," Manuel said before last night's game. "That's what I want because he hit breaking balls and he hit changeups and he hit fastballs."

Now, Howard, unlike studious Chase Utley, isn't big on watching tape, unless it's a pregame movie. But he complied. And, in the fourth inning, he rekindled memories of 2006 by swatting an opposite-field, two-run homer against Greg Maddux to start the Phillies' offense en route to an 8-1 laugher over the Dodgers.

"I've watched [tapes from 2006] a couple different times throughout the year," Howard said after his 34th homer tied him with Adam Dunn for the NL-lead. "It helps to a certain extent."

Said Manuel, "He followed the ball better, and he had good, smooth swings. I told him, 'All you've got to do is look at some film.'"

Simple, right?

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Yeah, the Phillies broke out a double-digit hit total for the first time since Aug. 11. But they still relied on three home runs for seven of their eight runs.

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Spent a few extra minutes talking to Kyle Kendrick last night, and he told a pretty cool story. Last Sunday, one day after getting rocked by the Padres, Kendrick talked to Greg Maddux for 40 minutes in the outfield during batting practice at Petco Park. Jamie Moyer introduced the impressionable Kendrick to the legendary Maddux, figuring that Maddux could impart some advice.

Well, clearly, it worked. Kendrick outpitched Maddux last night, overcoming a 26-pitch first inning and holding the Dodgers to one run on three hits in 5-2/3 innings to earn his career-high 11th win.

"I was telling him, 'I don't know what it is. It's like I'm afraid of contact or something,'" Kendrick said, recalling his talk with Maddux. "He's like, 'I'm afraid of contact, too. Nobody wants to get hit.' He just kind of talked to me. He's been there. We talked about the changeup, what he sees in hitters. I was real fortunate to be able to talk to him so long."

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Talked last night to a scout from an NL team. The scout said Utley has been moving awkwardly in the field and wondered if he's injured. Utley still hasn't acknowledged any problems, even though GM Pat Gillick said last month that he has been nursing a sore hip.

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Check back here today for an update on Geoff Jenkins. He suffered a hip flexor or a strained right quad last night, and he'll undergo an MRI exam. Based on how it sounded last night, there's a decent chance he could go on the disabled list.

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Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-4 last night, stretching his slump to 3-for-39. Not good. If you haven't heard enough from Rollins lately, check out this Q & A.