Apr 26, 2013 4 min read

On a staff full of All-Star teammates, Kyle Kendrick is looking more and more like the true ace.

Kendrick pitched the best game of his career, throwing a three-hitter and getting home-run help from Ryan Howard to lead the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Mets 4-0 Friday night.

“I didn’t feel different than any other start,” Kendrick said. “Just got some outs.”

As Kendrick met the media after the game, two-time Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay and former World Series MVP Cole Hamels stood nearby in the clubhouse, playfully mocking his answers. Star Cliff Lee lingered around, too.

“He’s had a lot of poise on the mound,” Howard added.

The Phillies ended their three-game skid and dropped the Mets under .500 for the first time this season.

Kendrick (2-1) was in complete control, scattering three singles and not permitting a runner past second base.

Kendrick struck out five and walked one during the second shutout of his seven-season career. Making his 128th start in the majors, he threw his third complete game and first since he blanked St. Louis on seven hits in May 2012.

“I threw a lot of pitches the last game. I wanted to be more efficient,” Kendrick said.

He was. Of his 107 pitches, 73 were for strikes.

The only Mets runner to get past first was Ruben Tejada, who singled with one out in the first and was stranded at second. Kendrick threw the first complete-game shutout for the Phillies since Hamels last Aug. 13.

A swingman for much of his time in the majors, Kendrick moved into the rotation on a regular basis after midseason last year. He finished strong, and has carried over that success.

“He had a real good sinker, cutter, threw his changeup at the right times,” Mets catcher John Buck said. “Seems like he was throwing good putaway pitches and just making all his pitches.”

Kendrick clearly aimed to finish what he started. When the top of the eighth ended, the 28-year-old right-hander was already on the rubber before any of the Phillies took their positions for the bottom half.

Kendrick struck out with a wild swing to end the top of the ninth, went back to the dugout to retrieve his glove and then jogged out to pitch.

Chicago Cubs 4, Miami 2: Anthony Rizzo had two home runs and four RBI to power the Cubs to a 4-2 victory over the Miami Marlins, giving Chicago back-to-back wins for the first time this season.

Rizzo’s second career two-home run game gave him eight on the season, the most by a Cubs left-handed hitter in April. Billy Williams (1970) and Henry Rodriguez (2000) each hit seven.

Washington 1, Cincinnati 0: Jordan Zimmermann was terrific in his second complete game of the season and the Washington Nationals limited the Cincinnati Reds to one hit for the second straight game in a 1-0 victory.

Zimmermann (4-1) struck out four and walked one while improving to 3-0 with a 1.36 ERA in five career games against Cincinnati. The right-hander needed only 91 pitches to record his second complete game of the season and No. 3 for his career.

N.Y. Yankees 6, Toronto 4: David Phelps struck out a career-high nine in four innings after relieving the injured Ivan Nova, Chris Stewart threw out two baserunners to quash potential rallies as an emergency fill-in for Francisco Cervelli and the New York Yankees beat the wild Toronto Blue Jays 6-4.

Lyle Overbay hit a go-ahead RBI triple and Vernon Wells had a sacrifice fly off Aaron Laffey in an inning the fill-in starter for Josh Johnson walked four, helping New York overcome two homers by Edwin Encarnacion.

Detroit 10, Atlanta 0: Anibal Sanchez struck out 17 in eight marvelous innings for Detroit, confounding the Atlanta Braves in a dazzling performance Friday night and leading the Tigers to a 10-0 victory.