Phillies beat Astros, clinch NL East

THE ENDING - the first of several the Phillies hope to encounter over the next month - transpired as it should have. With a starting pitcher working out of trouble to limit damage. With a former member of the team's rotation jogging in from an injury-riddled bullpen to record three crucial innings of relief. With key triples from the top of the order and key run-producing hits from the middle on down. With a closer channeling the emotions of a frustrating campaign into the game's final out.

And, of course, with the champagne bottles and their familiar mist and the deep scent of cigar smoke filling the inside of a plastic-wrapped clubhouse, where it was difficult to find a player in the teeming mass of bodies who did not contribute to the Phillies' 10-3 National League East-clinching win over the Astros last night at Citizens Bank Park.

All eight regulars reached base at least once. Seven of them drove in at least one run, led by leftfielder Raul Ibanez' three, two of which came on a monstrous seventh-inning home run that reached the second deck in rightfield. The one player who did not finish with an RBI, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, went 2-for-4 with a double, a triple and two runs scored.

But it was the performances of four of the pitchers who took the mound - the 37-year-old future Hall of Famer, the formerly embattled young righthander, the injured veteran lefthander, and the closer-in-purgatory - who both solidified the victory and typified this team's unorthodox run to a club record-tying third straight division title.

You cannot find a more diverse foursome than Pedro Martinez, Kyle Kendrick, Scott Eyre and Brad Lidge, and you cannot find enough news hole to detail the backstories each man brought with him to the pitching rubber on a cool September night.

It started with Martinez, fresh off three frustrating seasons with the Mets, signed in July to solidify a rotation that had not yet added 2008 American League Cy Young winner Cliff Lee. Martinez was making his first start since a neck strain sidelined him on Sept. 19. On paper, his line was unimpressive - three runs in four innings, on 84 pitches. But in a self-described tuneup for the postseason, the righthander displayed a heavy dose of the veteran guile that persuaded the Phillies to add him to their mix, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the first inning with minimal damage and stranding a runner who had reached third base with one out in the third.

"I think this is my reward for all the things that I've been through in the last 3 years," said Martinez, who had battled injuries and inconsistency with the Mets. "I'm just extremely happy to be here and taking full advantage of the opportunity."

Then came Kendrick, who lost his spot in the rotation last September and watched the title run from the sideline. At the end of spring training, the Phillies jettisoned him to the minor leagues and challenged him to develop a slider and a changeup to complement his trademark sinker. Last night, he displayed good command of all three, taking over for Martinez in the fifth and allowing two hits, while striking out four in three scoreless innings of relief.

Not only did he record his second straight crucial relief appearance - the first coming in Atlanta 2 weeks ago when he pitched four scoreless innings and earned the win - but he also might have pitched himself into consideration for this season's postseason roster.

"It was pretty special for me - where I started and where I'm at and what I went through to get here," said Kendrick, who won 21 games for the Phillies as a starter in 2007 and 2008 and improved to 3-1 last night. "I'm happy for these guys. I'm just glad I could help out in this game and be part of this game."

And then there was Eyre. Diagnosed with a loose body in his elbow that caused a stabbing pain when he threw, he elected to pitch through the pain to help the Phillies' quest to repeat. One of seven key relievers who has spent time on the disabled list this season, he recorded the first two outs in the ninth inning to bring the Phillies within one out of the win.

"Everybody on this team does what they are asked to do," Eyre said, "and no one complains."

Which brings us to Lidge and the pitch he used to retire Lance Berkman for the final out of the game - a four-seam fastball, the command of which has plagued him all season, sending him on a gut-wrenching ride from being, statistically, the game's best closer to, statistically, the worst. Was there any doubt manager Charlie Manuel would call on Lidge to record the final out, even though, with a seven-run lead, it was largely symbolic?

"Like Charlie said all year long, he believes in me, and it has been a rough year, but I think he knows that when the postseason comes around and in these important games, I'll throw my best," said Lidge, who has blown 11 saves this season and seen Ryan Madson take over most of the closing duties.

There are still questions to address, not the least of which involves the closing situation. Also, should Martinez inhabit a spot in the postseason rotation? Will Brett Myers, who was available to pitch last night but did not appear, be ready to contribute in the back end of the bullpen?

For at least 1 night, those issues were pushed to the back of everyone's mind. Only moments after the Braves' rally against the Marlins fell short, 5-4, giving the Phillies the division title, Lidge got Berkman to ground out to first base on his first pitch. The celebration that ensued on the field was spirited, yet certainly less subdued than the past two seasons.

Of course, there is a reason for that.

And the Phillies will begin pursuit of it Wednesday. *

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.