Ryan Howard and the Phillies put the NL on notice tonight: "We're still the team to beat!"

Tonight was a statement game to start a statement series for the defending World Series champions.

Consider the message delivered via Ryan Howard’s bat and Kyle Kendrick’s arm as the Phillies ended Atlanta’s seven-game winning streak with a 9-4 thumping of the Bravos.

Following an awful 2-5 Houston-Washington road trip, the Phillies looked like a team getting ready to limp the the finish line. A 6-1 homestand against the Mets and Nationals didn’t give us any clue about how this team will perform in the postseason.

With just five series left in the season, including games against the Brewers and Astros, the Fightins don’t have many challenges left. This weekend’s series against a team just four games out of the wild card spot is a chance for the Phillies to show they are still contenders to make a trip back to the Fall Classic.

Howard, making his usual late-season surge, answered the call with two homers, upping his season total to 40.

Kendrick, who took over for starter JA Happ in the fourth inning, pitched four shut out innings to grab his second win in less than a week.

Happ, a rookie of the year candidate, left the game after the third inning. He appeared to have reaggrevated a strained oblique muscle that caused him to miss his last two starts.

With the win, the Phillies upped their division lead to eight games over the Marlins and 8.5 over the Braves. More importantly, they pulled to within 2.5 games of the Dodgers for the best record in the National League.

The Phillies have two games left at Atlanta. Winning this series and then getting their Shawn Andrews beasting on the Marlins next week is important. After that, there are no challenges left.

It’s time to make a statement heading into the postseason. The Phils are off to a great start.