Keeping Kendrick

By Amy McGinnis

This weekend, the Phillies announced that they signed an extension with Kyle Kendrick,who had originally signed a one-year deal for $3.585 million in an effort to avoid arbitration.  The extended contract is set to pay Kendrick $7.5 million over two years, locking him up through the 2013 season.

I've heard different opinions about this move.  There are some fans who think that an emergency starter isn't worth that kind of money.  These are probably the same fans who like to criticize Kendrick and use him as a scapegoat when things aren't going well.  I've never really understood the disdain for Kyle.  He's not Roy Halladay.  He never will be.  Then again, no one ever will be.  Doc is a freak of nature.  That being said, Kendrick has served this team decently well as a starter and as a relief pitcher. 

Kendrick has a  fastball that sits around 90-93, and since he had been using it entirely too much, he has changed his repertoire somewhat over the past few years.  His changeup is average, and he knows enough to not really use his curveball.  Kyle replaced his slider with a cutter, which has been looking better and better.  Is Kendrick an ace? No.  Is he a solid #4 or #5? I think so. 

Something we need to remember is that KK is only 27 and has the potential for continued growth.  Don't look at his 8-6 record from 2011.  Look at his 3.22 ERA and 1.221 WHIP (both were his best since he has been with the Phils).  Aside from the numbers, Kendrick seems to do what is asked of him without complaining.  I'll take that attitude any day of the week.

It remains to be seen how the back end of the rotation will look once the season is underway.  One thing is for sure: I want to see Kyle give fellow RHP Vance Worley a run for his money.  Some healthy competition will only benefit the pitching staff, and Vance is entering his sophomore season with all eyes on him.  I really do like both pitchers, but I think Kendrick's experience might give him an edge.  At the end of the day, I want both of them to bring it. 

I don't mind debating the matter with other fans, but I have nothing to say to people whose only argument is "Kendrick sucks." Come up with something better than that and we'll talk.  Until then, I'm counting down til Phils-Yanks on March 3rd.

Kendrick Records Only Win in Braves Series

By Amy McCormick

The Braves came into town on Friday, May 6 for a three game series in Philadelphia.  That evening, we saw Cliff Lee strike out sixteen – breaking his own record – and still get the loss.  How does that happen?  He let up three runs in the third inning, but it was our offense that just couldn’t generate any runs.  The Phils didn’t record a hit until the bottom of the seventh when Shane Victorino hit a single to left field.  To add insult to the 5-0 injury, Placido Polanco ended up leaving the game early with an injured toe (x-rays were negative).  Atlanta’s Derek Lowe earned the win. 

Saturday night brought us Kyle Kendrick, filling in for Roy Oswalt, who is now on the DL.  I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous about this start.  The funny thing is, Kendrick (with the help of JC Romero, Mike Stutes, Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson) recorded a win.  It wasn’t just a win; the Phils shut out Atlanta, 3-0.  It didn’t hurt that the Braves introduced rookie Julio Teheran, who was up past his bedtime and got pulled after 4 2/3 innings.  The series was now tied, 1-1. 

Sunday night, Mother’s Day, I attended the game.  I was beyond excited to see Hamels pitch, and I was ready for the Phils to salvage the series with another win.  We mothers didn’t get the gift we wanted.  Jair Jurrjens pitched 6 1/3 innings and allowed one run.  Atlanta had won seven of their last eight, and Philadelphia was just no match for them last night.  Alex Gonzalez, Freddie Freeman and Eric Hinske each homered, while the Phils stranded runners, grounded into double plays, and couldn’t produce.  Hamels ended his four game winning streak and is now 4-2. 

On a sidenote, Dan Uggla’s little sister would like her jersey back.

What worries me about this disappointing series is that the Phils will soon be facing far better teams on a long road trip.  Offense needs to pull itself together in a hurry, because the Phils are losing games in which their pitchers are striking out double digits.  No pressure, Utley, but we could use you up here. 

The Men in Our 'Pen

By Amy McCormick

With all the hype surrounding our starting rotation this season, it’s easy to overlook our bullpen.  A lot of fans were quite convinced that we wouldn’t need much relief at all; the truth is, though, even aces have bad days.  That being said, I’d like to take a look at who we have in our ‘pen this season, and what we should expect from each relief pitcher.

Lefties

Antonio Bastardo.  Bastardo, 25 years old, already has a win under his belt for the 2011 season.  In 2010, his record was 2-0, and his career ERA is 4.98.  His numbers from the past aren’t stellar, but he has shown promise thus far this season.  An advantage with Bastardo is that he is the younger of our two left-handed relief pitchers and seems more adept at throwing strikes. I’d like to see Bastardo as our go-to guy when we need a left-handed pitcher.

JC Romero.  Romero is 34 years old, holds a career 4.07 ERA, and posted a 1-0 win-loss record in 2010.  The difference between Romero and Bastardo is that Romero had three saves last season.  Romero is known to throw a lot of balls.  If you’ll remember, he’s the one who “lost” his Porsche earlier this year.  Maybe it was hiding in the strike zone, and he just didn’t think to look there.

Righties

David Herndon.  Herndon is young, 25 years old, and has a career ERA of 4.32.  In 2010, his win-loss record was 1-3.  I don’t expect to see a whole lot of him this season.

Danys Baez.  I couldn’t believe that the Phils decided to hold onto 33-year-old Baez this season, to be honest.  He went 3-4 last season.  His career ERA is 4.11, which is hardly the worst of the group, but I can remember groaning every time he came running from the bullpen last season.  This season, however, Baez is already 1-0, and seems to be performing pretty well.  I’m pleasantly surprised.  I really only expect to see Baez pitch the 7^th inning.

Kyle Kendrick.  We all remember Kyle, right?  He wasn’t exactly a fan favorite as a starter last year, but now he’s our long-relief man.  Many were upset to see Durbin go, but I have faith that Kendrick can pull off middle relief.  Last season, as a starter, the now 26-year-old went 11-10.  For whatever reason, Kendrick seems to get run support, whereas others (ahem, Cole Hamels) don’t seem to.  His career ERA is 4.66.  Expect to see Kendrick come out of the bullpen when one of our starters needs to be pulled early.

Ryan Madson.  I’ll be honest, I’m a little biased, because I love Mad Dog.  Last season, when he was 29 years old, he posted 6 wins, 2 losses, and 5 saves.  Madson is an outstanding set-up man.  He owns the 8th inning.  Some would like to see him take over as a closer, but I’m not sure I’d want that to happen.  His niche is really those three outs in the eighth, and he does it well.   Of our relief pitchers’ career ERAs, Madson’s is the second lowest, at 3.70. 

Jose Contreras.  Can someone check this man’s birth certificate, please? There’s no way he’s 39.  Last season, his win-loss record was 6-4 with 4 saves.  He already has 2 saves this season, as he has been filling in as our closer.  His career ERA is 4.53, and he has really stepped up to close games this season.  One thing I worry about is Contreras’s longevity, in the sense that I’m not 100% sure he can keep up the 1-2-3 9th innings into late summer. 

Brad Lidge.  Yes, Lidge is on the DL and we probably won’t see him until after the All-Star Break.  Technically, he’s not on the active roster, but this is my blog post, and I can pretty much include whomever I choose, now can’t I?  Lidge isn’t exactly young; he’s 34 this year.  His career ERA is 3.51, and last season, he had 27 saves in 32 opportunities.  This includes 17 of the last 18.  Phillies fans seem to be split in their opinion of Lidge; for some, he causes anxiety.  For others, myself included, he’s an outstanding closer.  I look forward to having him back, hopefully completely healthy, sometime in July.

Our bullpen might not be perfect, but thus far this season, these guys have been doing an outstanding job.  While each relief pitcher brings a little something different to the mound, they each seem to be following the excellence that our starters bring to the game.  Ideally, we’d have 162 complete games with no need for pitching changes.  In reality, though, things happen.  Pitch counts get high.  Starters lose their command.  Pitchers let up runs.  I’m pretty confident in our relievers this season.  At this point, I’m happy with 7 solid innings from a starter, an 8^th inning from Madson, and a 9^th inning from Contreras.  My main concern – for starters and relievers – is that they stay healthy.  We’re on track for an outstanding season.