Phillies avoid arbitration, sign Kendrick to 1 year deal

The Phillies 6th starter just got a very nice raise. Kyle Kendrick, who will likely be the 5th starter for the Phillies once they trade Joe Blanton, has avoided arbitration and signed a one year, 2.45 million dollar contract with the team. It is nearly a 2 million dollar raise for Kendrick, who made $480,000 last year.

If/when the Phils trade Blanton, Kendrick has a chance to be a part of something very special in the Phillies rotation this season. If he stays in the rotation all season long, he will certainly earn his big raise; if he is relegated to bullpen duty, the Phillies have badly overpaid.

Happ returns to help suddenly hot Phillies

That's called a winning streak, folks. On the heels of Roy Halladay shutting the Rockies down in a 6-0 win on Friday, Kyle Kendrick had a strong outing of his own on Saturday to help the Phillies win big yet again, 10-2. While the big story of both games might be the re-emergence of the offense (coincidentally getting hot after the team switched hitting coaches), the Phillies also got two very solid pitching performances, one expected and the other a nice surprise. Whether the couple of days in the minors made a difference or not, Kendrick certainly looked like a much better pitcher than he did earlier in the week when he was shelled by the Cardinals.

Looking to follow up with a strong outing of his own will be J.A. Happ, who will be making his first start for the Phillies since April 15th. As you may recall, Happ made a pair of starts back in April, gave up zero earned runs in 10+ innings, then suffered a strained forearm and missed three months. While the Phillies will continue to search for a starting pitcher to add to the rotation, putting Happ back into the mix at least gives the team someone they can trust. While Happ has had his issues with allowing too many runners on base, he did put up some great numbers in 2009 (12-4 record, 1.23 WHIP, 2.93 ERA) and a performance anywhere close to that will be a big boost for the Phils.

With Happ's return, the Phillies have dropped Vance Worley, who was originally called up when Kyle Kendrick was sent down, back to the minors. Worley made his major league debut on Saturday and had a perfect inning and struck out 2 hitters. While he made a leap from Double A to the majors, the hard-throwing Worley could be someone to keep an eye on as a possible Phillies bullpen piece in the coming months or for next year.

Phillies dump Kendrick to minors

After his weak showing last night against the Cardinals, it was probably only a matter of time before the Phillies made this move: Kyle Kendrick has been demoted to Triple A. In his place, the team has called up Andrew Carpenter from Lehigh Valley.

Kendrick hasn't been terrible for the Phillies this season, posting a 4.82 ERA, but he also isn't someone you can rely on every 5th day, especially if you have a team trying to make a playoff run. The curious thing about the move, however, is that the Phillies really don't have anyone on the roster that can replace Kendrick in the rotation. While Carpenter was the pitcher called up, I can't imagine the Phils want to hand a rotation spot to a guy who has made one major league start.

If the Phillies don't have a trade in the works for another starter, the other likely scenario is that the team thinks J.A. Happ is finally ready to re-join the team. While Happ hasn't pitched particularly well in the minors in his rehab starts, the Phillies might feel comfortable enough in his mechanics to toss him back in the mix.

Either way, it looks like we won't be seeing Kyle Kendrick with the Phillies again for awhile. While he isn't to blame for the Phillies struggles this season, he also hasn't exactly helped.

Moyer, Kendrick help Phillies exact some World Series revenge

With the way their road trip started, I'm sure everyone is happy that the Phillies somehow earned a 3-3 split in Boston and New York.

After getting crushed by the Red Sox 12-2 and 10-2 last weekend, the Phillies looked like a team on the brink of a complete collapse. Thanks to Cole Hamels, the Phillies at least managed to salvage at least one win in Boston but things weren't going to get any easier for the Phillies as they had to travel to Yankee Stadium, the scene of their 2009 World Series failure.

After supposed Yankee killer Roy Halladay got roughed up in the first game, all seemed glum for the Phillies as they turned to soft tossers Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick, who figured to get eaten alive by the patient Yankee hitters. No one, not even the most optimistic Phillies fan, could have predicted what would happen next.

First, Jamie Moyer became the oldest pitcher ever to beat the Yankees after he pitched 8 innings of 3 hit ball. Coupled with a Shane Victorino 3-run triple and back to back homers by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth and we started seeing a glimpse of the old Phillies.

Of course, if Wednesday night was just a glimpse at the old Phillies, Thursday night was their triumphant return. Backed by Kyle Kendrick's best performance of the season and some amazing defense, the Phillies routed the Yankees, 7-1. It was easily the most well-rounded game the Phillies have played in a long while, from stellar glove work by Placido Polanco and Jose Contreras to some masterful situational hitting in the 9th inning that allowed the Phils to tack on 4 insurance runs and seal the deal.

So, as unlikely as it sounds, behind the pitching performances of Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick the Phillies took 2 out of 3 against the Yankees and won their first series since taking 2 out of 3 against the Marlins back in late May. While they still have some work to do to get themselves atop the NL East where they belong, this series against the Yankees just might just end up being the turning point that gets the Phillies pointed back in the right direction.
(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Phillies fail to sweep Nationals after Kendrick's poor outing

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

I guess we can forget about the Phillies going 162-0.

The Phillies entered Thursday's game against the Nationals looking to sweep their division rivals and start the season 3-0, but fell one run short, losing 6-5. Thanks to a poor showing by starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick, the Phils fell behind early and were forced to overcome a 3-0 deficit after the first inning. Despite finally tying the game at 5-5 in the 6th and having a few rallies in the late innings, the Phils fell just short.

Kendrick's outing was particularly disconcerting after his promising spring training. Against the lowly Nationals, Kendrick gave up 5 runs on 6 hits in 4 innings of work. While Kendrick did have a few solid pitches mixed in, he wasn't fooling anyone in the 1st and 4th innings when the Nationals hit everything hard. Kendrick will have a few more starts to figure things out before Joe Blanton comes back but nothing he did today will instill any confidence in Phillies management or the fans.

Despite not winning the game, the Phillies offense showed plenty of fight to keep the game close. The 1-5 hitters combined to go 11-23 in the game with each getting at least two hits. While there were no home runs, the Phils still managed 6 doubles on the afternoon, including 3 by Jayson Werth. Due in large part to the ineptness of the 6-7-8 hitters, who went 0 for 11, the Phillies failed to capitalize with runners on base, where they hit a paltry 2 for 15. Raul Ibanez in particular had a bad game, going 0 for 3 with runners in scoring position.

There is nothing to worry about, Phillies fans. Sure, it's embarrassing when the Phils lose to the Nationals, but it's just one game. Besides, the Phillies go from playing one bad team to another when they travel to Houston for a 3 game series starting tomorrow. The Astros just got swept by the Giants so they should be easy pickings for the Phillies. I guess 161-1 is still a possibility!

Early pitching depth test: Phillies place 3 pitchers on the DL

The depth in the Phillies pitching staff will be tested early this year as the team placed 3 pitchers they are counting on in 2010 on the DL today. Two of them were expected as the Phillies finally made official what we all knew about Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero; the other was surprising considering it is Joe Blanton, who hasn't spent a day on the disabled list in his six major league seasons.

Lidge and Romero both weren't on track to start the season with the Phillies but neither is expected to be out for too long. In their absences, David Herndon and Antonio Bastardo will make the club and Ryan Madson will be the closer. The bullpen will definitely be shorthanded as the season starts.

As for Blanton, he will miss 3 to 6 weeks as he deals with a mild oblique strain. While this is good news for Kyle Kendrick, who jumps from the bullpen to the rotation, losing Blanton will be a blow, even if it's only for April. Since acquiring him in 2008, Blanton has been an anchor in the Phillies rotation, a guy that can be counted on every 5th day to go 6 innings and give up 3-4 runs. While Kendrick had a solid spring this year, there is no telling what the Phillies are going to get from him.

With Blanton going to the DL, a spot on the roster has opened up. The early word via the Phillies beat writers is that Andrew Carpenter will be called up to join the bullpen for Opening Day.

Losing Blanton hurts but it isn't crushing. He will only miss 4-8 starts right at the beginning of the year so it's hardly something that will hold the Phillies back for long, if at all. It's usually actually a good thing to get injuries like these out of the way in April and let guys get 100% healthy before they start their season. Of course, there is always the worry that an injury lingers all season long but Blanton has been nothing but healthy throughout his career so that might not be an issue with him. Lidge and Romero might be another story, though, hopefully their aches and pains don't turn them into question marks in the bullpen.

Phillies officially name Moyer 5th starter

The race for the Phillies 5th starter is over and the Old Goat has beaten the upstart kid. Charlie Manuel announced the news today that the biggest battle in Phillies camp is over, confirming that Jamie Moyer will be in the rotation at the start of the season while Kyle Kendrick will be in the bullpen.

It was hardly an unexpected move, considering Moyer's salary and how well he pitched in his last few Spring Training starts. Whether he truly earned it with his spring performance, Moyer certainly deserved the first crack to prove he still has something left in the tank. At 47 years old, Moyer has already beaten Father Time back a few times, who's to say he can't do it again?

Kendrick's versatility might have been his downfall. While Moyer would not have been useful out of the pen given how long it takes him to warm up, Kendrick is still young enough to get his arm going on short notice. While it can be argued that Kendrick deserved to be the 5th starter given his performance this spring, he will certainly be the first arm on hand if an injury happens or if Moyer can't answer the bell at some point.

Whether you agree the Phillies decision or not, you have to take the time to appreciate Jamie Moyer and what he is able to do at nearly 50 years old. With this being his last year under contract, we are likely seeing the last of Moyer in Philadelphia. Of course, you never know, he could keep pitching for several more years. While many in Philly doubt his abilities at this point, never count out a guy who has proven the doubters wrong over and over again.

Condrey back to the DL, Kendrick, Register called up

Maybe the Phillies need to stop looking at starting pitching and start looking for bullpen help. Two days after the team placed J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin on the disabled list, the Phillies announced that they have added another bullpen piece to the DL: Clay Condrey. Condrey seemingly just came off the DL, but apparently his oblique strain is acting up again.

With the team up 5.5 games in the division, I still believe that now is a great time for the Phillies to rest their arms. If these injuries keep piling up, however, the Phillies will seriously have to look at adding an arm or two to a bullpen that is suddenly filled with very few pitchers that can be trusted.

To replace Condrey, the Phillies called up Steven Register from Lehigh. Register, who was claimed off waivers from the Rockies back in May, has very little major league experience, pitching in 10 games for Colorado last season. There can't be too much expected from him.

The Phillies also made one other move today, calling up Kyle Kendrick and sending Andrew Carpenter back to the minors. Not a very exciting move, since both bring about the same tools to the table, but perhaps the Phils wanted a fresh arm or someone with more MLB experience.

Once again, here are the latest bullpen roles for the team. There are definitely several guys in slots that are above their heads. Seeing Tyler Walker in a 7th inning role is frightening, the Phillies would be smart to look at Chan Ho Park in that spot.

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park
Kyle Kendrick

Situational Lefty:
Scott Eyre

6th inning:
Steven Register

7th inning:
Tyler Walker

8th inning:
Ryan Madson

Closer:
Brad Lidge

Is J.A. Happ the next Kyle Kendrick?

I hope the Toronto Blue Jays front office doesn't read this....

J.A. Happ is having a phenomenal rookie year. His record is currently 7-1 and has a 2.97 ERA and has been a pleasant surprise as he holds up the back of the Phillies rotation. There has been much debate amongst Phillies fans, however, as to whether Happ should be part of a trade that would bring Roy Halladay to Philadelphia. Many Phillie fans don't want to give up the rookie pitcher while others would be willing to pack his bags for him. As for myself, I just want to caution Phillies fans to not get too far ahead of themselves before they christen Happ as the next Cy Young. Rookie pitchers have a way of taking the league by suprise in their first season and then fizzling out, just think back to the last time Phillies fans were this excited about a rookie pitcher.

Kyle Kendrick burst on the scene back in 2007, rolling up a record of 10-4 with a 3.87 ERA down the stretch as he helped the Phillies get to the playoffs. By all accounts, Kendrick was going to lock down the number 3 spot in the Phillies rotation for years to come. Well, I don't have to tell you how that turned out: the league caught up to Kendrick in 2008 and he has since washed out in the minors.

So, why the cautionary tale about J.A. Happ? Let's take a closer look at his numbers. In three starts this season against what I would call "good" teams, the Cardinals, Red Sox and Yankees, Happ has been pretty bad, going 17 and 2/3rds innings and giving up 12 earned runs on 21 hits and 6 walks. That's an ERA of 6.11, and a record of 0-1. It's safe to say that Happ hasn't performed well against good competition. Then, when you look at the rest of his starts and notice that he has faced the Marlins, Pirates, Reds, Braves, Blue Jays, Orioles, Mets, Padres and Nationals, and you can begin to see that Happ was able to pad his stats against weaker competition. Of those teams, I would classify 5 as terrible and 4 as mediocre. It's pretty easy to look good against that kind of competition.

I do like J.A. Happ and if the Phillies find a way to keep him and still get Roy Halladay, that would be great. I just find it crazy that anyone would think he was an untouchable pitcher who is going to be a star for the next decade. The best possible future for Happ is likely as a 3rd starter on a decent team and a 4th starter on a good team. I think, and hope, his career turns out better than Kyle Kendrick's, but Phillies fans have to know: a half season of good pitching does not make you a great pitcher. A decade of good pitching does, and that's the resume Roy Halladay brings to the table.

Please don't forward this post to anyone from Toronto.

That was quick: Kendrick sent down, Escalona called up

And just like that, Kyle Kendrick is gone again. After getting called up yesterday, pitching two innings and reminding us all why he isn't in the Phillies starting rotation, Kendrick was sent back down to Triple A today. Sergio Escalona was called up to replace Kendrick. Escalona has pitched 2 and a third innings this year for the Phils and has yet to give up a run. He also allows a little flexibility as he gives the team another lefty out of the pen since Scott Eyre is on the DL.

I hope that's the last we see of Kyle Kendrick this season. If the Phillies actually call on him again, they would have to be really desperate.

Updating my post from the other day, here are the new bullpen roles as I seem them:

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park

Lefty who can go multiple innings:
Jack Taschner

Lefty specialist:
Sergio Escalona

7th inning:
Clay Condrey

8th inning:
J.C. Romero
Chad Durbin

Closer:
Ryan Madson

Phillies bullpen re-modeling: Eyre down with injury, Kendrick up

The injury bug is starting to sweep the Phillies bullpen. First Brad Lidge went on the DL with an "injury", either to his knee or to his psyche. Now, Scott Eyre, lefty specialist extraordinaire, is joining Lidge on the sidelines. Eyre has a right calf strain, so the Phils placed him on the 15 day disabled list. Early indications are that he will be back with the team as soon as the 15 days are up.

To replace Eyre, the Phillies called up former rookie sensation Kyle Kendrick. Last we saw Kendrick, he was getting knocked around last September as a starting pitcher. This time around, he figures to contribute to the team as a long reliever.

As the Phillies bullpen continues to get re-shaped by recent injuries, they continue to lose some of their depth. Losing Lidge doesn't affect the closer role because Ryan Madson can close just as well. It instead effects the 8th inning setup role, where they have to juggle J.C. Romero and Chad Durbin. Losing Eyre means that Jack Taschner steps in as the primary lefty specialist, a role that he hasn't really filled too well. Romero also now becomes the only other lefty option.

Here are the roles for the Phillies bullpen as I see them:

Long relief:
Chan Ho Park
Kyle Kendrick

Lefty specialist:
Jack Taschner

7th inning:
Clay Condrey

8th inning:
J.C. Romero
Chad Durbin

Closer:
Ryan Madson

Phils send Kendrick, two others to the minors

And the race for the Phillies 5th starter is down to two: the Phillies have demoted pitcher Kyle Kendrick. Kendrick, who has an ERA over 9 in Spring Training, was optioned to Lehigh Valley along with catcher Lou Marson and infielder Brad Harman. The demotion leaves J.A. Happ and Chan Ho Park as the remaining candidates for the Phillies 5th starter.

Kendrick, despite being 21-13 in his career, has fallen like a rock since his rookie season. Last season, he was 11-9 but had an ERA of 5.49 and a 1.61 WHIP before being pulled from the rotation late in the year for Happ. The Phillies want Kendrick to start every 5th day at Lehigh with the hopes that he can learn how to get batters out again. He might not be a regular starter in the major leagues again, but he could be a useful long reliever out of the bullpen.

As for Marson and Harman, neither should be surprised about being demoted. Both ended the season last year with the big club, but Marson is still a few years away from being part of the Phillies plans and Harman may end up being a career minor leaguer.

No offense, the Phillies stink

(AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

Now the Phillies can't even hit off of a minor league pitcher. The Padres tossed Chad Reineke out to the mound to make his major league debut, and even he had very little problem slowing down the "mighty Phillie offense". Reineke allowed 3 runs in 5 innings and then the Padres bullpen took it from there as the Padres beat the Phillies 8-3.

Of course, the Phillie offense wasn't the only culprit in the loss. Kyle Kendrick got two quick outs in the 4th inning but ran into some serious problems when trying to get the third. Not only did he let the pitcher, Reineke, get an RBI single, but Kendrick then gave up two more hits and walked another batter before being yanked from the game. In total, the Padres scored 5 runs in the inning, all with two outs.

The frustration continues with this Phillies team. The Mets continue to roll, winning their 5th straight to give themselves a 2 game lead in the NL East. The Phillies, on the other hand, have lost 8 of their last 12 and are slipping closer to third place. The offense continues to fail the Phillies, who now rely on their starting pitchers to have great games to even give themselves a chance to win. They will be on national television tomorrow night with Cole Hamels on the mound, so hopefully they can save face and at least take two of three from this weak Padres team. The Phils will be facing Cha Seung Baek and his 5.20 ERA. Look for Baek to throw a complete game shutout.

Late night action: Phillies comeback falls short against Manny, Dodgers

(Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

I don't blame you if you turned off the TV after L.A. scored 6 runs in the 3rd inning in a late west coast game, but the Phillies actually made things interesting before falling 8-6 to Manny and the Dodgers.

Kyle Kendrick got hit all over the park in his 3 and 1/3rd innings, giving up 9 hits and 7 runs in an ugly outing. Considering how good Kendrick looked in his last three starts, giving up only 3 runs in 18 and 2/3rds innings, today's appearance was a letdown. After Kendrick got pulled, Les Walrond and Clay Condrey pitched the remainder of the game and fared pretty well. They each allowed a bunch of baserunners, but combined they only gave up one run. In all, the Dodgers got 23 runners on base (16 hits and 7 walks), so it's really a miracle the Phillies didn't give up more runs.

Offensively, the Phils took a while to get going, but they managed to eek out a few runs late in the game to give themselves a shot at winning. They were down 8-4 heading into the 9th and managed to load the bases, thanks to some great hustle by Shane Victorino to beat out a slow chopper up the middle. Chase Utley then doubled in a pair of runs to cut the deficit to 2 runs, but Ryan Howard failed to drive in any more runs and the Phillies lost the game.

The Dodgers big problem all year had been scoring runs, but since their recent acquisition of Manny Ramirez, they have become a much better team with the bats. Manny went 2 for 3, drove in a pair of runs, walked twice and scored a run on the night. He continues to destroy National League pitching at a .475 clip and electrifies the ballpark every time he steps to the plate. Sigh, he would have looked good in that Phillie line-up.

Good pitching + no offense = Phillies lose!

(AP Photo/Justin Maxon)

Yesterday the Phillies got a solid outing from Kyle Kendrick that led them to a win, today they got another solid outing from their starting pitcher, Cole Hamels, but this time they lost. The difference? The offense was MIA today against the Marlins, getting shutout in a 3-0 loss.

Hamels pitched well for the Phillies, going 6 and 2/3rds innings and only giving up 2 earned runs. He gave up 7 hits, but also struck out 7 batters to keep runs off the board. That effort should have been enough to earn him a win, something he hasn't done since July 3rd, but the Phillie offense hung him out to dry to drop his record to 9-8 on the season. That's right, Hamels, the Phillie ace with a 3.35 ERA and a WHIP of 1.07, has a record that is barely over .500. Hamels has had some rough outings this year, but he clearly isn't getting good run support, especially when you notice that Kyle Kendrick has a record of 10-5 and yet his ERA is 4.37 and his WHIP is 1.49.

The offense failed to show up, managing only 4 hits off Chris Volstad and the rest of the Marlins pitching staff. One of the hits was by Hamels, so really the offense can only be credited with 3 hits. They managed to walk 6 times, which was nice, but failed to actually drive anyone in once they got on base.

The loss means that not only did the Marlins win the series against the Phillies, they also cut the NL East gap down to 1.5 games. The Mets also won today, overcoming another terrible performance by their bullpen, to pull up to 2 games back. The Marlins and Mets will play each other this weekend, while the Phillies get the privilege of taking on the Pirates. If there was ever a time for the Phils to build a bigger lead, now is it. Sweeping the Pirates and letting the Mets and Marlins beat up on each other would make for a good weekend.

Good pitching + a little bit of offense = Phillies win!

(AP Photo/Justin Maxon)

It wasn't pretty, but Kyle Kendrick got the job done. After being bombed for 7 runs in 4 innings the last time he faced the Marlins, Kendrick pitched 6 shutout innings to lead the Phillies to a 5-0 victory over Florida. Kendrick walked 5 batters and gave up 4 hits in those 6 innings, but he pitched his way out of jams and managed to strand every one of them. It was the third straight good outing for Kendrick who has pitched a combined 18 and 2/3rds innings in his last three starts and has given up only 3 total earned runs. I'm no math whiz, but that's an ERA of about 1.45 over his last three starts, and that's quite impressive. Of course, he has also given up a total of 18 hits and 8 walks in those starts, for an unimpressive 1.39 WHIP. He's been more lucky than good, but you can't argue with his 10-5 record.

For whatever reason, the Phillie offense has come up short time and time again when they get a good outing from their starting pitcher, but they managed to score often in the early innings to give Kendrick a nice cushion to work with. The Phils scored 4 runs in the first 3 innings, with one of those runs coming on Ryan Howard's 32nd homer of the season. Props should also be given to Mike Cervenak who got his first major league RBI on his first major league hit when he singled in the 6th inning. Cervenak is 31 and has spent several years in the minors, so you can bet he feels good about finally getting a little bit of playing time in the big leagues.

The win moves the Phillies back to 2.5 games ahead of the Marlins and 3 games ahead of the Mets, who also lost tonight. The final game of the Marlins series is tomorrow with Chris Volstad facing Cole Hamels, who is looking for a better outing than his effort against the Cardinals last Friday.

The Phillies also got some bad news tonight, which many Phillie fans will think is good news. Tom Gordon had to leave a rehabilitation appearance in a Single A game when he felt discomfort in his pitching elbow. Gordon will come back to Philly to have his arm checked out and could be out much longer than expected. Don't cry all at once, Phillie fans.

Kendrick snaps Phils losing streak despite funky line-up

(AP Photo/Ben Margot)

It seemed like forever ago that Cole Hamels masterfully pitched the Phillies to a victory over the Red Sox. After losing six straight games, the Phils needed another masterful pitching performance, this time by Kyle Kendrick, to finally get another one in the win column, a 4-0 victory over the A's.

Kendrick wasn't dominant, but he was effective, throwing strikes and allowing the A's to hit the ball right at the defense. Kendrick went 8 innings in all, giving up only 4 hits and striking out 4 batters. He needed 113 pitches to earn his 7th victory of the season.

The Phillies also sported a new look to their line-up:

1. Werth, RF
2. Utley, 2B
3. Rollins, SS
4. Burrell, LF
5. Howard, DH
6. Feliz, 3B
7. Victorino, CF
8. Coste, C
9. Bruntlett, 1B

The new lineup got on base a lot, collecting 11 hits and walking 4 times, but it also stranded a ton of runners, 26 in all. With that many stranded runners, it's clear that the hitters were in the wrong order. Chase Utley finally broke out of his slump, collecting four hits, including a triple. Unfortunately, since he was batting 2nd in the lineup, Utley was stranded every time he got on base, and he was never able to drive anyone in.

The Phillies wrap up their series in Oakland tomorrow afternoon. Adam Eaton takes the mound against Rich Harden, Oakland's best pitcher when healthy. The Phils better fix their line-up or it could be a long day against Harden.

Phils waste Kendrick's quality start

The Phillies pitching was continually mentioned as the thing that would hold back the Phillies this season, but in the last few games, the offense has failed while the pitching has come through. Kyle Kendrick, who has been nothing short of terrible this season, pitched a gem by his standards, going 7 innings, striking out 5 batters, and giving up only 2 runs on 4 hits. Unfortunately, the Phillies were unable to muster any offense off Astros ace Roy Oswalt, and they ended up losing the game 2-1.

Kendrick started shaky, giving up a run in the first inning, before settling in and pitching easily his best game of the season. Besides a homer by former Phillie Michael Bourn of all people, Kendrick was lights out from the second inning on.

The Phillies desperately need Jimmy Rollins back. Without the sparkplug at the top of the line-up, the whole offensive engine is barely firing. Ryan Howard drove in the only Phils run in the first inning, and the bats were silent for the rest of the game. The Phillies managed only six hits in the game, and the only one that went for more than a single was a Chase Utley double in the 3rd inning. Rollins is still expected to miss a few more days, so we will have to watch guys like Pedro Feliz, with his sparkling .226 average, near the top of the order a little while longer.

The Phillies look to win the series against the Astros tomorrow afternoon, as they will send out Brett Myers against Brandon Backe. Hopefully the Phillies take care of business and don't look ahead to this weekend's matchup with the Mets.

Phillies Pitching Turning Around

Maybe we can all relax about the Phillies pitching now. Since giving up 11 runs to the Minnesota Twins last Saturday, the Phillies pitchers have given up 13 total runs in their last 6 games. That's an average of 2.2 runs per game. That span of games included good outings by each member of the rotation: Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick and the most recent one today by the beleaguered Adam Eaton.

Eaton pitched 5 1/3 innings against the Twins on Friday, giving up one run and scattering 4 hits. It's his second straight solid outing, and it lowered his ERA, which had recently been in double digits, to a reasonable 5.84. The Phillies, who benched most of their star offensive players in the game, ended up beating the Twins 3-2 when Carlos Ruiz drove in the winning run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning.

Eaton's solid outing comes on the heels of Kyle Kendrick's best start of the spring. On Thursday, Kendrick pitched 5 scoreless innings against the Pirates, giving up only 2 hits. Even though it was just the Pirates, it was an encouraging sign for a guy who hasn't looked confident on the mound all spring.

It appears that the Phillies rotation is finally starting to settle in and pitch they way we know they can. The Phillies offense is going to put up a ton of runs, so they don't need the pitching to be lights out every game, but it makes things a lot easier when you don't have to face five run deficits in the early innings after Eaton or Kendrick gets shelled.

The last pitcher to get hit hard, Chad Durbin, will start tomorrow's game against his old team, the Detroit Tigers. Durbin is going to need to shut down the Tigers potent offense if he wants any shot at the 5th spot in the rotation. Even then, it might be too late, as Adam Eaton may have already sewn it up with his performance today.

Hamels Returns to Form

It's been a trying exhibition season for Phillies fans. We know that wins and losses don't matter in the Grapefruit League, but when the pitching looks terrible and the losses mount, a sense of doubt about the team begins to creep in. Even laid-back Charlie Manuel has been so unimpressed by the way the team has played that he called the players out, imploring them to show more effort. The starting pitching, one of the main concerns for Manuel and the Phillies, looked like it heeded that call in today's 4-2 win over the Rays.

Cole Hamels was one of the most disappointing players this spring. He had gotten hit hard this exhibition season, and even sported an ERA in the double digits at one point. Hamels finally turned things around today, looking sharp in 6 innings of work, striking out seven batters and giving up only two hits. Of course, one of the hits was a home run by Rays rookie Evan Longoria (not the desperate houswife, the young star), but Hamels is prone to giving up the long ball from time to time. Hamels spring ERA now sits at 6.55, showing just how bad it was before.

Up until today, Brett Myers had been the only starting pitcher to look dominant this spring. Hamels looks like he is rounding into form, and you know Jamie Moyer will be his usual self. That leaves two other rotation spots to be worried about: Kyle Kendrick and the dreaded number 5 spot. I have talked ad nausea about the number 5 starter, but that situation is not any closer to being resolved. The Kendrick situation also should make Phillies fans nervous. This is a pitcher with no real track record of success that is being relied upon to be the number 3 starter. It could be a disastrous season for the Phillies if Kendrick doesn't pitch like he did last season.