Game chat: Kendrick takes turn tonight in Arizona

Kyle Kendrick (2-2, 5.01 ERA) has been solid in his last two starts, thanks to better control and no walks. He'll try to keep it going tonight against Micah Owings (4-1, 4.42) and the D-backs. First pitch is 9:40 from Chase Field. Lineups are in: Shane Victorino, Geoff Jenkins and Carlos Ruiz get starting nods. [Live Boxscore]

Comments

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

How about Adam Eaton for a box of doughnuts?

Krispy Kreme would reject that deal without additional cash considerations.

John Lieber's contract specifically states that his box of doughnuts cannot be traded for Adam Eaton.

[Andy]

mmmm....donuts...

Is it a coincidence that your brand of donuts features the same initials as tonight's starting pitcher?

I think not!

[Andy]

A prediction: Kyle Kendrick will give up more hits than Micah Owings gets. (Both could be rather large numbers.)

[Andy]

If Owings keeps throwing strikes like this, Feliz is gonna be confused. What will he swing at if there're no pitches out of the strike zone?

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

Andy:

You would not be implying that dougnuts and Kyle Kendrick's pithces appear similar to doughnuts, in the eyes of opponents hitters/pitchers (gulp!):

Soft, sweet, and with little room for error down the middle.

I am now making overt analogy to what may have previously been implied.

[dan_r]

its really been amazing that chase has more than the rbis hes gotten on solo shots considering the two at the top of the order. I always like my teams firt two hitters at .250 or lower

j roll get well soon

[Andy]

No. I totally meant sweet for the Phils and terribly unhealthy for the opposition.

Of course.

Why would I imply anything cynical about our young stud?

[Andy]

Is he getting pinched or just missing?

[drake]

i really hate when kendrick freezes when he thinks he should get a strike call

[The Artist Formerly known as Nancy Drew/Parker]

A Drew is killing the Phils. It is funny how history repeats itself. Maybe the Drews won't have any children.

[Sophist]

Andy - He's pitching well. It's hard to tell, even on TV, how close his close calls are. The one pitch of note to Jackson did look like a strike though. Credit Arizona with staying patient and hitting three good pitches.

[Andy]

I think the Phils should all change their last name to "Drew."

.

.

Hey. It could work.

[drake]

there's no way i'm cheering for chase drew.

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

Andy:

That would result in a lot of immediate trade demands.

[J. Weitzel]

Time for Howard to contribute something more than these weak ABs. Season is well over a month old. Time to get it going.

[Andy]

So far Owings has thrown a total of five balls and Burrell is on first base with a walk.

[drake]

agreed. and you can't have a rally killer, no matter what his name is, batting fourth. you just can't. manchine needs to bat fourth and werth needs to play every day and bat fifth.

[Andy]

Feliz scorched that one, baby! (For him.)

[THe Dude]

when the season is over and Howard is hitting .230 with 25hrs and almost 200k's and 20+ misplayed mental fielding mistakes, will i finally have some folks supporting me when i mention that he should be shipped out of here?

[Reed]

you said it Jason. His act is getting old.

Team looks dead.

[Jack]

Alright, Feliz sucks. I hate him coming up at the plate.

So does Kendrick though.

[Ribbies]

Yeah, I'm listening on the radio and LA is just talking about how bad Kendrick looks and how pathetic Howard's comments were about his "good at bats".

[Andy]

KK looks to be throwing it up there - or throwing up there - one or the other. What's not out of the zone, right now, is batting practice.

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

The Dude:

Friendly bet, over under Howard has 25 HR by the All Star Break?

I'll take the over.

I'll also make a fearless prediction here. He gets at least one tonight.

[Andy]

At least Chooch is throwing strikes.

[Bill]

Kendrick is really struggling again! I really thought he was turning a page but I guess I was wrong. With him and Eaton, how are we going to get the rotation better? Kris Benson is only one guy and I am not sold that he can really contribute this season.

http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/phightin_phils_phorum

http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/turnpike_series

http://myteamrivals.typepad.com/billypenn/

[Andy]

Should we pitch around Ownings? He may be the best hitter in their line-up.

[dan_r]

choooooch wat a throw

however kyle likes pitchin out of the stretch as shown by the walk of the next batter

[Andy]

(Of course as I posted that - and misspelled his name - he became Kendrick's first whiff.)

[drake]

i don't think it's quite time to trade him, especially since if he has that kind of a year, he'd have so little value. i'm projecting .260 with 35+ HR and 100 RBI. still pretty valuable but the K's are certainly frustrating. he didn't seem to "snap out of it" until he went to the DL last year.

[Ribbies]

Who's warming up in the pen? Kendrick bats second next inning.

[Andy]

Someone want to explain Augie Ojeda. Here's a journeyman back-up with a career average under .240 and suddenly he's competing for the batting title...what's up with that?

[RT]

This Owings kid is something else. Stats lead you to believe he's a much better hitter than pitcher. Somewhere down the line, he could end up playing 162.

[Andy]

Ribbies: Eaton. He wants a second chance to prove he's the man.

[drake]

just in case i missed it on an earlier post, does anyone have eaton's post game comments?

[Ribbies]

I don't know if anyone mentioned it earlier, but at least Eaton was more candid about his performance last night (from the Daily News): "I [bleeped] up," Adam Eaton said last night after the Phillies fell to 19-15 with a 6-4 loss to the Diamondbacks."

[joe l]

Bill, appreciate the comments, but is it necessary to pimp not one but three links in every post?

[Andy]

Choooooch!

[drake]

haha, nice! he couldn't have said anything more accurate.

[city fan]

Baseball people make the best bloggers. Not only do I learn about the Phils on Beerleager, but I am highly entertained in the process.
Unfortunately, I don't have much to offer because I'm cableless at the moment, so I listen on the radio. Get the cable hooked-up on Fri, so I can watch the Phils and hopefully join the conversation. Till then, blog-on you bards of the game, blog on!

[drake]

what is up with all the manufactured runs lately? i like it!

[brother]

Yee-ha! Vic!

[Andy]

That's the Hawaiian we know.

[Andy]

Pitchin' around the Gnome.

[drake]

"I'm disappointed more than anything. Arizona didn't beat us today. I beat us," Eaton said after allowing all of the runs in the D-backs' series-evening 6-4 win over the Phillies on Tuesday.

from phillies.com

[brother]

Other than Burrell, Phils don't try hard enough to get the base on balls.

[Andy]

Bet that was "semi-intentional." Who wouldn't rather pitch to Howard right now?

[Ribbies]

Let's make them pay for pitching around Chase!

[drake]

right on cue, utley takes the four pitch walk. i've thought burrell should bat third because of his high amount of walks, but he'd also clog up the bases...

[Sophist]

Last couple of years, Phils have been among the MLB leaders in BB.

[Andy]

nuts

[Iceman]

I've been patient with Howard until now. If you b*tch and moan about not getting paid, you can't have a month-long slump to start the season. You just can't. It looks like he barely has any focus up there. Good luck getting Pujols money big guy.

[drake]

i don't think howard could hit my inside fastball right now.

[naylman]

Howard would make Kendrick look a strike out pitcher right now. This is getting reallllly old.

[mike cunningham]

especially when you aren't even swinging at strikes over the plate... Take that Shiznit the OTHER way Howard... GEEZ!

Then you strikeout on a cutter/slider six inches inside. awful.

[drake]

that was hilarious, conor jackson gets plunked, then they cut to a guy holding a 'happy birthday conor jackson' poster. brilliant!

[drake]

and i've got the sound off so mark grace can't ruin it for me with a bad joke

[joe l]

Stuck watching the Red Sox here in Boston... and wherever NESN placed their microphone is *very* close to some obnoxious Detriot fans. (Overhearing some woman talk about her cholesterol to her friend was weird too.) In general do broadcasts have multiple mics that they can mix into the feed, or are they completely reliant upon whatever the commentators' mic picks up?

[naylman]

That's what you like to see out of Kendrick. Good job.

[brother]

Yeah, baby, pitcher's best friend!

[Andy]

Thanks, Stephen Drew...if that IS your last name.

[Inside/Outside the Parker]

Trend continues on Howard, striking out on inside fastballs. Maybe the agent guy was right, he can't hit the inside fastball. Maybe he should go back to standing off the plate more? At least he might walk more.

[BT]

Anyone have a stat on how many double plays KK serves up a game?

[drake]

there's gotta be a mic under home plate, i'd bet. and i'm sure there's a couple around the crowd to pick up the crowd noise. and i'm pretty sure there's a mic in each base.

[drake]

0.11 GDP per 9 innings, that was his fourth of the year.

[Andy]

I think it's be fun to mike the bullpen. Have it as an extra option - instead of announcers you can listen to the relievers bs all game.

[Andy]

nuts again

[drake]

last year, 0.14 per 9 with 17 total

[doubleh]

I'd like to see Burrell moved up to 4th in the lineup for a while--otherwise, they'll just continue to pitch around Utley.
That was a crappy top of the 4th. Just swing at the first pitch, why dontcha? At least make "Babe Ruth" work for it!

[Andy]

Don't let any moss grow on that bat, Pete!!

[BT]

thanks. I thought it was a ton more frequent than that.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Here's Howard w/o the upside . . . . K comingh

[RT]

Sounds like Eaton has finally come back to reality. Some of the quotes from this guy last year after awful starts were just plain bizarre.

[doubleh]

So, THAT'S why we brought Jenkins here...

[brother]

At 0.14 per 9, he'd have to pitch over 900 innings to get 17 double play grounders. Something doesn't seem right with that stat.

[clout]

Jack: A learning curve! Nice to see.

[drake]

you're right, it's actually 1.26 per 9... i forgot the last part of the calculation. i'll blame the beer.

[drake]

which makes 0.99 per 9 for this year.

[clout]

The Dude: And when Howard ends the season at .270, 45 HRs, 125 RBI and nearly 200 Ks, will you say you were hasty in suggesting the Phils trade him?

[Andy]

nuts

[drake]

augie ojeda = paul bako

[doubleh]

KK is not a top of the line starter. The damn lineup has got to hit Owings.

[clout]

And I hope there's a learning curve for all the KK naysayers who were wringing their hands because of his poor k/9 ratio. He is what he is: mediocre stuff, not much vs. lefties, gives up lots of hits, but he's cool under pressure and he keeps you in the game. Perfectly fine for a #4 or #5 in your rotation. I still want him to learn how to get his breaking stuff over the outside edge vs. lefties though.

[clout]

drake: Excellent analogy.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Totally OT - I'm curious whether Wheeler has achieved status as the voice of the Phillies - all comments welcome. I grew up with Harry and Whitey. Wheeler came in with Jim Barniak and teh PRISM crew. I hated him then and forever - but moved away in the late '80s. Whenever I hear his voice, I have the same visceral reaction of disgust but am no longer qualified to render an opinion. Andy Musser was more boring but at least he had an effin clue. HOw does Wheels survive - does he have a following?

[drake]

i'm much more concerned with kendrick's BB/9 than K/9. he's not a strikeout pitcher, but you can win when you're walking people. he's been fairly good since the 8 walk mess a few weeks ago.

[doubleh]

Clout: I totally agree with you on KK. I'd rather have 2 of him vs. an Eaton any day of the week. Eaton has good "stuff" when he's on, but mentally he's too weak to really ever succeed on the mound.

[Kirk]

The D-backs are a good team. They do the little things well ... like hitting to the middle infielders with a runner at 3rd. They are going to be good for years to come because they are young and disciplined. Obviously well coached.

[drake]

the beer's typing again, i meant to say, you CAN'T win when you're walking people.

[clout]

If he gets CoJack, I'd walk Drew and face Reynolds

[Andy]

How many Ks this inning? 2 or 3?

[clout]

Nevermind

[Andy]

Ooops. Forgot the Gnomester.

[doubleh]

OK, I'm gonna say it: this Owings guy isn't that great. We should be hitting him, but because of our hitter's lousy plate discipline, nothing. It's like Tim Redding all over again. Yuck.

[Andy]

Phillies Hit Roulette: a fun new game where you either get 15 hits or 2.

[diggitydave]

Owings is NOT that good
doubleh youre right - by his 3rd AB, howard needs to get it into his head to lay off the inside pitch that he's either going to swing and miss, or pull weakly on the ground..

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Kendrick is acquitting himself well. Howard just booted one that will go against KK.

[doubleh]

OK, Howard: if you aren't hitting, you better f'ing be catching the d*mn ball. You can't be giving outs away here.

[Bob]

Yes, indeed, they have a way of getting into a cycle of either being truly awesome at the plate or making decent/middling pitchers look like Santanas.

It also works the other way. The staff can do the job on a pretty tough lineup for several innings but turn around and make a hero out of some utility guy with a .228 average.

[Hugh Mulcahy]

Owings was due.