[August 23, 2014]PHILADELPHIA -- Philadelphia
Phillies right-hander Kyle Kendrick, at a loss to explain his
first-inning woes this season, was finally not left with one Friday
night.
He again struggled out of the gate before settling down to win
for the first time in nearly a month as the Phillies beat the St.
Louis Cardinals 5-4.
"It's just been one of those years, the first inning," Kendrick
said. "You just have to keep battling. ...It's not in my head at
all. It's really not. I don't know. It's one of those things this
year. It will be gone next year, I think."
First baseman Ryan Howard drove in two runs for Philadelphia, which
won for the third time in four games and denied St. Louis
right-hander Adam Wainwright an opportunity to become the major
leagues' first 16-game winner.
First baseman Matt Adams homered for the Cardinals, who saw a
four-game winning streak end.
Kendrick (6-11) allowed three runs in the first inning, increasing
his season ERA in that inning to 9.69, but surrendered just one
other run, on Adams' homer, while going 6 1/3 innings. He yielded
eight hits while striking out four and walking one.
Kendrick, who retired the final eight hitters he faced, last won
when he beat Arizona on July 25. He lost his next start and was
saddled with no-decisions in all three of his August outings before
Friday.
"It's nice to get a win, especially against a guy like
(Wainwright)," he said. "It was fun, a good win."
Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg thought both pitchers were affected
by "a little bit of a tight (strike) zone" by home plate umpire Jeff
Kellogg early in the game. As a result Kendrick pitched behind, and
was hit hard.
But after the first inning, Kendrick said, Kellogg "opened up a
little."
"You have to adapt," Kendrick said.
"He fought and hung in there," Sandberg said. "What he did was, he
started working ahead with early strikes and it made a big
difference in the swings. He was able to mix in some off-speed
stuff, secondary pitches."
Jake Diekman and Ken Giles combined for 1 2/3 perfect innings of
relief and Jonathan Papelbon worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 31st save
of the season.
In all, Phillies pitchers set down the last 16 hitters they faced.
Wainwright (15-8) went six innings and allowed five runs (four
earned) and six hits. He struck out two and walked three. His ERA in
five August starts stands at 5.33.
"For a month and a half it's been just frustrating baseball on my
part," he said. "I haven't been able to make pitches like I want to.
I've been talking myself blue in the face. Now I just have to go out
and pitch."
St. Louis center fielder Jon Jay went 0-for-3 and saw a 12-game hitting
streak end.
Left fielder Matt Holliday drove in the first two St. Louis runs in the
first with a double, and Jay chased home the other with a sacrifice fly,
but the Phillies answered with one in the bottom of the first on an
infield bouncer off the bat of Howard.
Adams led off the third inning with his 13th homer of the season, giving
St. Louis a 4-1 lead.
Philadelphia exploded for four runs in the bottom of the third. Second
baseman Chase Utley drove in the first run with an infield out and
Howard followed with an RBI single. Right fielder Marlon Byrd tied the
score with a sacrifice fly and the Phillies went ahead when Adams threw
wildly to third during a rundown, allowing Howard to score.
That inning began with a single by Kendrick, who broke an 0-for-18
slump. It also included two walks on the part of Wainwright.
"The worst thing tonight was walking people," he said. "It's inexcusable
and it put us in a bad spot."
NOTES: Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said before the game that OF-1B
John Mayberry Jr., on the disabled list since July 21 with an inflamed
left wrist, is making good progress in his rehab assignment at Triple-A
Lehigh Valley. Sandberg would not venture a guess as to when Mayberry
might return. "We're going the cautious route with him," Sandberg said.
... MLB.com reported that Boston was on the verge of signing Cuban
outfielder Rusney Castillo, a player the Phillies reportedly coveted. "I
know that he was looked at," Sandberg said. "I'm not sure how aggressive
we were on him." ... The Cardinals flip-flopped RHP Adam Wainwright and
RHP Shelby Miller in their rotation so that Wainwright will be lined up
to face the other National League Central contenders in future series.
Miller, originally slated to start Friday, will now pitch Saturday
against Phillies RHP David Buchanan.
