MILWAUKEE - First came the foreshadowing, a closed-door meeting in the visiting manager's office at Miller Park between Pedro Martinez and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

Then came the wait. Martinez peeled off the adhesive tape that was holding ice packs around his shoulders and upper back - he joked that it made him look like the humpback of Notre Dame - and went to leftfield to test the stiff neck that forced him to make an early exit from his last start.

Finally came the announcement. Martinez has been scratched from his scheduled start tonight against the Brewers. Kyle Kendrick will get the ball instead.

This development will disappoint those who had planned to watch "The Pedro Show" on television.

It will distress those who will view it as just another medical question mark for a team that already has to wonder about Brett Myers, J.C. Romero, Scott Eyre and Carlos Ruiz.

It will panic those who already were convinced that the sky is falling.

All understandable reactions.

And all wrong.

Here's what would be worth worrying about:

If the Phillies were in such desperate shape that they had to count on a less-than-100-percent Martinez. If they had nobody else ready to step in. If they were in imminent danger of being knocked out of the postseason if they didn't win almost every game from now until the end of the regular season.

Required legalese: All parties stipulate that the Phillies, a National League Baseball Club, cannot be considered to have reached the playoffs until they have actually clinched the division title.

So, yes, anything can happen, etc. But, really, the math still works in their favor. Does anybody really believe they will not win at least four more games, which is all they need to do to run their third straight NL East flag up the pole, even after an uninspired 8-4 loss to the Brewers last night?

That's why Amaro's message to Martinez was about as calm and reassuring as it could possibly be.

"The only thing I said to Pedro is that we wanted to be sure that he's 100 percent. If he's not, we have other people who can go in his place," the general manager explained. "He's a smart guy. I don't think he's going to put himself in a position to risk further injury."

Or as Martinez put it: "I want to have a chance when it really matters. I'm not going to throw that away now."

So when he still felt some lingering discomfort throwing on flat ground, he didn't hesitate to tell pitching coach Rich Dubee to audible to Plan B.

Not pitching tonight means that Martinez will have at least one tuneup and then be completely healthy for the Rockies or Dodgers when the focus narrows and the spotlight becomes brighter and the running of the October gantlet starts for real.

And there's every reason to believe he should be at full strength by the time his next scheduled turn comes around Thursday against the Astros at Citizens Bank Park. Or he could be slotted in earlier, if he's ready, which would allow manager Charlie Manuel an opportunity to give the other starters an extra day of rest.

Think of it as taking a small step backward now for a chance to take a large stride forward later.

The unintentional benefit the Phillies derive is having the chance to take another look at Kendrick before they have to set their playoff roster. In his only previous start this season, on Sept. 13, he pitched well into the eighth inning against the Mets. In five relief appearances, he has a 2.89 earned run average.

While Kendrick has been a starter for most of his career, the lengthy list of pitchers who could be on the bubble for at least the division series, depending on how quickly they recover from their injuries and whether they have enough time to prove they're game-sharp after they do, puts him squarely in the picture.

"It may take some guys to step up and pitch in roles they're not accustomed to," Amaro mused in the dugout before last night's game. "Because, at the end of the day, we have to find a way to get the last six to nine outs."

Which, of course, raised a question that has hung in the air almost from the moment Martinez signed as a free agent in July: Could a future Hall of Famer with 219 big-league wins end up pitching out of the bullpen in the playoffs?

Amaro said he doubted it. Amaro deferred to Manuel and Dubee. Amaro could have referenced concern about Martinez' ability to pitch on back-to-back days and his lack of first-inning success this season, but he didn't. Amaro did make a passing notice of the fact that he has some experience pitching in relief.

Of course, the biggest thing is that if Martinez isn't healthy, he won't pitch at all. Which is why, ultimately, the fact that he's not starting tonight is the right call after all. *

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