In this case, there's no question Manuel made the right call
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In this case, there's no question Manuel made the right call
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
There is no question Charlie Manuel made the right move last night in removing Kyle Kendrick from a 3-0 game for a pinch-hitter in the top of the ninth inning. Sure, the Phillies lost 4-3. But you can't blame Manuel.
Rationale?
1) In his first two starts of the season, Kendrick threw 107 pitches total. Last night, he threw 108 pitches through eight innings.
2) Due up in the ninth inning were Martin Prado, Chipper Jones and Brian McCann, who had combined for the only four hits that Kendrick had allowed on the night, including a double by Jones in his previous AB. In their careers of Kendrick, McCann and Jones were a combined 13-for-34 with three home runs, four doubles and six walks off of Kendrick.
3) The most pitches Kendrick had ever thrown in a major league game was 113. That came on June 25, 2008 at Oakland. Kendrick also allowed four hits in eight scoreless innings that day. Manuel also took him out after the eighth inning (in that case, with a 4-0 lead). The Phillies won, though, so you might not remember.
4) Kendrick was due up in the top of the ninth.
On top of all of that, the Phillies entered the season with an opportunity to find out if Ryan Madson could succeed as a regular closer. If Brad Lidge comes back healthy and effective, they might not need that knowledge. But better to get it now and not need it than to be in a position of trial-and-error after the trade deadline.
Manuel made the call. The Phillies lost. But correlation does not equal causation.
In this case, the call was the correct one.
SHORT $ SWEET CHARLIE WAS RITE!— frank martino- Madson has just about proven that he dosen't have it as a closer. This is not a personal attack, it is a fact. If Charlie has an alternative I am sure he would use it. Manager's get fired when their players do not do their job. Hopefully Lidge has something leftor maybe Romero has a better masking agent.— abnrgr
- Assuming that Kendrick still had some gas in the tank, he deserved the right to finish his own game. Here is a kid that was next in line for a one-way ticket to Allentown, and unexpectedly, he throws a gem against the Braves. Going the distance, and possibly throwing a complete game shutout, would have not only bolstered Kendrick's confidence but also everyone else's. I understand the potential value of pitch counts, but if Kendrick is constantly saddled with a historical number as the most pitches he's ever thrown in a game, how will he ever be able to move his game up a notch? When Ferguson Jenkins was handed the ball before every start, he was expected to finish the game, regardless of pitch counts. When Spahn and Marichal battled 16 innings against each other, pitch counts had no meaning. I like Charlie Manuel as a manager, but in my estimation, his biggest weakness is in the way he stays with and/or replaces pitchers. He put in Herndon, a sinkerball pitcher, against the Marlins when the infield was nothing but mud. The Marlins did exactly what Herndon wanted and hit a bunch of weak grounders. Unfortunately, the grounders stuck in the muddy infield and the Marlins used the resulting infield hits to mount a rally. Manuel had other guys in the pen who were probably better choices than Herndon, given the field conditions. Halladay went the distance last night. The other Phillie pitchers need to be encouraged to do the same, and when they get to the ninth inning and their pitching arm is not hanging, they need to be given the chance to record a complete game.
