Eleven innings of weird
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Eleven innings of weird
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
Begin with this: Kyle Kendrick said he could have kept pitching after the 1 hour, 17 minute rain delay. Now that's not to say the Phillies win the game they lost 4-3 to Chicago in 11 innings, but it certainly would have helped matters.
If Kendrick pitches more than three innings, chances are Charlie Manuel does not run out of pitchers in the 10th inning. Chances are the Cubs are forced to pitch to Domonic Brown with runners on the corners in the 10th instead of intentionally walking him to face Herndon, who does not know the last time had a hit. (High school? Nope. Doesn't think so.)
"He blew a curveball by me," Herndon said. "That was rough."
It was, but basically Manuel's only option at the time. He had at least one more inning out of Herndon and it was not yet time to tell Wilson Valdez he would take the mound again. Both Valdez and Ross Gload were on the bench when Herndon batted.
"I didn't have nobody left," Manuel said, "and I figured Herndon could go two to three innings."
But in the 11th, after Carlos Ruiz reached on a leadoff single, Manuel told Jimmy Rollins not to bunt him over.
"I figured we needed to win the game because Herndon already had almost 50 pitches. Instead of bunting, I went for the win. I figured we had to win the game."
Maybe that scenario is avoided if Kendrick returned after throwing 44 pitches in three innings before the apocalyptic skies overcame Citizens Bank Park. He said he thought he would continue after the rain delay.
"Oh, definitely," Kendrick said. "I thought I could have for sure. But it's not my decision."
Manuel said it was too long for a pitcher to sit.
Then again, chances are none of this matters. The Phillies went five innings (fifth through ninth) without a hit. They had seven in all in 11 innings and just one for extra bases, Rollins' second-inning, three-run home run.
The reversed home-run call in the ninth inning on Tyler Colvin only extended a showing of offensive futility. Then it worsened.
"Not only did we not hit," Manuel said, "but we got sloppy."
In the top of the 11th, there were three crucial mistakes made by the Phillies. First, Colvin reached on an infield single that trickled into no man's land between Herndon and Ryan Howard. Neither took charge on the play.
"It was one of those balls that was tough to get to," Herndon said.
Then, with pitcher Ryan Dempster pinch-hitting to bunt, Ruiz let a passed ball through to advance Colvin to second. He doesn't score on Placido Polanco's throwing error -- the third and final gaffe -- if he is not on second.
"The way the game went, by us using pitchers, it got us in trouble," Manuel said. "But at the same time, we didn't add on. We didn't get hardly any hits."
And that will be the epitaph on this game, No. 63 in 2011, and one that 25 players will attempt to forget as soon as possible.
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Hey Matt, do the writers ever question Charlie why, with a dwindling bullpen, that he would pull Antonio Bastardo with one out and no one on in the 8th inning after a grand total of 10 pitches? Particularly when you consider Bastardo had not pitched in three days.— PhightinPhil- what a game! First the Phillies are winning....then pitching has the game go in extras....and to end it Howard can't catch a ball at first! I'd say thats an AWSOME game! Go Cubs..way to FIGHT back!— MRD
- Wasn't Howard that gave away the game: the entire offense and then Poly's bad throw on what would have been a sure out.— SBHAMILTON
- He pulled Bastardo because he did his job, and Contreras is the primary setup man vs. righties. You cannot blame him for that. However, I can absolutely blame Contreras and that joke of a backstop Dane Sardinha for that pathetic decision to throw an 0-2 FASTBALL to Carlos Pena. If he throws anything remotely off-speed in that situation, he will strike out. That's just not knowing who you're facing, and it's completely unacceptable.— twothousandeight
- Man, I couldn't have said it any better about Contresas and Sardinha. Pena has a .187 average and swings at EVERYTHING, yet Contresas throws him a 0-2 fastball right down the middle??? Plain awful. I hope Dubee, Sardinha, and Contresas get reamed for that garbage. BTW, does Sardinha every catch a ball on a play at the plate? Also, glad he came up with the basesload with 2 outs and preceeded to swing at 2 pitches that were clearly balls (including the first pitch), and ended up getting out. Ramirez made a good play but Sardinha should have walked before that, if he just had patience at the plate. Apparently, something no one on this team has. — eaglegrn21
- Send Sardina down bring up the better catcher not only on defense but he can hit. Sardina has already cost us a few games by not being able to block the plate or catch balls. He can't hit. Bring up a new face in Katz. He can't be any worse can he? He might even get a hit once in awhile.— pattymac3
- I would give Kratz a look. As you say: Could he be worse? He's hitting well in AAA. I'm guessing they want him to get regular starts and that's the reasoning behind using Sardinha. — s
- Unacceptable loss to a loser team— shawnmac
- Another move that I question was hitting Francisco for Sardhina and not Chooch in the 8th? He was going to catch for him anyway. After all, he is the better hitter. Then, because the game was tied, you start the ninth fresh with either Francisco, Gload or Valdez hitting for Madson. To me that was an unnecessary double switch that late in the game.— EL Zorro
- And Cholly doesn't know how to manage for extra inning games....why does he always seem to "run out of players" when the other manager never does?— sonnybuoy01
- What I just mentioned is why, sonny.— EL Zorro
- hey sonny, it's because the offense couldn't hit to send the other pitchers to the showers. The rain delay didn't help but this loss is on the "Awfense."— palmyra21
- Charlie shows way too much trust in his hitters, how can you run out of pitchers by the 10th inning, that's a sad state of affairs, just sayin'...— DJ
- Why not squeeze bunt with Herndon and hope he can beat out a throw to first. At least put a ball in play - anything can happen then. There is almost no chance of him making contact swinging.— FakeName
Comment removed.- Comment removed.
- Why couldn't Kendrick throw a simulated inning or two in the batting cage during the rain delay? They had to know the rain delay would last only about an hour. That way he could have gone back out there and pitched about 5 innings.— spider9
- Somebody has to get in somebody's face after this poorly played game! What a letdown by the mgr. and the team!— lv1
- I have never understood the kneejerk notion that a starter who sits for an hour is incapable of pitching. Manuel has to manage his starters and bullpen for these situations, and last night he laid the groundwork for that futile plate appearance by Herndon in a game critical situation. I agree with fakename. At least have him bunt and put the ball in play. But better yet, just ask Kendrick if he is capable of going after the delay. You miss 100% of the shots you never take. This loss is on Cholly.— gaffer57
- That game is like one of those fantasy games you dream about: Tie game. Bottom of the 10th. Bases loaded. 2 outs. David Herndon at the plate.
Well, except for that last part.— s - Howard the dumbest first baseman of all time. Even Schmidt was after Howard cause he can't play! This is getting too funny!— MRD
