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
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.
A lot of people, myself included,(probably because I'm an old-timer), say forget about pitch count, send Kendrick out for the 9th, he earned it. By the way, the Jimenez kid in Colorado, threw 128 pitches in his no-hitter the other night against "guess who", Atlanta.— phillyjim7
Back in Vermont today after 2 weeks in LA visiting son. The last thing before we go to the airport, I watch the Phils Braves game on MLB network on my son's big HD flat screen (I normally watch MLB.TV on my 20" monitor in fairly low res). I watch Kendrick, knowing the pressure on him to do well this start or go to LV. What a gem he tosses! I have to go to the airport just after he retires his last batter. Feeling real confident. My son has his iPhone in the car. I tell him to check on the game....it's just a line score and it says Phils winning 3-0 with 2 out in the bottom of the 9th. A few minutes go by and I start to wonder why his iPhone, which is set to chime when Phils games end, wasn't doing so. He checks...OMG, it's 3-3! Check again just as I'm dropped off...Phil lose 4-3. The red-eye home was depressing.
Comment removed.- Honestly I don't know why we're still trying to see if Madson can be a closer. We saw he couldn't handle it last year. It was apparently lost or ignored when placed in context next to Lidge's terrible year last year, but Madson was ALMOST AS BAD IF NOT WORSE THAN LIDGE IN 2009. That's right. We remember Lidge's bad year because he was the one on which we placed so many expectations based on his perfect 2008, not to mention the fact that he's been a high profile closer for a few years now. The fact is, however, that in 2009 Ryan Madson blew 6 out of 16 save opportunities - 37.5%; while Lidge blew (only) 11 of 42 opportunities - 26.2%. Both terrible, of course. So why do we think Madson can do it this year? Isn't it time to try someone else in that role?— bobby-d
- It's April. Kendrick gave the Phillies 8 solid innings. That fact is much more important than the fact that Ryan Madson didn't do his job. A closer needs to learn to forget what happened and go back out and do it again.— rreynolds
- Sorry D. Murph, Charlie Manuel was only half-right, so therefore, so are you. He was right in pulling Kendrick who was getting hit hard. But Charlie was wrong on Kendrick's replacement. Phillies lost the game, which was the whole exercise (wasn't it?). So... bottom line, Charlie made the wrong call. And it's about time some Philly area writers recognize it's awfully awfully easy to look good managing a team which is as loaded with talent as the Phillies are--and stop making excuses and justifying a manager with mediocre skills who, with a more mediocre team, would look it.— Jason*Verducci
MTust you're wrong - yes he pitched scoreless 7th and 8th innings, but if you watched the game he got hir hard with lines drives. kendrick is not good, he just got lucky with a team that got impatient and hit alot of ground balls. if they roll him out there again for another start, he'll get torched now that the opposition has a chance to adjust, because he has nothing except that sinker.— CosmoK- If Carlie would have let KK pitch the 9th and the same result occured, you would have the same level of second-guessing in the opposite direction. Hindsight is always perfect.— n62
- Good thing we got some prospects for Cliff Lee in case we need to trade for a closer this year.— booman55
- "The Glaus shot was bad, though. That was a meatball pitch." Remember though, with a runner on base and 2 outs with a 3 run lead, a closer is supposed to go after the hitter and make sure not to walk him. You don't want to bring the tying run to the plate and Madson wasn't getting the close calls so he had to come over the plate to Glaus. Still, could have been in a little better spot. Of course Manuel made the right call. Hindsight is always 20/20 but heading into that situation, he did exactly what he should have done. Madson has closer stuff but not closer make-up. He's not the answer there. We don't have much choice until Lidge comes back but he's not a long-term answer at closer. He pitches great in the 8th as a set-up man but he's shaky as a closer. There have been any number of guys like Octavio Dotel, Arthur Rhodes and some others who were dominant set-up men but couldn't consistently close when given the chance.— JimG
- There done for the year 19 losses in a row book it!— Snoddy
- Murph, Your analysis regarding Charlie pulling Kendrick is right on!
no, he did not make the right call, as the phillies lost. its actually a no brainer. you may not question the logic behind his call, but its painfully obvious that in the end, it was the wrong call. duh... you get paid for this?- So, who would have pitched if it was 4-0? Seems that the criteria for a save limits the use of the closer in MLB. What. are their agents involved? That said, seems all closers (at least for the Phils) are god awful in non-save situations.— bobcitydoc
- Madson should have been pulled after the two run homerun, he is not a closer. A lefty should have been in to pitch to Heyworth....— Mack1945
