The Reluctant Relief Standout

The curious case of Kyle Kendrick. Sounds like a good mystery book, no? Maybe it is.

Amid all the fires of this burn-to-the-ground season, and the recent sale that resulted, Kendrick's latest reversal of fortune has been easy to miss or even dismiss.

But there it sat before Friday night's game: Twenty-one consecutive innings of scoreless pitching, dating back to his last two starts, including a seven-inning, four-hit, no-runs outing against the Braves on July 6.

Since then Kendrick has been inserted into the later innings of seven games and has allowed just three singles and a double. At a time when the Phillies still thought wild card, after nearly a half-season of losing games late, Kendrick provided some hope of being that the bridge between the Phillies' suddenly human starting staff and their near-flawless closer.

A permanent role for the career utility arm?

Wash your mouth out with soap.

"That's not how it has been," he protested when this was postured recently. "That's not how I think. I just feel comfortable throwing the ball right now. I don't think it has anything to do with throwing from the bullpen.

"I don't want them to think I want to be in the bullpen."

Want and need are often diametrically opposed concepts. Kendrick was in the bullpen for two reasons. Roy Halladay is back in the starting rotation, and there was this little tiny problem Kendrick had before that last start of surrendering runs in the first two innings.

Before that strong last start against the Braves, Kendrick had an earned run average of 8.63 in the first two innings of his starts this season. Opponents were hitting a lusty .376 against him in their first at-bats, making some of pitching coach Rich Dubee's trips to the mound extremely animated and once again putting Kendrick — whose tenure as a Phillie dates back to their first divisional championship in 2007 — in the crosshairs of irate fans.

Pitch selection, arm slot, the mentality of a starter vs. a reliever — Kendrick's knock-around starts were knocked around on talk shows and bar stools, and inside the closed doors of the coaches' room as well.

"A lot of it might be comfort," said Dubee, who has been Kendrick's one and only major league pitching coach. "He had a hard time with first hitters when he first went to the bullpen, too. "Now his confidence is a little higher."

And his pitches a little lower. Kendrick was getting burned by fastballs up in the zone and, according to Dubee, a love affair with his newly developed — and sometimes fickle — cutter. If there has been a measurable change, it is that Kendrick is using his fine changeup more and spotting it more accurately.

"He understands a bit more about strike one and how important it is," said Dubee. "He's more acclimated. A lot of it is finding his comfort zone."

Said Kendrick, "It's different. It's definitely different. Arm's a little more tired today. You're getting on and off the mound, getting more use. It is different. You just have to take care of your body.

"I just feel good right now. Whether it's starting or relieving, I just feel like I have good command, am getting strike one. It's about getting outs. Wherever they use me."

Until Friday's trade of Joe Blanton, that was as a middle reliever. But he stepped in to start in Blanton's place against the Diamondbacks that night, and would seem to be back in the rotation now. And the acquisition of righthanded reliever Josh Lindblom from the Dodgers helps make him less needed in the bullpen.

So begins another chapter to the curious case of Kyle Kendrick.

Starter? Reliever?

Both?

"Either way," Dubee said. "He's been very valuable to us."

Send email to donnels@phillynews.com