Kendrick roughed up in loss to Braves
Jul 20, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Kyle Kendrick (38) delivers a pitch to an Atlanta Braves batter in the first inning of their game at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
On an ugly, rain-filled afternoon Kyle Kendrick (4-10) turned in more ugly numbers in an 8-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves.
Solo home runs by John Mayberry (2nd inning) and Marlon Byrd (9th inning) bookended eight Braves runs in a game delayed for 1 hour and 39 minutes. The rain wasn’t bad enough for a delay until the middle of the 6th inning, but Kendrick’s time on the mound didn’t last that long. He surrendered five hits and two walks while giving up six earned runs, including a two-run blast by Chris Johnson. Philadelphia pitching plunked two batsmen and combined for seven walks, two of them with the bases loaded, once courtesy of Kendrick. The righty now has an ERA of 6.99 in his last six starts.
While Kendrick only gave up five hits, the Braves were able to capitalize in a frustrating way and Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg felt it.
“I’m not sure what happened, but we basically gave them nine free passes. Seven of them walks, two hit batsmen and I believe five or six of them scored,” said Sandberg in his first full season as the Phillies skipper.
“We put a run up on the board to take the lead and before you know it, it’s 6-1 with a hole to come out of. It happened in a hurry and it happened without them swinging the bats, except for a hit.”
The Phillies have been getting a good look at the Braves new second baseman Tommy La Stella who is seeing much time in place of Dan Uggla. La Stella drove in 3 runs on two hits and struck out. Uggla was released by the Braves late in the week.
Braves starter Alex Wood was sharp giving up only 3 hits in six innings, one of which was Mayberry’s home run in the top of the 2nd. He also struck out 8, with 11 of the 21 batters he faced seeing strikes on the first pitch.
Ryan Howard was not in the starting lineup for the Phillies.