Kyle Kendrick had another poor outing today, trying out his changeup again to bad results. The righty — who is starting April 3 — gave up six runs on seven hits and two walks in just two innings. From Carlos Ruiz:
“He was missing his location working the changeup and that made it tough for him. He wasn’t throwing as many fastballs.”
Still, the Phillies are confident in Kendrick to make his pitches and go deep into games. I still am too, but this changeup isn’t looking any better as we proceed. Hopefully he’ll know to tone it down a bit when he starts off April 3.
In good news, Francisco Rosario threw 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up two hits and walking one and lowering his ERA to 1.04. While Rosario still has suspect control — and probably will until he sees plenty of time against Major League hitting — he has earned himself a spot on the 25-man roster. With Joe Bisenius’ move to the Minor League camp and Lincoln Holdzkom’s innings evaporating, there isn’t much competition for a right-handed middle relief spot. Rosario seems to have locked it up.
At the same time, he’s getting 2-3 innings per outing. It’s possible Rosario could land himself the fifth starter spot. As of right now, he’s in the bullpen, but keep an eye out. Rosario has considerable starter experience.
Ryan Howard continued to mash the ball, hitting his second home run of the spring — a long, monster shot out in left-center field. Keep it going, big fella. The rest of the offense continues to struggle — Jimmy Rollins is now hitting .120 for the spring. Wow.
What we got out of this game:
- Kyle Kendrick’s changeup still doesn’t have it.
- Francisco Rosario has won himself a spot on the roster.
- The offense needs to get better.
Today it’s the Pirates on the road. JD Durbin gets the start and the game is at 1:05 p.m. Brett Myers starts in a Minor League game, hoping to continue on his 0.00 spring ERA.
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