OK, they are the Pittsburgh Pirates. Even so, Kyle Kendrick was outstanding on a rainy evening in South Philadelphia, something you don’t often say about the Phillies fifth-starter by default.
KK went eight innings, allowing five hits and just one walk, while striking out four. His two earned runs were a non-factor as the Phils offense led the way in the 12-2 victory. Six of those runs were put on the board by Ryan Howard, who hit his 9th career grand slam in the 8th inning. He also added a two-run single in the 3rd inning. Back to KK; excellent performance and hopefully one that can show him the path to progress for the remainder of the season. When he commands the zone, he can be a very solid fifth starter.
Welcome back, Jimmy Rollins. On the first pitch he saw in the first frame, he grounded to first to score Shane Victorino. He added a double himself, and looked fine in the field and on the basepaths. In the top of the first inning, speedster Andrew McCutchen grounded one deep into the hole at shortstop. Rollins moved easily to his right, fired with that cannon arm, and nailed the NL’s leading base stealer at first base. No sweat – vintage Rollins.
Jayson Werth continues to add zeroes to the check he’ll soon cash. He slammed a three-run jack to the opposite field seats, breaking the game open in the bottom of the third. He would later add yet another double, his 20th, and even more admiration from a city that absolutely loves the guy. In the 8th, Werth would fly out, but on the pitch before it, he fouled a ball off his foot and was taken out. After the game he said it was OK, but he walked with a bit of a limp.
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