Kendrick Falters Against Braves, Happ & Park Emerge As Favorites for Final Spot

Kyle Kendrick’s hope of securing the fifth spot in the Phillies’ rotation took a significant hit on Wednesday following his third disastrous outing of the spring. 

The 24-year-old right-hander was pounded for eight runs and 10 hits in three-plus innings in a 12-10 loss to Atlanta in a Grapefruit League game at Bright House Field.

Kendrick is 1-1 with a 14.29 ERA in two Grapefruit League starts.  He also allowed four runs in two-and-two-thirds innings last Thursday in an exhibition against Team USA. 

Kendrick is battling prospects J.A. Happ and Carlos Carrasco, and veteran Chan Ho Park for the final spot in the Phillies’ rotation.

“He’s probably got three more whacks at it,” pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "He's got to get people off his sinker. That's what got him here, but he's got to start getting outs with his secondary pitches.”

Kendrick began toying with a change-up to complement his sinker last season, but he wasn’t able to consistently throw the pitch for a strike. He lost his spot in the rotation to Happ in July and finished 11-9 with a 5.49 earned run average. 

“It's easier to get up here than it is to get up here and stay up here,” Dubee said.  “To stay up here, you've got to be able to make adjustments and change your game a little bit. Not that you're ever going to go away from your strength—that's what gets you here—but at the same time, you need to be able to adjust when people adjust to you."

The right-handed Park, who has pitched in 378 major-league games, and the left-handed Happ, who has nine games of big-league experience, have emerged as front-runners for the final spot in the rotation.  

Happ has allowed two runs and struck out eight in eight Grapefruit League innings and Dubee has been impressed with the command of his fastball. 

"Very deceptive," Dubee said. "He is hard to pick up...he has polished himself up a great deal these past few years."

Park declined an invitation to pitch for Korea in the World Baseball Classic so he could focus solely on making the Phillies’ rotation. His 2.57 earned run average in two spring appearances has impressed Dubee and manager Charlie Manuel.

“He’s showing me how much he wants it,” Manuel said. 

Prospect Carlos Carrasco is also in the race but chances are slim that the 22-year-old Venezuelan will break camp with the club. He’s posted a 7.71 earned run average in three appearances this spring. 

Last year was Carrasco’s second straight year at Double-A Reading, where he posted a 4.32 ERA before moving up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley down the stretch where he impressed with a 1.72 ERA in six starts.

As for Kendrick, he’ll likely be relegated to the bullpen if he falls short in his bid for a rotation spot.

“They just hit my mistakes," Kendrick said after Wednesday’s start. "I threw some good ( change-ups), I threw some bad ones. No excuses, nothing. I made mistakes and they hit them. What are you going to do?"

(Patrick Gordon is a freelance baseball writer and managing editor of the Philadelphia Baseball Review.  For more stories involving Philadelphia baseball visit www.philadelphiabaseballreview.com)