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Kyle Kendrick has been with The Philadelphia Phillies since 2007, and ach time that he steps out onto the mound you don’t know which Kendrick you are going to get. He can either be really good or totally unreliable, but a starting pitcher should always be reliable and give his team the chance to win. Kendrick needs to find a way to make that happen.
Kendrick started in 29 games this season. His better side appeared before the All-Star break, at which point he had 19 starts. His record was 8-6 with an ERA of 3.68. That may seem a little high, but that is good for Kendrick. He also struck out 74 batters. Many people thought Kendrick had turned it around, but it seems that everyone was wrong.
After the break, the “other” Kendrick came to play, unfortunately. His record is 2-6 with an ERA of 6.45, and he has only struck out 33 batters. He also can’t seem to stay in passed the sixth inning. A 29 year old should be able to have better numbers than Kendrick is producing. He could just be having an off second half of the season, but it shouldn’t happen consistently.
During the offseason, the Phillies will have to decide if they want to keep Kendrick in their lineup. I would say yes, if he was able to pitch like he did in the beginning of the season every fifth day. The Phillies cannot have someone this inconsistent if they want to make the playoffs next season. He needs to work on his mechanics if he wants to stay in the rotation.
Kendrick has always been known to have two sides to him, his bad side has just been showing a little more lately. Hopefully his better side can make a return.
Rebekah is a Philadelphia Phillies writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow her on Twitter and Goggle+
