Bob Ford: Awesome arm: Up-and- down Kendrick has an impressive return

As weeks go, the one that just ended for Kyle Kendrick was a little different.

In the space of six days, Kendrick had one of his worst starts of the season, was optioned to the minor leagues, worked out for two days in Citizens Bank Park, and then was recalled to the big-league roster after fellow pitcher Jamie Moyer came up lame. To finish off the week, he kept his regular turn in the rotation, just as if nothing had happened, and pitched one of his best games of the season.

That was Kendrick out there Saturday, allowing just one run in seven innings as the Phillies' offense clanged out a 10-2 win. Having your team put up seven runs in the third inning, as the Phillies did for Kendrick, makes anyone a better pitcher. But Kendrick was sharp with his control against Colorado, moved the ball around, and worked well against the lefthanded hitters sprinkled throughout the Rockies' lineup.

This is the same Kendrick who gave up seven runs in a disappointing five-inning stint Monday in St. Louis. When the Phillies announced after the game that Kendrick was being optioned, it didn't sound as if they had planned the move just for motivational purposes. It sounded as if they didn't care if he ever came back.

"He makes a lot of mistakes," pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "If you've got average stuff, you have to have good command. He has to learn to get balls to certain parts of the plate."

The way Dubee talked, it sounded as if these things had been mentioned to Kendrick before. Still, despite the beating, the demotion was something of a surprise. Since starting out with a very poor April, Kendrick has been consistent, and you can make the argument that he has been the third-best starter after Roy Halladay and Cole Hamels.

Including Saturday's win, Kendrick is 6-3 with a 3.83 ERA since April, and the Phillies are 9-4 in his 13 starts during that time. That's not bad, but Kendrick is one of those pitchers who looks cunning rather than overpowering when he throws well and god-awful when he does not.

"It's like night and day. He has to pitch ahead [in the count] to be a pitcher," manager Charlie Manuel said. "Command is huge for him. That's how he's going to get by."

When the Phillies returned from St. Louis, Manuel sought out Kendrick, who had been reinstated by that time, and asked the pitcher if he was mad about being jerked around.

"He said, 'Yeah, a little bit,' and I said, 'That's good, then,' " Manuel said. "I wasn't trying to be smart. I was kind of kidding with him, but I also wanted to see how he reacted to it."

That reaction was important, but the one on the mound against the Rockies was what really counted.

"It was kind of crazy," Kendrick said of his week. "They wanted something, and something happened. I can't explain it. I can't control it. It's out of my hands. Who wants to get sent down? It was frustrating, but stuff happens for a reason."

Which is what people say when they can't figure out the reason. If Moyer hadn't grabbed his elbow, Kendrick would be an IronPig right now, and who knows if he ever would have returned?

As it is, he's back in the rotation, where he will be joined Sunday by J.A. Happ, making his first start since April 15. For the next few days, the rotation goes: Happ, Joe Blanton, Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay and, presumably, Kendrick.

Before Saturday's game, perhaps an indication of the organization's need to be convinced, the Thursday starter was listed as TBA. Afterward, everyone shrugged and said Kendrick earned another start.

"I tried to use what happened positively," Kendrick said. "Go out there and show some people wrong, show 'em I belong here, and then I have to do it again next time."

That's the rub, of course, especially as the front office is finalizing its trade-deadline strategy. Should the Phillies go for bullpen help, a middle-of-the-road starter, a top starter, a position player?

By last Monday evening, as these calculations were made, Kendrick wasn't counted on to help. By Saturday night, he was back in the conversation. Now his job is to stay there.

"I'm just going to try to do my job. I know I belong here," Kendrick said. "If I keep having quiet outings, that will take care of itself. If you pitch well, you're going to pitch somewhere in the bigs."

And if you don't, there are strange weeks to endure. Not always as strange as last week was for Kendrick, but at least it ended on a positive note. Most of the time, the return trip to redemption takes a lot more than five days.