Phillies Notebook: Kendrick burned by first offerings to Blue Jays

TORONTO - Before every game, the starting pitcher and catcher huddle with pitching coach Rich Dubee to go over the game plan for that game's opposing lineup. The book on the Blue Jays, including slugger Jose Bautista, is no secret: As soon as they see a pitch to hit, they will attempt to hit it as hard as they can.

But intelligence is useless without execution, as the Phillies learned yesterday before escaping with a 7-6 victory.

All four of the Blue Jays' extra-base hits and all six of their runs came on the first pitches of their at-bats against righthander Kyle Kendrick. The most damaging pitches came with two out in the seventh inning and the tying run on first base. At the plate was Bautista, who already had crushed a first-pitch double in the first inning and was 10-for-21 with three doubles and two home runs on first pitches this season. According to Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, the game plan was to avoid giving the MVP candidate anything to hit, even if that meant walking the tying run into scoring position.

"We were trying to throw Bautista down and away, or walk him," Manuel said. "We can walk him."

Catcher Carlos Ruiz set up for a sinker down below the strike zone. It never arrived.

Kendrick, who already had allowed a first-pitch, two-run home run to Eric Thames in the fifth inning, delivered a belt-high pitch on the inner half of the plate that Bautista crushed into the leftfield seats to give the Blue Jays a 6-5 lead.

"He got a ball on the plate up," Manuel said. "And he shot him."

Mistakes happen. This particular one did not end up costing the Phillies the game, thanks to some shaky fielding by Blue Jays leftfielder Juan Rivera and a two-run single by Ryan Howard in the ninth. Still, Kendrick was visibly frustrated with himself after the game.

"It was a stupid pitch," said Kendrick, who allowed six earned runs in seven innings in what figures to be his last start before heading back to the bullpen. "I wanted to be aggressive and I don't know why. He's probably the only guy in the lineup who can beat me like that."

The bulge in Cole Hamels' bruised right hand was visible even through heavy athletic tape, but the lefthander was cautiously optimistic yesterday that the swelling will not prevent him from making his next start. Hamels, who was struck on the hand by an Adrian Gonzalez line drive in the fourth inning of a 5-2 loss to the Red Sox on Thursday, said he wanted to remain in the game, but was overruled. After the play, he recorded the last out of the inning before leaving for X-rays, which were negative.

"He wasn't too happy," Dubee said.

Hamels' next scheduled start is Tuesday in Florida. Whether he is on the mound depends solely on whether he can field his position well enough to protect himself. Dubee said Hamels, who has already logged 116 innings in 17 starts and has two more outings before the All-Star break, doesn't even need to throw a bullpen session to face the Marlins.

Hamels said he would start if it were up to him. But the ultimate decision will be made by Dubee and the training staff.

"They know," said the lefty, an All-Star candidate at 9-4 with a 2.41 ERA. "They've seen this before. But I'm not the type of guy that will ever shy away from wanting to play."

Closer Ryan Madson is unlikely to be ready when he is eligible to return from the disabled list on Monday. He has not thrown off a mound since June 18, when he closed out a 5-1 victory over Seattle with a scoreless ninth inning. The Phillies shut him down after that appearance because of inflammation in his right hand, the apparent result of a ball that struck him during a save against the Rangers on May 20. Madson had allowed only one run, 11 hits and seven walks, while striking out 23 in 18 innings before a line drive by David Murphy hit his hand. Madson went on to make 13 more appearances, but in 13 innings, allowed six runs, 15 hits and four walks with 11 strikeouts.

Madson had an injection to combat the inflammation, and, according to the Phillies, feels better (Madson has declined to discuss the injury). But he likely will need to throw at least a couple of bullpen sessions and perhaps make a couple of rehab appearances before returning.

Yesterday, interim closer Antonio Bastardo pitched a perfect ninth to record his fourth save of the season and his second since Madson's injury.

Righthander Roy Oswalt, expected to be sidelined until at least late-July, was scheduled to see a spinal surgeon in Texas yesterday for a second opinion on the bulging disk in his back, which the Phillies have concluded can be treated with rest and a series of injections. There was no immediate word on the results . . . The Phillies outrighted infielder Brian Bocock and assigned him to Triple A Lehigh Valley, leaving them with 39 players on the 40-man roster (righthanded reliever Brad Lidge is on the 60-day DL, which does not count against a roster spot). Bocock had the right to refuse the assignment, because it was the second time he had been outrighted, but elected to remain with the organization. *