ATLANTA – Kyle Kendrick, having produced something that resembled first-grade finger painting in his previous two assignments this season, provided a Rembrandt on Tuesday night.
Then Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras handed the Atlanta Braves some spray paint and Kendrick’s masterpiece became a difficult-to-digest 4-3 loss in 10 innings at Turner Field.
It was the Phillies’ third straight loss after an 8-2 start.
After Kendrick pitched eight shutout innings and undoubtedly restored some confidence, Madson took the ball in the bottom of the ninth with a three-run lead standing between him and his fourth save.
Madson got within one out of that save before surrendering a two-run home run to Troy Glaus, who was in a nasty slump and even booed a little before he stepped to the plate in the ninth.
When rookie sensation Jason Heyward followed with a deep blast over the right-field wall, Madson had a blown save and the Phillies’ dugout had a look of stunned disbelief.
Madson got out of the ninth, but it only took Contreras five pitches in the 10th to end it. Nate McLouth, after two strikes to start the at-bat, launched a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall for the walk-off ending.
Before three of their final four batters blasted homers, the Braves were a frustrated bunch, thanks to Kendrick’s work.
With No. 3 starter Joe Blanton beginning his rehab at single-A Lakewood and Nelson Figueroa doing well in the long relief role originally intended for Kendrick, a third straight clunker could have spelled roster doom for the 25-year-old righthander who dazzled in spring training.
Instead, Kendrick delivered eight shutout innings and lowered his ERA by more than 10 runs from 17.47 to 7.24.
He allowed just four hits and walked two batters.
Kendrick’s biggest pitch by far was the 2-1 delivery that induced an inning-ending double play from Glaus in the bottom of the fourth inning.
The Braves have always been a fine elixir for Kendrick. The righthander is 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA in eight games against Atlanta.
Manager Charlie Manuel was blunt about Kendrick’s problem in his first two starts, when the righthander allowed 11 runs on 12 hits and three walks in just 52/3 innings against the Washington Nationals.
“He’s getting behind and he’s not aggressive in the strike zone,” Manuel said. “The best way to put it is he gets himself into have-to counts. He has to throw the ball over the plate.”
Kendrick, despite going to two three-ball counts in the second inning, pitched aggressively in the early going and was rewarded by facing just nine batters.
In the fourth inning, however, the Kendrick that couldn’t get beyond the fourth in his first start and out of the second inning in his second start appeared to be back on the mound.
It’s not a stretch to say that Kendrick’s future in Philadelphia was on the line.
After retiring Matt Diaz to start the inning, he got into one of those “have-to” counts Manuel talked about, falling behind Martin Prado 3-1. Prado ripped the “have-to” strike up the middle for a single.
Kendrick fell behind the next hitter 2-1 and Chipper Jones scorched the “have-to” strike into right field for a double.
When Kendrick fell behind 3-0 to Brian McCann, Manuel ordered an intentional walk rather than let the Braves’ all-star catcher take a hack at one of those “have-to” strikes.
A difficult situation looked even worse when Kendrick fell behind Glaus 2-0.
But after throwing strike one, Kendrick got Glaus to ground into a 5-4-3 double play that ended the inning. Realizing the importance of the moment, the normally stoic Kendrick pumped his fist and smiled as he left the mound.
He was still smiling when he left after the eighth, but all those happy faces quickly became glum in the ninth and 10th innings.