CLEARWATER, Fla. -- A few pregame notes before I start tapping away for the 50-center:* Kyle Kendrick will start a minor-league game Friday, mostly because the Phillies don't want him to face the Braves again in spring training. He'll have to pitch against Atlanta plenty of times during the season. But, during his daily session with the beat writers, Charlie Manuel offered Kendrick a vote of confidence, even though he has been battered in his last two starts. "Kyle doesn't have to prove nothing to me," Manuel said. "Last year, Kyle Kendrick was 10-4, and the way he pitched, it's going to take more than a bad spring for him to lose his job. Poise and confidence was his big thing last year. He shouldn't let nothing keep him down. I'm the manager, and I like what he did for us. He's our fourth starter."
So, what's your level of confidence in Kendrick?
* Manuel said Jamie Moyer will start the season's third game, April 3 against the Nationals. Kendrick's first start will come April 4 in the opener of a four-game series in Cincinnati.
* Brad Lidge (knee) and Adam Eaton (back) each threw about 25 pitches this afternoon. Both said they felt strong. Lidge continues to believe he'll be ready for opening day. He's even thinking about his entry music. In Houston, he said he used "The Game" by Drowning Pool. After consulting with Brett Myers, he's leaning toward this song by the same artist. Lidge likes the siren at the beginning, but you tell me: Does this get you pumped for the ninth inning?
2 comments:
I like the song. I can imagine Lidge running out to that, though anything is better than the bright lights of Flash Gordon that made us feel like we were sitting in the middle of a comic book.
Definetely like the siren at the beginning. I can see CBP rocking when they here it.
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