Philly Sports Jabronis
By Todd Zolecki, Phillies.com
CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Tigers jumped on Kyle Kendrick early Friday at Bright House Field, but the Phillies came back in a big way.
Kendrick allowed a three-run double to Nick Castellanos with two outs in the first inning to hand the Tigers a three-run lead, but the Phillies scored one run in the second and eight more in the third on their way to a 10-6 victory.
Darin Ruf singled to score Marlon Byrd in the second to make it 3-1. The Phillies then scored eight in the third, which Jimmy Rollins capped with a three-run home run to right field. Philadelphia took advantage of Tigers reliever Jhan Marinez, who struggled with command, and errors in the field, scoring five unearned runs.
“Obviously the first inning was a little rough,” said Kendrick, who walked three and struck out three in two innings. “I couldn’t throw strikes. My command was off. I was trying to rush a little bit. I don’t think I’ll walk three guys again this spring. That won’t happen again.”
Tigers starter Jose Alvarez allowed one run on two hits, walking two and striking out two, over two innings.
The Tigers, who had a split-squad Friday, scored three runs in the sixth inning against Luis Garcia, including Castellanos’ second RBI double, to make it 9-6.
Up next: Phillies right-hander David Buchanan will get the start Saturday afternoon against the Yankees in Tampa, Fla., (1:05 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV) but everybody will be focused on fellow right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez, who follows Buchanan. He signed a three-year, $12 million deal with the Phillies last year, but remains a great unknown. He has not pitched competitively in some time after fleeing Cuba, so this will be his first true test.
