Kyle Kendrick capped off an impressive month by pitching into the eighth as the Phillies beat the Mets 3-2 Thursday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
Kendrick allowed two early homers before settling in for 7.2 innings. He left after allowing back-to-back singles in the eighth. Raul Valdes ended the threat by getting Ike Davis to ground out.
Kendrick (8-9) walked none and scattered seven hits while striking six to earn his fourth-straight win. He improved his record to 4-1 in August with an ERA around 3.
Jonathan Papelbon struck out one to record his 30th save.
Kevin Frandsen continued to earn his playing time at third by going 4-for-5 with an RBI and he scored the game-winning run.
Mike Baxter and Scott Hairston each hit solo homers for the Mets.
Despite the good feelings as the Phillies salvaged the final game of the Mets series, Jimmy Rollins once again found himself in the spotlight for an apparent lack of hustle.
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Manager Charlie Manuel pulled J-Roll for the start of the seventh inning after a pair of mistakes in the sixth.
The former NL MVP failed to run hard on a dropped popup that could have put him on second base. He stole second base, then was caught in a rundown on a grounder and was tagged out.
Rollins drew the ire of Phillies fans earlier this month when he jogged down the line on a grounder in a game at Miami. He met privately with manager Charlie Manuel the next day. Manuel refused to bench his All-Star shortstop then. He had no hesitation against the Mets.
“My frustration grows any time I see anybody not hustle,” Manuel said. “It grows if I see the other team not hustle.”
J-Roll didn’t have much to say about the benching.
“He already told you what happened. There you go,” Rollins said as he left the clubhouse.
No indication was given if Rollins would be benched when the Phils play in Atlanta Friday.
One of Rollins’ long-time teammates however questioned J-Roll rolling along.
“You want guys to be able to go out and hustle,” first baseman Ryan Howard said. “He knows better. He knows better. It's simple, be on time, hustle. That's it. That's two things that you can control. Go out there and do it. Charlie took care of it.”
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