Kyle Kendrick

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Tonight, we all found out the hard way that Spring Training success doesn't translate into success in the Major Leagues. Kyle Kendrick, who posted a 1.46 ERA in the spring, watched his ERA increase to 17.47 after allowing 6 runs in only 1 1/3 innings, behind a 14-7 offensive massacre of the Washington Nationals.

Kyle Kendrick was flat out terrible. He walked guys, and then allowed extra base hits to bring them home. In that little amount of time, Kendrick walked 3, and 3 of the 6 hits he allowed were doubles. That led to an early exit for the young pitcher.  Enter Nelson Figueroa.

Figueroa, who was acquired after being released by the Mets, pitched very effectively. He allowed 1 run in 3 1/3 innings of work. He even added 2 hits of his own. That was nothing compared to the rest of the team. 2B Chase Utley, went 2-4, hitting 2 homeruns, and had 4 RBIs. Lead-off man, Shane Victorino, had a monster night as well. He went 4-5 with a homerun, and had 5 RBI's overall. LF Raul Ibanez, RF Greg Dobbs,  and 3B Placido Polanco all added an RBI of their own, and 1B Ryan Howard added 2 RBIs. As a team, they scored 14 runs on 14 hits. With RISP, the team went 5-10. 

The rest of the bullpen was effective as well, holding the score to 14-7.RHP Chad Durbin, LHP Antonio Bastardo, and RHP David Herndon combined to pitch 4 scoreless innings. The Phillies improved their record to 7-1, while the Nations saw their record fall to 3-5.

Tomorrow, the Phillies receive their 2009 NL Championship rings. I wonder if Cliff Lee will be there, and if so, what reaction will he receive? As for the game, Phils' lefty J.A. Happ will take on Nats' lefty Scott Olsen. The Phillies will be looking to sweep the Nationals, and first pitch is at 3:05. The game can be seen on CSN.