So says Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee “You Be?” to the floundering Kyle Kendrick. Tonight’s game, the first in a four-game rematch against the Los Angeles Dodgers, is Double-K’s first start since returning from a disastrous road trip to the West Coast.

Earlier this month, against L.A. and then the Padres in San Diego, Kendrick was lit up for at least six runs in both starts. The dugout diagnosis is that he is reluctant to throw strikes early on, preferring to have the batter take swings at pitches that fall everywhere but over the plate.

Knowing this, however, smart batters will choose to wait until Kendrick puts himself in a 2-0 hole and is forced to throw a strike. Then the fireworks begin, and it’s another short night for Kyle.

Sooner or later, everyone goes through a slump. (Right, Chase/Ryan/Jimmy?) With pitchers, who only work once every five games, these downward trends stand out more conspicuously, and a couple of bad starts in a row can really mess with the confidence of even the best pitchers (see Sabathia, C.C.). The only person on Earth who can restore Kendrick’s confidence is Kyle himself.

As if to mess with us, the Padres traded Greg Maddux to L.A., just in time for him to make his second appearance of the season in Dodger Blue. Maddux does quite well against Philly, in case you haven’t heard. This means not only does Kendrick need to focus on the strike zone, but the slumbering offense needs to wake up and supply him with some crucial run support.

Game time is at 7:05 PM. The Mets are hosting the mediocre Astros this weekend. Santana’s on the mound for New York tonight. Now is not the time to lose any further ground. Last season was fun but that kind of thing happens rarely… even more so for the Phillies.

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