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Pedro to skip next start
By Jonathan Atwood on September 25th, 2009 8:13 PM |
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The Phillies announced Friday that Pedro Martinez would skip his scheduled start on Saturday, and would be replaced by right hander Kyle Kendrick.
The announcement was made before the team’s Friday night game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Martinez left his last start, last Friday in Atlanta, in the third inning with stiffness in his neck. He did not throw a bullpen session during the week, which is unusual for most pitchers, but not Martinez.
“A lot of times I don’t throw a bullpen,” he said. “I only need it if there is a pitch that I need to work on.”
His neck has not totally healed, obviously, but Martinez says that it is improving.
“It’s still sore, but it feels better,” he said.
He is expected to only miss Saturday’s start against the Brewers, and will pitch Thursday against the Houston Astros. The move appears to be more of a precautionary measure than a cause for alarm. With the Phillies likely to wrap up the division over the next couple days, manager Charlie Manuel likely wants to preserve the veteran right hander for more meaningful baseball.
Kendrick is 2-1 on the season with a 2.70 ERA.
