Kendrick leads Phillies to 8-0 win over Brewers

MILWAUKEE — Phillies manager Charlie Manuel thought Kyle Kendrick should get a special award, especially for the way he stopped Ryan Braun.

Kendrick, who is from Mount Vernon, pitched three-hit ball for eight innings and Philadelphia beat the Milwaukee Brewers 8-0 Sunday after waiting out a rare rain delay at Miller Park.

Kendrick wasn’t bothered at all when the game was held up for 7 minutes after showers popped up in the first inning with the retractable roof still open.

It takes about 10 minutes for the roof to fully shut, and the game was delayed with the Brewers batting in the bottom half when the rain became harder. Most of the Phillies stayed on the field, except for Kendrick, who walked off the mound as the grounds crew spread drying agent on the mound.

“He did good,” Manuel said. “He got Braun out. He gets a medal for that.”

Kendrick (6-9) struck out seven and walked one. In his previous start, he threw seven impressive innings and beat Miami 1-0.

Braun, who had homered in each of the first three games of the series to push his NL-leading total to 33, went 0 for 3 against Kendrick. Braun’s hit was a double off Michael Schwimer to start the ninth.

Kendrick slipped a pitched past Braun in the first inning for a called third strike. Braun didn’t agree, but the right-hander had established what would be the game plan against the Brewers’ slugger.

“He was swinging it well,” Kendrick said. “We just mixed it up.”

“We just kind of went with my strengths. Got him out on a sinker away. The second time it was a 1-2 cutter. Then first pitch changeup. We tried to keep him off balance.”

Braun’s next time up, he flied out to center with a runner in scoring position. In the sixth, he ended the inning when Kendrick induced a grounder to short.

Braun was carrying the load after Brewers manager Ron Roenicke gave Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart the day off.

“I know it’s hard with a lineup where we had two pretty big guns out of there, but I still think we should score some runs,” Roenicke said. “We start off with a leadoff triple to start the game and we don’t get him home. That kind of set the tone for things.”

Kendrick allowed Nyjer Morgan’s leadoff triple in the first, then trapped the speedster on Rickie Weeks’ hard comebacker. Kendrick tagged out Morgan in a rundown.

“He did throw the ball very well,” Roenicke said. “Nice cutter, nice fastball command. We had a big strike zone today. Both sides. He used it. He did a good job.”

Kendrick retired 11 straight batters before walking Jonathan Lucroy to start the seventh. Kendrick retired the next three batters and then worked a 1-2-3 eighth, getting the final two outs on strikeouts.

Domonic Brown drove in four runs and scored twice. Michael Martinez, who began the day hitting .130, homered off Randy Wolf (3-10).

“He had a good day today,” Manuel said. “He hit some balls, especially the last couple of times up. He really got through the ball. That’s a good sign.”

Brown doubled and singled twice. He walked in the second and Martinez hit his second homer of the season and first since being recalled Aug. 1 from Triple-A.

Brown made it 5-0 when his double cleared the bases after two singles and a walk in the third. Martinez followed with a single and center fielder Carlos Gomez threw out Brown at the plate.

Brian Schneider added a two-run double in the eighth. Brown hit an RBI single in the ninth.

In the Brewers ninth, Braun doubled with one out and Jonathan Lucroy singled. Travis Ishikawa was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but Schwimer struck out Gomez on three pitches and fanned Cody Ransom on four.

Wolf, who is 0-4 in his last five starts with a 6.53 ERA, allowed five runs and 10 hits over seven innings.

NOTES: After the game, the Phillies optioned INF Hector Luna to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The corresponding roster move will be made Monday. More than likely, it will be Placido Polanco, who has been on the 15-day disabled list with lower back inflammation. … The Phillies gained a split in the series. They haven’t lost a series in Milwaukee since 2007. … Roenicke also gave RF Norichika Aoki the day off.