Dubee: Kendrick must take job from Moyer

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Kyle Kendrick has pitched well this spring, and he must continue to pitch well in order to secure the final spot in the Phillies' rotation.

Pitching coach Rich Dubee said before Tuesday night's game against the Braves at Champion Stadium that Kendrick must win the job over left-hander Jamie Moyer, who pitches against the Blue Jays in a "B" game on Wednesday morning at Bright House Field in Clearwater. It will be Moyer's second "B" game this spring; Kendrick has thrown five scoreless innings in two Grapefruit League appearances against the Yankees.

Moyer could see Grapefruit League action in his next start.

"I'd like to see Kyle in the regular games because he's the guy that's got to win the job," Dubee said. "Really, in my mind, he's got to win the job. And second of all, Jamie is coming off two surgeries, so I'd rather put him in a less intense environment and let him get his feet on the ground. He'll be back in a regular game soon."

Moyer, who threw three scoreless innings last week against the Blue Jays, underwent operations for a sports hernia and on his knee in the offseason, but he also had to be hospitalized two other times for complications following the hernia surgery. That included a third procedure to have an abscess removed from his groin.

Dubee was asked what Moyer could show the Phillies in Spring Training that they don't already know about him.

"That he's healthy," he said. "That he's got the endurance."

Dubee said last spring, when J.A. Happ, Chan Ho Park, Carlos Carrasco and Kendrick were competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, that it was "best man wins." And that was what happened, with Park edging Happ.

But this spring is different.

"I think, for me, Jamie comes in with a big track record," Dubee said. "You can't just go away from that. What did he win last year? Twelve? He won 16 the year before. He's got a tremendously long track record of being a winning pitcher. Even when he turned 40."

But Moyer also pitched poorly enough that the Phillies removed him from the rotation in August to make room for right-hander Pedro Martinez. Moyer went 12-10 with a 4.94 ERA overall last season, but he was 10-9 with a 5.47 ERA in 22 starts before Martinez arrived.

"He struggled enough, but we also put a former Cy Young winner in front of him," Dubee said. "Not to put Kyle down by any means, but Pedro has a little bit [of a] bigger portfolio than Kyle. It's a totally different situation."

Injury updates: Dubee said that closer Brad Lidge, who is recovering from offseason elbow and knee surgeries, remains on the radar screen to be ready by Opening Day, April 5. Dubee also echoed what J.C. Romero said on Monday, which is that Opening Day is a long shot. Romero hopes to be ready for the April 12-15 series against the Nationals at Citizens Bank Park.