Phillies lose as Kendrick has rough night

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies' front office did not do anything before Wednesday's 4 p.m. ET non-waiver Trade Deadline. Their players did not do much on the field after it.

Kyle Kendrick got fewer outs than he allowed runs, and the Giants handed the Phillies their ninth loss in 10 games, 9-2.

It got ugly early for Kendrick, who surrendered seven runs -- six of which were earned -- in two-plus innings. San Francisco plated four runs on five hits in the first inning. It was the first time the Giants scored four runs in a game, let alone an inning, since July 23.

Kendrick had a three-up, three-down second inning, but ran into more trouble in the third. Pablo Sandoval reached on a Chase Utley throwing error, and Kendrick allowed the next four batters to reach base before being pulled.

"Everything they hit fell," Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "If they hit something hard, it fell. If they hit something soft, it fell. He just had one of those games where things definitely didn't go his way."

Kendrick was pitching a day after the birth of his son, Kyle Jr., but the right-hander did not use that as an excuse for his poor outing.

"I would never change that for the world; it was awesome. But I have to make better pitches, that's what it comes down to," said Kendrick, whose ERA rose to 4.29. "They found some holes, and It was a frustrating night for me."

Reliever Raul Valdes came in and limited the damage to three runs in the inning, but he did give up an RBI single to opposing pitcher Chad Gaudin, who entered the game with one career Major League hit in 56 at-bats and no RBIs.

On the mound, Gaudin had an easy time against a Phillies lineup that has averaged 2.3 runs per game in its last 10 contests.

Gaudin gave up only one run on four hits in seven innings and recorded five strikeouts. Utley, who had both of the Phillies' RBIs, provided the limited damage against the right-hander with a solo homer in the first inning.

"I was able to get ahead of hitters," Gaudin said. "I was making pitches when I had to."

Though Michael Young was not traded before the Deadline, he shifted across the diamond to first base, and third baseman Cody Asche made his first Major League start. Asche batted sixth in the order and went 0-for-4 at the plate.

The 23-year-old made his Phillies debut Tuesday in a pinch-hitting role and said he was more high-strung than compared to Wednesday. Asche had family and friends among the Citizens Bank Park faithful, and even with a hitless night, he noted he felt comfortable at the plate.

"I missed a couple pitches that I could have done some more with," Asche said. "But overall, I saw some pitches, swung at some good pitches and had a couple of tough outs."

Asche also made his first big league play in the field a memorable one, as he awed the crowd with a diving stab and strong throw on a Hunter Pence ground ball in the first inning.

"It's fun to make plays like that. It's awesome when the crowd gets behind you like that, too," Asche said. "It's just one of those things that happens in baseball. I don't think it helped calm any nerves; I still had to focus over there."

Prior to Wednesday's contest, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said despite not shifting any players before the Deadline, he still expects Asche and Darin Ruf to see a lot of playing time down the stretch.

Ruf -- who was in left field Wednesday, but also plays first base -- hit right ahead of Asche in the lineup and went 1-for-2 with a single. Ruf has reached base safely in all 19 games he's played this season and has done so in 28 consecutive Major League contests, a streak that dates to Sept. 25, 2012.