A Weekend to Forget: Phillies Pitching Woes, Bullpen Burnout, and Harper on the Horizon
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Milwaukee Brewers infielder Rhys Hoskins (12) reacts with outfielder Jackson Chourio (11) after hitting a three-run home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in the fourth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
Is it possible to wipe an entire weekend of baseball from the mind? By next week, everyone will — just like they did with the Braves and Cardinals’ road trip in mid-April. Unfortunately, it’d be unfair to dismiss the weekend series the day after it ended, though we’d all like to.
After the Phillies strained their bullpen during a doubleheader on Thursday, Taijuan Walker and Jesus Luzardo were trusted to give their relievers a break Friday and Saturday, as much of one as Walker’s 80-90 pitch limit allowed.
Neither starter did that, though. Walker got deep in counts and only went four innings, needing three relievers to clean up the last five innings. Luzardo had an uncharacteristically bad day on Saturday, which took the Phillies out of the game by the fourth inning. Defensive miscues made matters worse. It was an ugly weekend in South Philadelphia, one that should be forgotten by the time they return to Citizens Bank Park next Monday.
Cut the ‘pen some slack
On Thursday, the Phillies used a combined seven relievers in their doubleheader. The next day, they used three relievers. The following day, they used three relievers and an outfielder. Orion Kerkering threw four days in a row earlier last week. It has been made clear that the bullpen is a shortcoming of this team, but it should be put into perspective how often they’ve been called upon in the last few games.
Perhaps there was a sense of complacency from the starters delivering 6+ innings every night. Nonetheless, the volume these relievers have been seeing is the highest it has been this season. For reference, Jose Ruiz, who was designated for assignment Sunday, was pitching meaningful innings on Friday. Only three relievers should be handling high-leverage spots: Kerkering, Matt Strahm, and Jordan Romano.
Unfortunately, you cannot use them every night.
Not only does this bullpen need another arm (or two), it absolutely needs an off-day. The only off-day they had in the last 17 days was when they flew from Sacramento to Philadelphia earlier last week, which is hardly a clean day of rest.
It has been a tough May for this sub-group of Phillies; they lost their anchor when Jose Alvarado was suspended, and Rob Thomson has put each reliever in any and all situations to scrape up a win. Perhaps they deserve some slack — something Philadelphia fans are widely known for.
Additionally, Taijuan Walker will be rejoining the bullpen because Mick Abel got called back up to start Thursday night, in lieu of Aaron Nola. Thomson will use Walker as a one-inning reliever — partly because Walker’s velocity was up last relief outing and also because Thomson is running out of options.
Down on the farm
Abel threw six innings of shutout baseball two weeks ago, which earned him a second start this Thursday against the Blue Jays. When asked if this will be another spot-start, “Not necessarily, no,” Thomson told reporters, “It depends on Nola and how well Mick does.”
Thomson left the door open on Abel’s future in the red pinstripes. Abel could provide the Phillies with more pitching firepower, which gives Thomson a little more flexibility with the bullpen. Still, it’s worth noting that Abel’s first start came against the 27th-ranked offense in OPS. His next start will be against a top ten team in that category.
As for another prospect who’s been lighting up the show in Lehigh Valley, Justin Crawford‘s debut may be upon us. Weston Wilson has been struggling mightily at the plate and is partly responsible for Sunday’s loss due to his defensive miscues. The Wilson experiment has gone on too long; he is not a platoon hitter for Max Kepler and nor is he a positive in the outfield.
It may be time to open the box of uncertainty rather than cling to the box of “.490 OPS vs lefties”. Crawford is raking down in triple-A — especially against lefties (.405 AVG). Not only is the bat there, but his speed upholds him as a playable outfielder and gives the lineup a little more lightning. The front office may not want to spoil the young star’s minor league progress, but if there ever was a time, right now seems like a good one.
Harper avoids IL stint
Bryce Harper was nailed with a fastball last Tuesday, and a timetable for his return was not made clear in the following days. It was worrisome for many fans, and rightfully so, as the Phillies went 1-4 without him since his surgically-repaired elbow was plunked. However, good news has arrived.
Harper will return this Tuesday, a week after he was hit by Spencer Strider. By the end of the Braves series, it was expected he would play over the weekend, but Harper still hadn’t picked up a bat.
It was apparent the Phillies missed their MVP this weekend, as did Rhys Hoskins, who didn’t get to pass his old teammate during his two home run trots on Saturday. Though Phillies fans and players will rejoice when Harper’s name is etched in the lineup card on Tuesday.
Sean Regenye
Sean Regenye is a sophomore broadcast journalism major at Penn State University. He is a die-hard Philly sports fan and loves baseball, especially the Phillies.
