Phillies Will Only Go as Far as the Bullpen Takes Them in October

The Phillies know their bullpen, specifically their middle relief, can’t be trusted for long stretches, so the plan for October is to ask for as little as possible.

That plan comes after a rough stretch. On Sept. 19, the Phils optioned Orion Kerkering to Triple-A after he allowed four runs in the eighth inning of a 10-3 loss in Game 3 of the Mets series. He has a 10.24 ERA in 22 appearances since July 22, and he had given up a three-run home run to Juan Soto the night before. The demotion is the first of his career. He won’t be eligible in the first two rounds of the postseason unless he comes back for an injury to another player.

He wasn’t alone; Brooks Raley didn’t retire any of the four batters he faced in Game 3. On Sept. 11 in Atlanta, the bullpen blew leads in the ninth, 10th and 11th innings of a brutal 6-5 loss. Four days later, Jonathan Bowlan gave up a go-ahead three-run home run in Washington on the first pitch, a problem that has followed him all season. He has since been limited with a mild groin strain.

The fix in the bullpen starts with the most reliable arms. In the finale of the Mets series, Don Mattingly said he intended to use rookie Alex McFarlane and closer Jhoan Duran for the final eight outs. McFarlane took the seventh inning, allowing an inherited run, but retiring Francisco Lindor and striking out Soto on a 100 mph fastball. Justin Crawford‘s bases-clearing triple in the eighth made Mattingly’s plan unnecessary, but he believes that both are capable of getting the final outs.

“It’s kind of getting to that point where you get your best guys available, rested, trying to set that up moving forward,” Mattingly said.

Duran could take two innings if the moment calls for it, which means the bridge to him might not be needed at all, but that is only there if need be, and not at all a plan long term. McFarlane has 16 appearances and has been solid in his appearances, but he is definitely going to have to step up more than his experience would suggest. His belief in his pitches is going to be important to his usage in October as well.

“I trusted my stuff,” McFarlane said of the Soto at-bat.

The bullpen’s failures will require that the starters will need to go deeper in games. Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler will certainly have longer leashes moving forward, especially in the best-of-three Wild Card series. Sanchez appeared to be unhappy to leave the game on Sunday, and Mattingly confirmed that he was upset with himself for not pulling Sanchez sooner. Andrew Painter could also get a trial as a reliever this week, especially with Jesus Luzardo getting closer to returning from shoulder inflammation. He could also pitch in relief in the first round, returning to starting duties if the Phils advance.

There is some precedent here. Dave Dombrowski’s Boston Red Sox used every one of his starters in various roles during the 2018 World Series run. He reiterated that everyone is available in a short series, and that the bullpen is still a work in progress.

“We have to be better in the bullpen than we have been recently,” Dombrowski said. “But we think we have the ability to do it.”

The bullpen has been an issue for the majority of the season, but now there is no time to try and get things squared away. The bullpen has to step up, and if not, Red October will be a short one once again. The Phillies will only go as far as the bullpen will take them.

The Phils’ magic number is three with six games left in the season. Getting to October is the easy part here; getting past the first round will depend on how many innings the depleted bullpen has to cover in a short series.

Get New Articles Emailed Right To Your Inbox: