The Philadelphia Phillies risk missing the postseason entirely as their inept bullpen continues to collapse during the critical August stretch. Despite boasting elite National League Cy Young candidates at the top of the starting rotation, interim manager Don Mattingly’s squad is barely holding onto the third NL Wild Card spot. A miserable slide since the All-Star break has highlighted a relief corps that ranks 24th in Major League Baseball with a 4.41 full-season ERA.
The Melting Pot of Blown LeadsEver since the midsummer classic, the Phillies have been completely treading water. Over their last 22 games, the team has stumbled to a mediocre 8-14 record. In that exact span, the bullpen has managed to turn in a completely clean sheet in just eight contents. This means an atrocious 64% of recent matchups have featured blown leads, botched saves, or total relief-corps meltdowns. High-profile collapses—like former closer José Alvarado pitching to a bloated 5.77 ERA and Orion Kerkering coughing up a 11.74 ERA over his last 10 appearances—have repeatedly spoiled stellar starts from the rotation.Deadline Busts and Piling InjuriesPresident of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski attempted to patch the sinking ship at the MLB trade deadline. He acquired left-hander Brooks Raley from the Mets and right-hand-stabilizer Caleb Kilian from the Giants. The immediate returns have been disastrous:Both additions combined to give up seven earned runs in their first 6.1 innings.Brooks Raley immediately blew a critical late-game lead against Washington.Caleb Kilian suffered a severe left oblique strain and was placed on the 15-day IL.With Kilian joining a massive list of 10 different Phillies relievers to hit the injured list this season, depth has completely evaporated.Mattingly’s Overworked, Depleted OptionsThe remaining high-leverage arms are completely running on empty. Because the back-end of the starting rotation has struggled to pitch deep into games, the bullpen has thrown a grueling amount of high-stress innings. Manager Don Mattingly has been forced to rely almost exclusively on Jonathan Bowlan and All-Star closer Jhoan Duran, but they are visibly gassing out. The continuous roster churn—which recently saw the demotion of Alan Rangel (5.88 ERA) and the promotion of untested prospects like Alex McFarlane—proves that the team is scrambling for answers.If the Phillies cannot find a stable combination to preserve leads across the final 40+ games of the regular season, their October aspirations will evaporate before the autumn leaves even fall.
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