Apr 4, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jordan Romano (68) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
It's been less than 15 innings of use so far, and the Phillies back end of the bullpen is in need of management.
It's a strange spot, so early in the season, but the Phillies have been leaning on their higher leverage guys more than their lower leverage guys, and it's taking a toll.
You might scoff at that notion - as Jose Alvarado, Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering have combined to throw just 14 1/3 innings in seven games - but the other four guys in the pen - Jose Ruiz, Joe Ross, Tanner Banks and Carlos Hernandez, have combined to throw just seven.
The higher leverage guys should be throwing with more regularity than the lower leverage guys - especially for a good team.
If a game is tied, or you are ahead by anywhere between one and four runs, you want to lean on your best relievers.
That's been the Phillies in all six of their wins this season.
And they've leaned on those guys in all six wins.
But, they may need to slam on the brakes faster than a SEPTA bus driver on the Boulevard if they want to ensure that they can do the job later in the season.
Case in point has been the last few games.
On Thursday afternoon, against the Rockies, Alvarado needed 32 pitches to get through a wonky ninth inning while protecting a three-run lead. It was his third game in four days, and he was unavailable on Friday.
Strahm had a similar inning against the Rockies on Wednesday, throwing 30 pitches. He couldn't get through a full inning on Friday against the Dodgers, getting in trouble before being lifted for Ruiz and getting bailed out by J.T. Realmuto throwing out Shohei Ohtani trying to steal second base.
Matt Strahm averaged 93.7 mph with his four-seamer last year.
Averaged 90.7 mph with it tonight.
Strahm has not had his usual velocity to start the season. He dealt with a minor shoulder injury during Spring Training that shut him down for eight days.
He ramped back up enough to make the team to start the season, but he doesn't look the same.
Manager Rob Thomson called it a "dead arm" issue.
"I think he might be going through a little bit of a dead arm that you normally see in Spring Training or towards the end of Spring Training," Thomson said. "He's a pretty honest guy and he tells us that he's fine. We'll just keep putting him on the schedule like it's Spring Training until he's built up."
As for Romano, he's having a hard time getting his slider to bite. He's hanging a bunch of them. One of them left the yard in a hurry when Tommy Edman trimmed the Phillies lead to 3-2 with a dinger off of Romano.
Tommy Edman (5)
Opponent: Philadelphia Phillies
Pitcher: Jordan Romano
Date: 04/04/25 pic.twitter.com/O2ZilI28bx
"I was just missing on a few pitches," Romano said. "To be good you got to get ahead a little better. Today was kind of hit or miss. I threw a few good (sliders) but I also threw some spinners."
Romano has allowed four earned runs on four hits and three walks in just four innings so far.
Only Kerkering has been solid in every outing so far. He's also likely the only one of the four leverage guys who will be available on Saturday against the Dodgers.
"Those leverage guys at the end have pulled a lot of weight here and we need to give them a little bit of a rest," Thomson said. The other guys need to get involved a little bit."
Thomson had an opportunity to use Ruiz in the ninth inning on Friday considering he only threw three pitches in the eighth. That would have saved Romano for Saturday. However, Thomson said because Ruiz had warmed up twice earlier in the game, they didn't want to risk an up-down for him as well, so he went to Romano.
Not that Romano had much time to warm up for the ninth. The Phillies made three outs at the plate on just four pitches in the bottom of the eighth.
"I had enough time," Romano said. "It was a little quick. I usually throw a few more pitches, but I had enough time to get loose."
The Phillies are going to need some length from Aaron Nola if they want to keep things rolling against the Dodgers, and if they go to the pen, it's going to be some combination of Ross, Banks, Ruiz and Kerkering that's going to have to get the job done.
Not exactly how anyone would have drawn it up against a juggernaut like the Dodgers, but that's where the Phillies are heading into just their eighth game of the season.
