The Phillies spent the trade deadline trying to build a better bridge to Jhoan Duran.
A week later, that bridge looks increasingly unstable.
Philadelphia escaped Citizens Bank Park on Sunday with a 7-6 victory over Toronto in 12 innings, avoiding a sweep and securing a win it desperately needed. But the weekend also exposed the problem that could ultimately determine whether the Phillies are playing meaningful baseball deep into October.
The bullpen cannot consistently protect a lead.
And now Caleb Kilian, one of the relievers acquired at the deadline to help stabilize it, could be unavailable.
Kilian felt something in his right side while delivering his final pitch Sunday. The Phillies scheduled imaging for Monday, and interim manager Don Mattingly offered little reassurance afterward.
“It didn’t look good,” Mattingly said.
The Phillies have not announced a diagnosis or timetable for Kilian, making it premature to speculate about the severity of the injury. But even the possibility of losing another reliever matters considerably because of what happened before Kilian ever entered Sunday’s game.
Jesús Luzardo struck out 12 and allowed two runs over seven innings. He handed the bullpen a 5-2 lead.
It disappeared in the eighth.
Orion Kerkering surrendered the advantage one afternoon after José Alvarado had blown a two-run eighth-inning lead in Saturday's eventual 11-inning loss.
Two games. Two multi-run leads in the eighth inning. Neither survived.
That is no longer an isolated problem.
The Phillies' bullpen has posted a 5.51 ERA over the previous two weeks.
Over the most recent five-game stretch entering Monday, Phillies relievers owned a 5.26 ERA and had failed to convert any of their three save opportunities.
There is also a workload problem.
Sunday marked Kerkering’s fourth appearance in five days and sixth in eight. Jonathan Bowlan was unavailable after pitching three times in four days. Alvarado had also worked three of the previous four. Even Duran, the one piece at the back of the bullpen the Phillies should feel comfortable trusting, pitched Sunday for the fourth time in five days.
Mattingly acknowledged afterward that the Phillies have leaned heavily on their relievers.
There simply have not been many alternatives.
Philadelphia acquired Brooks Raley from the Mets and Kilian from San Francisco at the deadline in an attempt to deepen the relief corps. Kilian arrived after making 45 appearances for the Giants with a 4.26 ERA and eight saves. Raley brought another experienced left-handed option. Both were supposed to give Mattingly more ways to navigate the innings before Duran.
Now Kilian's status is uncertain, and the same pitchers who were carrying the bullpen before the deadline are again being asked to handle critical innings.
The timing could hardly be worse.
The Phillies entered Monday at 63-56, tied with Arizona for the final two National League Wild Card positions. San Diego is only one game behind them. Miami is three back. St. Louis is 3½ games behind.
And here come the Cardinals.
Philadelphia opens a three-game series Monday night in St. Louis. After a weekend series against Minnesota, the Phillies return home to face Miami for three games beginning Aug. 17, followed immediately by another three-game series against St. Louis beginning Aug. 21.
Nine games against two teams chasing them in the Wild Card race over a span of two weeks.
Those are not merely games on the August schedule anymore. They are opportunities to create separation — or allow several clubs to pull closer.
The Phillies have enough starting pitching to reach October. Luzardo reminded everyone of that Sunday. They have one of baseball's most imposing late-inning weapons in Duran.
The problem is everything that has to happen before the ninth.
A contender cannot continually ask its offense to rebuild leads its bullpen gives away. It cannot burn through four or five relievers after receiving seven strong innings from a starter. And it cannot expect Duran to solve games the baseball never reaches him in position to save.
The Phillies survived Sunday.
Over the next several weeks, surviving may not be enough.
They need a bullpen they can trust.
There is also a workload problem.
Sunday marked Kerkering’s fourth appearance in five days and sixth in eight. Jonathan Bowlan was unavailable after pitching three times in four days. Alvarado had also worked three of the previous four. Even Duran, the one piece at the back of the bullpen the Phillies should feel comfortable trusting, pitched Sunday for the fourth time in five days.
Mattingly acknowledged afterward that the Phillies have leaned heavily on their relievers.
There simply have not been many alternatives.
Philadelphia acquired Brooks Raley from the Mets and Kilian from San Francisco at the deadline in an attempt to deepen the relief corps. Kilian arrived after making 45 appearances for the Giants with a 4.26 ERA and eight saves. Raley brought another experienced left-handed option. Both were supposed to give Mattingly more ways to navigate the innings before Duran.
Now Kilian's status is uncertain, and the same pitchers who were carrying the bullpen before the deadline are again being asked to handle critical innings.
The timing could hardly be worse.
The Phillies entered Monday at 63-56, tied with Arizona for the final two National League Wild Card positions. San Diego is only one game behind them. Miami is three back. St. Louis is 3½ games behind.
And here come the Cardinals.
Philadelphia opens a three-game series Monday night in St. Louis. After a weekend series against Minnesota, the Phillies return home to face Miami for three games beginning Aug. 17, followed immediately by another three-game series against St. Louis beginning Aug. 21.
Nine games against two teams chasing them in the Wild Card race over a span of two weeks.
Those are not merely games on the August schedule anymore. They are opportunities to create separation — or allow several clubs to pull closer.
The Phillies have enough starting pitching to reach October. Luzardo reminded everyone of that Sunday. They have one of baseball's most imposing late-inning weapons in Duran.
The problem is everything that has to happen before the ninth.
A contender cannot continually ask its offense to rebuild leads its bullpen gives away. It cannot burn through four or five relievers after receiving seven strong innings from a starter. And it cannot expect Duran to solve games the baseball never reaches him in position to save.
The Phillies survived Sunday.
Over the next several weeks, surviving may not be enough.
They need a bullpen they can trust.
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