Phillies' Jordan Romano Gives Candid Response Amid Struggles, 'Just Gotta Be Better'
The Philadelphia Phillies have dropped seven of their last eight games, including multiple close games lost at the end, with Jordan Romano to blame. After his latest outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he surrendered a walk-off sacrifice fly, Romano took the blame for some of the recent Phillies' struggles.
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On NBC Sports Philadelphia's Phillies Postgame Live, Romano was interviewed in the visitors' clubhouse at PNC Park. Romano gave a very candid response amid his and the Phillies' struggles recently.
"Bottom line, just gotta be better," Romano said. "Gotta pitch better. Other guys are getting through it, I'm not. The team is scuffling a little bit, and I need to step up, (that) didn't happen."
Romano's comments come after his latest blown outing, where he loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie game against the Pirates. It was the second game in a row allowing an earned run, and this time it directly led to a Phillies loss.
While the Phillies have struggled as a team lately, Romano's struggles have been well-documented all season long. Through March and April, Romano had a ridiculous 12.19 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched. He blew two saves and had many calling for the Phillies to make drastic changes.
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jordan Romano (68) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the ninth inning at Rogers Centre.Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
But after a strong May, other than a three earned run outing against the Athletics, Romano was back in the good graces of Phillies fans. Including his near-disastrous Athletics outing, Romano had a 2.53 ERA in May, a huge bounce-back for the 32-year-old reliever.
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But his last two outings haven't gone as well. Over his two June outings, Romano has a 10.80 ERA. Both games were losses, and he was on the hook for the loss against the Pirates.
Romano signed a one-year, $8.5 million deal in the offseason. He's not going anywhere, especially after his strong May. Taking the blame for some of the Phillies' issues recently is a good sign.
The Phillies need Romano in 2025, and his being able to take those poor outings and flush them behind him is huge for the Phillies reliever. After a poor start to his Phillies tenure, Romano is sitting at a 7.54 ERA. While he's struggled, he isn't making any excuses and taking the blame for his and the Phillies' recent struggles.
Related: Phillies Bullpen Sends Strong Message to Orion Kerkering Amid Early Struggles
Related: Phillies' Jesus Luzardo Makes Unfortunate MLB History
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 7, 2025, where it first appeared.
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