Latest news with #MattStrahm
Newsweek
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Braves Urged To Steal All-Star Pitcher From Hated Rival In Free Agency
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Atlanta Braves are one of the worst teams in the league this season, but injuries have played a big part in this poor play. Atlanta is going to need to make some big moves in the offseason. The Braves could be active in the trade market if the right names become available, but they could also be very active in free agency. FanSided's Christopher Kline recently suggested the Braves could steal Philadelphia Phillies reliever Matt Strahm in free agency at the end of the season. PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 02: Matt Strahm #25 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park on August 02, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - AUGUST 02: Matt Strahm #25 of the Philadelphia Phillies throws against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park on August 02, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."The ideal would be signing Strahm to a relatively short-term contract that gives the Braves a lefty alternative to Iglesias," Kline wrote. "Strahm's production has waned compared to last season's All-Star heights, but he still has a 2.98 ERA and 1.11 WHIP with 49 strikeouts in 42.1 innings of work. He would be far and away the best bullpen arm on the Braves roster right now. "Other big relievers will be available this winter — Ryan Helsley, Andrés Muñoz and Devin Williams among them, not to mention Atlanta's own closer in Iglesias — but Strahm checks the right boxes in terms of affordability, durability and, well, ability. Plucking him away from a division rival in the Philadelphia Phillies is the cherry on top." Strahm would give the Braves a very consistent lefty in the bullpen, and it wouldn't break the bank. The southpaw has been great with the Phillies for the last three years, including a very impressive 2024 campaign. The cherry on top would be stealing the talented veteran from the rival Phillies. Any time the Braves can make an addition that also hurts a rival, they're making a good move. As long as Strahm isn't asking for closer money in free agency, this is the move the Braves need to pursue. More MLB: Aaron Boone Gives Hilarious Two-Word Response To Yankees' Gut-Wrenching Loss
CBS News
01-08-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Phillies' bullpen buzzes with excitement as Jhoan Duran arrives in Philadelphia: "The guy's gross"
The excitement was buzzing around the Phillies' bullpen with the acquisition of Jhoan Duran. The maligned unit couldn't wait to see the newest closer arrive. Rocking an all black dress shirt and slacks, Duran quickly proceeded to get to work in the Phillies' bullpen Friday. With the graphics displaying on the video board and his name attached to fire, it was impossible not to notice Duran's presence. "You know, the guy's gross," Orion Kerkering said with a huge smile. "He's been doing it for years. We're going to roll with it." The Phillies' bullpen has shared the brunt of criticism this season, ranking 24th in the majors in ERA (4.48) and batting average against (.251). They finished 18th in ERA in July (4.25) and 14th in batting average against (.232). While the numbers were better, a move had to be made in the ninth inning — the Phillies were 21st in batting average against in the ninth inning (.241) and 23rd in ERA (4.52). "He's such an elite guy," Kerkering said. "How he is, how he established himself. Just seeing someone like him, being able to learn from him — another guy in this group — I think it's going to help." With Duran part of the picture, Kerkering and Matt Strahm are firmly established in set-up roles in the seventh and eighth inning, depending on the matchup. The Phillies' bullpen picture becomes clearer once the game enters the seventh, with Strahm and Kerkering knowing where they fit in the equation. "It's just more of a set rotation now, where it's more seventh or eighth inning," Kerkering said. "Just got to be ready for those killer innings and getting ready for Duran back there." Duran is also excited to anchor a group that has talented pitchers who have pitched better than the stats indicate. Strahm didn't allow a single earned run in July, and Kerkering has a 1.59 ERA since May 1. The backend of the bullpen with Strahm, Kerkering and Duran makes the Phillies tough to beat at the end of games. There's a reason why Duran is excited to be in Philadelphia. "I feel so excited right now, I don't know if I can speak," Duran said. "I feel great. It's an honor to be part of this team. I see my dream came true. I feel really, really good to be here. I know here I have a chance to win a World Series." Still a young pitcher himself, Kerkering can't wait to pick Duran's brain. Another reason this group is excited that Duran is in a Phillies uniform. Both Duran and Kerkering are set to anchor this bullpen for the next several years. "Just his mentality, what goes on (in his head)," Kerkering said on learning from Duran. "What he has experienced in his big league career. We're gonna enjoy the ride."
New York Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Phillies takeaways: Relief for bullpen, offseason additions underwhelm, and a late-season move?
Sunday brought a series-clinching win for the Phillies and, with it, a brief bullpen rollercoaster. Orion Kerkering entered to face pinch hitter Drake Baldwin and the top of the Atlanta Braves' lineup in the eighth. He struck out Ronald Acuña Jr. on four pitches, the final fastball sending the star right fielder swinging and missing in the zone. A single from Matt Olson aside, Kerkering shined as he struck out three on a combined 13 pitches. Advertisement Then came lefty Matt Strahm in the ninth, whose trouble started with a 91.9 mph fastball near the center of the zone. Ozzie Albies lashed the pitch for a one-out single to left. Two batters later, Strahm walked Eli White on six pitches. A wild pitch sent Albies to third, putting runners on the corners with two outs. The Braves did not complete the comeback, but it was within arm's reach. So was a difficult day for the Phillies' bullpen, which escaped unscathed in a 2-1 win. Strahm's velocity is up, but his stuff has not played well at times, as he's allowed four runs (two earned) and eight hits while striking out nine across 10 innings in June. His exit velocity is up against everything but his slider in June, while his whiff rate is down on all of his pitches. Jordan Romano started the month pitching the ninth before giving up walk-offs against the Toronto Blue Jays and Pittsburgh Pirates. Kerkering has been the main positive of late in the back of the bullpen, flourishing since moving into the closer-by-committee operation in Miami two weeks ago. He has one earned run and two saves across 11 innings in June. But one excelling high-leverage reliever is not enough for a team with World Series aspirations, which is already without José Alvarado because of his 80-game PED suspension. Ahead of the trade deadline, the president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, told The Athletic that the back end of the bullpen is the Phillies' 'main focus.' There is one month to go until then. The Phillies just need to make it there, then make the right moves. Saturday was not the first time this season Romano has hunched over, watching his bad pitch become someone else's very good night. It was not the first time this month; Romano yielded walk-offs to Pittsburgh and Toronto and saw helmets fly, the opposing dugout swarm the field. The right-hander, signed to a one-year, $8.5 million deal in December, was called 'one of the best back-end, high-leverage guys in baseball' by Dombrowski at the time. But the former Blue Jays closer, coming off an elbow injury in 2024, has been shaky more often than not. Advertisement He was one of three key offseason acquisitions who appeared in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Braves, with left fielder Max Kepler ($10 million, one-year deal) and reliever Joe Ross ($4 million, one year) being the others. Their impact was mild at best, loss-provoking at worst. The same could be said about the trio's combined impact in June: • Kepler did not reach base on Saturday, striking out twice. He took issue with being platooned multiple times during the past week, telling The Athletic: 'I was told I was going to be the starting left fielder.' • Ross struck out two but gave up a single and walked one. He's allowed eight earned runs across 10 innings this month, including three runs against the Mets on June 21 after taking over with a 4-3 deficit. • Romano gave up a grand slam to Atlanta's Sean Murphy — the catcher's first home run since May 29 — to hand the Braves a commanding lead. Once a key part of the Phillies' closer-by-committee operation, Romano has pitched in the seventh during his past five outings. This was the first winter the Phillies did not sign a player to a multi-year deal since the 2016-17 offseason. The combined $22.5 million spent on Kepler (0.2 WAR), Ross (minus-0.3 WAR) and Romano (0.1 WAR) has added up to about zero wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. All three players were injured at some point in 2024. There was some risk, some reward to signing them in the offseason. But, as of June, it appears the risks outweigh the group's collective upside. The upcoming schedule poses more tests, particularly for Kepler. The left fielder is batting .184 across his past 10 games with a .542 OPS. Against the Braves, Kepler went 2-for-11 with three walks. He has primarily seen playing time against righties and will continue to as the Phillies are scheduled to face three consecutive Padres righties to start this week. Advertisement Should the Phillies look for an outfield shakeup? No. 3 prospect Justin Crawford, who has played some left field, is slashing .344/.434/.469 in 76 plate appearances with Triple-A Lehigh Valley in June. Sure, Ranger Suárez has been a reliever before. But he continues to look like he shouldn't be moved to the bullpen come postseason (or part of any late-season adjustments), striking out eight across seven innings on Sunday. He has the best ERA (1.19) in the majors among healthy pitchers since his second start of the year on May 10. Suárez is deceptive. His cutter and changeup combined for 10 whiffs on Sunday. And he's healthy, which he's said is most important to his continued success. It is difficult to imagine Suárez, should he pitch like this into September, being moved to the bullpen. Dombrowski told The Athletic he does not anticipate moving a starter to the bullpen anytime soon. Any changes would likely come late in the regular season or during the postseason, he said. Those dates are far away. But there's an early candidate for the move: Jesús Luzardo, who has stumbled somewhat since recovering from potentially tipping and surrendering 20 runs to the Cubs and Brewers. Luzardo has worked high pitch counts early in recent outings; it was 13 after the first inning on Saturday, which jumped to 44 after facing six batters in the second. His pitch count sat at 35 after the second inning against the Marlins on June 17, when he also went five innings. Luzardo's stuff remains sharp. His sweeper is a strong out pitch. His changeup drew five whiffs on nine swings Saturday. He pitched out of the bullpen at times with Oakland, making his postseason debut in relief in October 2019. He allowed one hit and walked two across three innings. There is plenty of time to make these decisions. But, for now, Luzardo looks like a worthwhile candidate for high-leverage bullpen situations later. (Top photo of Matt Strahm: Mady Mertens / Imagn Images)
CBS News
29-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Ranger Suárez shines again as Philadelphia Phillies edge Atlanta Braves 2-1 to take series
Ranger Suárez pitched seven strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Atlanta Braves 2-1 to take the three-game series on Sunday. Suárez (7-2) gave up just one run on four hits. He struck out eight, walked one and lowered his ERA to 2.00. Orion Kerkering pitched a scoreless eighth and Matt Strahm earned his fifth save for the Phillies. Otto Kemp's double into the left field corner in the fifth inning scored Bryson Scott from first, and Kemp later came home on Trea Turner's sacrifice fly to center to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead. Spencer Strider (3-6) had another strong start against the Phillies but lost for just the second time in 10 career decisions against Philadelphia. He gave up two runs on five hits in seven innings, striking out four and walking three. Catcher Sean Murphy was the lone Brave to do damage against Suárez, crushing a 451-foot home run to center field in the second inning. No other Brave reached second base in Suárez's seven innings. Kyle Schwarber was 2 for 3 with a walk, and Nick Castellanos had two hits for the Phillies, who lead the NL East. Braves first baseman Matt Olson was 2 for 4 and extended his on-base streak to 30 games, the longest active one in the majors. Key moment The Braves had runners on first and third with two outs in the ninth inning before Strahm got Stuart Fairchild to fly out to center field to end the game. Key stat Suárez has 10 consecutive quality starts, longest streak by a Phillies pitcher since Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee each did it in 2013. Up next Phillies: RHP Zack Wheeler (7-3, 2.45) will open a three-game home series against the Padres on Monday. San Diego has yet to announce a starter. Braves: Rookie Didier Fuentes (0-2, 10.80) will make his third career start Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series in Atlanta against Angels LHP Tyler Anderson (2-5. 4.41).
Washington Post
29-06-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Ranger Suárez shines again as Phillies edge Braves 2-1 to take series
ATLANTA — Ranger Suárez pitched seven strong innings and the Philadelphia Phillies edged the Atlanta Braves 2-1 to take the three-game series on Sunday. Suárez (7-2) gave up just one run on four hits. He struck out eight, walked one and lowered his ERA to 2.00. Orion Kerkering pitched a scoreless eighth and Matt Strahm earned his fifth save for the Phillies.
