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Phillies takeaways: Matt Strahm's hiccup, a potential lineup shuffle, Aaron Nola's delayed return
Phillies takeaways: Matt Strahm's hiccup, a potential lineup shuffle, Aaron Nola's delayed return

New York Times

time26-05-2025

  • Sport
  • New York Times

Phillies takeaways: Matt Strahm's hiccup, a potential lineup shuffle, Aaron Nola's delayed return

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The second pitch Matt Strahm threw Sunday afternoon registered 94.3 mph, the hardest he's thrown a fastball all season, and it did not matter much. He yanked it for ball one to Logan Davidson in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss to the Athletics. His next three pitches were balls. Davidson scored when a lefty, Lawrence Butler, smacked a triple to right. Strahm floated a cutter to Willie MacIver, a catcher making his big-league debut, and that run-scoring single was the game. Advertisement It all started with the walk. 'Way too many this year,' Strahm said. 'I feel like they all score.' Only three of Strahm's six walks have scored, but the veteran lefty won't like that either. He has a 3.32 ERA in 21 2/3 innings; the hard contact he had allowed during the road trip hadn't burned him until Sunday. As May becomes June, Strahm's importance to the whole thing has elevated. José Alvarado is suspended, leaving Strahm as one of manager Rob Thomson's few trusted setup men. It means the pockets might not be as clean for Strahm; he'll face more righties just because the Phillies need someone for the later innings. The Phillies liked the matchups, especially Strahm on Butler, in Sunday's eighth inning. Strahm could not protect the lead. A nine-game winning streak fizzled. 'That's what we wanted,' Thomson said. 'That's the way it is.' Couple more in the 8th 😮‍💨 — Athletics (@Athletics) May 25, 2025 If anything, the Phillies have seen signs that Strahm's stuff is ticking upward, which can only help. His fastballs Sunday sat at 93 mph, more than 1 mph harder than his season average. The walk, only his second this month, bothered him. 'Strike one, I think that's the biggest thing,' Strahm said. 'Usually, if I can get strike one, I can get them to expand. Just attacking strike one and being more aggressive in the middle of the plate, I guess, but still going to the corners or underneath.' It's easier to be aggressive in the middle if he's throwing harder. 'I mean, I get swing-and-misses when my fastball's 89,' Strahm said, 'so I'm not too worried about velocity.' Strahm ranks low on the list of current concerns. The Phillies were happy to see Orion Kerkering regain some confidence during the trip. Tanner Banks, the second lefty behind Strahm, looks sharp. Advertisement The whole weekend at Sutter Health Park was difficult to evaluate; some pitchers had legitimate trouble with the mound. Cristopher Sánchez was one. So was Jordan Romano. The Phillies won't be back here until 2027. The Phillies had a glorious chance in the second inning Sunday when Kyle Schwarber, Nick Castellanos and Max Kepler drew three consecutive walks to load the bases with nobody out. But J.T. Realmuto, batting seventh, hit into his team-leading 10th double play of the season. That's tied for second-most in all of baseball. Realmuto's previous high in double plays is 13, done in 2017 with the Miami Marlins. He's averaged eight per season since joining the Phillies in 2019. He hasn't had his proper timing at the plate for much of the season. Teams have attacked Realmuto with spin; he entered Sunday batting .135 with a .311 slugging percentage against non-fastballs. He's hit fastballs from righties, and that's about it. Realmuto is batting an unfathomable .098/.148/.137 in 54 plate appearances against lefties. It might be time to move him down the batting order. Flipping Realmuto with Alec Bohm, who has emerged from his early-season slump, would make sense. 'I've thought about a lot of things,' Thomson said. Is it something Thomson could consider this week? 'I don't know,' Thomson said. 'I'll think about it.' There is a matter of respect. Realmuto has batted eighth in exactly one game since 2017. That was May 21, 2022, as Joe Girardi searched for a feasible lineup combination soon before the Phillies fired him as manager. In the lineups against lefties, Thomson has batted Realmuto fifth. At the very least, that is something that could change moving forward. Bohm has had multi-hit games in 11 of his last 18. He went 11-for-31 (.355) on the road trip with four extra-base hits. Thomson has been inclined to leave Bohm where he is in the order; that wouldn't disrupt his momentum. Bohm has not batted higher than sixth since April 9. He might have earned a bump. Two days ago, Aaron Nola tested his sprained right ankle for the first time since going on the injured list May 16. He ran some. He still felt some soreness. 'Just a little bit,' Nola said. It's becoming clear that Nola's ankle was worse than he expected; the veteran righty thought he could pitch through the injury, and the Phillies were willing to let him. Until they weren't. Advertisement The club had hoped Nola would throw a bullpen session during the road trip. That did not happen. Nola played catch and did some more exercises on Sunday morning. He'll receive some treatment on Monday after the cross-country flight home. He could throw that bullpen on Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park. But it could be a few more days. Nola is eligible to be activated on Friday. That will not happen. Now, the question is whether Nola can return to the rotation without a minor-league rehab start. 'I hope so,' Nola said. 'I mean, that's the best-case scenario. But I just honestly need to see how it feels on the mound first. Since I am on the IL, I want to get it right. I want it to feel good and strong again. I want to be able to run and sprint without it even having to be an issue.' The longer Nola waits to throw his first bullpen session, the higher the odds are that he'll have to see hitters in the minors. Maybe that's not the worst outcome; Nola wasn't always himself even before the ankle injury. In the meantime, the Phillies will tweak their rotation with Monday's off day. Ranger Suárez, Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sánchez will start in the three-game series against the Atlanta Braves. Taijuan Walker will bump to Friday's opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. That means eight days between starts for Walker, who threw a 60-pitch bullpen at Sutter Health Park to compensate. Jesús Luzardo will have an extra day of rest before his next outing; he has thrown 100-plus pitches in four straight starts for the first time in his career. The Phillies prefer to have their lefties against Atlanta, Thomson said, so that prompted the slight adjustment. Atlanta's .650 OPS against lefties ranks 17th in baseball. That's 80 points lower than their production against righties. Now, of course, Ronald Acuña Jr. is back to terrorize pitchers no matter the handedness. He is a career .315/.394/.550 hitter when facing the Phillies. They haven't seen him in 14 months. (Top photo of Matt Strahm pitching in the ninth inning against the A's: D. Ross Cameron / Imagn Images)

Realigned Phillies bullpen finds its footing in 5 days following José Alvarado suspension
Realigned Phillies bullpen finds its footing in 5 days following José Alvarado suspension

New York Times

time23-05-2025

  • Sport
  • New York Times

Realigned Phillies bullpen finds its footing in 5 days following José Alvarado suspension

DENVER — Now the longest-tenured man in the Phillies bullpen, Matt Strahm did not have a speech to make. There wasn't much to utter in the wake of José Alvarado's 80-game suspension that both weakened the bullpen and elevated it to the unit that will face the highest scrutiny as spring becomes summer. Advertisement There is so much baseball left; all anyone can be certain of is that the Phillies' bullpen mix will likely not be the same come July or October. But this is who they have right now. It has to work. 'That's kind of always been the mindset of this bullpen since I've been in it,' Strahm said. 'You look back to the '23 bullpen. I mean, we had seven closers down there. So a lot of the conversation was: Quit worrying about when you're throwing, or how you're throwing. And just throw. So, now, it just kind of shifted to: It is what it is. We got what we got. We're good enough to do the job.' If anything, five days of solid bullpen work since the Alvarado suspension were timely. Things feel a little more settled. No one will read too much into five days because greater tests than the Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies will challenge this depleted bullpen. But it was some validation for a group that needs confidence as the quality of their relievers is questioned. Phillies relievers have a 2.93 ERA with 15 strikeouts and two walks in 15 1/3 innings since they lost Alvarado. They have not surrendered a homer. The bullpen rose to the task Thursday in a 2-0 win when the Phillies could not bludgeon this historically bad Rockies team. Orion Kerkering recorded the biggest out of the game when he inherited runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh inning of a two-run game. He threw one pitch: a slider in on the hands to Colorado's best hitter, Hunter Goodman. Bryce Harper caught it over the dugout railing. Excuse me, can I just reach over here real quick, gotta grab something — Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 22, 2025 Matt Strahm pitched around a single and a steal with the help of a fine running catch in center field by Brandon Marsh to end the eighth. Jordan Romano struck out two in a 10-pitch ninth. The Phillies used all eight of their relievers during the four-game sweep. Most of the chances were lower-leverage situations, against a team that's now 8-42. There was not much drama at a ballpark known for terrorizing bullpens. Advertisement All of the caveats apply, and that is fine. The soft schedule represented a chance for the Phillies to realign their bullpen. Romano, Strahm and Kerkering have not been needed as much. The others have thrown strikes. 'This is what we've got right now,' lefty Tanner Banks said. 'Kind of almost a nudge of, like, 'It's time to go lock it in.' You can either rise to the occasion or fall to the shortcoming. You know?' This is a dynamic that was best left unsaid out in the bullpen. 'We all expect the next guy up to go out and do their job,' Banks said. 'When we're hitting the ball around the yard, it makes it easier. Every guy out there in the dugout and in the bullpen knows the next guy's got their back. It is unsaid, but it's expected. Excellence is expected, especially, in a city like Philadelphia. You have to want it. You have to work for it. It's not going to come easy, regardless of who you're playing. But it's expected, top to bottom in the clubhouse. Everywhere we go. And, especially, in our home city.' The whole formula will be easier if the Phillies start from the end. So no development over the past three weeks might be as significant as Romano's return to dominance. He has not allowed a run in nine straight outings. He has faced 30 batters in that time. Only four have reached base. He's struck out 13 of them. He has ripped through opposing hitters for the past three weeks. 'Romano was fantastic,' Phillies manager Rob Thomson said after the righty's latest scoreless appearance. 'You're not accidentally a two-time All Star as a closer and third all time in a franchise's history in saves,' Strahm said. 'That's not an accident. I mean, yeah. Rough start to the year. That's baseball. His little hiccup in the beginning of the year, we joke about it. You couldn't do it again if you tried.' No one is pretending the Phillies have everything they need in the bullpen. They will make fortifications come July. They could dip into their rotation surplus at some point to help the bullpen. They will not pull those levers until they must. For now, inside the clubhouse, the best way to overcome Alvarado's preventable absence is to treat it like something they could not control. Strahm said he reached out to Alvarado. He hasn't heard back. He understands. Advertisement 'I can only imagine the place he's in right now,' Strahm said. 'Give him his time. Text messages are meant to be responded to when ready. So, I just shot one off.' No answer will be satisfactory following a suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. That's just how it is. The Phillies could string together weeks of good relief work and the bullpen would still need to be addressed in July. It would still be a lingering doubt. A good five days are only five days. But it's better than perpetual panic. 'No doubt,' Banks said. 'The only thing is workloads are going to change a little bit. But it's an opportunity. You might find that there's people out there that are more capable of doing greater things than you may expect.' (Top photo of Matt Strahm: Justin Edmonds / Getty Images)

Aaron Nola Injury, Jose Alvarado Suspension Test Phils Pitching Depth
Aaron Nola Injury, Jose Alvarado Suspension Test Phils Pitching Depth

Forbes

time19-05-2025

  • Sport
  • Forbes

Aaron Nola Injury, Jose Alvarado Suspension Test Phils Pitching Depth

Philadelphia Phillies' Aaron Nola plays during the second baseball game of a doubleheader Wednesday, ... More May 14, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum) On the surface, things appear to be going swimmingly for the Philadelphia Phillies. After a weekend sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates, they stand at 28-18, on the heels of the New York Mets in the NL East. A couple of recent events add unexpected stress to the club's pitching staff, however. The starting rotation, the team's clear primary strength, will be hampered in the short term by the loss of Aaron Nola with a sprained right ankle. Perhaps even more importantly, their bullpen - clearly not an area of comparable depth - will be without their closer, Jose Alvarado for 80 games due to a suspension for use of external testosterone, a banned PED. Upon completion of his suspension, Alvarado will not be eligible for the 2025 playoffs, should the Phils qualify. Let's deal with Alvarado first. He's saved their bacon early, as the newly acquired Jordan Romano got off to a dreadful start. While Romano has now gathered himself, at least temporarily, he is one of only three Philly relievers (along with Matt Strahm an Orion Kerkering) who can currently be trusted anywhere near the end of anything resembling a close game. Joe Ross isn't bad himself, but is more a middle/long guy/spot starter candidate, and I'm already being charitable including Kerkering, who has a big arm but struggles to pitch with a downhill plane. As good as the Phils' rotation is, they simply must have more reliable arms in their pen, and find themselves in a bit of a bind regarding how to address this shortfall. Do they cycle through their existing group and some of their more experienced Triple-A guys to find a hot hand, or trade from their starting pitching surplus or the top of their stacked deck of prospects to land an impact reliever type like the Orioles' Felix Bautista via trade? While they may eventually be forced to go the latter route, I wouldn't rush into it. Mick Abel looked great in his MLB debut on Sunday, perhaps raising his trade value to a level justifying a deal. With even better prospect Andrew Painter on the way, Abel could be the guy eventually moved. Honestly, that might be preferable to dealing one of their elite position player prospects, like SS/3B Aidan Miller, OF Justin Crawford or C Eduardo Tait. Perhaps moving down a tier to the likes of OF Gabriel Rincones might make a little more sense. But back to Abel for a second. There's no way he's going anywhere at this very moment due to the loss of Nola. As bad as he's been this season, Nola has arguably been the majors' most consistent provider of innings bulk in recent memory. With his velocity down about one mph on all of his pitches this season, the club is hoping that a brief stint on the shelf will rejuvenate him and restore him to peak effectiveness. I'm not necessarily buying that. Nola supposedly first felt the pain in his ankle warming up for his next to last start against the Guardians. While that outing and the subsequent one versus the Cardinals were admittedly poor, he was no great shakes before then, either. Looking at Nola's performance thus far in 2025 compared to 2024, there are stark areas of similarity and difference. His K rate has barely moved, ticking downward from 24.0% to 23.6%, both within the league average range. His BB rate has nudged upward from 6.1% to 7.3%, moving up into the league average range. Notable, but still not a huge deal. It's on the contact management front where things have fallen apart. One of Nola's issues in 2024 was a tendency to yield line drives, and that has intensified a but in 2025. He's up from 21.7% to 22.3%, over a half standard deviation above league average. Line drive authority has become an issue as well this season, as his average liner exit speed is 94.7 mph, also well above league average. This has pushed his overall average exit speed allowed to 89.3 mph - only four 2024 NL ERA qualifiers fared worse. His Adjusted Contact Score was almost exactly league average at 98 in 2024; it sits at an abysmal 136 thus far in 2025. When you break it down on a pitch-by-pitch basis it gets much more acute. Each season I issue pitch grades to the arsenals of every pitcher with 135 or more innings, based on bat-missing and contact management relative to the league. In 2024, Nola had a subpar changeup ("D+"), but three average or better pitches, including a pair of 'A' offerings in his four-seamer and knuckle-curve. (His sinker earned a 'B'.) I don't worry about starting pitchers until their fastball(s) go south. Nola's four-seamer has utterly fallen apart this season. Last year, I didn't issue an 'F' grade to a single qualifying pitch - thus far in 2025, Nola's four-seamer would earn an 'F-', if that's even possible. A 209 Adjusted Contact Score and 4.5% pitch-specific whiff rate is no way to go through life. Even his signature knuckle-curve hasn't been very good - he gets an interim 'C' grade for it, again due to poor contact management (153 Adjusted Contact Score). His sinker again gets a 'B', eerily possessing the same 4.5% repeating-decimal whiff rate as the four-seamer. One positive - Nola's changeup has improved and become a viable pitch this season, improving to a 'B' grade. Its whiff rate has exploded from 4.9% in 2024 to 18.0% this season. He has taken notice and begun to throw it more, with its usage rate increasing from 9.6% in 2024 to 14.8%. This increase has come at the expense of the knuckle-curve. If Nola sheds his skin and morphs into a different form, the changeup will be at the forefront of his efforts. Is it possible that everything just clicks into place once Nola comes off of the injured list? I guess, but I wouldn't bank on it. Nola was already becoming more a quantity rather than a quality guy entering this season, and such a decline in fastball effectiveness can be a bit scary. Once Felix Hernandez lost his fastball, things got hairy in a hurry. A reliable Nola could be the key to the remainder of the Phils' season. If they can count on him to take the ball and give them six competent innings every time out once he returns, they can better justify giving up a key piece or two to fill their bullpen needs. If they can't, then there's another hole in the dike that must be plugged. You don't appreciate 200-inning workhorses until they're gone.

Phillies' Jose Alvarado receives 80-game ban over positive PED test
Phillies' Jose Alvarado receives 80-game ban over positive PED test

Fox News

time18-05-2025

  • Sport
  • Fox News

Phillies' Jose Alvarado receives 80-game ban over positive PED test

The Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen took a major hit on Sunday as Major League Baseball announced that closer Jose Alvarado has been suspended for 80 games after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug. MLB said that Alvarado had tested positive for exogenous testosterone and violated the league's drug policy. "The Phillies fully support Major League Baseball's Joint Prevention and Treatment Program and are disappointed to hear today's news of Jose's violation," the team said in a statement. Alvarado will be ineligible for the postseason should Philadelphia make it. The left-handed pitcher has been one of the best relievers in the league since he joined the Phillies from the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021. He lowered his ERA from 2021 to 2023 from 4.20 to 1.74. He had a 4.09 ERA in 66 appearances in 2024. Alvarado appeared in 20 games for the Phillies this season. He had a 2.70 ERA with seven saves and 25 strikeouts. He went viral earlier this month when he wrote a sweet message to his mom on his hat for Mother's Day. Losing Alvarado is a major obstacle for the Phillies. The team will have to lean on Jordan Romano, Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering even more as the season wears on. Philadelphia were 27-18 and in second place in the National League East division as they entered Sunday. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

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