'Pass the baton': Phils complete 3rd comeback in 5 games 

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies became accustomed to late-game rallies -- often punctuated by clutch homers -- during their National League pennant run last season.

And while the 2023 club has strung together some impressive comebacks of its own in recent days, it's the bullpen that deserves every bit as much credit as the offense.

The Phils notched their third comeback victory in their past five games in a 6-5 win over the Mariners on Wednesday night at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia had only two come-from-behind wins in its first 20 games this season.

And while you can't erase a multiple-run deficit without scoring some runs, it's the Phillies' resurgent bullpen that has made these comebacks possible. The most recent win came after starter Taijuan Walker departed after just four innings -- and with the Phils trailing by two runs -- due to right forearm tightness.

A quartet of Philadelphia relievers combined to allow three hits over five scoreless innings while racking up eight strikeouts and walking none.

All too often a bullpen is measured by its ability to hold leads -- but holding a deficit where it stands can be every bit as important.

"It's huge," manager Rob Thomson said. "As time goes on, that gains confidence for the hitters that we're OK, because our bullpen is going to come in and hold this thing. So we just need to keep chipping away, pass the baton, get the big hit. And now, we've got the lead, let's close it out."

For the Phillies, these types of rallies -- a staple of the 2022 team -- weren't happening in the early going, and a big part of that was the bullpen's struggles. Through April 15, Philadelphia's ‘pen had a 7.19 ERA (second worst in MLB). It had walked 41 batters (tied for the most in MLB) and served up 10 homers (tied for third most).

But since that 13-0 loss in Cincinnati on April 15?

Phillies relievers have allowed just three runs over 32 innings, good for an NL-leading 0.84 ERA during that span. They have not allowed any home runs, all while racking up 40 strikeouts to just four walks for an MLB-best 10.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

"They did a great job of constructing this bullpen just for that reason, you know?" said Nick Castellanos, who continued his resurgent season with three hits, including a two-run homer in the first inning to kick-start a three-RBI night. "So now, it's just guys staying healthy, settling in and doing what they can do.

Luis Ortiz took over for Walker following his early departure and delivered two scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.29. He gave way to Seranthony Domínguez, who continued to look far more like the dominant reliever of last year than the one who struggled over this season's opening weeks.

Craig Kimbrel struck out a pair in a perfect eighth inning, marking his seventh consecutive scoreless appearance. The veteran righty has 11 strikeouts and one walk over 6 2/3 innings during that span.

Lastly, José Alvarado slammed the door with yet another two-strikeout effort. He has allowed just one run over 11 1/3 innings (0.79 ERA) while striking out 22 of the 40 batters he's faced this season.

"I came in and just tried to do my job, get outs," Ortiz said. "Domínguez doing his job, Kimbrel coming in right now and always shutting the door, then you've got Alvy -- one of the best in the game -- coming down and getting it done."

Of course, all of that is for naught if the offense doesn't contribute, as well.

Last season, the Phils often turned to the long ball in these spots. They hit 46 home runs in the eighth inning or later last season, third most in Major League Baseball. Philadelphia has just four such home runs this season -- and all but one came when it was already in the lead.

Instead, the rallies have been more like the one the Phillies put together on Wednesday. After chipping away at a 5-2 deficit by scoring one run in the third and another in the fifth, they strung together four straight singles to start the eighth, capped by a game-tying RBI single by J.T. Realmuto and a go-ahead knock by Alec Bohm.

“Passing the baton -- that was a theme that we learned in the postseason that we did so well,” Castellanos said. “And we did a good job of it again tonight.”

But passing the baton from hitter to hitter only works if the guys in the ‘pen are also passing it from reliever to reliever.

“We just really don't like losing,” Castellanos said. “So we're really plugged in until the last out is made.”