Phils' winter focus on bullpen paying dividends this fall
This browser does not support the video element.
PHOENIX -- After falling two wins short of a World Series title last season, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski knew he needed to be aggressive in a couple of spots over the winter.
On the position-player side, he quickly identified Trea Turner. The Phillies landed the star shortstop on a 11-year, $300 million deal, solidifying the position for more than a decade. But what Dombrowski and the Phillies did on the pitching side was, arguably, just as important, if not more.
To win in the postseason, the formula appears to be a little more clear than ever before: Find a way to slug, have a couple of workhorse starters and have a corps of relievers who throw hard and miss a lot of bats. As they showed last postseason, the Phillies checked all the boxes on offense and in the rotation behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suárez.
But this year, they came into the postseason with even more confidence because of the type of bullpen they’ve been able to build.
This browser does not support the video element.
“They average 96-plus coming out of that bullpen,” D-backs manager Torey Lovullo said before the start of the National League Championship Series. “We know when their bullpen is ready to go that we better be spot-on. There’s no downturn from their starters to their bullpen pieces, for sure.”
Left-hander José Alvarado and right-hander Seranthony Domínguez are the biggest pieces still around from the Phillies’ bullpen that reached the World Series in 2022. This time around, however, they have plenty of help around them. Craig Kimbrel, who is one of the most decorated closers in Major League history, has proven to be a solid under-the-radar signing after a rough one-year stint with the Dodgers in 2022.
The Phillies also swung a trade for Gregory Soto to give them another flame-throwing lefty alongside Alvarado. Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm have been solid additions. And then there’s Orion Kerkering, who blossomed into another power right-hander with nasty breaking stuff.
“Hitting is contagious. It’s kind of the same thing down there for us [in the bullpen],” Strahm said before Game 2. “I just think the stuff bullpens have now -- pitchers throwing harder, stuff is breaking more, and more rest, as well.”
This browser does not support the video element.
While bullpen “stuff” is better across the board, the Phillies are saving their best for the postseason. With three more scoreless innings in Game 2, the Phillies’ bullpen has a 1.09 ERA this postseason, which ranks ninth out of 201 bullpens in postseason history with a minimum of 20 innings. The last bullpen with a better ERA, coincidentally, was the '22 Astros, who beat the Phillies in six games in the World Series.
What has made the current Phillies so good?
Well, there’s high velocity from just about everyone manager Rob Thomson throws out there. Phillies relievers averaged an MLB-best 96.3 mph on four- and two-seam fastballs during the regular season. In the postseason, the bullpen’s fastballs have been even more dangerous, jumping to 96.9 mph in the first eight games.
This browser does not support the video element.
Not only are they throwing harder in the postseason, but they’ve also been ridiculously effective. Opponents have slugged just .186 against fastballs in the postseason, completely baffling the Marlins, Braves and D-backs.
With the Phillies needing two more wins for a second consecutive National League pennant, Thomson will lean on his bullpen more heavily than he did in Games 1 and 2 with Wheeler and Nola on the mound. Suárez should get a decent leash in Game 3 on Thursday in Arizona, but the bullpen will be relied upon heavily in Game 4 on Friday, regardless of whether Taijuan Walker or Cristopher Sánchez starts.
While relying on a perfect bullpen plan might be a problem for other teams, this is exactly what the Phillies envisioned over the winter and exactly where they want to be in the fall.
“I always tell guys it takes one hot month for your life to change in this game,” Strahm said. “As long as you’re with a team, anything can happen in a month.”