Phillies call up Thompson to bolster bullpen

PHILADELPHIA -- From late Tuesday night into the early hours of Wednesday morning, eight Phillies pitchers combined to throw 11 innings of one-run baseball in a wild, 16-inning, 7-4 win over the Dodgers. It gave the 'pen a 2.43 ERA dating back to June 30, the best bullpen ERA in baseball in that span.
But when the two teams came back for another game less than 12 hours later -- after Víctor Arano, Luis García and Austin Davis all threw more than 25 pitches -- some bullpen help was necessary.
The Phillies got that in the form of Jake Thompson, who was recalled Wednesday from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Third baseman Mitch Walding was optioned to Lehigh Valley to make room for Thompson on the active roster.

Thompson has shuffled between Triple-A and the big leagues this season. He's appeared in six games for the Phillies, allowing eight earned runs over 13 innings. He has a 4.09 ERA in 26 games at Triple-A. His history as a starter makes him a logical choice to eat some innings out of the bullpen.
Walding's time with the Phillies has been a struggle at the plate. In three separate stints with the big league club this year, he remains hitless with 10 strikeouts and two walks in 16 plate appearances.