Strahm extends remarkable run in Phils' 'bullpen full of disgusting arms'

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies entered Tuesday night with both the highest-scoring offense and the best starting rotation ERA in Major League Baseball.

And if that combination alone wasn't enough to stifle the opposition, Philadelphia's bullpen has suddenly emerged as the most dominant unit across the big leagues -- and Matt Strahm might just be the most untouchable reliever of them all.

Strahm dealt with some rare traffic but kept his incredible earned run streak intact to help set the stage for Nick Castellanos’ walk-off double in the 10th inning to lift the Phillies to a 2-1 win over the Brewers at Citizens Bank Park. After Cristopher Sánchez tossed six innings of one-run ball, Strahm and three other relievers combined for four scoreless innings while striking out five and walking zero.

"We have a bullpen full of disgusting arms,” Strahm said. “It's just unfair at times."

The Phillies needed every bit of it on a night when their bats were held in check until Alec Bohm hit a game-tying homer to lead off the bottom of the eighth.

Strahm then entered for the ninth and promptly allowed back-to-back hits to put two on with nobody out. But with runners on the corners after a fly out, Strahm struck out Rhys Hoskins and induced an inning-ending flyout from Gary Sánchez to end the threat.

Strahm has not allowed an earned run since Opening Day -- a span of 25 games. That ties Dan Plesac in 2003 for the longest such streak within a season in franchise history. The southpaw let out a yell and pumped his fists as he walked off the mound … but it had nothing to do with preserving his record run.

"That was just reacting to the situation of the game,” Strahm said. “I mean, Bohmer just hit a big home run for us, and honestly, this place is what sparks it in me. Citizens Bank rocking on -- what is today, Tuesday? It's this atmosphere that just does it for me."

Strahm has racked up 34 strikeouts and walked just three over his 25-outing streak without allowing an earned run. Only two other pitchers in AL/NL history have matched those numbers: Koji Uehara (2013) and Robb Nen (2000).

"Numbers to me, they don't really matter,” Strahm said. “Because I have to get the next guy out regardless or it means nothing."

But Strahm isn’t the only Philadelphia reliever putting up ridiculous numbers.

Orion Kerkering struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 eighth inning to lower his season ERA to 1.27. He's struck out 14 batters without walking anyone over his past 11 outings.

“He's got a special arm,” manager Rob Thomson said.

Even Seranthony Domínguez, who picked up the win by working out of a 10th-inning jam of his own, has locked in of late. Despite a 5.14 ERA on the season, he’s allowed just one run over 10 2/3 innings in 11 outings since the start of May.

“That just gives us even more length in our bullpen,” Thomson said of Domínguez’s resurgence. “You can almost set it up to where you plan on pitching three guys one day and another three guys the next day, and you get the same result because they're all that good when they're on.”

Put it all together and the Phillies' bullpen has posted an MLB-best 1.85 ERA since the start of May.

The latest performance came on a night when Jeff Hoffman (1.01 ERA in 27 appearances this season) and José Alvarado (1.40 ERA in 27 appearances since his Opening Day letdown) went unused. Still, the Phillies had no shortage of shutdown options trotting in from the center-field ‘pen.

"You see it on a night like tonight where Hoffy [Hoffman] and Alvy [Alvarado] were down,” Kerkering said. “But the other bullpen guys can pick it up and all feel like we're one solid unit -- not feel like anyone's better than anyone else."

The Brewers scored their only run of the night in the third inning. It was similar to Saturday night’s win over the Cardinals, when the Phillies’ pitching staff didn’t allow a run after the third inning despite Ranger Suárez being knocked out after just two innings with a left hand injury.

“It's fun for us as an offense to know even if we get behind a little bit, we've got a good chance to win if we just score a few,” said catcher J.T. Realmuto. “Because we know they're going to hold the other team right where they're at."

It’s fun for Thomson, too.

"I think I trust just about everybody in that bullpen right now,” he said.