Wilson, Alvarado put Phillies' Deadline needs in focus

PITTSBURGH -- In front of the largest announced attendance at PNC Park since 2015, the Phillies found themselves in a back-and-forth scuffle with the Pirates in the series opener of the Keystone State rivalry.

It was about as loud as a postseason game. And in the Phillies’ 8-7 loss to the Bucs in walk-off fashion, two areas where the Phils could add ahead of their postseason run were apparent -- though in markedly different ways.

Arguably the biggest need ahead of the July 30 Trade Deadline is a right-handed outfield bat who can hit lefties.

Right fielder Nick Castellanos has been the only outfielder who has hit lefty pitchers consistently. Center fielder Cristian Pache has been better vs. southpaws than righties but still has only hit .224 against the former, and his positional counterpart Johan Rojas has hit .183 against them. However, both of them are huge assets defensively for the team.

Left fielder Brandon Marsh torched right-handers in the first half, hitting .294 with nine doubles, two triples and nine homers in 187 at-bats. But against lefties, he hit .143 with a .214 on-base percentage, with one double being his only extra-base hit in 49 at-bats.

Enter Weston Wilson.

Wilson, who spent seven years in the Minors before debuting last season, got an opportunity this month thanks to the Phillies’ release of Whit Merrifield, who hit .199 this season and struggled equally against each handedness.

Wilson got the start in left field on Friday, facing lefty starter Martín Pérez. In his first at-bat, Wilson hit a chopper that deflected off the chest of Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and was ruled an RBI infield hit. But in the third, Wilson left no doubt about what he can do vs. a lefty pitcher, lifting a Statcast-projected 384-foot homer just over the glove of left fielder Bryan Reynolds for a solo homer. He finished 3-for-5 without a strikeout.

Postseason opponents are sure to throw left-handed arms at the Phillies regularly, and if Wilson can translate the 15 homers he hit off lefties in the Minors to the big leagues on top of his defensive flexibility, he could provide an answer from within.

“He can run, he can hit, makes a great throw from the outfield,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “He’s a baseball player, so we’re giving him a chance here, and hopefully he grabs it.”

The other area for addition is the bullpen. It was a struggle for the group on Friday, and especially for closer José Alvarado.

Alvarado entered in the ninth, protecting a one-run lead. He allowed a quick single to Connor Joe to bring up the top of the Pirates’ order with no outs. Andrew McCutchen took four balls that were well inside of the strike zone. Bryan Reynolds struck out in a six-pitch at-bat, but Oneil Cruz watched two wide pitches before putting the fourth one he saw in play for an RBI fielder’s choice.

Alvarado got back in the zone against Nick Gonzales, but the Pirates’ second baseman hit the first pitch he saw for a walk-off single.

Alvarado has earned the most saves in the Phillies’ bullpen this season with 13, but since June 9, when he blew his second save of the season against the Mets, he’s allowed 11 runs (10 earned) in 12 innings, striking out 12 and walking seven.

The Phillies have other solid lefty options in the ‘pen with Gregory Soto (3.31 ERA) and Matt Strahm (1.49 ERA). They’ve also used righty Jeff Hoffman (1.09 ERA) to convert nine saves. But a leverage reliever would give Philadelphia the options to manage the highs and lows of reliever performances over the course of a season.

“I think that’s a flowing thing all throughout the year, because guys get hot, guys get cold,” Thomson said. “So you’re constantly sort of feeling that out and trying to make sure that you put guys in the right spot where they’re going to be successful or where you think they’re going to be successful -- and making sure you’re not overusing guys or underusing guys.

“It’s a constant battle just to try to create that balance.”

The Phillies also know what peak Alvarado looks like. Just look at last season, when he had a 1.74 ERA in 42 appearances, then allowed only one run in eight innings during the postseason. It would help to supplement, but the Phillies and Alvarado have faith he can turn things around, too.

“I’m just going through a rough time right now,” Alvarado said through an interpreter. “But I’ll keep working, I’ll keep giving the best of myself and we’ll see at the end of the year how that works out for me.”