Phillies Notebook: Back and forth month has made for bullpen usage conundrum

Jun 20, 2023

PHILADELPHIA — The ebbs and flows for the Phillies over the last six weeks have been unusual, to say the least. It’s made for an uncommon challenge in how Rob Thomson has utilized his bullpen.

From the All-Star break to the first week of August, the Phillies couldn’t get a blowout game to save their lives, for or against. They played 22 straight games decided by four runs or fewer, including 10 one-run affairs and seven two-run games. That meant a lot of usage of the high-leverage arms in the ‘pen.

And since? Well, closer Craig Kimbrel’s save chance on Aug. 5 against Kansas City was his last until Sunday against St. Louis, a stretch of 22 days, and both were in three-run situations.

It’s an odd swing. But Kimbrel, the veteran of more than 400 major league saves, sees balance. If the Phillies’ relievers can mix the experience of July with the respite of August, they might emerge fresher for the postseason.

“To me, it sounds like a good rhythm we were on,” Kimbrel said Tuesday. “When you’re playing close ballgames, that’s fun. It’s exciting. It means you’re giving yourself an opportunity each and every night, and we did that and capitalized on that. We’ve come into the last couple of weeks where we’ve been swinging the bat really well and putting up some runs, which is a nice breather.”

Modern pitcher usage what it is, the lack of save chances hasn’t left Kimbrel idle. Since the KC save, his 19th in 21 chances, he twice entered tied games, one in which the Phillies were trailing by one and one in which they led by four. He really only had one burnt appearance, in a 3-0 loss to Minnesota Aug. 13.

A lot goes into the balance of getting work and staying fresh, and it’s changed through Kimbrel’s 14-year career. He doesn’t see himself as just a guy to get the final three outs with his team leading by three runs or fewer, and he accepts earlier innings or tie games as part of his role.

But he’s also learned his body and knows that maybe an extra day off might be better than throwing just for the sake of throwing. To wit, after all the waiting, he finished off saves Sunday and Monday, opportunities he wanted to stay ready for.

“There’s been times this year where I get to that third day and I’m like, ‘OK, that extra day might not hurt, because I threw four of five or five of seven the last week,’ or something like that,” he said. “A lot of times, it’s just looking at usage, how much I’ve been throwing and then, you don’t want to get put into scenarios where you get put in to get work and then you’re needed the next three days.”

Thomson is striking that balance with several guys. Sunday, he cited Mariano Rivera, the Hall of Fame closer of Yankees teams Thomson coached, who didn’t want work in non-save situations, even if a week passed between outings. That’s the product of a different era and different personality.

Thomson is managing something a little different with Seranthony Dominguez. The righty hadn’t pitched in seven days since a clean inning against the Giants last Tuesday. In a schedule quirk, he had pitched on the first four Tuesdays in August but just five other times. That means two outings in 13 days.

Thomson explained that the chance hasn’t arisen – five of the Phillies’ last eight wins have been by five runs or more. That’s from someone who professed a desire not to see a pitcher go more than four or five days between appearances.

The challenge is keeping Dominguez sharp, whether in postgame bullpens or warming him during games, in ways that don’t burn a day for him.

“As long as he’s sharp,” Thomson said. “You’ve got to strike the balance of making sure guys get rest with making sure they get sharp.”

It’s possible the rest pays dividends in the postseason, saving bullets for when it’s most important.

“We’ve been able to let some guys get some days, not having to throw back-to-back days,” Kimbrel said. It’s hit a good point to where if we start playing more close games like we were two weeks ago, we’re going to be nice and rested and ready to go.”

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NOTES >> Ranger Suarez (hamstring) came out of his batting practice toss Monday unscathed. He’ll throw against Friday and could be ready to rejoin the rotation as soon as Sunday. He might be the Phillies’ Sept. 1 pitcher addition when rosters expand, though they could bring up a reliever for two days first. … Speaking of recent inaction, Thomson found a start for Rodolfo Castro at second base . With the Angels starting back-to-back lefties, Tuesday was his first start since Aug. 12. He has two at-bats since then and is 2-for-18 since being acquired from the Pirates. “We’ve got to get him in there,” Thomson said. “He hasn’t had a lot of success so far, but he hasn’t had a lot of opportunity, so that’s a tough spot to put him in.” … Cristian Pache will head to Lehigh Valley to play the outfield for two days. He could return from his rehab assignment – for elbow surgery that turned into hip pain that turned into knee inflammation – by the weekend.

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