ReportWire

Tag: Orion Kerkering

  • Rob Thomson Set to Return as Phillies Manager in 2026 – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    [ad_1]

    Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

    The Phillies announced on Monday that Manager Rob Thomson will be returning for the 2026 season.

    Thomson will be entering the final year of his contract, making 2026 a true make-or-break season for both Thomson and the Phillies.

    Philadelphia Heartbreak

    It’s been five days since the Phillies lost Game 4 of the NLDS in the most heartbreaking fashion you could imagine. The first series in MLB history to end on an error. Of course, it would happen to the Phillies.

    It took me all day Friday to go through the stages of grief following the loss. I was not angry at Kerkering for a miscue throw to—the. In fact, I completely understand the mental state when you first bobble a ball. Even if you knew where you were supposed to go with the ball, the second you bobble it, panic sets in, and that’s exactly what happened. I know Kerkering can be a good reliever, and I hope he bounces back next year with us.

    Different Year, Same Result

    While my sympathy was with Kerkering, my anger was directed towards Rob Thomson, the entire lineup aside from JT Realmuto, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos. The big three of Turner, Schwarber, and Harper went 1-14 in the Game 4 elimination game. The third season in a row, the big guns disappeared when it mattered most. That part of it is on the players, and while Rob Thomson makes the lineup, he can’t control what pitches these guys are swinging at.

    Rob Thomson controls the bullpen and who comes in certain situations. This is part of his job; Rob Thomson has been horrible at it in the postseason. In 2023, he brought Craig Kimbrel in against the Arizona Diamondbacks, which eventually led to the Phillies blowing the lead and the series. Since that series, Rob Thomson has poorly managed the bullpen when it matters the most. It’s led to the Phillies blowing leads in multiple playoff games over the last few years, including in this year’s series. Going to Kerkering with runners on was a terrible idea from the start. 8/13 inherited runners have scored on Kerkering since August. Having him in the game in that moment was a terrible decision by Rob Thomson. Even leading up to that, one might question why we walked Ohtani in the 7th inning to load the bases? Duran would walk in a run, tying the game 1-1 after Mookie Betts worked a walk. Thomson made a few questionable decisions, but it’s not solely on him to blame.

    What Went Wrong?

    Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

    I touched on the lack of production from Turner, Schwarber, and Harper before, but it’s important to know how flat-out bad these three were in this series. Aside from the Game 3 outburst, these three underperformed when the lights were the brightest. While I still want the Phillies to re-sign Kyle Schwarber, you have to wonder if he decreased his price tag following his poor October showing. Harper and Turner need to figure out a way to make their $300 million price tags worth it come October. Harper had an incredible postseason in 2023 and 2024, but his last two postseason showings have been lackluster. You aren’t gonna win many baseball games when the highest-paid players don’t show up.

    Harrison Bader was injured with a groin injury, which also hurt the Phillies in terms of their lineup. Bader was such a spark for this team down the stretch, and his absence should not go unnoticed. I’m hoping the Phillies could bring him back, but the question is for how much and where he would play. If Bader did play his last game in a Phillies uniform, he was an incredible addition to this team, and it’s a shame he got injured when he did.

    I tip my cap to Alec Bohm and JT Realmuto, who had really strong showings at the plate in the division series. I would love to have JT back behind the plate next year, as he is set to hit free agency. If JT walks, I expect the Phillies to possibly pursue a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for catcher Adley Rutschman. Rutschman would be a nice replacement for the Phillies if Realmuto isn’t on the team next year. With that being said, I do hope JT works out a deal and hopefully ends his career as a Phillie.

    Pitching Excellence

    The starting pitching once again showed up when it mattered most, despite not having Zack Wheeler. Christopher Sanchez pitched two great games and further solidified himself as a true ace during this series. Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Ranger Suarez all pitched great throughout the series as well. The starting pitching was dominant all year, and they performed well above expectations in this series.

    Ranger Suarez is the only starting arm that is a free agent this upcoming winter. The big question is, do you pay Ranger Suarez knowing you have a replacement in Andrew Painter coming up? Suarez has been one of the best lefties in the game over the last two years, so although it would hurt to lose him, the Phillies might not be able to afford to keep him. It’s going to be very interesting to see where Suarez lands this upcoming offseason.

    Season Conclusion

    That’s officially a wrap on the Phillies’ 2025 season, as well as my first season covering the team. It was a pleasure to bring you weekly storylines and my thoughts on this ball club throughout the year. The season ended like no one could have expected, with a game-losing error. One of the main things I love about baseball is that you can shake off whatever happened in the game before and get right back at it within a day or two. But in this scenario, having to sit with this feeling all offseason is certainly going to sting.

    While some fans (including myself) are still angry with this team and the result, I can already feel the excitement and optimism of opening day 2026 when the Texas Rangers come to town. Only 163 days until The Bank is packed for Opening Day on March 26, 2026!

    One Last Weekly Prediction: The Seattle Mariners are going to be your 2025 World Series Champions.

    Tags:

    Categorized:

    [ad_2]

    Matt Saglembeni

    Source link

  • Why the Phillies fell apart, again, in NLDS

    [ad_1]

    No, it wasn’t a nightmare. That really just happened.

    The 96-win Phillies, fresh off their best regular-season campaign of their current era, once again collapsed in epic and dramatic fashion.

    Their NLDS loss to the Dodgers — coming after a five-day bye week thanks to them earning the NL’s 2-seed — wasn’t just an early exit for a team favored to make the World Series. It was as agonizing a series loss as any team in any sport can ever have. 

    The Phillies were in every single game, and each of their three losses can be traced back to one mistake, or managerial decision. The Phillies probably should have won this series.

    There will be plenty of time to look forward and decide what this team should do next — we have three weeks of stories planned here at PhillyVoice on that topic. But let’s take one more painful look back at what exactly went wrong, and how hindsight can solve all of the Phillies postseason issues, as it always does.

    1. The bullpen in Game 1

    Thomson’s first controversial decision came in Game 1, as the Phillies were clinging to a one-run lead they gave to ace Cris Sánchez. The Phillies’ manager called on David Robertson to get the last out in the sixth inning, and he did. For some reason, the 40-year-old who was mediocre during the regular season returned for the seventh and put two runners on base.

    A few hitters later Teoscar Hernández hit a three-run homer (off Matt Strahm) and the Dodgers stole Game 1. Thomson’s silent admission of this being a wrong decision came later in the series — as he did not make that mistake again. He went with the best pitcher available in Games 2-4, at basically every inflection point, even calling on closer Jhoan Duran in the seventh inning of Game 4.

    Had Thomson sent Ranger Suárez, who was said to be available in Game 1, or Duran, or Kerkering — anyone with more recent success than Robertson, the series could have looked completely different.

    2. Harrison Bader’s groin

    This was nobody’s fault, it was simple bad luck. But the Phillies’ trade deadline acquisition was arguably their best hitter over the last few months of the season and when he missed most of the series due to a groin strain, the trickle-down effect was huge.

    First, he forced Brandon Marsh into action. The platooner went 1-for-12 in the series and was essentially a non-factor on offense. Despite that fact Thomson hit him in the 5-spot all series long. The Bader injury also made Nick Castellanos an everyday player again, and while he did deliver in a big way — a two-run double in Game 2 and the Phillies’ only RBI in Game 4 — his defense was clearly the same problem it was all season out in right field.

    3. The bunt in Game 2

    Citizens Bank Park was rocking late in Game 2, as an epic comeback was in the making. Down 4-0, three Phillies runs had crossed the plate and the Phils had a runner on second with nobody out in the ninth.

    Thomson instructed Bryson Stott to bunt — and he did, into a perfectly executed “wheel play” from the Dodgers defense, gunning Castellanos down at third and essentially robbing the Phillies of a golden opportunity. We’ll be questioning this one for years. Had they not bunted, the single that followed off Bader’s bat would have plated the Phils’ fourth run and, once again, this series would have been totally different.

    4. Walking Shohei Ohtani

    When Duran entered Game 4 there were two men on and one man out. The Phillies were up 1-0. After a groundout, the intimidating Ohtani came up and Thomson told the umpires he was intentionally walking the Japanese superstar. This despite the fact that the two-time reigning NL MVP was struggling mightily — he was 1-for-18 with nine strikeouts in the series.

    Like the bunt decision, this went south quickly as Duran walked Mookie Betts with the bases loaded to tie the game. The Phillies had enough faith in Duran to bring him in in the seventh inning against the top of the Dodgers lineup but not enough faith in him to get one of those hitters out with a one run lead? 

    5. Pulling Luzardo

    After the Dodgers evened things out late in Game 4, the Phillies were ready, with Jesús Luzardo ready to pitch multiple innings as the pitcher’s duel went to extra innings. Luzardo mowed down the first four hitters he faced and then went single-line out-single to put two runners on with two outs. For some reason — once again Thomson intervened.

    Orion Kerkering entered and everyone knows what happened next. He walked Enrique Hernández and then on a weak grounder one batter later, he threw the game away, overthrowing J.T. Realmuto at home when a throw to first would have ended the inning and sent the Phillies to the plate in the 12th inning.

    Just like all of the other instances we’ve outlined here, there is no telling whether Luzardo would have been able to get that third out. Or whether pitching to Ohtani would have been the right move. Or whether the Phillies would have plated a tying run if they didn’t give a free out to the Dodgers with a bad bunt attempt. But these decisions were wrong ones. And led to the Phillies being ousted once again way before they were expected to be.

    Red October used to be the most exciting time of year, with temperate weather, great vibes and optimism, with all four major sports overlapping ever so slightly in a sports-crazy city. But they’ve become pure hell for the city in recent years. 

    This one will be hard to forget.

    [ad_2]

    Evan Macy

    Source link

  • Philadelphia Phillies crash out of MLB postseason after a baffling error against Los Angeles Dodgers

    [ad_1]

    (CNN) — Look away now, Philly faithful.

    It was another heartbreaking night for the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday, after a disastrous error in the 11th inning of Game 4 saw them crash out of the MLB postseason at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    The Dodgers won 2-1 on the night to clinch a NL Division Series win and advance to the NL Championship Series (NLCS), but the game will likely be remembered more for how the Phillies lost it, than how the Dodgers won.

    Extra innings were needed to separate the two teams at Dodger Stadium after a tense contest saw Phillies right fielder Nick Castellanos driving in Max Kepler in the top of the seventh and Justin Dean scoring for LA off a walk with the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning.

    The stage was then set for a moment the Phillies and pitcher Orion Kerkering would love to forget as quickly as possible.

    With the bases loaded and two outs in the 11th, Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages struck a routine ground ball back towards Kerkering.

    On any normal given day, the reliever would have thrown to first base for an easy out, but the occasion seemed to get to the 24-year-old.

    Instead, he fumbled the ball, before trying to throw back to home plate, where his attempt totally missed Phillies catcher JT Realmuto’s outstretched mitt. The baffling error allowed Kim Hye-seong to score the winning run and send the home fans into a frenzy.

    During the incident, Realmuto was seen pointing for Kerkering to throw to first base and, afterwards, Kim said he was equally surprised the pitcher chose to throw home. The Dodgers second baseman initially ran past home plate before returning to touch it.

    While wild celebrations sparked around him, Kerkering was left standing motionless, head bowed, in the middle of the field, before some of his Phillies teammates came to comfort him.

    “Just hit off my foot,” Kerkering, still visibly emotional, told reporters after the game.

    “Once the pressure got to me, I just thought there’s a little faster throw to JT, little quicker throw than trying to cross-body it to Bryce (Harper at first). So just a horsesh*t throw.”

    Dodgers players flooded onto the field to celebrate the win. Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Imagn / Reuters via CNN Newsource

    Kerkering added that his Phillies teammates were quick to shoulder some of the blame themselves for several missed opportunities throughout the game.

    Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson also had words of support for Kerkering when speaking to reporters after the defeat. The pair had been seen speaking together as the relief pitcher trudged off the field.

    “He just got caught up in the moment a little bit,” Thomson said. “Coming down the stretch, he pitched so well for us.

    “I feel for him because he’s putting it all on his shoulders, but we win as a team and lose as a team.”

    The Dodgers, meanwhile, progressed into the NLCS for the eighth time in the last 13 seasons, where they will face either the Chicago Cubs or the Milwaukee Brewers – who play a series-deciding Game 5 of their NLDS on Saturday night in Wisconsin after the Cubs won Game 4 6-0 at Wrigley Field.

    The team’s celebrations in the locker room post-game showed a squad eager to enjoy every bit of its World Series title defense.

    “That was a nail-biter,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith, soaked in beer, said after the victory. “They cracked. We didn’t.”

    [ad_2]

    Ben Church and CNN

    Source link

  • No Guts, No Glory – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    [ad_1]

    Watching the Phillies in the playoffs the last three seasons has been excruciating. Anyone hoping for something different this season, think again. It ended in a complete disaster. It’s tough not to feel for Kerkering a little bit, but that is an inexcusable error. He has struggled with runners on base all season. It was unfair to bring him in there. The worst part is he ended up making the pitches and got the ground ball. But instead of a calm cool collected throw to first Kerkering panicked. One of the most gut wrenching things I have witnessed. 

    What Really Went Wrong

    We can look up all the stats, splits, and percentages we want. But the eye test tells you all you need to know. The bats failed to show up. Turner, Schwarber, and Harper showed up for one of the four games. But that’s why you lose a series right? The big players didn’t produce. So now they go home. What puzzles me about the offense is their inability to adjust. Now, four straight seasons of chasing pitches at bat after at bat. Every batter wanting to win the game in one pitch. The goal should have been to have the best at bat for the team. Instead guys are up there hacking away trying to have a moment. 

    The Phils made Glasnow throw 19 pitches in the first inning. Even though they didn’t score, that’s a successful inning and part of winning baseball games. You have to make pitchers work. Obviously, the Phillies did the opposite. Glasnow cruised through 6 innings. If the Phillies kept grinding away he should’ve been on the ropes by the 5th inning. There are many ways to blame the offense for the losses. But overall it was their inability to make anything happen. JT and Kepler were really the only two guys to hit, The stars and the bats let the fans and the pitching staff down. 

    Topper, Topper, Topper

    I have many gripes with Rob Thomson. Yes, he has done a great job at bringing this group together. He has the Phillies playing great regular season baseball. They are fun to watch again and in an Eagles city, when the Phillies are good it’s a baseball town. But then, the playoffs. Whatever happened in 2022 is not there anymore. The players have to win the game, but there have been countless decisions from the manager that have hurt the club in the postseason. 

    Game One

    With a fully rested bullpen Thomson decided to bring Robertson back out for the 7th inning. This forced Strahm to come in with multiple runners on. The decision to bring Robertson back out is what cost them. A reliever comes into a high leverage situation with their adrenaline pumping. He did his job and got out of the jam, he should have never gone back into the game. Topper overthinking the bullpen once again.

    Game Two

    The Phillies had life. With no outs Nick Castellanos doubled in Realmuto and Bohm. The offense was finally rolling. Three straight hits. Zero outs. Ninth inning. Citizens Bank Park going absolutely nuts.

    Bunt – ball one. Bunt again – Castellanos gunned down at third. 

    This was one of the worst decisions I have ever seen. The Dodgers couldn’t buy an out in that inning. Even Castellanos doubled on that outside pitch he strikes out on all the time (you know the one).

    All the momentum in the world was on the Phillies side. And then he gave them an out. Rob said here you go a free out and the Dodgers said thank you. In your last at bat in the game, the manager gave the other team an out. I was stunned. Topper has no feel for the game going on around him. He even admitted in his press conference he was playing for the tie. A shocking statement to hear. That is the complete wrong mindset coming from the manager.

    Stott has had multiple playoff moments for the Phillies. He’s come up with big hits each post season. Thomson should trust him to come through. Do you think Dave Roberts would have made Tommy Edmunds bunt in that situation? No chance. Stott wasn’t even given an opportuninty to hit. No doubt in my mind the Phillies win that game if Stott doesn’t bunt.  

    Those were the two big decisions that cost the Phillies in this series. Although, all of this is not on Rob Thomson, I believe this team has gone as far as they will with him. He doesn’t have quite the right feel of how to manage postseason games. He never seems to pull the right strings. It may be time to move on at the end of the season. 

    What’s Next

    This team is clearly in need of a shake up. I am not sure if blowing it up is the right call. Dombrowski should prioritize Realmuto, Schwarber, and Suarez. They haven’t shown up recently, but I believe the core of Turner, Schwarber, Harper, and Realmuto can get the job done. They need to step up in the playoffs, but I believe in those guys. 

    There are a couple of spots the Phillies need to address. They need to find a clean up hitter. The front office should look to upgrade in right and at third. It’s time to move on from Castellanos and Bohm. It would be nice to see Bader back in center. The ship has run its course for some of this crew and hopefully the roster looks a little different next season.

    Photo Credit: Matt Slocum/AP Photo

    Tags:

    Categorized:

    [ad_2]

    Liam Mahoney

    Source link

  • Phillies Offense Disappears, Rob Thomson Strikes Again – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    [ad_1]

    The Phillies had the entire city riled up and ready for another deep postseason run after finishing 96-66 and getting a first-round bye. Everyone knew the Dodgers wouldn’t be easy, but when your top three guys refuse to show up when it matters most and your manager continues to make terrible decisions, you won’t often find yourself in a winning situation.

    To be very blunt, the 2025 Philadelphia Phillies are who we thought they were.

    Same Results, Different Year

    The Phillies are down 0-2 and would need to win three games in a row against the Dodgers, with the next two games in Los Angeles. I’m not gonna sit here and feed optimism when this team has given nothing for us to be optimistic about.

    The Phillies are 1-7 in their last eight playoff games. They refuse to work any ABs, and when they do, they end up swinging at what would be ball four most of the time. Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper have disappeared. Those three in this series are 1-21. I’m gonna say that again. The top three hitters in this lineup are 1-21. I don’t care if you’re playing the Colorado Rockies, you aren’t gonna win games with the top three guys on your team going 1-21 at home in a series. The middle and bottom parts of the order haven’t been any better. This team couldn’t hit water if they fell out of a boat right now.

    No one in the order has stepped up and tried to provide a spark. Nick Castellanos had a two-run double in the 9th inning of game two that barely got me excited because I just knew the Phillies were gonna find a way to ruin the situation.

    Rob Thomson Strikes Again

    Following the double from Castellanos, Bryson Stott then bunted with 0 outs, runner at second, which resulted in Castellanos being thrown out at third. I nearly turned the game off. Bunting in that situation comes from the manager, and boy oh boy would I love to know Rob’s thought process behind this one.

    You are handcuffed because, with Bader dealing with a groin injury, you had to save a pitch runner for Bader. You can’t run for Castellanos, but Castellanos doesn’t run well, so what do you do? HAVE STOTT SWING THE BAT. THIS IS BASEBALL!

    I understand the concept of moving the runner over, but once again, Thomson’s lack of baseball feel strikes again. The crowd was finally into it, the tying run is at second with 0 outs, and you bunt into an out at third and kill any rally you had. Just to top it off, Bader would single in the next AB that would’ve likely scored Castellanos. Can’t make this stuff up.

    This 9th-inning debacle by Rob Thomson wasn’t even his worst moment of the night. Thomson decided to go with Orion Kerkering out of the bullpen first when Jesus Luzardo ran into trouble in the 7th. Luzardo pitched a gem in this game and is the only Phillie worth noting from last night. Luzardo had runners on second and third when Thomson pulled him and put in Kerkering.

    Let me remind you, Kerkering has been terrible inheriting runner all season. One look at a stat sheet and anyone who works in baseball would be able to tell you that. Everyone but Rob Thoms, apparently. He puts in Kerkering, who immediately gives up two runs after nearly getting an out at home. The Dodgers would add on, giving themselves a 4-0 lead in the 7th. Since August, Kerkering has let 8/13 inherited runners score when he comes out of the bullpen. That is not good. Going to Kerkering in that situation is a terrible decision, knowing he’s not good with runners on base. I would’ve much rather seen Strahm in that situation, who was up and warm.

    If the Phillies go to LA and lose game three, getting swept in this fashion is more than enough of a reason for the organization to have a long conversation this offseason about the players and staff on this ball club. The team has gotten better every year since 2022, and yet the results are worse and worse. At this point, players and coaches need to be held accountable.

    Heading to LA

    The Phillies will travel to Los Angeles today and play game three of the series Wednesday night at 9:08. The Dodgers will start Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12-8, 2.49 ERA, 201 Ks), and the Phillies will start Aaron Nola (5-10, 6.01ERA, 97 Ks). As you can tell, the pitching matchup heavily leans in the Dodgers’ favor. Maybe the struggling offense will get going since they are away from home.

    The Phillies will be playing for their season Wednesday night and avoid getting swept 3-0 in embarrassing fashion.

    Tags:

    Categorized:

    [ad_2]

    Matt Saglembeni

    Source link

  • Estévez Proving to be More than a Rental for Phillies – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Estévez Proving to be More than a Rental for Phillies – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    [ad_1]

    Estévez Proving to be More than a Rental

    Phillies reliever Carlos Estévez / Photo: ClutchPoints

    The Philadelphia Phillies traded for former Los Angeles Angels closer Carlos Estévez ahead of this year’s MLB trade deadline. The move was seen as a rental at the time.
    He was brought in to give the Phillies another electric arm to use late in games and hasn’t disappointed.

    Estévez was dominant for the Angels posting a 2.38 ERA in 34 appearances, including 20 saves. Opponents were batting just .169 against him.

    Estévez is proving that he should be more than a rental after his success since joining the Phillies.

    The 31-year-old has continued his success since joining the Phillies. Estévez has a 1.72 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 15 ⅔ innings with the Phillies. The right-hander has four saves in five opportunities and opponents are batting .179 against him. His season ERA sits at 2.17 which is a career best by a large margin.

    Rob Thomson has options in the back end of the bullpen. Jeff Hoffman and Matt Strahm were All-Stars this year for the Phillies and are key pieces to the team’s success. Orion Kerkering is also having an exceptional season owning a 2.17 ERA in 54 innings pitched. Adding Estévez to the mix made the bullpen that much better.

    Phillies Should View Estévez as More than Just a Rental

    If Estévez continues to have success for the remainder of the season, especially in the postseason, then the Phillies have to try to find a way to keep him in the City of Brotherly Love. He signed a two-year, $13.5 million deal with the Angels before the 2023 season. Since then, he was named an All-Star in 2023 and has had two of his best seasons since his debut in 2016.

    Estévez should be in line to make a good amount of money on his next contract. He’ll be 32 years old throughout the 2025 season which could bring the dollar amount a little lower than what it should be based on his production, but there should be a lot of teams interested in him. It will be interesting to see if Dave Dombrowski would be willing to be a part of a potential bidding war for the veteran.

    If the price tag isn’t too high, the Phillies should waste no time in bringing back Estévez in 2025, and potentially on a multi-year deal.

    PHOTO: ClutchPoints

    Mike Hennelly

    Mike Hennelly is a recent graduate of The Pennsylvania State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in digital and print journalism and a minor in sports studies.

    Comments are closed.

    [ad_2]

    Mike Hennelly

    Source link

  • Phillies quick hits: Phillies split London series vs. Mets

    Phillies quick hits: Phillies split London series vs. Mets

    [ad_1]

    The Phillies finally departed Philadelphia late last week for London to play a two-game set against the New York Mets. Once all of the festivities were put to bed, it was time to play baseball. After an emphatic Phillies victory on Saturday, the team squandered a chance to sweep their rivals due to a poor outing from its bullpen. Here is what stood out from the two-game London series:

    Bryce Harper puts on a show in series opener

    It almost felt inevitable that the Phillies’ superstar first baseman would do something special in this series, because he always seems to come up with something when the lights are brightest. In the series opener on Saturday afternoon, Harper slashed a double to the opposite field in the first inning. He spent the bottom of the third inning mic’d up talking to the MLB on FOX announcers while fielding his position, then came up in the top of the fourth and obliterated a baseball into the right field seats. As he came back to the Phillies’ dugout, Harper did a soccer-style celebration, much to the amusement of his teammates. Harper singled in his next at-bat, ultimately finishing the game a triple away from an international cycle.

    On the 15-year anniversary of the famous Sports Illustrated cover in which Harper, then 16 years old, was billed as “Baseball’s Chosen One,” the two-time National League MVP showed once again the flare for the dramatic that has enabled him to surpass expectations loftier than those forced upon perhaps any other baseball player in history.

    Orion Kerkering continues to dominate

    The Phillies’ bullpen has been headlined by the outstanding dominance of Matt Strahm, Jeff Hoffman and José Alvarado. Those three being as excellent as they have been in 2024 has set the table for rookie Orion Kerkering to settle down and focus on making his pitches without being overtaxed or overexposed. 

    With two outs and two runners on base in the sixth inning of Saturday’s series opener, Phillies manager Rob Thomson could have asked starting pitcher Ranger Suárez for one more out as he faced Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor. But in three plate appearances against the Phillies’ left-hander on Saturday, Lindor had two hits and a hard-hit fly ball that was caught. So, Thomson got aggressive and handed the ball to Kerkering, who made his skipper look awfully smart.

    Kerkering buckled Lindor — a four-time All-Star who was slashing .347/.397/.556 in his last 17 games after a rough start to the season — with his devastating sweeper after nearly touching triple-digits with his fastball that he is beginning to look increasingly confident throwing. 

    Kerkering came back out for the seventh inning and struck out Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo — neither came on his signature sweeper — before inducing a fly out off the bat J.D. Martinez.

    There were many curious if Kerkering would quickly be forced into a closer role in 2024. Because Thomson has three dominant bullpen weapons, that has not been necessary. But it certainly seems like he would be up to the task if necessary.

    Taijuan Walker cruises, but Gregory Soto implodes in sixth inning

    Walker, the Phillies’ embattled fifth starer, had what was inarguably his best outing of the season in London. Walker only allowed one base-runner across five scoreless innings with six strikeouts before finally running into some trouble in the top of the sixth, allowing a single to Mets catcher Luis Torrens and walking Alonso with two outs.

    Because this series was preceded by two days off and will be followed by an additional day dedicated to travel — and because Walker has struggled as he gets deeper into games all season long — Thomson was likely always going to be aggressive with his bullpen in this one. With the remarkable trio of Alvarado, Hoffman and Strahm all unused on Saturday, it seemed prudent for Thomson to ask those three arms to take down the game’s final 10 outs.

    Instead, though, Thomson called upon the volatile left-hander Soto to try to extinguish the inning by retiring lefty Brandon Nimmo. Soto gave up a run-scoring double to Nimmo, putting the Mets on the board, and then allowed a game-tying, two-run single to Martinez. Soto walked the next batter, and after three runs had crossed the plate for New York, Strahm entered — with 10 outs still remaining for Thomson’s bullpen to take care of.

    Thomson expressed concern before the team departed for London about relievers getting rusty without consistent appearances. Any reliever who pitched in neither London game, he pointed out, would end up going at least five consecutive days without facing hitters. That is likely the reason he handed the ball to Soto, who did not appear on Saturday, rather than going straight to his three horses. 

    With the amount of wins the Phillies have banked this season, focusing on keeping everybody fresh first and foremost — even if there is a short-term expense — is not hard to understand. But it is difficult not to wonder if things would have been easier had Thomson just given Strahm the ball three batters earlier.

    David Dahl keeps on slugging

    If Thomson made an error in judgement in the sixth inning, it is safe to say he made up for it in the seventh inning. With the game tied in the bottom half of the inning, Thomson utilized newcomer David Dahl against a right-handed relief pitcher as a pinch-hitter for Johan Rojas. Dahl, who was playing for Triple-A Lehigh Valley seven days prior, launched a go-ahead home run to right field — continuing his hot start since joining the Phillies’ big-league club.

    Dahl, who slashed .340/.416/.660 and swatted 12 home runs in 43 games for the IronPigs, was brought back to the majors due to the injuries suffered by Marsh and Clemens. Neither of those two are expected to miss much more time, but Dahl is making a compelling case that he deserves to stick on this roster. Dahl, 30, is 4-6 with two home runs and a double since having his contract selected. It is a small sample size, but he has nearly been perfect in his first week with the Phillies’ big-league club.

    José Alvarado struggles with command in ninth inning, Phillies fail to sweep Mets

    After all of the chaos, the Phillies had the Mets right where they wanted them on Sunday, with Alvarado jogging in from the bullpen and his team holding a one-run lead in the top of the ninth inning. But Alvarado simply could not throw strikes. He was not missing by much, but just about everything he was throwing was missing by a bit. 

    It briefly looked like the Phillies’ left-handed flamethrower was on the verge of escaping a disastrous inning with the game tied, but Alvarado ended up hitting Alonso with a pitch to give the Mets the lead. A passed ball by J.T. Realmuto during the next at-bat gave the Mets an additional run of insurance.

    After a brutal performance on Opening Day, Alvarado has been outstanding for the Phillies as the team’s primary closer (though he is occasionally used in earlier innings). But his command has been a bit shaky of late, and it came back to bite him this time around.

    The Phillies will have to settle for a series split in London.

    Follow Adam on Twitter: @SixersAdam

    Follow PhillyVoice on Twitter: @thephillyvoice

    [ad_2]

    Adam Aaronson

    Source link

  • Will Orion Kerkering be a High-Leverage Reliever for the Phillies in 2024? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    Will Orion Kerkering be a High-Leverage Reliever for the Phillies in 2024? – Philadelphia Sports Nation

    [ad_1]

    When you think of Orion Kerkering one word comes to mind: stuff. In a world of exceptional relievers, the 22-year-old righthander is a unicorn. With a sinker that averaged 97.8 mph and a knee-buckling sweeper that averaged 86 mph, his stuff–and pitching style–are truly unique. 

    There are aspects of Kerkering’s makeup that are undeniable: no one in Major League Baseball throws a slider or sweeper at his velocity that generates as much horizontal break as Kerkering’s sweeper. In fact, amongst the hardest sweepers/sliders with 10+ inches of break, no one comes within 3 inches of Kerkering’s 16.5 inches of horizontal break. His style is also decidedly non-traditional. Despite having a sinker that can reach triple digits, he leads with a sweeper that is capable of breaking across the length of home plate: 51 of his 60 pitches in the regular season were sweepers. He has big stuff and big strikeout potential, in two seasons across the minors, Kerkering put up 86 strikeouts in 60.2 innings with just a 1.78 ERA. In 8.1 cumulative innings across the regular season and postseason with the Phillies, he struck out 11. 

    However, there are other components of Kerkering’s game that are less flattering and equally undeniable. His youth, he’ll turn 23 in April, is a product of his excellence but also raises concerns about his future. He’s only thrown 8.1 cumulative Major League innings. He’s green as anything and in the postseason, it showed. When Kerkering struggled to command his sweeper, he began to flounder. His pitch count would soar into the teens and twenties for only an inning of work. The lights, especially in the NLCS, began to look a little too bright for the young phenom. 

    These uncertainties surrounding Kerkering would be less glaring if the Phillies had signed a high-profile reliever to fill the void left by Craig Kimbrel. But they haven’t. The top relievers in the team’s bullpen in 2024 figure to be Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, Jeff Hoffman and Kerkering. The opportunity–and perhaps responsibility–for Kerkering to take a high-leverage role is there. The question is can he do it?

    The first box that Kerkering will have to check, if he is to become a high-leverage staple in the Phillies’ ‘pen, is health. Now, there’s nothing to say that Kerkering isn’t capable of carrying a high workload: he threw 53.2 innings in 2023 and 67.2 at the University of South Florida in 2022. For context in 2023, Hoffman threw 52.1 innings, Alvarado 41.1 and Dominguez an even 50. There is an expectation amongst even the highest of leverage relievers to be able to bring it night in and night out. Will Kerkering stay healthy for the entirety of the year? Will his pitches maintain their velocity and break over the course of a Major League season? There’s enough background data to assume that they will, but without having done it, one can never be sure. 

    The second and most important aspect of Kerkering’s game will be his command. It’s the natural question mark for nearly all young pitchers–especially those with as good of stuff as Kerkering. Historically, command hasn’t been an issue for the 22-year-old. Across his entire career in the minors, Kerkering has posted a meager 1.9 walks per 9 innings. However, because his pitches are thrown so hard with so much break, the ability to locate them consistently for strikes will be the defining factor in how big of a role he plays on this team. As someone who pitches in a “backwards” fashion–leading with his sweeper as opposed to sinking fastball–the ability to command that breaking ball is tantamount to his success. If he can’t, then he’s left with just a sinker. An elite sinker, sure, but a one-pitch pitcher will always get exposed at the Major League level. Being able to consistently locate within the zone, will allow Kerkering’s natural ability to generate swings and misses on pitches out of the zone to flourish. It’s perhaps his best skill: making opposing batters look stupid.

    Kerkering’s talent has never been in question. His ability to harness it for a full season at the Major League level is.

    On February 14th, pitchers and catchers reported to Clearwater, Florida for the start of Spring Training. Some 55 miles south, in Sarasota, Kerkering’s father, Richard, worked in his office in City Hall. He is the Emergency Manager for the city of Sarasota. This spring, all eyes will be on his son, Orion, to see if he can follow in his footsteps and become the emergency manager of the Philadelphia Phillies. 

    [ad_2]

    Dylan Campbell

    Source link