21 Colorado Rockies (Senzatela) @ Philadelphia Phillies (Suárez, R)

Philsmania 2021-09-10 02:39:42 UTC #101

Every season this Century when the Phillies acquire a relief pitcher at the trade deadline, with the exception of Francisco Rodriguez in 2004 and Scott Eyre in 2008, the guy absolutely blows up on the Phillies. Turk Wendell, Dennis Cook, Mike Williams, Todd Jones, Ugueth Urbina, Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree, David Phelps and now Ian Kennedy (6.59 ERA since coming here).

Philsmania 2021-09-10 02:43:52 UTC #102

The scary thing is, the bullpen is actually improved and has mostly been reliable the second half. Most of those blown saves came in the first half when Neris fell into his annual funk, Kintzler and Hale were getting hit around like pinatas and Bradley was struggling. However, the last week or so, it has started to come off the rails again.

xogfog 2021-09-10 03:10:15 UTC #103

Yeah, they were reliable against the Nationals, whoopee...

xogfog 2021-09-10 03:11:01 UTC #104

Oh, and the Braves won...

LoneStarPhan 2021-09-10 03:17:19 UTC #105

The bullpen has been better but they still are not really a strength. I agree that Kennedy should be moved out of the closer role. He will not be coming back next season.

Certainly the offense is and will continue to be a problem with several starting spots filled by players that should not be starting.

The coming off season will be critical to shaping a winning team for 2022. They need to make prudent trades, waiver pick ups and free agent signings. Should be interesting.

Austinfan 2021-09-10 05:58:27 UTC #106

Kennedy has probably been our most consistent closer since ???. Recency bias here.
One bad curve ball away from a big win. If it's 2 feet lower, probably strike three.

The bullpen overall has been solid the last couple months, if they didn't have half the lineup on IR or a product of a "failure to ignite" (Moniak, Haseley, Randolph, Bohm), it never would have come down to that pitch.

xogfog 2021-09-10 06:00:53 UTC #107

I think I hate this team.

andyb 2021-09-10 07:39:27 UTC #108

Coonrod and Alvarado have been good too. They really should close by committee the rest of the year.

Sabin 2021-09-10 08:38:08 UTC #109

Beating the Rockies at home isn't a big win, more a big loss if you don't. And Kennedy hasn't been consistent - not even consistently bad. His conversion rate is currently 75%, where 80% is typically the low bar for MLB closers (teams with playoff aspirations would likely prefer it closer to 85%). But despite that and the 6.82 ERA since his trade, he has some zero run outings as well. So, standard fare for an average bullpen arm.

In the end I think Andy's idea is probably best. The Phillies don't really have anyone consistently good enough to trust with every high leverage ninth inning. Evaluate the hot hands and analytics, and go with the best matchup when the time comes.

andyb 2021-09-10 11:40:22 UTC #110

I was definitely thinking that this was a good day for Hector to finish and get 6 outs after he had a 10-pitch inning. It is not as if you could not have kept Kennedy warm also. Kennedy has clearly scuffled since he came here. Maybe he got out of his comfort zone after the trade and we know his stuff is only good and not great. There is just no reason to push the veteran.

Look at how Tampa handles their closer and step back and think of how smart that is.

zambonir 2021-09-10 16:18:02 UTC #111

I think there's something to be said for closer by committee but there's also something to be said for not changing your closer every time he blows 2 saves in six games (which all four of them have done, even Suarez. I'm sure Suarez's honeymoon as closer would have ended. And Alvarado will always be an adventure IMO).

Kennedy has had his moments but he was shaky the minute he arrived. Maybe you chalk that up to being traded, and a new league. Luckily a lot of those games weren't save situations (or if they were he still didn't blow 'em).

As a manager you really can't win, if stand by your closer the media won't stop asking about it and if you go closer by committee and blow saves the media will keep asking if it wouldn't be better to have a set closer. You can do that in Tampa because A) they win and B) no one really cares.

Sabin 2021-09-10 19:03:14 UTC #112

It's not really about blowing a couple of saves or the media (in my mind, at least); it's Kennedy's performance since being acquired, and the team chasing after the top of the division or a wild card. If August/September were April/May, I suppose considering the answers to questions raised by the team's choice of closer(s) might be more relevant, though I would think the goal - put the team in the best position to win - would remain the same.

zambonir 2021-09-10 19:20:30 UTC #113

I think public pressure is always a factor though. As is reputation. Neither Hector nor Kennedy have the brand-name, all-star closer pedigree that allows a manager to stand by them no matter what. I also strongly suspect that Middleton is the kind of owner who would actually call the GM if the closer pisses him off multiple times (not a huge stretch considering he personally fired the hitting coach two years ago, though one assumes Dombrowski and Girardi get more respect).

I also think any reliever can have a bad two weeks or a bad months, but when that month is August or September - which was also the case, by definition, last year - you can't wait for them to ride it out, right?

Remember when Joe actually went back to Workman for one game last year in September? Oy.

I generally don't worry about it because I think any of these guys can lose a game for us between the 6th and 9th inning right now (as Brogdon did on Wednesday). Obviously it hurts the most in the 9th.