The Phillies have one of, if not the best, starting rotations in Major League Baseball.
The same cannot be said for the bullpen.
The Phillies’ bullpen has struggled all year with a 4.55 ERA. Amid the struggles, the bullpen was dealt a major blow when star reliever Jose Alvarado was suspended for 80 games: a struggling bullpen and a suspension for your best reliever.
The Phillies needed somebody to step up.
And that someone is Orion Kerkering.
Orion Kerkering was called up to the Phillies late in the 2023 season, joining the team for their playoff run. He came in with a nasty fastball, sweeper combo. This has been his bread and butter in the majors. Still developing, Kerkering is one of the Phillies’ most important relievers. An important piece before the suspension has become even more important.
Before the Suspension
From the start of the season up until May 18th, Kerkering appeared in 19 games for the Phillies. The team went 11-8 on those 19 appearances. Kerkering had ok, but not nearly good enough numbers to start the season. His 4.32 ERA was far too high. In a perfect world, his ERA falls closer to 2, but I would be happy with an ERA around 3.
Another area where Kerkering struggled to start the year was with inherited runners. He inherited 12 runners in his first 19 starts, allowing 5 of those runners to score.
With Kerkering struggling to keep runs off the board, the Phillies needed him to come into form.
| Team Record | Games | Innings | Hits | Runs | ERA | HR | K/BB | IR/IS |
| 11-8 | 19 | 16.2 | 15 | 11R/8ER | 4.32 | 2 | 16/9 | 12/5 |
Coming Into Form
Even with his early struggles, Kerkering has plenty of time to turn his season around. The suspension of Alvarado greatly accelerated the timeline of Kerkering pitching well. Since the suspension, Kerkering hasn’t given up an earned run in six appearances, and the team is 6-0 in those appearances.
He gave up his first run since May 18th this afternoon in game 1 of the Braves doubleheader (charged to C. Sanchez). This has been massive for the Phillies. He is slowly stabilizing what was once a weakness.
His quick turnaround helped the Phillies go 6-1 on their road trip and win 8 of their last 9 games
| Team Record | Games | Innings | Hits | Runs | ERA | HR | K/BB | IR/IS |
| 6-0 | 6 | 4.3 | 5 | 1R/0ER | 0.00 | 0 | 3/3 | 6/1 |
Obviously, this comes with a smaller sample size at only 4.3 innings pitched, but he has been lights out in those outings. Exactly what the Phillies need with Alvarado out for the remainder of the season.
How has Kerkering improved? By attacking hitters instead of going for the punchout. One interesting stat from his pitching is the number of strikeouts in recent outings. His strikeout and walk numbers have dipped. Orion occasionally gets caught trying to be too perfect with each pitch. He has good enough stuff to keep the ball around the plate and pitch to contact. I believe continuing to pitch for more contact will allow Kerkering to continue his success.
Season Outlook
We all know that baseball can be a streaky sport, whether you are a hitter or a pitcher. Orion Kerkering has stepped up big time for the Phillies after the loss of a key player. Is this the Kerkering we will see the rest of the season, or is he just on a hot streak?
Kerkering has the tools to be a consistent piece for the Phillies.
I would love to see him develop a third pitch so hitters aren’t able to sit on the sweep or fastball, especially when he is struggling with command issues.
If the Phillies’ righty can keep producing, look for him to lock down the 7th inning for the Phillies’ bullpen. I could also see him taking over the high-leverage situations like Jeff Hoffman did last season. The lefty-righty matchups may dictate which inning he pitches in, but with Kerkering on the mound, the Phillies have the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings set up with Kerkering, Strahm, and Romano.
It will be interesting to see how the bullpen can hold up over the rest of the season, but for now, Kerkering has stepped up when the Phillies needed it most.
PHOTO: Dennis Lee/Imagn Images
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