The Phillies have spent years trying to patch together a bullpen that can hold up when the games get tight. The rotation has usually done its part in October, but the relief work has been where things have gone sideways, and this season hasn’t made that problem any easier.
Getting the ball to Jhoan Duran has not always been clean, and the middle innings have become even more fragile with Orion Kerkering struggling lately. Jonathan Bowlan, who had been climbing the bullpen ladder, has also hit a rough stretch, allowing a run in two of his last three outings.
That opening has created a lane for Alex McFarlane, and the rookie is making a real case to be one of Don Mattingly’s most trusted late-game options. Mattingly put it plainly, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required): “He’s been working his way up, for sure,” Mattingly said of McFarlane, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required).
“He’s throwing the ball well. Nothing not to like at this point.”
McFarlane got one of the biggest calls of his young career in Game 1 of a crucial four-game set against the Braves at Citizens Bank Park. Philadelphia was trailing 3-2 heading into the seventh when he came on for Cristopher Sanchez, who had thrown six innings and left the game with the Phillies still within striking distance.
The right-hander handled the moment without blinking. He needed just eight pitches to finish the inning, allowing only a single to Ronald Acuna Jr. Michael Harris Jr. opened the frame by grounding out on a 100 mph fastball, Drake Baldwin then struck out swinging at a slider, and Ozzie Albies ended the inning with a first-pitch popout.
McFarlane’s line keeps getting better, too. He has now thrown 11.1 innings in his big league career and has given up just one earned run.
The Phillies have wanted him to sharpen his strike throwing, and that part of his game has improved with every outing. Against Atlanta, all eight of his pitches found the zone.
That’s how a rookie starts earning real trust in a bullpen that needs it. With a 0.79 ERA and 2.48 FIP, McFarlane is giving Mattingly and the pitching staff more reason to lean on him, and it would not be a surprise if he keeps seeing bigger spots as the season moves toward the playoffs.
In Other News...
Luis Arraez Is Forcing A Phillies Tradeoff Fans Can't Ignore
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The harder part is what Arraez has done to the rest of the lineup. His arrival has forced defensive reshuffling, with Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott among the players taking on new responsibilities, and that kind of tradeoff always puts a roster under a little more strain. Arraezs production still carries the kind of profile that can swing with BABIP and the kind of luck that tends to even out over time, which leaves the Phillies weighing present fit against the version of him they believe is still in there. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Prospects Sudden Health Fight Put Baseball In Perspective
Gabriel Barbosas rise through the Phillies system had been one of those quieter prospect stories that starts far from the spotlight and builds one level at a time. The right-hander came up from Brazil, advanced through the minor league ladder in Philadelphias organization and was beginning to look like another arm worth tracking, the kind of development path teams and fans follow closely when the long season starts to thin the herd.
Now baseball has been shoved far into the background. Barbosa was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2026 while expecting his first child, and a GoFundMe has been set up to help cover medical and family expenses, organized by the Rockies scout who first signed him. It is the sort of news that turns a prospect report into something much more human, a reminder that the games next call-up can be fighting a far bigger battle away from the field. [Read more 🡒]
Phillies Suddenly Have A Real Late-Inning Trust Problem
Orion Kerkerings season has reached a point where every late-inning appearance feels heavier than the last. The right-hander has not given the Phillies the kind of dependable bridge work they expected, and after another rough outing against the Braves, his numbers have become hard to ignore, including a 4.12 ERA overall and a 12.27 mark over his last four appearances. For a bullpen built around getting through the most stressful outs, that kind of slide changes how a manager has to think about the back end of games.
Matt Gelb of The Athletic put the spotlight on the issue by noting the Phillies may need to rethink where Kerkering fits in the relief hierarchy. Alex McFarlane has been much steadier lately and is now making a case for the sort of high-leverage responsibilities that once looked like Kerkerings to lose. For a club trying to sort out its late innings, the question is no longer just who gets the ball, but who can be trusted when the game is on the line. [Read more 🡒]