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The Philadelphia Phillies are off to a winning start after a relatively quiet offseason.
Despite winning just a single playoff game in 2024, the Phillies have returned with essentially the same roster. But the bullpen seems to have taken a step back.
The team lost high-leverage arms Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez to new teams in free agency and opted to bring in former Toronto Blue Jays closer Jordan Romano as a substitute. So far, Romano has posted a 15.26 ERA while giving up 13 earned runs on 13 hits in just nine games. Meanwhile, the Phillies bullpen owns the second-highest ERA in all of baseball at 5.80.
Romano is a two-time All-Star and the team remains confident in his stuff, raising questions about why he hasn’t been more effective. Following his latest implosion, which saw him give up six earned runs in 0.2 innings against the Miami Marlins, Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he’d be looking more closely for an underlying issue.
“The club is baffled by Romano’s first nine outings,” Matt Gelb wrote for The Athletic. “Thomson, considered as paranoid as they come… commissioned a fact-finding mission into whether Romano was tipping his pitches. This is the default excuse whenever a pitcher struggles.”
Romano is coming off of an injured 2024 season, which might better explain his issues on the mound so far. And Gelb noted that he only throws two pitches, so hitters have a good chance at guessing what’s coming without any tips.
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As a result, it’s unlikely that Thomson’s inquiry is going to dig up an easy solution to the problem. Instead, Romano might consider adding a pitch to his mix, rethinking his approach to games or taking some kind of mental break for a refresh.
But for now, the Phillies will have to find some way to extract better results from Romano and company.
“Whoever the Phillies summon from the minors is not stepping into a high-leverage role,” Gelb added. “Thomson has to squeeze something from this group.”
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)