Philadelphia Phillies Believe Struggling Closer Was Tipping His Pitches

The Philadelphia Phillies won on Sunday Night Baseball to secure a series win over the Chicago Cubs.

This was an important stretch for the Phillies after they entered as losers of four straight and dropped the opener of this set.

Not only were they able to find their offense on Saturday with an explosion of runs that didn't come from the longball, but they also grinded out an extra innings win in the finale that proved they have the capability of coming out on top in a close contest.

Perhaps the main story that will come from Sunday's win is what Jordan Romano did.

Based on how how he had performed to date -- a 13.50 ERA in 10 outings -- it's safe to say not many fans were thrilled to see the right-hander come out of the bullpen in a 3-1 game to close things out in the bottom of the 10th inning.

But considering the circumstances, Romano might have had his best out of the season so far.

With the inherited runner standing on second base because of the extra innings rule, he didn't allow a run to score, striking out the first batter he faced before inducing a fly out to left field and then making a spectacular play on a ground ball comebacker to secure the win.

Romano looked like a completely different pitcher, throwing 10 of his 13 pitches for strikes and not issuing a single walk while showcasing high velocity on his fastball with some nasty break on his slider.

What might have changed?

"We talked to Rob Thomson, the manager of the Phillies, before the game who seemed to think Romano was tipping his pitches. They feel like they've corrected it," David Cone said on the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast.

If that really is what has been going on, then the best version of Romano could be coming.

The broadcast went on to discuss how tipping pitches would affect a pitcher like Romano who relies heavily on his fastball and slider combination.

Without the element of surprise on his slider -- the most likely pitch that was being tipped -- then batters could just sit back and wait for a fastball.

Hopefully, that is the main issue that has been plaguing the former All-Star.

Since his velocity has started to reach his previous top-end speed, that suggests he's physically recovered from his injury that caused him to be on the shelf for the majority of 2024.

This will be something to monitor going forward.

Getting the high-end version of Romano will go a long way to help this bullpen become an effective unit for the remainder of the year, especially once the rest of the pitching staff starts taking shape and some potential upgrades are brought in, as well.

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