Is the Philadelphia Phillies' Bullpen Playoff-Ready?

The Philadelphia Phillies had their second bullpen game in three days Monday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. It would have been fair of even manager Rob Thomson to expect the worst. But miraculously, the bullpen held their opponent to just four runs over nine innings for the second time in just a few days.

That outcome would have been unimaginable just a few months earlier. From the start of the season until Joe Girardi's firing on June 3, the Phillies had MLB's 10th worst bullpen ERA. Since that date, their ERA is 3.12, good for the sixth best in baseball.

That mark of 3.12 is even better than the remarkable bullpen the 2008 World Champions boasted. So what's changed since Girardi's firing other than the obvious?

For one, Thomson is playing more to pitchers strengths. Where Girardi used players in statistically advantageous situations, Thomson has done a better job of communicating with players to find roles they are comfortable in.

For example, since Corey Knebel was relieved of closer duties on July 17, his ERA is 1.69.

José Alvarado has been instructed to focus more on his cutter than his sinker. It's a pitch that's slower, but easier to throw for strikes. Since June 16, he hasn't allowed a run, striking out 20 batters in 11 innings and walking just six. Even his FIP is a miniscule 1.11.

Meanwhile players like Mark Appel, Christopher Sánchez, Nick Nelson and Andrew Bellatti have all pitched like Major League regulars.

But realistically, how long can this last and who can the Phillies reliably count on?

Seranthony Domínguez is one pitcher who can be trusted. Perhaps the only player on the Phillies roster who has been consistently great all year long, Domínguez is in his roughest stretch of the season right now.

Having thrown 9.2 innings since June 14, he's allowed three runs and two home runs for a 2.79 ERA in that span. Even at his worst, Domínguez has walked only one batter and struck out 10 over those innings. He's undoubtedly proven that he can be counted on.

Between Knebel, Domínguez and Alvarado, who's reinvented himself as a cutter-first pitcher, the Phillies have three relievers who can take down big innings.

Brad Hand has been charged with a more demanding role recently too, with Knebel slotting away from late-inning duties. But he might be better equipped for lower-leverage spots. While Hand's ERA of 2.33 is quite alluring, his underlying stats suggest that his future performance may just be good, not great.

At his best, Hand is a pitcher who relies heavily on strikeouts and command of the strike zone. But his walk-rate of 11.3% this year is unsustainable as a late-inning reliever, especially compared with a strikeout-rate of 21.7% which has 12.0% in the last two years.

Now Hand relies more on soft contact, his hard-hit% is 96th percentile league-wide, but with such a high walk-rate, allowing so much contact is a dangerous concoction. Hand is a solid reliever, his xERA is 3.64 and FIP is 3.15, but he'd be better utilized as a lefty-specialist or middle reliever than a closer.

Thus, the Phillies have three great relievers in Knebel, Domínguez and Alvarado, solid middle-relief options in Bellatti and Hand and promising long-relief work from Sánchez and Nelson.

That leaves one spot to be filled by a newcomer. Is that player Connor Brogdon, soon to return from his rehab assignment at Lehigh Valley?

Maybe, but Brogdon has dealt with forearm tightness in his rehab stints and likely can't be counted on to stay healthy. It's certainly not $6 million man Jeurys Familia, who has been terrible by nearly every metric in 2022, advanced or otherwise.

The Phillies are one reliever short of having a dominant and confident relief core headed into their stretch run. The bullpen's stellar performance over the last month and a half will allow Phillies President, Dave Dombrowski, to focus on more pressing needs at the deadline like centerfield, shortstop, and starting pitcher.

If the Phillies do go out and acquire a new starter, Thomson may call on Ranger Suárez to reprise his old late-inning role, completing what looks to be a formidable playoff-ready bullpen.

More From SI's Inside The Phillies:

Make sure to follow Inside the Phillies on Substack and Twitter!