Phillies Bullpen Has Fallen Short When Lights Are Brightest

To find success this October, the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen needs to step up their performance.

Jun 24, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly (8) walks out to the mound for a pitching change against the Washington Nationals during the sixth inning at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Philadelphia Phillies have a lot of things going for them heading down the stretch of the regular season, with their eyes on a playoff spot in the National League.

Their lineup is full of stars, headlined by Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber playing at elite levels. If Luis Arraez, Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott and Justin Crawford stay hot, navigating that group is a lot more difficult.

The Phillies have the strongest and most reliable starting pitching trio to carry them through the postseason. Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo are going to be hard to beat multiple times in a series.

However, the biggest obstacle that interim manager Don Mattingly is going to face is: what happens when his starter comes out of the game? The Philadelphia bullpen has not been great, and it has fallen woefully short when being called upon against the other National League contenders.

Phillies bullpen has been abysmal against contending teams

Aug 18, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brooks Raley (30) throws a pitch against the Miami Marlins during the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

As shared by Corey Seidman on X, the Phillies' relief pitchers have been woeful this season against the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers, the teams they will have to get past in the NL to make the World Series.

In 106.1 innings pitched, the relievers have surrendered a whopping 84 runs. This isn’t just mop-up duty that back-end pitchers are being called upon to get the final outs of a blowout; Philadelphia had chances to win plenty of these games.

The bullpen has seven losses and six blown saves against those contending squads, and the Phillies have a combined record of 7-21. They are handling business against the rest of MLB, going 76-46, which is encouraging, but a deep run in October feels possible only if the bullpen can figure things out.

Phillies relievers have allowed 84 runs in 106⅓ innings this season to the Braves, Cubs, Dodgers and Brewers, the teams they’d have to beat in the NL playoffs.

The bullpen has 7 losses and 6 blown saves in those games. Phils have gone 7-21.

— Corey Seidman (@CoreySeidman) September 14, 2026

Which buttons Mattingly presses and when will have a major impact on the team’s level of success. He is going to ride his starting rotation for as long as he can in games before turning things over to the bullpen, but they are going to have to step up and get some outs.

Confidence is still high in Jhoan Duran despite some shaky outings, but it could be rookie Alex McFarlane who is thrown into the fire. He had one bad outing against the Braves, but has been fantastic otherwise.

This could also be where Andrew Painter or Aaron Nola are called upon if they aren’t going to be needed to start games. Both have pitched incredibly well over the last few weeks and could help bolster a bullpen that is in need of some help.

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