Phillies Reliever Taking Game To Next Level To Solidify Bullpen

The Philadelphia Phillies' bullpen is becoming a strength with the performance of one relief pitcher.

May 25, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the eighth inning at Truist Park. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the best closers in baseball anchoring their bullpen in Jhoan Duran.

He has been excellent since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins ahead of the MLB trade deadline in 2025. However, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing when building the bridge to him late in the game.

It was something the front office sought to fix this offseason, adding Brad Keller to the mix in free agency. His performance has been up and down, but one player has emerged as a reliable source of production for the team: Orion Kerkering.

Everyone was curious how he would respond after an error he committed ended the Phillies 2025 season. It was a crushing blow, helping the Los Angeles Dodgers get past Philadelphia in the postseason.

Orion Kerkering has been throwing at high level

May 15, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Orion Kerkering (50) pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the tenth inning at PNC Park. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

A blunder of that proportion could change a player’s entire career arc. There certainly looked to be some residual effects, with Kerkering giving up two runs in his season debut and being scored upon again four outings later.

He was struggling to find his rhythm. Kerkering didn’t strike out a batter until his third appearance of the season. In five of his first seven appearances, he failed to record a strikeout. It took until April 28, when he struck out two San Francisco Giants, to put his season total of punchouts ahead of walks for good.

That series against the Giants, the first under interim manager Don Mattingly, was a turning point for the entire team, Kerkering included. Through his first 23 appearances, he has a 2.21 ERA in 20.1 innings.

The strikeouts have started to be racked up, recording at least two in four consecutive appearances to push his season total to 21. In his most recent outing against the San Diego Padres, Kerkering walked Manny Machado to start the inning before mowing down the next three batters on 12 pitches.

Orion Kerkering's Sweeper was the Highest Grading tjStuff+ Pitch from yesterday pic.twitter.com/TMOrxYHiqC

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 14, 2026

“You saw it in that game,” Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham said, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic (subscription required). “It was a four-pitch walk, and you just watch him. There’s really no emotion. There is no feeling of, ‘I need to do something different.’ He just gets right back on the mound and makes pitches. It’s flowed from him not overthinking things.”

That sense of no emotions and feelings is certainly helping Kerkering perform at a high level on the mound. His sweeping slider, regarded as his best offering, has improved as well, elevating his performance.

Now, he is set to return to the scene of his disastrous error. It will be the ultimate test of whether that low point is behind him completely or not.

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